During World War II, Victory Ships carried American soldiers and supplies overseas- often returning empty. But as labor shortage grew and captured soldiers needed housing, the US began filling those ships with German prisoners of war, bringing more than 425,000 to over 500 camps across the country, including 32 in Michigan.  At first, citizens were apprehensive about welcoming enemy soldiers into their communities and farms. Yet, when adversaries came face-to-face outside the context of battle, many began to see one another as human.   

In this session, Dana VanderLugt, author of Enemies in the Orchard: A World War II Novel in Verse, will share stories from this often-forgotten chapter of the American homefront. Rooted in her own family’s West Michigan farm history, her novel offers a unique lens into how literature can illuminate the past, bringing to life the complicated but surprising relationships that emerged between neighbors and former enemies. 

Recommended reading: Enemies in the Orchard: A World War II Novel in Verse, a middle-grade fiction book, ISBN# 978-0310178613, is available in the Calvin University Campus Store and online. (Audiobook: 978-0310155713, e-book: 978-0310155706) 

Subject: literature 

Dana VanderLugt is a writer and teacher who descends from a family of Michigan apple growers and storytellers. Her book, Enemies in the Orchard: A World War II Novel in Verse, is based on the stories of German POWs who came to work in her grandfather’s orchard during the 1940s.