A Death in San Pietro: The Untold Story of Ernie Pyle, John Huston, and the Fight for Purple Heart Valley - Hardcover

Brady, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0306822148 ISBN 13: 9780306822148

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2013

Synopsis

By the time Mark Clark’s Fifth Army reached the small village of San Pietro north of Naples in the first week of December 1943, a tough but rapid sweep through Sicily came to a muddy halt. On the slopes of a distant mountain, the death of a single platoon captain, Henry Waskow, epitomized the struggle.

A Death in San Pietro chronicles the quietly heroic and beloved Captain Waskow and his company as they make their way into battle. Waskow’s 36th (“Texas”) Division would ultimately succeed in driving the Germans off the mountains; but not before eighty percent of Waskow’s company is lost in action.

For Americans back home, two of the war’s most lasting artistic expression brought horrified focus to the battlefield, already dubbed “Purple Heart Valley” by the men of the 36th. Pulitzer Prize-winner Ernie Pyle’s dispatch about Waskow’s death and filmmaker John Huston’s award-winning documentary of the battle rivets—and shocks—the nation, bringing, as if for the first time, the awful carnage of world war into living rooms across America.

About this title

About the Author:

Tim Brady is an award-winning author, whose previous book, Twelve Desperate Miles received wide acclaim. He is a regular contributor to PBS and currently writes for History Channel Magazine, Minnesota, and Minnesota Monthly. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Review:

Minneapolis Star Tribune 
 "Tim Brady -- author of another superb World War II story, Twelve Desperate Miles -- has found a terrific subject in the convergence of these three men [Ernie Pyle, John Huston and Henry Waskow] and their parts in creating an American legend." 

Stephen Harding, author of The Last Battle"Well-researched and finely written, Tim Brady's A Death in San Pietro is a compelling read . . ." 

Kansas City Star"One of the 100 Best Books of 2013" 

Patrick K. O'Donnell, author of Dog Company"A Death in San Pietro takes the reader into battle with Ernie Pyle, World War II's greatest war correspondent, and it illuminates in graphic and compelling prose one of America's toughest yet least documented battles. Superbly written and full of action, the book is infused with a wellspring of rich context. Tim Brady vividly brings to life Pyle, John Huston, and a forgotten battle."

Alex Kershaw, author of The Liberator"A deeply moving story with compelling characters who paid the highest price to fight and record the struggle for victory in World War II."

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0306822148
• ISBN 13: 9780306822148
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304