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Behind the Lines

Behind the Lines
Behind the Lines
Powerful and Revealing American and Foreign War Letters---and One Man's Search to Find Them  
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Description

Andrew Carroll spent three years traveling throughout the United States and around the world to seek out the most powerful and unforgettable letters ever written during American wars.

Behind the Lines is the result of that extraordinary trip and represents the first book of its kind: a dramatic, intimate, and revealing look at warfare as seen through the personal correspondence of US and foreign troops and civilians who have experienced major conflicts firsthand. From handwritten missives penned during the American Revolution to e-mails from Afghanistan and Iraq, Behind the Lines captures the full spectrum of emotions -- exhilaration, fear, devotion, despair, courage, heartache, patriotism, rage, and even humor -- expressed in times of war.

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Table of Contents

"Extraordinary...Achieve[s] an evocative power rare even in the best war literature." -- Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943

-- Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943

"Andrew Carroll studies the human side of war in this stirring, moving, and sometimes hilarious collection." -- Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down

-- Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down

"Each letter is extraordinary in its own right, but together they illuminate war as it is rarely seen.... This is a book born of great passion. This is a book with tremendous heart and soul." -- James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys

-- James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys
"This book is absolutely majestic."

-- McKay Jenkins, author of The Last Ridge: The Epic Story of America's First Mountain Soldiers and the Assault on Hitler's Europe

"In all my years of military service, I don't believe I have ever read a book that has moved me as profoundly as this one. While it is often the generals and military leaders who receive the limelight, Andrew Carroll's Behind the Lines reminds us that it is the individual troops in the field and their loved ones at home who most deserve our admiration and attention. I cannot recommend this book more highly."

-- Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, US Army (retired), the highest-ranking woman in the history of the army

"There is nothing more powerful than words written when life as you know it hangs in the balance. From soldiers on the front lines writing to sweethearts and family to resistance fighters and so many others in the midst of war, Behind the Lines has letters representing just about every race and many different cultures. This book is phenomenal and a must-read."

-- Yvonne Latty, author of We Were There: Voices of African American Veterans, from World War II to the War in Iraq