“Molly Guptill Manning’s compelling, conversational storytelling and thorough research pack a one-two punch that distinguishes The War of Words as one of the best reads of the year. As newspapers and free speech continue to face a barrage of attacks, it also serves as a timely reminder that both are cornerstones of the democracy these men fought so hard to protect. Sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, other times achingly tragic, this book is hopeful first and foremost, making it an absolute must-read for anyone who believes in the power of words to act as a light even in our darkest days.” —Brianna Labuskes, author of The Librarian of Burned Books
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- The War of Words
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Read by Elisabeth Rodgers
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Release Date: 9/26/23
Formats: Hardcover, Trade Print ARC, Trade Paperback
From New York Times bestselling author Molly Guptill Manning comes The War of Words, the captivating story of how American troops in World War II wielded pens to tell their own stories as they made history.
At a time when civilian periodicals faced strict censorship, US Army Chief of Staff George Marshall won the support of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to create an expansive troop-newspaper program. Both Marshall and FDR recognized that there was a second struggle taking place outside the battlefields of World War II—the war of words. While Hitler inundated the globe with propaganda, morale across the US Army dwindled. As the Axis blurred the lines between truth and fiction, the best defense was for American troops to bring the truth into focus by writing it down and disseminating it themselves.
By war’s end, over 4,600 unique GI publications had been printed around the world. In newsprint, troops made sense of their hardships, losses, and reasons for fighting. These newspapers—by and for the troops—became the heart and soul of a unit.
From Normandy to the shores of Japan, American soldiers exercised a level of free speech the military had never known nor would again. It was an extraordinary chapter in American democracy and military history. In the war for “four freedoms,” it was remarkably fitting that troops fought not only with guns but with their pens. This stunning volume includes fourteen pages of photographs and illustrations.
- The War of Words
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Read by Elisabeth Rodgers
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Release Date: 9/26/23
Formats: Hardcover, Trade Print ARC, Trade Paperback
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- The Body Below
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By Daniel Hecht
Read by Bronson Pinchot and Elisabeth Rodgers
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Release Date: 8/29/23
Formats: Hardcover, Trade Print ARC, Trade Paperback
From USA Today bestselling author Daniel Hecht, The Body Below takes the reader on an uneasy quest for the nature of truth and who gets to tell it. Perfect for fans of In the Woods by Tana French and The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.
Conn Whitman’s long-distance swims keep him centered and sane—until a terrifying underwater encounter in a woodland lake plunges him into the middle of a murder investigation.
Once a superstar investigative reporter, disgraced by misconduct, Conn returned to his Vermont hometown to put his life back together. Now, after ten years on the job, he knows his community like nobody else. When he kicks a submerged object while swimming—something with the density and resilience of human flesh—he immediately wonders if it’s connected to an unsolved murder in a nearby town.
Detective Marlene Selanski is the lead on the State Police investigation and soon locks horns with Conn. It’s clear she considers him a suspect and believes his “vigilante research” is interfering with her investigation. Defying Selanski, Conn and his fiancée Celine Gabrielli combine their talents—her PhD in psychology, his skills at journalistic research and wealth of knowledge about Vermont’s old villages—to seek answers on their own.
As layers of deception peel away, Conn and Celine realize too late the dangers of amateur sleuthing: Murder disrupts lives in unexpected ways, sending out ripples and bringing long-hidden secrets to the surface.
- The Body Below
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By Daniel Hecht
Read by Bronson Pinchot and Elisabeth Rodgers
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Release Date: 8/29/23
Formats: Hardcover, Trade Print ARC, Trade Paperback