Ellen Feldman: "Next to Love"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-08-08/ellen-feldman-next-love
Ellen Feldman being held by her Uncle Sina Baum, a captain in the Army Medical Corp during WW II.
(Courtesy of Ellen Feldman)
Most stories about World War II focus on the men who fought. A new novel follows instead the lives of the women, children and parents they left behind. The main subjects are three women in a small Massachusetts town. They fall in love and get married before their men ship off to battle. They dream of happiness and safety after the war, and they can’t imagine how much their lives and society will be transformed. Two of the husbands are killed; the other is a psychological casualty. And amid the post-war decades of prosperity, seeds of the civil rights and women’s movements start to sprout. Diane talks with author Ellen Feldman.
Guests
Ellen Feldman
author of the novels, "Scottsboro," "The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank," and "Lucy."
Comments
Please familiarize yourself with our Code of Conduct and Terms of Use before posting your comments.
Hello My name is Christian Barlow, I am a WWII Living Historian and Tactical Reenactor.
I have had the great opportunity as a WWII Reenactor to sit and listen to WWII vets war stories, how ever only when in a WWII Uniform.
As a Civilian in Civilian clothes those same Vets just would not talk to me about their experience.
They connect to the uniform, as if we were their fox hole buddy's.
These men have some extremely interesting stories, that shock most. Its simply sad that they choose not to share this American History to the youth of America.
My uncle was a WWI Marine in a unit that was overrun and suffered many casualties. He was not visibly affected, but as kids, we were warned not to ask him about the war.
When he was elderly and we were more like peers than uncle and niece, I told him what his sisters had always warned us...don't talk to him about the war.
His reply (and he was not demented) was "I wouldn't have minded talking about it- none of them ever asked me!"
Although my husband is not in the military, when I go overseas to visit my family and he stays behind, he writes me love emails that take my breath away.
Dear Ms. Rehm,
Regarding the author's comment concerning how very little most Americans "know" anyone actively involved in the military (and, by that, I mean both our actively-serving military servicemen/women AND their families)?
All I have to say is that
the military" has become like the Poor.
They can, indeed, be invisible if you don't care to look or see, and if you don't care enough to care.
I appreciated Ms. Feldman's comment. Living only two hours from Fort Bragg, it would be EASY for me to know nothing of these folks, but I've made a point of knowing them and helping as much as I can.
As I said, it is all too easy for Americans to remain unacquainted with both the poor and those who serve in our military.
Quite sincerely, and thanks to both you and Ms. Feldman for this fine interview.
david terry
www.davidterryart.com
bedford va monument pictures
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.141989199214629.37423.100002106...
I am loving listening to the interview. My father, who is now 90, wrote prolific letters from where he was stationed during WWII, but not to a lover. He wrote them to his "folks." He gave me the letters 9-years ago when he started to suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. I became completely absorbed in the story contained in them. It was such an amazing experience. Those letters held the key to helping my father with his PTSD symptoms of nightmares and vivid flashbacks. I'm not sure he would have come this far without those letters.
I've even written a memoir (Breaking the Code) about it that will come out in November. I truly believe that we have to get these stories out in the open. We are losing our WWII veterans at a staggering rate and every day draws us closer to a time when we will no longer be able to hear those stories first-hand. I feel so blessed that I was able to hear, listen and eventually write my father's story down and encourage others to do the same.
Even if your loved one hasn't spoken about their part in the war, it is entirely possible that they will indeed talk now. Often, after all these years, they are just waiting for someone to ask.
Loved the show. Thank you!
After listening to the show I purchased the book. I am a military mom and love to read about the past to see how others made it. I thank you for bring this special book to our attention. I don't read books but was insprired by the interview to read this one thank you.
Many thanks to Ellen Feldman and Diane for this exciting show! I just heard it on podcast, and am writing to affirm that many veterans are indeed willing to speak, but few will come forward on their own.
I have been helping veterans of WWII to write and publish their stories for over 10 years. My involvement began with my uncle, who was in F Co, 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, which helped liberate Ste.-Mere-Eglise on D-Day. John Wayne portrayed my uncle’s battalion commander, Col. Vandervoort, in The Longest Day. Their unit was famous, their history glorious, yet my uncle and his buddies only talked about the war at 505 reunions. Only much later in life, after receiving many inquiries about men in his unit by friends and family who had waited too long to ask, did he "conclude this inability or refusal to talk about the war amounted to a kind of collusion. My silence had deprived my children of a vital part of their heritage, and they had a right to know."
Once a paratrooper, always a paratrooper. My uncle’s regimental motto was "Ready!" He called me up after 30 years of no contact to say he had recorded 40 (!) tapes. Would I transcribe one for his regimental history? I listened to them all. “Uncle Spencer,” I said, “we have a book on our hands.” It took years, but we were published and became a Military Book Club main selection. It has since been my great honor to help many other veterans bring their stories to light.
Hearing my uncle's war stories literally changed my life. I greatly look forward to reading Next to Love, and hope the discussion it has inspired encourages many readers to learn more about their own family histories and the veterans they love.