Maurice Isserman

Walter Cronkite

The iconic American journalist shares the story of his World War II experiences as a then-obscure United Press wire service reporter, tracing his two convoys across the dangerous North Atlantic to assignments in England and North Africa, which he documented in long, detailed letters to his beloved wife, Betsy.

His World War II Letters Home

Cronkite's War

Jeni Enjaian

Once again I bemoan the fact that goodreads does not offer the option of half stars in the rating. This book definitely earned more than an average rating, however, a few things kept me from giving it a four star rating.
As an amateur historian, I absolutely love getting to read and experience primary documents. One of the things I appreciated most from Cronkite IV's narration was his explanation of the discrepancies between his grandfather's memoirs and the letters. In his preview to one of the letters, Cronkite IV explained the reason most historians prefer primary source documents to remembered histories such as memoirs or autobiographies. I cannot remember Cronkite IV's exact words but I do remember going "yes!" after I read that.
That being said, I think that the book suffered from far too much narration on the part of Cronkite IV. I realize that none of Betsy's letters remain so the role of a narrator was necessary to keep the conversation from being too one sided and to fill in information not covered or referenced obscurely in the text. Cronkite IV added too much in many places which detracted from the letters themselves. This reason alone is why I could not give this book a four star rating. It came close but fell just shy.
This is an excellent book for those who cannot get enough of WWII history and of journalism in general.

Cronkite's War His World War II Letters Home

Reviews