Grace Under Fire: Letters of Faith in Times of War, Library Edition

by Andrew Carroll (Editor), Patrick Lawlor (Narrator)

Grace Under Fire is an extraordinary, moving record of the importance of religion and spirituality to troops and their families from the American Revolution through the fighting in Iraq. Reflecting the writers' thoughts, feelings, and questions about matters of faith, this correspondence offers a fascinating window on how individuals have endured the trials of separation, the fear of battle, the agony of loss, and the stresses of homecoming. The letters capture the spirit, the humor, and the courage of men and women in uniform. There are riveting accounts of battles, anecdotes describing lighter moments shared with comrades, touching inquiries about sweethearts and families, as well as more somber and philosophical musings about life and death. In a brief letter to his pastor in Pennsylvania, a World War I private asks probing questions about the role of God in war. A lieutenant serving in Holland during World War II describes the profound effect of a Yom Kippur service he attends. In a letter he considers almost a confession, a U.S. Marine writes to his priest back home about the opening weeks of Operation Iraqi Freedom and expresses his joy at helping Shi'a Muslims regain the freedom to worship after decades of religious oppression. Each piece of correspondence is introduced with a note explaining who wrote it, the circumstances under which it was written, and, if it is known, the fate of the writer. Although these letters and e-mails were all written in times of war, they transcend the subject of armed conflict. Anyone going through a difficult moment in their life will find inspiration and courage in these powerful and insightful words.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Christian, World War II, Military Fiction, Religion

5 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Brian Eshleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reading experience for this book was over like Foxe's Book of Martyrs. If I had discovered one of the letters described in this book, or come upon one of the individuals tortured in that one, the experience would have been moving. Poignancy suffers from repetition, however. The letters start to sound the same.

Grace Under Fire does allow the reader to appreciate continuity. Not every World War II soldier's every word was brave and patriotic. Not every soldier's every word from Vietnam forward was cynical. The stress of war shows the mixture of every human motivation.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace Under Fire is a rather unique book that presents a collection of letters and emails by US troops and their families ranging from the Revolutionary War through the War On Terrorism. The author combed through his huge archive of previously unpublished wartime correspondences and selected ones he felt best represented inspiration and insight covering topics about God, religion, and spirituality. Fifty of the best were chosen for inclusion in this book. You can read in them the importance of faith in the lives of our troops and their families. There are letters by two brothers on opposite sides in the Civil War, one by a nurse during WWII, and a doctor serving in Iraq. It was interesting to note the change from a more formal writing style in the earlier letters to a more casual approach later on. They show many characteristics of our troops determination, hope, patriotism, fighting for a cause bigger than one's self, and the value of faith. This was an interesting as well as inspiring read whose contents were written as our nation was engaged in some of the most dangerous times in our history, and shows the courage of out troops under fire.

[Colleen Mertens · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collects letters across history showing how the writers were influenced by their faith. Some of the choices of people to exemplify for their faith could have been better. I don't think we need to emulate people like Mary Lee, a slaveholder and traitor's wife. I would also have liked to have seen more letters from modern wars from more than 1 or 2 people. It was interesting to see that faith matter to people but at times, it felt preachy. Not enough doubting of faith to make the people really seem human.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting real letters from numerous wars. A short and enlightening audio book.

[Tim Wester · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting

[Susie Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great perspective. Respect for those who fought, and encouragement to honor them by living well now.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Twenty-seven-year-old Lieutenant James R. Penton, who served in France... enjoyed drawing sketches of interesting people and places as he and his fellow soldiers pushed their way toward Germany. Handwritten correspondences have their own unique value. The offer a tangible connection to their loved ones, who can hold the actual paper that their sweetheart or child or parent also touched. " What I loved about this book is the truth of experience coming from the heart and hand of those in extreme life threatening situations. The letters show how War is most tragic and inspiring. "I truly believe, "writes a soldier in the book, "that it is when people face death, when they face the loss of all the trivia of modern day society and are face to face with the bare essentials of what is human, that they are the happiest, with less to gripe over and less to worry about. I think people are people only when they suffer." The truth of these soldiers, setting aside their differences, to survive together; makes these letters readable even in the midst of the harsh realities of much pain and loss. I never thought I would enjoy reading about War. I didn't realize how little I had been taught about our history and the Wars we've been a part of. This book opened my eyes and heart to the sad realization of how poorly we remember those who have taken the stance of giving up their life and loved ones for our freedom. I highly recommend this book for History Teachers to teach the generations of the truth about War.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this book but it wasn't as good as his other books that I had listen too. Mainly because there was only one narrator, who read all the letters, instead of the multiple readers for the other books. I also noticed that there were a couple of letters that were published in the other books. That being said, this was a solid book and I found myself crying at the pain, faith and strength depicted.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exceptional assortment of letters to and from soldiers serving in various wars over our Nation's history. The theme linking these letters together is the faith shared by the writers. Grace Under Fire is an encouraging read for anyone. Life may seem tough at times, but I am not facing a battle knowing I might very well be the next corpse, and these soldiers still exhibited grace knowing the day they were writing the letter might very well be their last. Definitely a good read!

[Nicole Marble · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are letters to and from war fronts beginning with WWII, then Korea, then Vietnam, and then our invasion of Iraq, w/ brief references to God.
Sometimes soldiers feeling fear need the hope of protection from the supernatural. This book is a random sampling.

[Philip · Rating 2 out of 5]

This gets a second star for being well-intentioned, but this slim nightstand book was just too repetitive and boring. Yes, soldiers loved their families and kept their faith - but after reading seemingly endless variations on the same theme, I just had to skim the second half to get through it.

[christina white]

Read this one first! It is his latest and is the one I saw him discussing on KPBS full Focus.

[Lisa Graf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, but the writer (or collector of letters) does too much explaining in between letters. Letters are super interesting, though. Kind of puts a face on what war is really like.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read to juxtapose the darkness of The Things They Carried (which I'd read right before this one). I loved that faith and family and God were such strong themes throughout.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

My favorite story was from the Gulf War chapter.