The first must own book of the year

While it is true that I have not been here much as of late nor have I done a book review in over a month, it is not because I have not been reading. On the contrary, I am still as voracious a reader and seeker of knowledge as always. For those wondering, you can rest assured that the reasoning behind my absence to this point (and possibly continuing on in some manner after this post) has nothing to do with lack of books to read.

The neglect of the blog has more to do with pertinent matters in the flesh and blood world where I am a father and a husband trying to provide for my family. My hiatus from here is also due to the fact that, though I have been reading books, many are not worthy of even a bad review. The swill put out today astounds me. The other books I have been reading would not fit with the theme of this blog (i.e. horror, dark fantasy and the macabre).

This book is not a work of fiction. Just the opposite, it is one of the most raw and honest pieces of non-fiction that can be found to date. It doesn’t deal with fantasy fiction but parts of it do describe very real, very threatening monsters.

The book I am speaking of is “Behind the Lines” by Andrew Carroll.

The subtitle reads: Powerful and Revealing American and Foreign War Letters. This is an understatement. Mr. Carroll searched the world over for the most insightful, humorous, thought provoking and heart wrenching letters to and from soldiers stationed on the front lines. The letters contained within are from husbands and wives; sons, parents, uncles and lovers. All of humanity is represented in these correspondences.

From the French mother telling her last surviving son that he would fight in the first world war or be disowned to the sailor who bought his fiancé gloves during world war two only to have a pair of silk underwear shipped to her instead to the POW letters to the letters children wrote in concentration camps and had smuggled to their parents; this book shows man’s inhumanity to man. It shows the horrors of war and the costs of innocent lives as armies crossed continents to serve their cause.

German letters home as they invaded Russia; Russian letters as they were defending against the Germans. You’ll read of the atrocities the Japanese committed as they invaded China as well as Kamikaze letters home before they martyred themselves.

You’ll read of the internment camps in America for people of Japanese and German ancestry. The most heart breaking letters are from the soldiers who freed prisoners at the death camps across Europe. The retelling of everything they saw, smelled and witnessed is sure to bring tears to anyone’s eyes.

There are bright spots in the letters, though. Many letters detailing profound moments of kindness, humanity and love. Many of them are comical or sarcastic enough to make the reader laugh out loud.

From the War of Independence to the Iraq war this book lets the reader experience the myriad emotions with being on the front lines or at home worrying and praying for loved ones who are on the front lines.

War is intrinsic to human nature and this book will help those who’ve never been in that situation grasp what soldiers go through on a daily basis. The book gives you enough of the horror and enough of the levity to balance itself. It gives the reader insight, perspective and pause. In short, this book provides utter truth.

I’m sure it is profound to read but I have the five-disc audio book. Hearing some of these letters has made me laugh; made me think and, more often than not, brought me to tears.
If you purchase the audio books, discs four and five were the most profound for me.

These isn’t just a must read for someone who wants to understand war or is fascinated with the subject; this is a must own and share.