{"product_id":"still-kickin-paperback","title":"Still Kickin' - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBillie Hanson-Dupree\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfrican American Historical Fiction WWII Veteran Fiction California Literary Novel \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWorld War II is over-but for Bill Reeves, the war has only just begun. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this powerful work of African American historical fiction, Army veteran Bill Reeves returns home to California's Central Valley expecting peace after fighting for democracy abroad. Instead, he finds the same racism he left behind-segregated opportunities, broken promises, and a country unwilling to honor his sacrifice. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHaunted by combat memories and suffering from what we now understand as PTSD, Bill struggles to reconnect with his family, reclaim his sense of manhood, and find his place in a community that has also been changed by war. His refuge becomes The Shack, a lively juke joint where blues and jazz offer a fragile but powerful balm for trauma. There, amid the music and the pulse of postwar Black life, Bill meets a woman battling her own scars-together, they begin to imagine the possibility of healing. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet against the rarely depicted landscape of agricultural California, Still Kickin' illuminates the untold history of African American WWII veterans in the American West. With lyrical prose and psychological depth, Billie Hanson-Dupree explores: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Double V campaign and the broken promise to Black soldiers PTSD before it had a name Postwar racism in 1940s California \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe healing power of community, love, and music \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe resilience of Black Central Valley communities \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor readers who appreciate historically grounded literary fiction that honors forgotten heroes and speaks to ongoing struggles for justice and belonging, Still Kickin' offers both a window into hidden history and a mirror reflecting America's unfinished work. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for book clubs, educators, veterans' organizations, and readers of socially conscious literary fiction, this novel brings humanity and historical truth together in a story that lingers long after the final page.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 222\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.47 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 20, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67960169890013,"sku":"9798997121600","price":23.78,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0811\/9867\/8237\/files\/FKTjyreyNq9798997121600.webp?v=1790819490","url":"https:\/\/handfulofbooks.com\/products\/still-kickin-paperback","provider":"Handful of Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}