America at D-Day: A Book of Remembrance - Softcover

Goldstein, Richard

9780385312837: America at D-Day: A Book of Remembrance

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0385312830 ISBN 13: 9780385312837

Publisher: Delta, 1994

A compelling photographic chronicle of the Normandy invasion in 1944, coinciding with the event's fiftieth anniversary, gathers the remembrances of generals, pilots, journalists, families, and many others, celebrating their courage and sacrifice. Original.

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From Kirkus Reviews:

Goldstein's wide-angle observance of D-day's 50th anniversary is notable for the effective ways in which it spotlights events on the home front as well as in Normandy and links the past to the present. In retelling the story of June 6, 1944, the author (a New York Times editor) draws on interviews with surviving veterans of the hard-fought campaign that proved a turning point in WW II. He does a consistently fine job of recounting the many small-unit actions that drove stubborn German defenders from strongly fortified positions and yielded Anglo-American and Canadian forces an important victory, albeit at no small cost. While uncommon valor was a common virtue among the GIs and Tommies who participated in the assault, Goldstein (Spartan Seasons, 1980, etc.) leaves little doubt that the heroism and leadership exhibited on Utah Beach by General Teddy Roosevelt Jr. (who was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor) went far beyond the call of duty. Although vivid accounts of combat-zone engagements constitute the centerpiece of the author's panoramic narrative, he offers tellingly detailed glimpses of how news of the invasion was greeted throughout Great Britain and North America (where churches and synagogues were packed and one unfortunate newborn girl was named Dee Day Edwards). Goldstein also moves forward in time to provide perspectives on how liberators and the liberated have commemorated the 49 previous anniversaries of D-day. Even now (as in 1984), a German chancellor is discreetly seeking an invitation to the media- event ceremonies scheduled for the Cherbourg Peninsula, where legions of honored dead stand a perpetual watch. Pop history of a very high order. The resonant text is enriched by 90 splendid photos. -- Copyright �1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Library Journal:

Eventually, two million men would face one another over a 100-mile front in what was arguably the most important military event in this century: the Allied invasion of Normandy against Nazi opposition. These two volumes reflect the ferocity of the invasion on June 6, 1944, and the weeks after by excellent descriptions of the many arenas of action, whether through historian/reporter Goldstein's narrative or the eyewitness accounts of the actual participants (edited by an English author) in Eye-Witness D-Day. Goldstein's American-centered coverage begins with planning among the Allied command for an invasion that started nearly two years before with a raid in force at Dieppe (also in Normandy) and ends with evocative recollections from participants returning to the beaches for memorial ceremonies. In between are descriptions of America's emotional response to the invasion, the Army Rangers' assault up the cliffs of Pinte du Hoc, the confused night airborne landings far inland, and much more. Editor Lewis's oral history in Eye-Witness D-Day recounts many stories. We hear of the fierce combat from the perspective of British, Canadian, and U.S. assault force members, German participants, and French civilians living on the contested ground. These two titles should be read not only for their topicality but also for their vivid picture of this near-climax of World War II. [For more books on this subject, see "World War II: Fifty Years After D-Day," LJ 4/1/94, p. 110-111.-Ed.]-Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
--Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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