The Soldier's Friend: A Life of Ernie Pyle [Hardcover]

Ray E. Boomhower (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2006

To the millions of Americans on the home front during World War II, Ernie Pyle’s columns in newspapers across the country offered a foxhole view of the struggle as he reported on the life and death of the average soldier. When he died, Pyle’s popularity and readership was worldwide, with his column appearing in 400 daily and 300 weekly newspapers.

Written by award-winning author and historian Ray E. Boomhower, The Soldier’s Friend: A Life of Ernie Pyle, a biography aimed at young readers, explores the reporter’s legendary career from his days growing up in the small town of Dana, Indiana, to his life as a roving correspondent with the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain, to his growing fame as a columnist detailing the rigors of combat faced by the average G.I. during World War II. The book also features numerous illustrations, samples of Pyle’s World War II columns, a detailed bibliography of World War II sources, and an index.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Indiana Historical Society Press (August 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871952009
• ISBN-13: 978-0871952004
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,420,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ray E. Boomhower is senior editor of the Indiana Historical Society's quarterly popular history magazine Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History. Boomhower has been with the Society since 1987, beginning work for the statewide, nonprofit organization as its public relations coordinator.

A native of Mishawaka, Indiana, Boomhower graduated from Indiana University in 1982 with degrees in journalism and political science. He received his master's degree in U.S. history from Indiana University, Indianapolis, in 1995. Before joining the Society staff, he worked in public relations for the Indiana State Museum and as a reporter for two Indiana daily newspapers, the Rensselaer Republican and the Anderson Herald.

In 1999 Boomhower received the Hoosier Historian award from the Indiana Historical Society. His book on Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Democratic presidential primary won the 2009 Best Books of Indiana competition in the nonfiction category sponsored by the Indiana Center for the Book, and his other works have been finalists in the annual Benjamin Franklin Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association. In 2010 he was named as the winner of the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award in the regional category.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A distinguished newsman, especially recommended for middle and secondary school library collections., February 3, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Soldier's Friend: A Life of Ernie Pyle (Hardcover)

Written by award-winning author and historian Ray E. Boomhower, The Soldier's Friend: A Life of Ernie Pyle is a biography for young adults about Ernie Pyle, columnist who wrote about the rigors of combat endured by ordinary G.I.'s during World War II. For his skillful and accurate reporting of a "worm's-eye view" of the war, Pyle received journalism's highest honor - a Pulitzer Prize - in 1944. Chapters cover Pyle's childhood, personality, friends, and retirement, but the main focus is on his career as a reporter at the front. Vintage black-and-white photographs on almost every page illustrate this absorbing life story of a distinguished newsman, especially recommended for middle and secondary school library collections.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good bio., November 19, 2008

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Soldier's Friend: A Life of Ernie Pyle (Hardcover)

Ray E. Boomhower, The Soldier's Friend: A Life of Ernie Pyle (Indiana Historical Society Press, 2006)

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ernie Pyle reported World War II in a way few other correspondents have done-- he was right there on the front line with the troops. In these days of "embedded journalists", that may not seem like such a big thing, but in the 1940s, it was unheard-of. Pyle was the guy who started the trend, and the soldiers loved him for it-- not to mention the readers back home, who saw a side of warfare that had never been seen before. While a number of biographies of Pyle exist, none that I could find are written for the school-aged crowd, and few others have had access to the thousands of Pyle-related documents held by the Indiana Historical Society. Ray Boomhower addresses both deficiencies in American literature with The Soldier's Friend.

While the book is a bit dry in spots, it does a fine job of depicting Pyle's life both before and during World War II, giving the younger set an idea of why it is Pyle's style of reporting was so groundbreaking back in the day. A good, solid read for students and teachers alike. Published by a small press and thus suffering from some visibility problems; it deserves a great deal more attention than it's gotten. ****

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A strong, short biography of the corresppondent who gave us the GI's "worm's eye view" of WW II (a history teacher's review), March 9, 2008

By 

DWD "DWD's Reviews" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Soldier's Friend: A Life of Ernie Pyle (Hardcover)

Ernie Pyle (1900-1945) was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist who wrote for Washington, D.C. and New York City newspapers before the war. But, he became a beloved figure due to his Pulitzer Prize-winning work during World War II, especially in the European Theater. As one of the soldiers quoted in this biography said, "He was...our spokesman. It was not that his column told us things we did not know or feel, but the fact that we knew you folks at home could read it, and get to know and understand."

This book is printed by the Indiana Historical Society Press because Pyle was originally from the small town of Dana, Indiana, near Terre Haute. The Indiana Historical Society has access to literally millions of Indiana-related historical photographs and that library of pictures is put to good use in this biography. Most of the photos aren't just the standard posed shots, but they show Pyle interacting with his favorite soldiers - the G.I. (Infantry). You can see his relaxed style and his curiousity about everything - including looking down the business end of a 155 mm gun, cooking on a Coleman stove in France, walking among the rubble of the hotel that he was in when a German shell hit it, talking with nurses, officers, and even washing his feet in his own helmet.

The book is actually intended to be a biography for advanced middle school students or high school students to read, but it is excellent for any student of World War II history, no matter his or her age. At the end of the text, 3 of his complete, unedited columns are re-printed, including the sparse and moving "The Death of Captain Waskow".

Strongly recommended.