Show notes
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First up is Doug Bradley and his new book The Tracks of My Years
Doug Bradley played basketball with the Miracles, shared a joint with Grace Slick, and held Dionne Warwick’s hand when he told her Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated. He watched his doo-wop singing brother and World War II veteran father battle over the birth of rock and roll, brought the music of Stax and Motown to a small college in the West Virginia hills, and soaked in the sounds of CCR, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix as an Army journalist in the “air-conditioned jungle” in Vietnam.
In The Tracks of My Years: A Music-Based Memoir, the acclaimed co-author of Rolling Stone’s 2015 music book-of-the-year, We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of Vietnam War, tells the story of a life lived with, and in, music. He provides a poignant, sometimes painful, series of portraits of a young man maneuvering the intricacies of family life, love and romance, and a complicated relationship with a high school teacher who inspired him but was a constant source of bewilderment. As Bradley discovers who he is and, crucially, who he isn’t, the soundtrack evolves from Sinatra and the Beatles to Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan.
The Tracks of My Years is a book for anyone who grew up in post-World War II America, and for their children and grandchildren trying to look beyond the haze of myths surrounding Baby Boomers. It opens windows into the echoes of the heart. Cue up Alexa, Siri, or Spotify and curl up for a journey through The Tracks of My Years.
Learn more about The Tracks of My Years by Doug Bradley.
Next is the story of WWII Red Cross Clubmobiles. Robert L. Gangwere’s Forged in Fire
The Untold Story of the WWII Red Cross Clubmobile Girls. They weren’t soldiers, but they served in war zones. They didn’t carry weapons, but they fought every day – to lift morale, restore humanity, and bring a taste of home to battle-weary troop.
Forge in Fire tells the true story of the Red Cross Clubmobile Department – an innovative wartime effort that deployed courageous American women on a remarkable mission across Europe during WWII. Driving 2 1/2-ton trucks loaded with coffee and doughnuts, these women braved bombings, buzz bombs, and battlefield trauma to serve those risking their lives.
Through the eyes of Blanche Barnes, a shy Midwestern woman transformed by tragedy and service, we follow the club mobilers from England’s foggy airfields to the ruined cities of France and Germany. They flew in B-17s, danced with spies, and crossed paths with generals and journalists – showing resilience and humor in the face of war.
More than just a support operation, the clubmobiles became a lifeline to thousands of soldiers – and a proving ground for a generation of strong, capable women.
For readers of World War II history and biographies, this is an unforgettable, true account of grit, compassion, and an untold story on the front lines of World War II.
Learn more about Forged in Fire by Robert L. Gangwere.
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