Under Wraps - One Soldier's Hidden Diary of World War II
Title: Under Wraps - One Soldier's Hidden Diary of World War II
Author: Jay Coffman - Edited by Tom Fulks
Category: History / War
330 pages; ISBN: 1-59411-043-3
Rating: 8/10
Under Wraps is the diary maintained by Jay Coffman, a soldier of US Armed Forces in World War II. Since maintaining a diary was forbidden, Jay maintained the diary on scraps of paper and hid them among his baggage. The scraps of paper were sorted out and typed out neatly by his fiance and later wife, Dot. The diary was passed on by Dot to Tom Fulks, Jay's nephew as a family heirloom and is now published by Tom with editorial notes interspersed and additional notes at the end of the diary to help those not familiar with the historical events.
The diary is certainly a good portrayal of the mind of an average American in the war time. It brings out nicely Jay's ties to the family, which kept him going in the war. The diary also brings out the abiding love of Jay and Dot to each other.
Editor's notes regarding the war are certainly welcome and add value to the book. The notes in the diary look crumpled and the type looks rather odd.
While the diary is certainly a useful addition to the Second World War literature, its value would have been much higher if the original scraps of paper were photographed as they were and compiled date wise. That would have been a real heirloom. A few handwritten notes of Jay if inserted, would have given more insights into Jay's mind.
For those who are familiar with the second world war, some of Jay's entries and Tom's notes would be familiar. For a majority of post war readers, the book is a good introduction to the war from an American perspective. And the book does give a good account of the life and culture of the Polynesian islands. The few photographs by Barbra do help the reader better visualise what was written by Jay. A few maps and sketches of the islands would be welcome.
The book is in one way timely in view of the US involvement in the Iraq war, from which it is becoming increasingly difficult for Americans to extricate themselves.
The reviewer feels that the US economy is war-driven and a few years of peace leads to a recession. Also the policy makers seem to suffer from megalomania which keeps driving them to become the super cops of the whole world.
All in all, this diary is a good addition to the war literature.
Author: Jay Coffman - Edited by Tom Fulks
Category: History / War
330 pages; ISBN: 1-59411-043-3
Rating: 8/10
Under Wraps is the diary maintained by Jay Coffman, a soldier of US Armed Forces in World War II. Since maintaining a diary was forbidden, Jay maintained the diary on scraps of paper and hid them among his baggage. The scraps of paper were sorted out and typed out neatly by his fiance and later wife, Dot. The diary was passed on by Dot to Tom Fulks, Jay's nephew as a family heirloom and is now published by Tom with editorial notes interspersed and additional notes at the end of the diary to help those not familiar with the historical events.
The diary is certainly a good portrayal of the mind of an average American in the war time. It brings out nicely Jay's ties to the family, which kept him going in the war. The diary also brings out the abiding love of Jay and Dot to each other.
Editor's notes regarding the war are certainly welcome and add value to the book. The notes in the diary look crumpled and the type looks rather odd.
While the diary is certainly a useful addition to the Second World War literature, its value would have been much higher if the original scraps of paper were photographed as they were and compiled date wise. That would have been a real heirloom. A few handwritten notes of Jay if inserted, would have given more insights into Jay's mind.
For those who are familiar with the second world war, some of Jay's entries and Tom's notes would be familiar. For a majority of post war readers, the book is a good introduction to the war from an American perspective. And the book does give a good account of the life and culture of the Polynesian islands. The few photographs by Barbra do help the reader better visualise what was written by Jay. A few maps and sketches of the islands would be welcome.
The book is in one way timely in view of the US involvement in the Iraq war, from which it is becoming increasingly difficult for Americans to extricate themselves.
The reviewer feels that the US economy is war-driven and a few years of peace leads to a recession. Also the policy makers seem to suffer from megalomania which keeps driving them to become the super cops of the whole world.
All in all, this diary is a good addition to the war literature.
posted by S.V.Swamy | 10:28 PM
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