When the army builds a German prisoner of war camp on the outskirts of a small Michigan town, citizens are outraged. Adding to the angst, two women assist a pair of POWs to escape -- and are tried for treason. History, fiction, and humor blend into a heart-warming story of life on the 1944 home front.

Cottonwood Summer

Literature & Fiction

Slaughter, Gary

United States

Fletcher House

Cottonwood Fall is the sequel to Gary Slaughter's critically acclaimed Cottonwood Summer! The author has closely crafted small-town life on the WW II home front into another hilarious and heart-rending tour de force. The fall adventures of Danny and Jase, the Cottonwood Summer heroes, include run-ins with vengeful German POWs, the arrival of charismatic twin sisters, and participation in the 1944 Dewey-Roosevelt Presidential race where both candidates vie for their support.

Cottonwood Fall

Gary Slaughter

Humor & Satire

Cottonwood Winter is a richly detailed reminiscence of 1944. Those on the home front are preparing for Christmas while coping with shortages and the casualties of war. The disappearance of B. R. Santa, the threat of an elite German espionage agent, the unexplained appearances of grape-vine Christmas wreaths, and other mysteries are solved by Jase and Danny, the young heroes of the Cottonwood novels. FIC000000

Cottonwood Winter: A Christmas Story

Cottonwood Spring, the fourth novel in the Cottonwood series, is an entertaining, richly-detailed reminiscence of home-front America during the spring of 1945. The last days of World War II have a profound effect on America as witnessed by the citizens of Riverton, Michigan, the setting of this fast-paced and witty story. The two young heroes, Danny and Jase, are obsessed with protecting their neoghborhood, their hometown, and their country from the bad guys. True to form, another fresh crop of villains arrives on the scene only to be vanquished swiftly and in a humorous fashion by the pair of precocious and dlever defenders of the flag.

Cottonwood Spring

Cottonwood Summer '45, the latest novel in the Cottonwood series, continues the tradition of delivering an entertaining, richly-detailed reminiscence of home-front America during the summer of 1945, as well as details of the closing events of World War II. The last days of the war have a profound effect on America, as witnessed by the citizens of Riverton, Michigan, and Nashville, Tennessee, the settings of this fast-paced story in which Jase and his best friend Danny, the heroes of the Cottonwood novels, are plagued by yet another passel of bad guys. When the story opens, Danny has disappeared, along with a desperate German POW bent on making his way back to the Fatherland. With Danny as his hostage, he too falls victim to the wit and valor of the villain-vanquishing team. On their train trip to Nashville, our heroes are robbed but quickly identify the crook. Next, by capturing a nasty Nazi POW, they are awarded the Key to the City by Nashville's mayor. This action opens the doors to the exciting sights and sounds of Nashville in 1945. You'll weep as Danny causes the accidental death of a dear friend. And you'll marvel at how the duo deals with their first experience with racial disintegration. And you'll laugh aloud at the antics of Danny as his clairvoyance and intelligence bewilder pompous politicians and unfortunate criminals alike. Gary Slaughter's previous novels --Cottonwood Spring, Cottonwood Winter: A Christmas Story, Cottonwood Fall, and Cottonwood Summer -- were named finalist in six prestigious book awards for fiction writing in the categories of adult fiction and young-adult fiction. Based on early reviews, Cottonwood Summer '45 is his best book ever.

Cottonwood Summer '45

AT THE HEIGHT OF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, ENSIGN SLAUGHTER FOUND HIMSELF STARING EYE TO EYE WITH VITALI SAVITSKY, CAPTAIN OF A SOVIET SUBMARINE ARMED WITH A NUCLEAR TORPEDO.On October 27, 1962, the USS Cony surfaced B-59, a Soviet submarine. Gary Slaughter, a 23-year-old US Navy Ensign, studied the sullen face of Captain Vitali Savitsky at a distance of only 200 feet. Slaughter, the only officer on Cony trained to communicate with the Russian Captain, had one objective: dissuade Savitsky from launching his torpedo tipped with a 15 kiloton nuclear device, which would have precipitated an all-out nuclear exchange that would have destroyed the world. Sea Stories: Memoir of a Naval Officer (1956-1967) spans Slaughter’s naval service during the Cold War. Over 60 vignettes depict the danger of Navy life over the course of his naval career, including not only the incident with the Soviet submarine, but also:•a boiler explosion that kills two sailors•a sailor who, after too many beers, jumps into icy waters off the coast of Portland, Maine •Slaughter's near-drowning when he is dropped into rough seas while being transferred by high-line from his destroyer to an aircraft carrier Finding humor and likability in the people and situations he encountered during his Navy career, Slaughter brings his experiences to life with the same writing skills found in his series of five award-winning Cottonwood novels set on the World War II home front.“Slaughter is an undeniably talented writer, a master at describing lovable characters and an engaging story-telling narrative enriched with humor and originality.” – Midwest Book Review “Lieutenant Slaughter has served as my personal aide and the administrator of my organization, the Navy Board of Inspection and Survey, comprising over 300 naval officers and civilians. To perform this job well requires an officer having exceptional administrative and management ability. It further requires responsibility, tact, and a keen and astute mind. His military character is beyond reproach and his personal character is outstanding.” – Vice Admiral John Bulkeley, one of the three most highly decorated heroes of World War II.

Sea Stories: A Memoir of a Naval Officer (1956 - 1967)

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

This memoir records, in great detail, Gary Slaughter’s life of work during the 40 years before he met his wife, Joanne, and the story of their business lives together over the past 40 years. Gary’s life of work included a wide variety of careers, jobs, sports, and hobbies that he mastered during the eight decades of his life. Using his award-winning, story-telling ability, he describes his life of work beginning with his first entrepreneurial endeavor as a six-year-old egg merchandizer on his grandparents’ farm. Gary’s junior-high school career as a bait-supplier netted money to pay for 1½ years of college. Odd jobs throughout high school increased the fund. Honing his business acumen through his college years at the University of Michigan, he traces his Naval career, highly successful information-technology businesses, and finally his decades-long career as an award-winning novelist.

The Journey of an Inquiring Mind: From Scholar, Naval Officer, and Entrepreneur to Novelist

Slaughter, Joanne

Professionals & Academics

Little has been written about the six million people interned in prison camps around the world between 1939 and 1945. We are aware that the Allies and the Axis powers held one another's armed forces as military prisoners of war (POWs). The Axis powers also confined millions of civilian prisoners in death or concentration camps. In addition, the Axis imprisoned Russians, Slavs, European Jews, Gypsies, medically or physically handicapped persons, non-Jewish intellectuals, and religious leaders. Even the United States interned its own citizens in camps throughout America. Over 125,000 Japanese Americans and 11,000 German Americans were held in the camps. Most were naturalized U.S. citizens. Like military camps, these civilian sites were also surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers. In 1944 when a German POW camp was built in his hometown, the author, as a young boy, became fascinated with POWs. During the last two decades, Gary Slaughter has authored five Cottonwood novels set on the American home front during the last five seasons of World War II, each containing POW storylines. Following book talks, most attendees' questions related to POWs. His extensive research resulted in this captivating book. A largely unknown component of World War II history.

WW II POWs in America and Abroad: Astounding Facts about the Imprisonment of Military and Civilians During the War

Historical

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Books by Fletcher House

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Cottonwood Summer

Cottonwood Summer

Cottonwood Fall

Cottonwood Winter: A Christmas Story

Cottonwood Spring

Cottonwood Summer '45

Sea Stories: A Memoir of a Naval Officer (1956 - 1967)

The Journey of an Inquiring Mind: From Scholar, Naval Officer, and Entrepreneur to Novelist

WW II POWs in America and Abroad: Astounding Facts about the Imprisonment of Military and Civilians During the War