Local author pens World War II book

FOX LAKE – A former Fox Lake resident’s attempts to uncover her father’s experiences as a soldier in World War II are the subject of a new book to be published this month.

Carol Tyler, who lived in the Fox Lake area during the 1960s, has penned the graphic novel “You’ll Never Know, Book 1: A Good and Decent Man,” the first in a three-part series. The series chronicles the challenges that Tyler encountered when trying to talk to her father, Chuck, about his service in the Army during World War II.

Tyler, who graduated from St. Bede School in 1965 and Carmel Catholic High School in 1969, said her book would be of particular interest to residents in the Fox Lake area because they will notice familiar images throughout the work. Among Tyler’s drawings in the book are images of her father on Duck Lake in Ingleside and pictures of the family’s house on Stanton Point.

“It’s peppered all through with images of Fox Lake,” she said. “If anybody knew our family, they are really going to enjoy reading the book, because I really do reference the place.”

Tyler now lives in Cincinnati.

The first experience Tyler documents in the book – which relates to her discovering that her father finds it difficult to talk about the war – is from a school assignment when she attended Carmel.

Students were instructed to talk to someone who fought in the war, but when she asked her father about his time fighting in Europe, he told her to “forget about it,” she said.

Even though all the veterans who fought in World War II had a story to tell, Tyler said, the consensus among them seemed to be that it was best to leave those experiences in the past.

“It was very private,” Tyler said. “We knew people in the community, and there was this vibe with all the men. It was like a conspiracy of silence.”

Eventually, her father began to open up about his experiences in World War II. But getting the full story was not easy, Tyler said.

“I noticed that while he was talking, he was leaving gaps. And that’s what I was interested in,” she said. “I come to the conclusion that he’s haunted by Hitler still. And that’s had an affect on our relationship.”

Among the unique aspects of the book are Tyler’s drawings, which are used throughout the novel help tell the story.

All the drawings in the book were done by hand, she said.

Tyler said she attributed her artistic talents to her teachers at St. Bede, where she first gained an appreciation for art.

“They insisted on good handwriting and neatness. I still use that stuff,” Tyler said. “That’s my thing. I draw pictures and tell stories with pictures.”

The book is scheduled to be published this month.

To order a copy of Tyler’s novel, visit www.fanta
graphics.com.