‘Grace Under Fire’ Author To Visit Abbey

BETHLEHEM — Andrew Carroll, editor of the national bestseller War Letters, will be signing copies of his new book on Saturday, December 22, from 2 to 3 pm, at the Abbey of Regina Laudis, on Flanders Road.

His book, Grace Under Fire: Letters of Faith in Times of War (Doubleday; March 2007, $16.95, hardcover, 160 pages), features 50 extraordinary letters and e-mails written by US troops and their families from all over the country on the subject of faith, religion, and God, dating from the American Revolution through the War on Terrorism. Mr Carroll went through his massive archive of 75,000 previously unpublished wartime correspondence to pick the most intimate, dramatic, historic and insightful letters. Those published emphasize how important faith has been, and continues to be, in the lives of US troops and their families.

Grace Under Fire features a diverse selection, including several letters by two brothers who fought on opposing sides of the Civil War; a prophetic letter by Rabbi Alex Goode, one of the famed Immortal Chaplains who gave up his life for his fellow troops; an account by a soldier who survived being lost at sea after his ship was torpedoes; a lighthearted letter by a war nurse who had a memorable encounter with the Pope; an impassioned correspondence between a woman who wrote a “To Any Soldier” letter to a Marine fighting in Desert Storm… and ended up marrying him; the previously unpublished last e-mail home by NBC News reporter David Bloom; and a reply to the timeless question “Where is God in wartime” written by an Army doctor serving in Iraq.

A portion of Mr Carroll’s proceeds from Grace Under Fire will be donated to military support groups and used to underwrite a distribution of free books to US military chaplains stationed around the world.

Mr Carroll has been profiled on TV, including Oprah, Nightline and CBS Sunday Morning. His previous book, War Letters, was made into a PBS film. He is also the founder of The Legacy Project, a national all-volunteer effort that works to honor veterans and active-duty troops.

Refreshments will be served at the book signing and books will be available for purchase.