A Myth in Action: The Heroic Life of Audie Murphy relates the life of a Texas farmboy who enlisted in the Army in 1942. By the end of WWII, at five feet six inches and barely twenty years old, he had been field commissioned and had won more medals for valor than any soldier in American history. Coming home a legend, he spent the rest of his life portraying heroes in Hollywood films. He died tragically at forty-five. His story echoes those of mythological heroes described by comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell (Hero with a Thousand Faces), psychologist Rollo May (The Cry for Myth) and others. Heroes’ lives follow an “archetypal” pattern, from Homer’s Perseus through the Arthurian Percival, to Luke Skywalker—and Audie Murphy.
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Ann Levingston Joiner is a native of Orange, Texas, where she lived through her mid-thirties. At that time, she was a stay-at-home mom who spent her free time volunteering and writing poetry in a spiral-bound journal. After returning to college during the late nine-teen seventies, she moved her children to Houston and began her career as a high-school English teacher. Teaching in experimental programs, she wrote curriculum, authored textbook supplements and conducted workshops to help students develop their writing skills. Before she retired in 2002, she developed the English and Language Arts portion of her school's computer-based credit recovery program. During the years of her teaching career, she pursued an interest in comparative mythology, particularly focusing on the works of Joseph Campbell and the Hero's Journey. After retiring, she moved to San Antonio, Texas, to be closer to her children, and to pursue a new career as a writer. Her published works include two poems, "Lady Audrey" and "The Rest Home," and a non-fiction work, A Myth in Action: The Heroic Life of Audie Murphy. Now a grandmother, her current interests include genealogical research and writing fictionalized stories about the lives of her ancestors. She is also working on a series of fantasy western novels, set in the Texas Hill Country and involving its legendary Enchanted Rock.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Myth in Action The Heroic Life of Audie Murphy,
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This review is from: A Myth in Action: The Heroic Life of Audie Murphy (Paperback)
I have just finished reading Ann Levingston Joiner's book, "A Myth in Action, the Heroic Life of Audie Murphy." As an avid Audie Murphy fan I read everything I can about him. All of his fans know the story of his life, but Ann has told this familiar story in a new and unique way that holds your attention and is a real page turner. No other author has related Audie's story with mythical concepts.
Ann ends her book with a description of Audie Murphy I have never seen before and I quote: "Murphy taught us to win with humility, lose without complaining, to fight when fighting was necessary, but at the same time, 'never hurt others willingly, including ourselves.' He told us that unfaced fear leads to 'selfishness, cruelty, and lack of self-respect.' He emphatically insisted that 'we are our brother's keeper.' His words can perhaps best be summed up by saying that what is important is not how much you take from the world, but how much you contribute to it. But Audie Murphy did more than tell us how we ought to live, he lived that way himself. He was a quietly generous man who shared what he had with others; he was humble, and made light of his own heroism, talents, and successes, he valued his family, he chose friends according to what they were rather than according to what they could do for him. He was honest, he accepted responsibility even when it was thrust upon him, as a child, as a soldier, and as a man, he protected others by putting himself in the line of fire, not only in battle, but in his later life as well." This book is a must for the library of all Audie Murphy fans, as well as anyone who wants to know the story of a real, genuine hero.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Myth in Action . . . .,
By
This review is from: A Myth in Action: The Heroic Life of Audie Murphy (Paperback)
SHUTTERS AND BOARDS
(Scott Turner - Audie Murphy) « © '62 Songs Of PolyGram, BMI » (Shutters and boards cover the windows Of the house where we used to live) All I have left is a heart full of sorrow Since she said she'd never forgive The house that we've built was once filled with laughter But I changed that laughter to tears And now I must live in a world without sunshine Oh how I wish you were here Shutters and boards cover the windows... Last night I dreamed that you came to our house And took an old book from the shelf If you'll open the shutters I'll tear down the boards Cause I drove every nail by myself Shutters and boards cover the windows... All I have left is a heart full of sorrow Since she said she'd never forgive My first introduction to Audie Murphy was through his westerns. I absolutely loved him and placed him on a plateau with one of my all time favorite actors, James Stewart, who Audie Murphy incidently did some acting with. But I knew nothing of Audie Murphy's real life before that until much later. Ms. Ann Levingston Joiner, through extensive research and an obvious personal commitment to a passion of her own, has delivered a story about Audie Murphy that I don't think has been told before. Ms. Joiner tells her story beautifully and articulately with care and respect for the legacy of the extraordinary life that Audie Murphy lived. For a refreshing perspective on the life on Audie Murphy, A Myth in Action, The Heroic Life of Audie Murphy by Ann Levingston Joiner is a must read. Five stars, Ann. Reviewed by Joshua Berry, author of Andrea's Dream.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant,
This review is from: A Myth in Action: The Heroic Life of Audie Murphy (Paperback)
A Myth in Action - The Heroic Life of Audie Murphy by Ann Levingston Joiner
Brilliant in style and concept in writing about a war hero! This carefully researched story delves into the psyche of the warrior and the man. The author not only gives the reader insights into the prewar life of the books character but also the postwar trauma/problems of fighting men in general. The author's study of mythology and mythological heroes comes to the fore in the characterization, motivation and actions of the warrior - the qualities that inspire and govern the lives of great men. This book is not a narrative story about Audie Murphy, the war hero, but much more. War is not glorified by the writer or by the hero as exemplified by his life and post-war activity. A Myth in Action is a must read for anyone who has experienced war and/or for anyone who believes that war is to be glorified.
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