Book Review: Willie and Joe--The WWII Years

 

With our on-going issues with Islamic terrorists, I think it's about time to honor those who've fought, and still fight, our nation's wars. 

 

I've always admired Bill_Mauldin's work, but I've only managed to read about the antics of "Willie and Joe" in a sporadic manner. 

 

Then, several weeks ago, I stumbled across a paperback copy of Willie and Joe--The WWII Years at Half Price Books for about $20.  I almost didn't buy it.  This hefty tome of life-on-the-front weighs-in at 704 pages, and just over five pounds!

 

I decided my bookshelves could stand the strain and I'm glad I didn't pass up this 5-star deal.

 

Willie and Joe--The WWII Years is chock full of drawings and cartoons, like this Pulitzer Prize winner:

 

 

Although as a former US Air Force Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) member, my personal favorite is this one of our hapless heroes at an Observation Post (OP)--attempting to call artillery fire on a target that's just a little too close for comfort:

 

 

Willie and Joe--The WWII Years, contains a wide-range of Mauldin's works, from his submissions to 45th Infantry Division camp paper, to some of the demobilization issues faced by veterans re-integrating back into civilian life.  The bulk of the work though, centers on Willie & Joe's wartime experiences.  There's a footnote for every cartoon, which provides some background information to help the reader understand the nature of each vignette, and the humor behind it.

 

A short biography of Bill Mauldin can be found in the front of the book.  Despite being a tad over 700 pages, Willie and Joe--The WWII Years, is a quick an enjoyable read.

 

The book has earned a 4.7 out of 5 stars rating on Amazon.com:  48 x 5-stars, 8 x 4-stars, 3 x 3-stars and a solitary 2-star rating.  Of the 3-star raters, one thought the book was repetitive, another thought this wouldn't "...mean much to younger people..." (and he's probably right), and the last wrote an enthusiastic review, but was going to give the book to his son.  The lone 2-star rater was disappointed in the quality of Bill Mauldin's early work.

  

But whether you find Bill Mauldin's work disappointing or not, he set the standard for another generation of military cartoonists, like the anonymous Doctrine Man to follow.