All We Thought We Knew

By: Michelle Shocklee

Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt

Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

She was so sure she knew her family’s story . . . Now she wonders if she was wrong about all of it.

1969. When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.

1942. Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband’s death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house, Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy aliens. As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become friends, her sense of the injustice grows . . . as do her feelings for him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if it means being ostracized by all those around her.

In the midst of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them.

• Includes discussion guide for book groups
• Standalone Southern, historical family drama about enduring hope amid personal tragedy
• Clean, suspenseful historical fiction, perfect for fans of Susan Meissner or Lisa Wingate
• Dual timeline set during the Vietnam War and WWII.

©2024 Michelle Shocklee (P)2024 Tyndale House Publishers

Gripping heartfelt story that is well narrated

Well, written past paste incredible story.


I love how this dual timeline came together and could not put this book down.

Surprising end.

Surprising end. Good conflict that provides healthy questions about war and Christian faith. Good reminder to not make generalizations on different racial/ethnic groups!

Great story and narration!

I loved this dual-timeline story. The characters were engaging and the mystery was riveting until the end. I love the thoughtful handling of realistic scenarios that often go unnoticed. Michelle Shocklee is one of my all-time favorite authors. I heartily recommend this book!

A Wartime, Homefront Masterpiece-

We may find that, because of war, hard decisions are made that will later change “all we thought we knew”.

Tears fill my eyes as I turn the last pages of this heartfelt story. Dual-time, dual wars, with strong opinions, misplaced allegiances, lost and uncertain futures, the characters of this story fight for life and love while sacrificing freedom and family. Michelle Shocklee pens another compelling heart journey, with strong spiritual content that belongs in this story of life and death.

Caroline Hewitt narrates the passion of this story through its broad cast of characters. She successfully differentiates voices for characters that you will love and some, thankfully with smaller parts, that will grate on your nerves, as is the character’s role. Another audiobook to love and listen to again and again.

Possible triggers: cancer, death of a brother

This book is suitable for teens and older with no inappropriate intimate scenes and no bad language. I received this book from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review. I also purchased the audiobook.