Jack Hoffenberg (1906–1977)

Another “oldie but goodie”. I honestly don’t know if any author takes the time in today’s fast paced world to write the lengthy, expansive sprawling novels of former times. "A Hero For Regis" was written in 1963 - and Jack Hoffenberg slowly, and thoroughly, weaves this intricate story of a young naive southern boy, Luther Dorman, who goes off to World War II and comes home with a National Congressional Medal of Honor. But his heroism is shrouded in mystery - until he personally show more shares the details with the reader half way through the story, and it is truly horrifying.

And woven into the plot of Luther’s excruciating war experience is the history of the rural town of Regis and the powerful people maintaining control by “mob” mentality: manipulation, corruption, and violence. There are two distinct sides of town: the white power-brokers and the black ghetto - separated physically by a swamp, and mentally by prejudice and hate. The disparity was typical in Southern towns in the 1940s, but reading about it today is shocking and disturbing.

At times I had to wonder where the plot was going - describing characters and events taking place in Regis on both sides of the swamp that had nothing to do with Regis’s hero Luther Dorman. But it eventually becomes apparent that every character, and every little detail of every scene is critical to the plot.

The cast includes a vicious sadistic uncontrollable sheriff’s deputy, a mentally unstable religious fanatic who walks around town ranting about the evils of temptation, a rich spoiled daughter of the town’s ruthless mob-related political leader, and a vast array of other relevant characters and ordinary town folk just trying to eke out a living and enjoy life.

The story picks up intensity when Luther Dorman returns to his home town after an intensive military tour across the country being lauded as a national hero. He realizes to the people of Regis his heroism means nothing. He is still what was commonly referred to as “white trash” - a sharecropper’s uneducated son working the fields of his rich landlord’s property. But Luther has big dreams. How can he achieve recognition, and money, and respect? He finds himself involved in very dangerous, life threatening activity. And eventually - in a non-conventional way he makes a big impact on the future of the town.

Was Luther Dorman truly a hero? I guess that depends on whom in Regis that question in posed.

On the back cover of the Avon paperback edition the Chicago Tribune is quoted as saying, “once you’ve begun reading you cannot put it down!” and that is a fact. The entire story is mesmerizing, but the last 100 pages are enormously suspenseful. With my heart pounding, hands sweating, and sometimes holding my breath I finished reading and could not predict the final outcome until the very last page. An absolute enthralling page turner!!!!

Rated 5 Stars July 2025 show less

Well, this is a book about what happens when a town creates a myth about one of their soldiers and then, he comes back to create several problems. The big one is that he is not the man they really had, but physically, someone else. He proves capable of using the situation for his own ends. It does not end well for his idolaters.

This book by Hoffenberg was an interesting read. It did not follow the lead in on the back of the book, but that is probably for the next book in the series. This is an interesting book about Arizona and the early years of wars and accommodations with the Indians and with others who were not always happy with the government of Arizona or who thought they could get along without it. I enjoyed it.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" "To Whom It May show more Concern" and "Tell Me About the United Methodist Church" show less