What do Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons have to do with one of the most top secret operations during World War II?
In Steven Schindler’s thrilling novel, COVER FOR ME, the mysteries involving this top secret endeavor explore the costs of war, not only to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but also to those left behind, and the generations that followed.
World War II was raging. Even in Hoboken, New Jersey. Especially at the rubber repurposing factory, where the country’s used tires, rubber hoses, hot water bottles, and rubber bands were being transformed into crucial weapons of war. Georgie Paolini was doing his part in the war effort working part-time at the factory as he planned his life. Graduate from high school, get married, enlist in the army, kill Nazis, come home, make a difference in the world, and become a professional musician. But the best laid plans make God laugh.
25 years later, the post-war world was filled with uncertainty, angst, and a new generation of young people that had no interest in the past. There was an emptiness in the zeitgeist that no amount of sex, drugs, or rock and roll could fill. Unless you searched in places where no one was meant to go. Ever.
REVIEWS:
“5 STARS. RATED- MUST READ. BOTTOM LINE- THIS BOOK IS ONE OF
MY FAVORITES OF 2025"- Reedsy Discovery, Wanda Adams Fischer
(CLICK HERE FOR FULL REEDSY DISCOVERY REVIEW)
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D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Cover For Me
A novel by Steven Schindler
Cover For Me opens in a World War II Hoboken war factory, so readers might presume from this start that the novel will be one of military engagement alone. It’s not. It’s as much a story of commitment, shifting values, and a wartime climate that shapes and buffets Georgie Paolini’s personality and choices and those of his friend Johnny as it is a story of World War II’s special milieu and challenges. As such, the plot is delivered with a cloak of historical backdrop that impacts the viewpoints of a likeable character whose reactions are supported by history.
Other characters provide their experiences, embracing belief systems that lead them to work hard and cultivate a “can do” attitude for the sake of a unified war effort at home: Vito was hardly ever home, except to sleep. The government was desperate for the rubber the factory provided, and the pressure on him was enormous. He realized the gravity of the situation, and was proud that he kept the plant running as smoothly as it did in the war effort. He was working sixty, seventy, eighty-hour weeks. At times, he even slept in his office. But in his mind, he did what he had to do, as he always did, for God, country, and his family.
Readers don’t remain in the war (or, with Georgie), however. As the decades pass into the 1960s, recovery and change continue to move Americans into new eras and realizations. Georgie’s friend Johnny pursues his musical dreams alone as he tries to set aside his wartime experiences and the impact of injustice and Georgie’s fate. The long-lasting shock of Georgie’s choices and absence contribute to Johnny’s feeling “responsible for everything” as he muses about “what if,” had situations turned out differently. Music provides notes to his days as Johnny takes a stand and pursues uncomfortable truths about what really happened to Georgie during the war.
More so than most World War II novels, Steven Schindler juxtaposes the moral and ethical quandaries that arise from war actions into the fabric of society in America and abroad, creating a thought-provoking story filled with considerations and revelations readers won’t see coming.
Libraries seeking World War II novels that stand out from the crowd by pursing the long-lasting impacts of military choices and the secrets and quandaries of overseas experience will welcome
Cover For Me’s multifaceted story of deception and truth. Filled with believable characters backed by real history and packed with emotional connection, Cover For Me is an engaging story of music, miracles, and men who fulfill their obligations and friendships in unusual, powerful ways.
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"Steven Schindler’s Cover for Me looks like a quiet wartime novel at first—but don’t let that fool you. What starts with a rubber-repurposing factory in Hoboken, NJ during WWII slowly reveals a much deeper, more personal story about honor, injustice, and the long shadow of war. Georgie Paolini is one of the most genuinely decent characters I’ve read in a long time. The way his story unfolds—full of heart, pain, and quiet strength—absolutely floored me. There were moments that left me gutted, but somehow Schindler delivers a payoff that feels honest and earned without ever veering into sentimentality. And then there’s the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day balloons. I won’t spoil how, but the way they factor into the story and the war effort is both unexpected and brilliant. It’s the kind of historical detail that makes Schindler’s work stand out—grounded, surprising, and meaningful."
- James Hannon (Author: Lost Boys of the Bronx)
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Available from Amazon- paperback and Kindle (July 29th release). Audiobook available soon.
