Writing the War: Chronicles of a World War II Correspondent

by Anne Kiley (Editor), Thomas Pellechia (Editor), David Kiley (Editor)

As expansive as it is personal, this chronicle of World War II is a firsthand account by a journalist and the woman he would marry of the dramatic events that engulfed the world in the middle of the twentieth century. The correspondence between Charles Kiley and Billee Gray also tells the poignant tale of two young people in love but forced apart by the circumstances of war. Edited by Charles and Billee's daughter, son, and son-in-law, this never-before-published compilation of letters is a striking example of the heroic, call-to-duty spirit that characterized "the greatest generation."Charles was a soldier-journalist for the U.S. Army's Stars and Stripes newspaper and reported on the war from London, Normandy, Paris, Reims, Belgium, and Germany. As the sole reporter allowed direct access to Eisenhower's staff, he was the only reporter on the scene when the German high command was negotiating its unconditional surrender on May 7, 1945. Among his army newspaper friends and colleagues was Andy Rooney, later CBS correspondent and 60 Minutes commentator. Billee, like many young women of her time, witnessed the war years from the home front and filled vital civilian roles--defense-industry plant worker, Red Cross volunteer, war bonds salesgirl, and civil defense plane-spotter--and wrote about it all in her letters to Charles.Peppered with fascinating details about soldiers' and civilians' lives, and including Stars and Stripes articles and personal photographs of the era, Writing the War is both important history and a tribute to two remarkable people as well as their extraordinary generation.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Journalism, American History

480 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2015

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of the children of Charles and Billee Kiley published the three yearslong correspondence between their parents in the years 1942-1945. Billee and Charles met in January 1942 at a dance and pretty much immediately fell in love. They spent a lovely few days together before Charles went for basic training and saw each other only two more times (several days each) before Charles was sent to Europe. Most of the book is composed of their correspondence over the three years they were apart (they married in 1944 when Charles was back in the states). Charles eventually became a journalist for Stars and Stripes and his journal entries are interspersed throughout the book to provide a great overview of the situation in Europe. Billie worked in many of the jobs women did in the WWII years. Everything is presented in chronological order. I am a huge fan of reading primary material and this is edited very well. Apparently there were about five times as many letters written as are in this book and the letters chosen to include are all wonderful. For a truly human side of what men, women, couples and families went trough this is just a lovely book to read. My only complaint would be that I'd like to know just a bit more of their life after the war. We only get a page or so of it.