Cover for Forgotten Heroes of wW-II, the French Resistance

The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Forgotten Heroes of wW-II, the French Resistance

Because Forgotten Heroes of wW-II, the French Resistance was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.

Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.

This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.

Ekta Kumari

The book is centred around the history of the German War and the resistance forces that sprung up against Germany. I wouldn't have read the book as I'm not into the genre of historical fiction. However, this is a good read for someone who likes elaborate historical details. The thing I liked the most while sampling is that the author offers complete details about the historical events and what took place during the crucial years of the WWII. I also like that the author also pays attention to proper characterization to enrich the read. While I wouldn't read the whole book due to my disinterest in the genre, I would recommend it for historical fiction fans. I did see an official OBC review. I didn't find any errors and would rate the book as professionally edited. I do not have any recommendations for improvements.

First Ten review added on August 15, 2021, at 5:00 am by Ekta Kumari.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Manang Muyang

The title, cover, and blurb clearly show what the book is all about: WWII, specifically the French Resistance movement. I recognize the sacrifices made by the men and women who fought in that war (and in all other wars), but I am not interested in knowing the intricate details. I wouldn't have sampled the book outside of the program. The main story started with the background of Chico Vargas; however, I wish the author gave the readers an initial idea of how Chico was related to the French Resistance movement. The official OBC reviewer also did not mention Chico. The reviewer did say that they found only three errors in the entire book. So I was surprised to find numerous errors from the very first page. The most glaring error was the chapter title of Chapter One: "The Eatly Life" in bold letters should have been "The Early Life." Another blatant error was at 21% of the sample: "One of the scouts (delegate) was Manfred and Mary Schieb"; "one" in that sentence was definitely wrong because there were two names. The author also mentioned so many characters in the first chapter alone. I was totally confused. I knew then that I would not have the energy to read the rest of the book. One new thing that I learned was that the US could have possibly sided with the Germans; I liked that interesting tidbit. I believe the author should have the book edited properly, though, for the reader to sail smoothly through the deluge of information.

First Ten review added on August 15, 2021, at 4:59 am by Manang Muyang.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

smolbird

I would not have sampled this book outside of the program based on its genre because I don’t enjoy books based on history. Based on the first ten pages, I would say that the book is well edited but I spotted a minor error on page 16 where there is an extra single quotation mark (“Certainly, but you know that all of my teachings are in German Mennonite’”). I like that the book contains some stories that actually happened in the past. However, I could not find it in myself to enjoy the book because I’m not much of a history buff. I have decided not to read the book in its entirety because of this reason. I also have no suggestions for the book’s improvement because I think history buffs will enjoy the book as it is. While its official OBC review gave it a high rating, it doesn’t change my decision to not read the book.

First Ten review added on August 15, 2021, at 4:32 am by smolbird.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Justine Ocsebio

I wouldn’t have sampled the book based on the blurb, as I was not interested in the premise. I liked how well researched this book was. I could imagine how history buffs will feast on this book. The first chapter brings us to Meoqui, Mexico. The author talks about the life of Conchos Indians after the Spaniards conquered their land. I’m not going to finish the book, as this isn’t the kind of book I’m inclined to read. The official OBC review did not affect my decision. I disliked nothing. The only thing that needs improvement is the editing. I don’t think the book is properly edited. In the sentence, “Certainly, but you know that all of my teachings are in German Mennonite’”, a period is missing inside the quotation marks.

First Ten review added on August 15, 2021, at 4:06 am by Justine Ocsebio.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sou Hi

The cover is nice, and the official review from OBC is interesting. Since Amazon's blurb and reviews are promising, I decided to give the sample a try. It begins with the Second World War and the French Resistance. The scene then shifts to Chico's childhood.

I like the information about the wars. However, the plot is a bit obscure, as I don't understand Chico's role in the story. The author should clarify this. Besides, I found some errors, so I think another round of editing is needed. Until these issues are resolved, I won't buy this book.

Error example: "Certainly, but you know that all of my teachings are in German Mennonite'" -> There should be a period at the end of the sentence, and the single quote mark is unneeded.

First Ten review added on August 15, 2021, at 3:51 am by Sou Hi.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sonya Nicolaidis

At first glance, I was not particularly inspired to read this book, and the cover certainly would not have inspired me to take a closer a look at it. The subject of the French resistance and the part they played in WW2 has never interested me and even the OBC reviewer’s review failed to make it more appealing to me. I read the first ten, and was initially quite impressed. The author begins with a brief summary of events during the early years of the war, and I was particularly interested in the historical points highlighted in the prologue about why Americans couldn’t join the war effort. However, as soon as the story started in South America, I found myself losing interest. I found an error in the first chapter title with the misspelling of “The Early Life” as “The Eatly Life” making me thing that this book was not professionally edited. There was nothing in the body of the story to appeal to me and make me want to read more of this book, so I would not read any further.

First Ten review added on August 15, 2021, at 3:27 am by Sonya Nicolaidis.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Annelore Trujillo

I would have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. I like World War II books. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. It went into a lot of detail on the events of the war and how Hitler had gained support in the United States. This part of the book was dry. There wasn’t anything specific that I liked. The editing also needs improvement as I saw errors that told me the book was not professionally edited. For example, in the title of the first chapter “The Eatly Life” should’ve been “The Early Life”. I don’t read books that aren’t edited.

First Ten review added on August 15, 2021, at 3:14 am by Annelore Trujillo.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mary WhiteFace

Without the First Ten program I would not have wanted to read a story about WWII. It was a rough and painful time for my family. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind. The presence of an OnlineBookClub review did not influence my decision.

The book seemed to be professionally edited. I have no suggestions for improvements. There was no particular part that I liked best. I was surprised to find that in Mexico during the 1920s, a boy of fourteen "was expected to wear a 38-caliber revolver (location 204)."

Also, at an even younger age of ten, boys were taught how to "aim, shoot, and clean a handgun and rifle." They also learned how to make ammunition (location 209). Learning how to safely handle firearms at a young age is a good idea, but it is a sad, sad testament to the dangers the children had to face when a fourteen-year-old boy was "expected" to open carry a revolver. They were not allowed to just be children.

I understand that it is important to insure that people know what happened during WWII, but I have a difficult time reading about how the people suffered. I will not be reading the whole book.

First Ten review added on August 15, 2021, at 2:07 am by Mary WhiteFace.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rodel Barnachea

Following my perusing the title's official OBC review and Amazon page, I decided not to purchase the historical fiction novel. I am not intrigued by how the two protagonists, Herman and Karina, will affect the events and outcome of World War II. I am also not interested in learning the motivations behind each action that the main characters will take. Sampling the title failed to change my mind. I would not acquire it because nothing in the Amazon sample piqued my curiosity, engaged my attention, or compelled me to read the remainder of the novel. The first ten pages contain a prologue, the first chapter, and some pages of the second chapter. What I liked most is when some Americans illegally crossed the border between the United States of America and Canada in order to join the Canadian Armed Forces and circumvent the Neutrality Law. I did not identify any errors in the Amazon sample. The book seems professionally edited to me. I have no advice to offer to the author.

First Ten review added on August 14, 2021, at 11:30 pm by Rodel Barnachea.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Gabrielle Sigaki

Forgotten Heroes of wW-II, the French Resistance by Luis Gil Armendariz is a historical fiction novel that brings true stories about war, espionage, and strategy too. If I didn't sample this book, I wouldn't read it based on its Official OnlineBookClub review since historical fiction books about World War ll don't interest me. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and I won't read the entire novel because of its theme. Nevertheless, it seems professionally edited, I think there's nothing to be improved in it, and I enjoyed the fact that the author brought details from what happened in World War ll with a descriptive narrative in order to make the story even more realistic to the readers.

First Ten review added on August 14, 2021, at 10:18 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Shrabastee Chakraborty

Based on the cover, the genre, or the official OBC review, I wouldn't have read the book. I found a single error in the first ten pages (location 14%: there should be a space before the sentence "It was the British that intercepted..."). The prologue gave a brief summary of the world history during WWII, making note of the moves each nation made. I liked that the excerpt was so informative. But at the same time, I did not expect to start the book with something akin to a history lesson. I wouldn't suggest improvement as I know the background was important to the story. However,
based on my reading experience, I decided not to read the book.

First Ten review added on August 14, 2021, at 8:58 pm by Shrabastee Chakraborty.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mariana Figueira

Before reading the book's first pages, I wasn't interested in it because nothing on the cover or title got my attention. After sampling the book, I don't want to continue reading it because I don't like history books, it's not my thing at all. This book seems professionally edited and has an official Online BookClub review. I didn't like the Chinese stereotype of "yellow complexion and slanted eyes" that gave Chico his nickname, though I don't know if that could be improved. There was nothing I saw that I enjoyed.

First Ten review added on August 14, 2021, at 8:48 pm by Mariana Figueira.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jorge Leon Salazar

The cover and title are in keeping with the story and theme of WWII. I think the book would attract potential readers. The historical fiction genre is to my liking. The blurb highlights what was done by the French Resistance in the period between 1940 and 1942 in the fight against the German invasion. The favorable customer reviews emphasize the way the story is told and the sacrifice of many people to face the Japanese and Germans in WWII. Based on these aspects, I could try this book. The prologue presents an overview of the situation when the US was yet uninvolved in WWII. There were several respected US Citizens who supported or sympathized with Hitler. The first ten pages focus on the character Francisco “Chico” Vargas. They present a description of his childhood and his family. Later, it describes when he and his family immigrated to El Paso, Texas, where he lived as a teenager and adult. What I read was slow-paced. The progress of the plot was little and it yet did not address the main theme of WWII. The extensive genealogical explanation of Chico is striking. In what I read, Chico was already interested in joining the Army. The official OnlineBookClub review highlights the performance of the French Resistance and the British to defeat Hitler. The edition seems professional since I only saw a detail at 34% of the sample with a Spanish phrase that says “... cómo correctamos la problema”, it should say “... cómo corregimos el problema.” However, for a book in English, it is a minor detail. Apart from the comments, there is nothing else that I believe can be improved. What I read was interesting, but it did not completely capture me. There was little plot development. In conclusion, I think I will not read the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on August 14, 2021, at 12:26 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

gen_g

Just looking at the title and cover, the book is very obviously a piece of war fiction – I am not in the market for such genres, so I would not have sampled it. I have indeed come across a positive OBC review of the book, but as I am not in the market for such genres, I would not have changed my mind regarding sampling. There are a couple of errors present. At 1% in the sample, the word "stages" in "...the German Bund (Federation) stages rallies..." should be "staged" – one is talking about past events in the 1930s, so the word "stages" should be in the past tense, i.e., "staged". I suggest closer editing to improve book quality. However, what struck me most about the book is that the author chose to include a short note to the readers detailing how his own family was involved (in various ways) in World War Two. For example, we learn that his father-in-law (Jay T. Walker) and his cousin (Tony Vega) fought in Europe. Tony also retired from the Army in 1948 as a full Colonel. If I had to give a suggestion to improve the book, I would say to change the writing style slightly – for a piece of fiction, there are a lot of factual statements present, most of which would be more at home in a piece of non-fiction. Such statements would result in shallower immersion in the story, in my opinion. I will not be buying the book today, as I am not in the market for books with a heavy war theme.

First Ten review added on August 14, 2021, at 11:49 am by gen_g.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sanju Lali

It was easy for me to guess from the cover and the title of this book that it focuses on heroes of the Second World War. Therefore, I considered reading the OBC official review of this book to know more about those heroes. The OBC official review gave me the idea that the book follows Herman and Karina, US citizens who defied the Neutrality Law. This information motivated me to read the sample of the book before purchasing it. When I read the first ten pages, I realized that this book is not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "Chico’s Tío Jose had married Avelina Arvizu, and shortly after their marriage, a small house was being built next to his grandmothers...". The sentence could have been as follows. "Chico’s Tío Jose had married Avelina Arvizu, and shortly after their marriage, a small house was being built next to his grandmother's...". What l liked the most in this book is the idea of highlighting the brave acts of Herman and Karina. I also liked the information on the ground situation in Mexico and how the Europeans influenced it during the 16th century. Sadly, the detailed information on Chico's life appeared more than necessary for me, and it overwhelmed me. Therefore, I found it boring to read. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and also to consider my problems, as mentioned in the above sentences. Looking at all these facts, I decided not to purchase and read this book today but wait until the author could help me by addressing my suggestion so that I could enjoy reading this book.

First Ten review added on August 14, 2021, at 10:14 am by Sanju Lali.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Catherine Hsu

If I had not read the sample as part of the First Ten program, I would not have read the book. I don’t love historical fiction and the blurb is a little boring as it reads like something out of a textbook, rather than a story. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind for this same reason; I like the parts with dialogue because it felt more immersive, but everything was written with a degree of distance in third-person perspective, which kind of took me out of the story. I also think some editing is needed; I found many errors with punctuation. For example in “‘Tío’, Feliz says…” the comma should’ve been in the quotation marks; in “‘Why.’” I also think a question mark should’ve been used instead of a period. Those are the main things I would change. The official OnlineBookClub review did not affect my decision.

First Ten review added on August 14, 2021, at 3:36 am by Catherine Hsu.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Ari Martinez

If it wasn't for the First Ten program, I wouldn't sample this book based on its title, cover, or Official OnlineBookClub review because historical fiction novels about wars usually don't interest me. After reading the sample, I will not read the whole book because it failed to captivate me enough to continue reading. From what I read, my favorite part was how much history was interwoven with Chico's story. The book does not need improvement. In Location 235, there was a missing closing quotation mark (“You said that my Grandfather stowed-away with his little brother. So, did his little brother come with him to Mexico?).

First Ten review added on August 14, 2021, at 2:04 am by Ari Martinez.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

J_odoyo

After reading the first ten pages of this book, I have realized that the book is seemingly well written. Its cover page is well designed and suitable for this book. I didn’t have any problem with the book’s title, and I believe that the book’s description on the Amazon website served its purpose well. I didn’t encounter any typographical or grammatical errors (in the main content), and I would wager that the book was professionally edited. However, chapter one of this book, “THE EATLY LIFE”, was listed as “The Early Life” in the table of contents. This contradiction means there is an error. I’m a fan of historical fiction books, and I liked the “Note from The Author” section; it gave important information—demonstrating that the author did good research and this material can be trusted. Author Luis’ narration is riveting and enjoyable. Sincerely, I’m not going to finish reading it; I’ve read many books about WW II, and I wouldn’t like to meet familiar information again. Overall, the sample was well written, and I wouldn’t recommend anything for the improvement of this book.

First Ten review added on August 14, 2021, at 1:10 am by J_odoyo.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kelyn

As historical fiction is not an interest of mine, it is doubtful that I would ever have run across this book. Even if I had, given that I dislike books concerning war, both the title and cover would have turned me away from it. The author is unknown to me, so that would not have affected my decision. The blurb, frankly, was confusing. I could not tell whether this was what the book was about or simply an excerpt from the book. Either way, it left me unmoved. Though there were many positive customer reviews on the Amazon site, I could not locate one from the OBC program. Many of the reviews seemed to be from history/war buffs, so they did little to impress me. The official OBC review on this site was highly complimentary of the book. This raised my expectations going into the sample. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. There was little to no information about the french resistance mentioned in the blurb. Instead, we were given a somewhat confusing generational timeline/family tree of Chico Vargas, the apparent protagonist of the book. I did like that the book started off telling Chico's story from childhood. It made him a bit more relatable. However, a printed family tree would have improved things for me or lessened my confusion about who was related to who in what way. In the end, given the confusing narrative and my dislike of war-based books in general, I decided not to continue reading the book. Although the book seemed fairly well-edited, I did find errors in the sample. One of these was: "Mr. and Mrs. Schieb were very friendly. They help Alejandra with the maintenance of the property." – to maintain proper tense, ‘help’ should be ‘helped’

First Ten review added on August 14, 2021, at 1:01 am by Kelyn.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MsH2k

Based on the blurb, I would not have sampled this book if I were not part of this program. I enjoy historical fiction novels and think they are a great way to learn about history (as long as you know which part is fiction), but the blurb didn’t grab my attention. The sample pages were informative. I didn’t know about the prominent Americans who favored the Germans early in the war and I appreciated the global introduction in the prologue. As the sample pages progressed, I kept waiting for the writing to start showing more instead of telling, but that did not materialize in the first ten pages. It felt more like a report than a novel, so I will not buy this book. I noticed a few grammatical errors in the first ten pages. At loc 196 (Grandfather) and 211 (Dad), common nouns were unnecessarily capitalized: “their Grandfather had been on the losing side” and “Chico did not have a Dad.” At loc 204, the semicolon is not needed in this sentence: “The Mexicans, Mennonites, and the Conchos all have at least five children; in the farms where Chico lived.” I also noticed that the tense would shift from present to past for no apparent reason. An example is this series at location 205: “They all have a good time playing games, rebote, freeze tag, hide and seek, and more. Boys would be boys, and they played war games. The girls all had rag dolls.”
The featured OnlineBookClub review was positive, but it had no bearing on my decision not to buy this book. My observations noted were not distracting; I have no suggestions for improvement.

First Ten review added on August 13, 2021, at 10:55 pm by MsH2k.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Hazel Arnaiz

The cover and title are straightforward, so it is easy to tell the book is about history. The images on the book cover seem appropriate and relate to the title. However, they are not catchy enough for me to sample outside the program. Currently, I am not in the market for WWII stories. I did not find anything unique from the blurb and customer reviews to make an exception. After sampling, I liked that it explored the Neutrality Law and how it empowers the mixed-races. However, the pace of the opening chapters was slow for my taste. I prefer action-packed and fast-paced war stories. As for editing, I noticed some issues. Here are examples.

Page 22. Grammar. Consider changing the noun form.

As Tía Avelina’s house[’s] construction was being completed, Tío Jose and Tía Avelina lived in Chico’s grandmother’s house.

Page 32. Spelling. Consider spelling as one word.

It is the Quarter[]Master Corps who is in charge of supplying these items.

Adding an intense action scene at the opening of the story might help in creating more impact. It might also keep the attention and interest of readers who prefer a faster-paced story. Likewise, the official OnlineBookClub review is enthusiastic, but I will still skip this one because of the pace and preference.

First Ten review added on August 13, 2021, at 10:44 pm by Hazel Arnaiz.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Yvonne Monique

The book cover gives me the impression that this is a summary of historical events about the French Resistance during World War II. As this is not my area of interest, I would not pick this book up if I would see it in a bookstore. I was surprised to find out, by reading the blurb and OBC review, that this is actually a fictional novel, mixed with historical facts. Although the review states that the book is well edited, I found a spelling mistake in the title of chapter number one. It says 'The Eatly Life' instead of 'The Early Life.' Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the sample. The first chapter was full of dates, names and facts, but it did not make me feel interested in the story nor did I feel connected to the characters. The description of Chico's family history is surely important to the story, but it made feel like I was reading a real biography (which is a genre I do not enjoy). Therefore, I am sorry to say that I will not buy this book. I have no suggestions for improvement.

First Ten review added on August 13, 2021, at 4:50 pm by Yvonne Monique.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Emy Katherine

The story highlights the courage and resilience of those people who took part in the French Resistance during WWII. In particular, the story follows the dangerous journey of Francisco "Chico" Vargas as he joined the U.S. Army to defeat Nazi Germany and liberate Europe. Also, two Americans, Karina and Herman, decide to break the Neutrality Act of 1937 and join the British forces to stop Hitler. As I am not a fan of historical fiction novels, I would not have read the book without this program. The sample was pleasant to read, but it did not convince me to read the whole book. I found the writing style descriptive and easy to understand, and the dialogues were also engaging. In particular, the author's choice to include Spanish and German words made the story more believable. The book, however, has editing issues; I found some errors that distracted me from my reading. For example, I noticed a missing closing quotation mark at the end of the following sentence: "'Ha, Ha, got another Beaner that looks like a Chinaman that wants to be a paratrooper or be assigned to Intelligence." (location 415 of 874 • 47%) It should be written "themselves" in the following sentence: "A Berliner and a Bavarian speak with different accents and express them-selves differently." (location 612 of 874 • 70%) It should be written "the German submarines" instead of "the Ger-man submarines." (location 624 of 874 • 71%) All in all, I would only suggest another round of editing. The book has received many positive reviews on Amazon; therefore, fans of the genre should give it a try. The OBC review was informative but did not change my decision.

First Ten review added on August 13, 2021, at 3:47 pm by Emy Katherine.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rayah Raouf

I would not have chosen to sample this book because of the cover and title. The cover reminds me of a textbook for school and the title also reminds me of a history class. I will not read the book. According to Amazon, it is a fiction book but reminds me of a non-fiction book. The content is very history heavy, and I felt confused most of the time. I am not familiar with war terms, nor am I interested in learning about the war terms. There is some dialogue, which helped, but I found this to be a difficult read. I noticed no grammatical errors in the sample. Therefore, the book seems to be professionally edited. I like how the chapters are labelled. They are very explicit, and it would make it easier for a reader to go back to a certain point. I can not think of any improvements to be made. There was an official OnlineBookClub review which was positively reviewed. However, I still do not want to read the book. It is not the book meant for me.

First Ten review added on August 13, 2021, at 1:27 pm by Rayah Raouf.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Michelle Menezes

The title is self-explanatory, and the blurb further mentioned the contents of the book. I decided not to read it, as I do not enjoy historical novels, especially ones based on real-life incidents. The Official OnlineBookClub review had positive things to say about the book. After reading the first ten pages, I have decided to stick to my original decision and not continue with the book. The beginning mentioned Germany's invasion of other countries, Japan attacking Pearl Harbor, information about Conchos Indians and their subjugation at the hands of the Spanish, etc. I felt like I was reading a history textbook, so this book is not for me. I don't think it needs any improvement, and people who find the genre interesting may enjoy it. I also did not find any errors, so it seems professionally edited.

First Ten review added on August 13, 2021, at 1:24 pm by Michelle Menezes.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

markodim721

I would choose to read a sample of this book because of its title and cover. The title is clear and direct. The covers of the book are designed to fit the title perfectly. I will buy the book because I like the theme of the book. Reading the sample didn’t change my mind from my original guess. While reading the sample I did not notice any typos or errors and the book seems like it is professionally edited. In the part of the book that I had the opportunity to read, I like that the author included sentences in Spanish, which contributes to the realism of the book. In the part of the book that I had the opportunity to read, I do not like the fact that the author identifies Russia with the USSR
and binds the Habsburg Monarchy exclusively to today's Austria. The book has an Official OnlineBookClub review.

First Ten review added on August 13, 2021, at 11:57 am by markodim721.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Bertha Jackson

Although I enjoy reading historical fiction, I am not fond of WWII stories. Therefore, I would not have selected this book based on the cover and title. The blurb, customer reviews, and the OnlineBookClub review indicate that this is an excellent book for fans of WWII. Unfortunately, I am not one, so I will not be buying and reading this book. This book appears to have been edited by a professional editor, as I only found one error in the first ten pages. At 19% of the sample, the title for Chapter One reads THE EATLY LIFE, and it should be THE EARLY LIFE. I did not see anything I would change in the first ten pages. There are a few positive aspects that I will point out. Firstly, the flow of the book and the author's writing style make the book interesting with the history of the family. Secondly, the character and demographic development enabled me to visualize the characters and their surroundings. Finally, I appreciate that the author provides translations for non-English words. I believe anyone who enjoys stories about WWII will enjoy this book.

First Ten review added on August 13, 2021, at 10:14 am by Bertha Jackson.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Timothy Rucinski

I found the Official OBC Review enough to make me interested in this book. But since I've read numerous books, both fiction, and non-fiction, about World War II and the resistance movements, a book has to be exceptional for me to read it. This book does not seem exceptional from the first several pages that I read. The writing style is bland, quite boring, and didn't do anything to grab my attention. It came across more like a travelogue than the first chapter of historical fiction. Therefore, I will not be reading this book. The cover was just mildly interesting because the images are so washed out. I routinely look at the military book section in a bookstore and this would not have grabbed my attention. There wasn't much about what I read that I liked, although the brief history of the Mennonite settlement in Mexico was interesting, although not written well. And I disagree with the Official OBC Reviewer and do not believe that the book was professionally edited. I came across numerous errors in just a few pages. To begin, on page 4 in the first sentence of the section "Note From the Author," there is a quotation mark missing from the title of the book following the word "Resistance." On page 16, the following sentence should be in the past tense given its placement with other sentences in the past tense: "They help Alejandra with the maintenance of the property." Also on page 16, the word "china" should be capitalized since it refers to the country. The following sentence, also on page 16, makes no sense, perhaps because the semi-colon is used incorrectly: "The Mexicans, Mennonites, and the Conchos all have at least five children; in the farms where Chico lived."

First Ten review added on August 13, 2021, at 10:03 am by Timothy Rucinski.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

What an accurate title! Indeed, winning WWII was a joint effort and every one of the people who risked their lives should have their story told. I love how the cover shows the flags of two countries that have been, historically, enemies, joined to defeat Hitler's true evil. The blurb is really historic data that I already knew, so I would've liked to know what makes this book different. This is why, despite the great cover and high ratings, I would not have bought the book based on my first impressions.
What I liked from the first ten pages was learning that the author had a personal reason to look into WWII. It must be an amazing honor to be born into a family full of heroes. Also, I think it adds a personal dimension to the book. I also liked learning tiny tidbits that I didn't know, such as how there were "British that intercepted the communications between the Germans and the Mexican Government in World War-I." However, the first ten pages offered little new information for me, and I find the narrative dry and textbook-like. I didn't find editing mistakes. I would suggest stating in the blurb what makes this book different from the thousands of books written about WWII. If possible, I suggest starting the book with action and not textbook hard data. The official review didn't change my mind.

First Ten review added on August 13, 2021, at 10:00 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Total ~ 3%

Forgotten Heroes of wW-II, the French Resistance earned a score of 3%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 3% plan to read the whole book.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.

Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.

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