F216
- #Appearance or Signing
- #Arts
- #Literary Arts
Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an author event with Jan Cress Dondi, to celebrate the release of The Navigator's Letter, on Wednesday, February 11th at 7:00 pm in our Naperville store.
Event Format
We will begin checking you in approximately 30 minutes before the start time. After a presentation and Q&A with the author, the line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines:
Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff
There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated)
There is a limit of 1 personalization of the new book only (unless otherwise stated)
All events have open seating. The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the author based on that number.
If you cannot attend, you must pick up your book (if included with ticket) at the hosting store within 30 days of the event. We can ship that book to you for an additional charge of $9.99; please call the store to arrange that.
Pre-registration is required for this event because space is limited.
More about The Navigator's Letter:
One of the riskiest air raids of World War II occurred on August 1, 1943, over the oil fields at Ploesti, Romania—Nazi Germany’s primary fuel source. The Allies believed that the destruction of Hitler’s oil refineries would shorten the war. Using an untested strategy, it was worth the gamble, but the mission did not go according to plan—with 53 aircraft and 532 crewmen lost, it was the costliest US air raid of the war.
A true story, The Navigator’s Letter is a tale of uncanny coincidences: two friends from the same small Illinois town; both joined the Air Corps; both became navigators; both were assigned to B-24 Liberators; both flew missions over Europe; both of their planes were forced down over Ploesti; and both went missing-in-action.
Intertwined with events of WWII, the story follows the two B-24 navigators coursing through wartime, both with ties to the same woman. Their lives unfurl with the Air Force’s darkest day, Operation Tidal Wave. It was the first-ever zero-altitude air raid, which lead to Operation Reunion, the largest evacuation by air in history repatriating 1,162 POWs from Romania back to American air bases in Italy.
About the Author:
Jan was born in southern Illinois and comes from the same roots as the two central figures in her book—her father and uncle—who were also born and raised in southern Illinois. Both pursued their education at the nearby University of Illinois, with one later earning his law degree at Chicago’s Kent College of Law. Chicago itself plays a pivotal role in the story and is the focus of one of the book’s key chapters.
Jan earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and pursued post-graduate studies at the University of Alaska. She built a distinguished career as a litigation paralegal, spending more than three decades immersed in in-depth research, writing, and interviews—skills that deeply inform her historical narrative work.
She has spoken about her father’s POW experience at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania; recounted her uncle’s wartime mission in Washington, D.C.; and even flown in one of the few remaining operational B-24 Liberators.
Married for forty years, Jan is the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of four. She lives in Fort Lauderdale.
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Please read these Event Policies carefully:
Anderson’s Bookshop reserves the right to change the format of this event at any time in coordination with the author and publisher. Anderson’s Bookshop assumes no responsibility or liability for any personal injury or other loss you may incur as a result of your decision to attend an event, including the transmission of Covid-19 or related illnesses.
Failure to treat all participants and staff with courtesy and respect may result in your expulsion from the event.
Accessibility:
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, after purchasing your ticket(s), please contact us at andersons@andersonsbookshop.com.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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