I'll Be Home for Christmas: The Library of Congress Revisits the Spirit of Christmas During World War II - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 038533463X ISBN 13: 9780385334631

Publisher: Delacorte Press, 1999

Synopsis

America is ready to remember and honor the men and women who courageously served the nation during World War II. To celebrate those brave souls and their families, and the spirit that carried them through our nation's darkest days, the Library of Congress has created a magnificent gift book. Themed around memories of Christmas during the war, I'll Be Home for Christmas is a unique and handsomely packaged collection of poignant stories, correspondence, more than 100 photographs and illustrations, and diary excerpts from those who went off to war and those who kept the home fires burning.

One of the key events that shaped the twentieth century, World War II left an indelible mark on mankind. All too often overlooked in the shadow of official accounts and the sheer volume of documentation of the war are the millions of individual stories and experiences of those who served in the war and of the loved ones who waited for them to come home. Never were the personal sacrifices made both here and abroad more heartfelt than at that special time for family that is Christmas.

Now the Library of Congress has opened its treasure trove of more than 110 million items (maps, photographs, drawings, recordings, rare books, published and unpublished writings, music, and motion pictures) to craft the perfect gift for anyone interested in World War II. With more than 100 beautiful photographs, cartoons, and illustrations, I'll Be Home for Christmas captures in brilliant relief how the worst of times can bring out the best in humankind.

About this title

Review

In December 1943, Jill Oppenheim wrote to her husband, Alfred de Grazia, who was serving in the 5th Army overseas:

...I am cheerless in the exact proportions to which Bob Hope et al were full of holiday mirth. There is a peculiar psychology in missing someone you love--the pain becomes greatest during the times you deviate from the ordinary, & to most people, distasteful, routine of living--the Sundays, the feast days, the idle moments just before you go to bed.

For thousands of soldiers and their families, the Decembers during World War II were especially trying times. Far away from friends and family, the men and women serving overseas made do as best they could to celebrate, some decorating trees with C-ration cans or surgical gloves, some making up gifts for local children, and all hoping for packages from home. Those on the home front made do as well, dealing with travel restrictions and rationing--or, worse, the loss of friends and family. I'll Be Home for Christmas is a bittersweet look at how the holiday was celebrated during the dark Decembers of World War II. Taken from the archives of the Library of Congress, stories, correspondence, illustrations, diary excerpts, and photographs provide poignant glimpses of how America survived the war years. Even Grinches and Scrooges will be touched by a Christmas letter to his mother from Emit F. Logan, imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp; or a little boy's gift to thrice-wounded marine Edward Andrusko; or pictures of GIs in foxholes, grinning as they open their Christmas packages. A wonderful celebration of The Greatest Generation's spirit--and a wonderful look at an oft-forgotten side of World War II. --Sunny Delaney

About the Author

The Library of Congress is an institution whose collections are international in scope and is considered the nation's library.

Edition details

• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 038533463X
• ISBN 13: 9780385334631
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240
• Editor: Tom Spain, Michael Shohl