An ambitious and thorough exploration of two families whose experiences are funneled through the pivotal early to middle decades of the twentieth century, this seamless blend of fiction and nonfiction renders an authentic slice of Americana at its most personal and profound. Based on actual events, oral history, and featuring transcriptions of dozens of authentic private letters written by the story's principles, Greene delivers an insider's view of the hearts and minds and day to day events of a singular group of people counted among history's greatest generation. Powerful in its sweeping journalistic impact and at the same time tender in its prose, this highly rated book contributes greatly to the vast preservation efforts of stories and data germane to the era it captures.