Synopses & Reviews
By the time Mark Clarkandrsquo;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. Waskowandrsquo;s 36th (andldquo;Texasandrdquo;) Division would ultimately succeed in driving the Germans off the mountains; but not before eighty percent of Waskowandrsquo;s company is lost in action.
For Americans back home, two of the warandrsquo;s most lasting artistic expression brought horrified focus to the battlefield, already dubbed andldquo;Purple Heart Valleyandrdquo; by the men of the 36th. Pulitzer Prize-winner Ernie Pyleandrsquo;s dispatch about Waskowandrsquo;s death and filmmaker John Hustonandrsquo;s award-winning documentary of the battle rivetsandmdash;and shocksandmdash;the nation, bringing, as if for the first time, the awful carnage of world war into living rooms across America.
Review
America in WWII, February 2014
[Brady] begins with three stories
and effectively pulls them together to create a fascinating narrative
that evokes a deeper sense of the soldiers fears, hopes, and sense of loss.”
Review
Dallas Morning News, 11/17/2013and#147;Concise and distinctive as Pyleand#8217;s dispatches and forceful as a John Huston film, Tim Bradyand#8217;s A Death in San Pietro is no less a memorial.and#8221;
Kansas City Star, and#147;The 100 Best Books of 2013and#8221;
America in WWII Magazine, December 2013
and#147;[Brady] begins with three storiesand#133;and effectively pulls them together to create a fascinating narrativeand#133;that evokes a deeper sense of the soldiersand#8217; fears, hopes, and sense of loss.and#8221;
The Mexia News, 1/7/2014
and#147;[A] very well written book and should be read by anyone who remembers those terrible years. The characters are compellingand#133;it is superbly written and full of action.and#8221;
New York Journal of Books, 1/21/2014
and#147;A Death in San Pietro is a blood and mud soldierand#8217;s eye view of a pointless messy slaughter that too often defines war.and#8221;
World War II Magazine, March 2014
and#147;[A] colorful, moving tale.and#8221;
New World Review, 1/23/14
and#147;[A] remarkable and highly readable work of narrative nonfictionand#133;written with zest and heart, unlike academic historyand#133;Thanks to Tim Bradyand#8217;s powerful combination of research, solid narrative structure, and most of all his own strong skills as a writer (Bradyand#8217;s a graduate of the Iowa Writersand#8217; Workshop, and it shows), readers can learn a great deal from A Death in San Pietro.and#8221;
Army Magazine
and#147;Tim Brady captures the essence of combatand#133;[a] thoroughly gripping read.and#8221;
Synopsis
A Death in San Pietro chronicles the quietly heroic and beloved Captain Waskow and his company as they make their way into battle. Waskowandrsquo;s 36th (andldquo;Texasandrdquo;) Division would ultimately succeed in driving the Germans off the mountains; but not before eighty percent of Waskowandrsquo;s company is lost in action.
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.