My War [Hardcover]

Tom Brokaw (Author), Andy Rooney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

Rooney's vivid, poignant memoir of coming of age as a reporter and as a man during World War II--a story featured in The Greatest Generation--now in a beautiful hardcover gift edition. . A great story and a first hand account of one man's role in history, My War is a wise, moving memoir from one of America's most engaging personalities. As a nave, young correspondent for The Stars and Stripes during World War II, Andy Rooney flew bomber missions, arrived in France during the D-Day invasion and crossed the Rhine with the Allied forces, traveled to Paris for the Liberation, and, as one of the first reporters into Buchenwald, witnessed the discovery of Hitler's concentration camps. Like so many of his generation, Rooney's life was changed forever by the war. Tom Brokaw featured Rooney's experiences in The Greatest Generation . Now, for the millions of readers who would like to know the whole story, Rooney's own "thoughtful, witty, and moving memoir" ( Chicago Tribune ), illustrated throughout with evocative black-and-white photographs, is now available again in a beautiful hardcover edition, perfect for holiday gift giving. And in a new chapter, written especially for this edition, Rooney reflects on America's renewed interest in World War II, and why that war was so important to those who served in it.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

On July 7, 1941, a young Colgate University football player named Andy Rooney reported for U.S. Army training. He was, Rooney allows, not prime military material. He had a knack for enraging the drill instructors with his wisecracks, and for pulling harsh assignments as a result, and his shenanigans got him disqualified from officer candidacy. Still, Rooney survived boot camp and served for a time as an artilleryman until being reassigned to the daily newspaper Stars and Stripes. Lucky for him, too: in 1942 his old outfit ran into trouble in North Africa, fighting against Erwin Rommel, and although few of them were killed, Rooney writes, "there's a good possibility I would have spent all of 1943, 1944, and six months of 1945 in a German prison camp."

In My War, a fine and wholeheartedly irreverent memoir, Rooney--later to gain fame as a 60 Minutes commentator--recounts what happened instead. As a correspondent, he saw combat up-close while honing his craft alongside such fellow chroniclers as Ernie Pyle and Bill Mauldin. What he witnessed will perhaps not please some survivors and students of the war, especially those who revere Gen. George S. Patton--whom Rooney charges with having committed improprieties, injustices, and even war crimes in the quest to secure personal fame.

Though the book is a personal memoir, Rooney has taken pains to square his anecdotes with the historical record. However, he writes, "It is distressing for me to note how infrequently the facts concur with my memory of what happened." (In such cases, he adds, he assumes that the facts are wrong.) Affecting, occasionally disturbing, and thoroughly well-written, Rooney's memoir is a welcome addition to the literature of "the good war." --Gregory McNamee

From Publishers Weekly

Rooney (Not That You Asked), commentator on 60 Minutes, here with sardonic self-effacement relates how he became a notable combat journalist in WWII, a war he calls "the ultimate experience for anyone in it." For the Army newspaper Stars and Stripes, he covered the air war over Germany, the D-Day invasion of Normandy and the Allied drive into Germany. Rooney's simple, ruminative style?"The long slow death spiral of a bomber with its crew on board is a terrible thing to see"?grips the reader as he describes famous events of the war: the liberation of Paris, the Battle of the Bulge, the stirring union of American and Russian troops at the German town of Torgau on the Elbe. The author states that "This is a memoir, not a history book," and he goes on to say that though he checked his facts in writing it, he assumes that when they conflict with memory, the facts must be wrong. Photos. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1st PublicAffairs ed edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586480103
• ISBN-13: 978-1586480103
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #558,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, entertaining, and important, November 25, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Matt Rivenbark) (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My War (Hardcover)

As Mr. Rooney states early in the work, writing it is was a cathartic exercise to lay some of his old ghosts to rest. This he certainly does, confessing to past sins, relating old jokes, and paying honor to some of World War II's unknown heroes. Being the grandson of two WWII veterans, I read with awe and began to understand the incredible and heroic actions that were standard behavior for the soldiers of this war. I also understand why they are reluctant to reopen those memories and discuss them. While reading this, I begin to realize the amount of history that is contained in, and dying with, the collective memories of these veterans.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Personal Account, April 19, 2002

By 

John G. Hilliard (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My War (Hardcover)

I think the vast majority of the people interested in this book and author are because of his fame from the TV and not as an author. I know this is how I approached this book, I was hopping for the biting humor from his appearances on 60 Minutes but concerned that it would not come through in the written word. What I found when reading the book is that he was representing a different person then the one on TV. He was providing the reader with his experiences during World War 2 in Europe and I found that the writing seemed to come from a much younger and more innocent mind then the current TV personality.

Due to this writing style I found that the book was more enjoyable then I expected. The author gives us some very good stories written in a comfortable way that seems more like holding a conversation with a close friend. This book is not for he person looking for page after page of combat action, just the interesting person story of a war reporter that sees a little bit of everything in the European theater.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My War, April 23, 2000

By 

William R. Furst (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My War (Paperback)

Short, punchy style typical of the way Rooney talks on 60 minutes. Very good view back of WWII as he saw it. Very entertaining and informative view of some historical figures-esp. Gen. Patton. Lots of wry humor/sarcastic wit.