The G.I. and the Paperback: A World War II Love Story
AI Summary
The article recounts how U.S. soldiers preparing for the Normandy landings in June 1944 valued pocket-sized Armed Services Edition books alongside other comfort items. It describes how wartime efforts to provide books to troops connected soldiers with stories during World War II.
On June 5, 1944, as soldiers lined British shores, preparing for their perilous journey to the beaches of Normandy, Special Services units handed out comfort items, from packs of cigarettes to candy. But one item was more sought after than any other: books. Crouched on the crowded decks awaiting Eisenhower’s call to launch, the men clasped their standard-issue rifles and clutched their standard-issue paperbacks. They were armed with stories: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Robe, all printed to uniform-pocket size and stamped “Armed Services Edition.”War changed this through the efforts of the newly founded Council The post The G.I. and the Paperback: A World War II Love Story appeared first on War on the Rocks.