Echoes from the Infantry: A Novel [Hardcover]

Frank Nappi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2005

Frank Nappi is a school teacher on Long Island who, over the last several years, befriended aging World War II veterans in his community. As he heard their reminiscences he became absorbed in their stories of simple heroism--and of trying to recapture what they'd left behind when they returned home. They are the stories of men who never asked for recognition or adulation, only a place in the free and prosperous society they'd built with their own blood, sweat and tears--men who could never entirely leave behind the horrors of the battlefield, or explain them to their own children . . .
Now, Nappi has synthesized those reminiscences and crafted them into a heartwarming and at times harrowing novel: Echoes from the Infantry. It is the fictionalized tale of one Long Island veteran, the misery of combat, and the powerful emotional bond that connected him to his fiancée back home and that allowed him to survive the war with his soul battered but intact.
It is about a father and a son, and their ultimately redeeming struggle to understand the worlds that shaped each one--one a world at war, the other a world shaped by its veterans.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A moving first novel about a courageous soldier who fought in WWII and grew to hate it.

"Twentysomething James McCleary, foot soldier in the 95th Infantry Division, was 'a typical dogface,' as his best friend puts it. Having fought through most of the war, including the horrific Battle of the Bulge, he finishes in the hands of the enemy, a POW. The war over, he returns to Far Rockaway, N.Y., and to his sweetheart, Maddie Brandt. He marries Maddie and fathers three sons, to whom he remains an enigma all his life. It was the war--physically intact, he's a casualty nonetheless. What he saw and what he did never leaves him, making it impossible to perform the roles society has assigned him. 'I don't think I can remember one time when I saw him laugh,' one of the boys says to Maddie, a complaint shared by all three siblings. But it's John, the oldest and most sensitive, who suffers most from a father missing in action. And it's John who, at last, gains an insight into the nature and extent of the war wounds. After Maddie's death, the McClearys put the house up for sale. Emptying the attic, John finds a packet of letters from James, a young soldier, to Maddie, the girl he loves and left behind. In alternating scenes, The author shows James's view of the war and John's reaction to it. The son gets to see his father in a light that astonishes him--not the shadowy, withdrawn figure that embittered his growing up, but someone vividly alive, someone as afraid as he was brave, someone remarkable.

"Not flawless, but certainly heartfelt, and searing in its condemnation. On his last page, Nappi quotes Christopher Marlowe: 'Accurst be he who first invented war.'"
--Kirkus Reviews
***



"A powerful first novel, written by an outstanding Long Island teacher, whose absorbing narrative demonstrates the true craft of storytelling and a genuine empathy for the lives of those who have suffered and sacrificed to protect our freedoms... Nappi moves artfully between the present and past, weaving a fictionalized tale of one Long Islander's struggle to reconcile with the demons from long ago and his family's neverending battle with many of the intangible burdens caused by the private life of a man they never really knew. He touches our hearts with a story of courage and perseverance...a story of men who faced the greatest challenge of their generation. Because of these men and this haunting novel, their memory will never be forgotten... ECHOES FROM THE INFANTRY is truly a song of redemption and a triumph of the human spirit."
--Father Tom Hartman, host of the nationally televised show "The God Squad" and author of several books, including Just A Moment: Life Matters With Father Tom

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (October 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312332726
• ISBN-13: 978-0312332723
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,462,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frank Nappi has taught high school English and Creative Writing for over twenty years. His debut novel, "Echoes From The Infantry," received national attention, including MWSA's silver medal for outstanding fiction for 2006. His follow-up novel, "The Legend of Mickey Tussler," garnered rave reviews as well, including a screenplay adaptation ("A Mile in His Shoes") of the touching story which aired nationwide in September of 2011 and was released on DVD in January of 2012. Frank continues to produce quality work, including "The Legend of Mickey Tussler: Sophomore Campaign," the intriguing sequel to the much heralded original story, and he is presently at work on a third installment of the unique series, as well as his first mystery /thriller entitled "Nobody Has To Know." Frank lives on Long Island with his wife Julia and their two sons, Nicholas and Anthony and continues to support organizations such as Autism Speaks, Best Buddies, and Challenger Baseball. For more about the author, visit his Web site at www.franknappi.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sock Puppet, February 13, 2006

By 

Kevin Killian (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Echoes from the Infantry: A Novel (Hardcover)

I read the simple, humbling story of ECHOES FROM THE INFANTRY with a creepy feeling of, this could have been my whole life. I'm from long Island too, the oldest son of a veteran of World War II, the Greatest Generation. In present day Long Island, three brothers gather together in their parents' house to decide what to do with the old man in the wake of their beloved mother's death. The oldest, John, suffered the most from his dad's coldness and cruelty, though now he's a harmless wreck who just sits around, emotionally unavailable as ever. John volunteers to help clear up the attic and stumbles across the letters that his dad, James McCreary, had written to his mother during the long years he spent overseas, in France, in Germany, and in a POW camp. What he finds shocks him, a man who was once quivering with nerve endings, alive to joy and sorrow alike, not the undead hulk who became the father of three children he didn't know how to love.

Nappi establishes the frame story well, but you can tell he'd rather be back in the past--perhaps it's less painful than the present for a survivor.

You've seen McCreary's squadron a million times before, the squad clown, the Italian American loudmouth from Brooklyn, the twitchy weirdo with a secret, the softhearted sergeant with the foul mouth. They mix it up, they progress through the coldest European winter ever recorded, they meet the French peasants and their opposite numbers in the German army. And somewhere along the way James loses his ability to smile. He becomes obsessed with socks. I'm not giving anything away, you know by page 20 he has a thing for common GI socks. But never in a million years will you guess why, till the very last pages!

The book is simply written, perhaps for high school students or a younger bunch of readers? Although it is cheerily and frankly obscene in places, in reproducing the language of the rank and file in the military, it also has some disturbing scenes of violence that will haunt you, and the next time you pull on a pair of socks you might find yourself repressing the urge to go for a bayonet and spear a Kraut. I have never seen this sock thing in a novel before, nor, needless to say, in real life. But props to Frank Nappi. a talented schoolteacher whose fiction debut this is, for making it seem, if not plausible, at least possible.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Tale of a WWII Infantryman, June 5, 2006

By 

W. H. McDonald Jr. "The American Author Assoc... (Elk Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Echoes from the Infantry: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is not just some simplistic WWII genre novel about war and battles; "Echoes From The Infantry" is a first class story of human relationships told by a writer who knows how to weave feelings, dialog and action successfully together! Author Frank Nappi takes the reader through the heart as well as the mind with his story. Father and son relationship issues surface as does the issue of PTSD (although not called that back in WWII).

This book is so much more than a war novel, although there is plenty of action. The book explores the deeper recess of the characters and gives them real substance. They feel like real people facing the horrors of war and the problems of readjusting to family life in peace time.

What makes this story even better, is the fact that the author crafted his storylines and even parts of some of his characters from real men that he knew. His experiences and eventual friendship with several WWII veterans gave birth to the idea of his book. He had invited these men over the years to his classroom to talk about their experiences to his students. The results of those class talks and visits inspired him to create a story loosely based on what they had gone through.

This book is destined to become a war classic. The issues that Frank Nappi talks about are things that are still fresh issues with today's troops. The way he reminiscences and unfolds the story is pure gold. Nappi is destined to find great success writing; as his talents become very clear when you have the honest pleasure of reading through the pages of his book. The author honestly conveys the emotions and feelings of his characters with little effort. The energy of his tale flows emotionally though his book. It feels like you are taken on a journey of the heart, as well as an adventure.

This book receives the Militray Writer's Soceity of America's TOP BOOK RATING - FIVE STARS! I believe that this book could even bring some healing and understanding for families as they discover insights which might make for better understanding of their veteran relatives!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terricic Book!, June 23, 2006

By 

Victoria Taylor Murray "Author 'Exposure Behi... (Kentucky, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Echoes from the Infantry: A Novel (Hardcover)

A friend recommended this author's book and after reading the story I was thrilled that she did! "Echoes from the Infantry," by talented new writer, Frank Nappi, is a story that had me so emotionally involved, I had trouble putting it down once I began I began reading it. It is a thought-provoking tale of life, love and a war that lasted far longer than the actual war. I am more than happy to recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre. I know you will enjoy this story as much as I did!