Behind The Lines
Revealing and uncensored letters from our war-torn world
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
'Quite simply, this is one of the greatest, most riveting books of war letters I have ever read.' Stephen E. Ambrose on War Letters
In 2001 Andrew Carroll authored the US top ten bestseller, War Letters - a unique compilation of extraordinary correspondence from American soldiers serving in US conflicts throughout history. Following the publication of this landmark work Andrew was inundated with letters from soldiers all around the world (to date he has a staggering 75,000 letters). Inspired by these messages he embarked on a quest to discover other previously unpublished letters written during conflicts around the globe. For three years Andrew travelled the world zealously collecting letters from over 35 different countries including Great Britain. Behind the Lines is the remarkable anthology that has been put together as a result of this work.
The first book of its kind, Behind the Lines will be a dramatic, intimate and unprecedented look at warfare as seen through the eyes of troops and civilians. Unparalleled in geographical and historical scope it covers all major global conflicts from World War I and II and the American Revolution, up to Afghanistan and Iraq. Featuring never-before-seen letters and emails from war zones, and including the memories and thoughts from those on both sides of the hostilities documented, Behind the Lines will be a truly emotive and poignant depiction of war assembled by a uniquely talented and driven author who always keeps the general reader and narrative in mind.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After it was released in June of 2001, Carroll's War Letters shot onto bestseller lists as the U.S. entered its first major war in 10 years. That collection selected 150 letters from 50,000 Carroll received after a Dear Abby mention of his Legacy Project, founded in 1998 to preserve soldiers' letters home; the book ranged from the Civil War to Bosnia. This follow-up reaches from the American Revolution to the war in Iraq and offers 200 letters along with 72 b&w photos and illustrations. All the letters were written "during major American wars," but not necessarily by soldiers or by Americans; Carroll culled many of them globe-trotting through 35 countries, from Poland to Iraq, over the past year (he tells the story of his journey in a moving introduction). As for the letters themselves, Carroll has made the very wise editorial decision of printing them as they were written, with misspellings, odd line breaks and regional references intact; letters in translation reproduce idioms and distinctive grammatical turns word for word. The letters are, almost without exception, arresting in their earnestness, sincerity and passion, and diverse in their sentiments brave, fearful, amorous, angry, resigned, conniving, unbalanced, stoical. The result is captivating in its immediacy. Short head notes provide succinct context, but most speak for themselves. 50-state author tour.
