About the Book
Book: Unfit to Serve
Author: Sandra Bretting
Genre: Inspirational Historical
Release date: August 16, 2024
When the United States military adopts a newfangled test from France called the “intelligence quotient test” during the first world war, no one expects the turmoil that follows. Thousands of immigrants fail it and are forced to return to homelands devastated by war, disease, and famine.
For Josephine Pembrooke, the shy schoolmarm at Camp Travis in Texas, the problem quickly becomes apparent. How can soldiers pass a test they can’t even read? So, Jo labors in secret to create a better test. Knowing all along it can’t save the one soldier she’d hoped to help.
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About the Author
Sandra Bretting is the author of a bestselling cozy mystery series that ran for five years with Kensington Publishing, as well as three standalone mysteries and an inspirational memoir. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, she began her career writing for the Los Angeles Times, Orange Coast Magazine, and others. From 2006 until 2016, she wrote feature stories for the award-winning business section of the Houston Chronicle.
The second book in her mystery series earned the rank of Amazon Bestseller. Since making the switch to historical fiction, Bretting has garnered accolades for her first title, Unfit to Serve, which released in August 2024. The novel explores how the U.S. military brought the IQ test to America at the start of World War 1.
More from Sandra
Most people don’t know this, but the IQ test we’ve all heard about came to America during World War 1. French schoolteachers originally created it for their students more than a hundred years ago. Then the U.S. military found out about it, and the top brass thought they could use it to test recruits for their battle-readiness. There was only one problem: thousands of men failed it because they’d immigrated from overseas and couldn’t read the questions. They were loyal to the U.S., smart as whips, and physically capable, but they couldn’t pass a test they couldn’t read. In real life, it took the military a whole year to see the problem and come up with a better version for foreign recruits.
A whole year!
I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to those men who failed it, and how it affected their families. The recruits had come from countries devasted by famine, disease, and war, and they couldn’t go back. From there, the story evolved. I brought in a brave schoolteacher who sees the problem and struggles to fix it. Of course, being the early 1900s, women are supposed to be seen and not heard (like children) so she’s stonewalled at every turn. But she doesn’t stop. Josephine (Jo) knows that God cares about justice too, and she looks to Him for help when everything falls apart.
On a different level, I loved exploring the relationship between Jo and her stiff-lipped husband, Albigence. I purposefully moved this urban couple from a sophisticated university setting to a hot, dusty military base in San Antonio. There, they’re forced to rely on each other for the first time and fight for their marriage. It’s an unconventional love story, but a love story nonetheless.
In all my books, I strive to show how people can change for the better—or worse—depending on the situation, and that the best path forward is to trust God and His timing. He’s always perfect, even when we’re not. Thank goodness we can rely on Him!
Interview with the Author
1. What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I’ve been to the obvious one of Ernest Hemingway’s house in Key West, Florida, where
the cats really do have six toes! I’ve also been to Oxford, Mississippi, to see William
Faulkner’s home and toured Savannah, Georgia, after reading Midnight in the Garden
of Good and Evil.
2. What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
This is an easy one: there’s an amazing novel called Castle of Water by Dane
Huckelbridge. It’s about a couple who gets stranded on a desert island and goes from
loathing each other to loving each other. Despite an endorsement by Kristin Hannah,
few people know about it. I bought my copy back in 2020 and I read it every year to
remind myself of what beautiful language looks and sounds like.
3. What was your hardest scene to write?
I have two scenes that take place on military steamships and those were particularly
tricky. I wanted to get the feel of the ocean just right and portray the lead character’s
nausea realistically.
4. What is your favorite childhood book?
I really enjoyed reading Swiss Family Robinson in elementary school. I imagined I
would one day travel to their island and live with them in their treehouse. It hasn’t
happened yet, but I keep hoping it might.
5. What comes first, the plot or characters?
That’s a good question. For me, the plot comes first. I base my historical fiction on
actual events, although I don’t involve real people. I’ll tell the story from a fictional
character’s point of view or alter the plot just enough to make it interesting. That being
said, I once profiled a man for the Houston Chronicle who cracked safes for the local
police as a side business. That’s one of the few times I started with the character first,
and he became the inspiration for The Safecracker’s Secret.
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 11
Stories By Gina, November 12 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, November 12
Texas Book-aholic, November 13
lakesidelivingsite, November 14
Locks, Hooks and Books, November 15
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 16
Life on Chickadee Lane, November 17
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 18
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 19
For Him and My Family, November 20
Betti Mace, November 21
An Author’s Take, November 22
Artistic Nobody, November 23 (Author Interview)
Leslie’s Library Escape, November 23
Guild Master, November 24 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Sandra is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.