Inman's War: Amazon Kindle Edition
--KLIATT, Raymond Puffer, Ph.D., Historian, Edwards AFB, Lancaster, CA
"Inman's War offers an intensely personal look at individual valor and suffering, and allows lay readers and historians alike to appreciate the contribution of 'colored battalions" not only to the war effort, but to the improved egalitarianism of American culture. Highly recommended reading."
--The Midwest Book Review
"Inman's War is on one level an ugly story about America and racism and prejudice and discrimination and sexism. But it is also a human story, a story about real people, a story of friendship and loyalty, a story of the human spirit as it tries to overcome adversity."
"On another level, it is also a tragedy, a story of soldiers in a ‘Colored Battalion’ who were serving for and were willing if necessary to die for their country - and who never felt equal to others until they drove the few miles from where they were once stationed in Texas across the border into a foreign country where they could feel the freedom and equality they were fighting for."
"It is... a magnificent slice of [American] history."
--Dick Gregory, from the Introduction
"Jeffrey Copeland discovered hidden treasure when he found a suitcase full of letters written during WW II. Inman's War, which is based on those letters, is a wonderful read, filled with laughter, tears, anger, love, and friendship. I am glad Copeland introduced me to Inman Perkins, a truly memorable man who, best of all, was real. Of the hundreds of books I've read this year, Inman's War places securely in my top 10."
--Sally Walker, author of Secrets of a Civil War Submarine
Sergeant Inman Perkins and his signal construction unit of the U.S. Army Air Corps fought the enemy, but also helped the civilians who in postwar years became our greatest allies. He and his men proved every day not just how strong our country was, but how much it cared. War and peace, at home and away, break out on every page of this book. Because of Sgt. Perkins' service and Copeland's transformation of it into such an enjoyably readable document, we can now see that America's Greatest Generation had a rainbow hue."
--Jerome Klinkowitz, author of Yanks over Europe and Pacific Skies
"As a military historian, this book opened my eyes to the seldom discussed topic -- a colored batallion in WWII. Copeland presents this story in an unbiased and exciting way."
--Patricia Meadows Higdon, The Veterans' Museum, Halls, Tennessee
Information about life in the "Colored Battalions" of WWII is very limited; this book takes a look inside a part of history hidden from the eyes of the world. Those who served in these battalions were unsung heroes of the Allies' fight for freedom and rights for all, yet they were often sacrificed along the way to attaining those goals. At long last, their story is told.
Some of the most important and symbolic events in American history end up relegated to the dark corners of memory. Events once so significant become little more than footnotes, little more than wisps of story once held dear. This is such a story. There are accounts of the contributions of African Americans during the great conflict of WWII. However, most of these are group histories related to units such as the Red Ball Express, Tuskegee Airmen, and the Buffalo Soldiers. Individual, personal accounts of life and service in what were called the "Colored Battalions" are almost non-existent.
This story is based in part upon the nearly one hundred and fifty letters written by Sergeant Inman Perkins during that period that detail his day to day life and his marriage while on leave to his young bride, Olivia. This book presents a look into the past that many thought locked away and forgotten forever, a look into an important slice of our American heritage off limits for too long to the eyes of history. From basic training to the war in Europe, Inman's War presents the fresh territory of a story not told before. It is the story of an individual, Inman Perkins, and it is also the story of the other African American heroes of this era.
Nominated for the Horn Book Award, Jefferson Cup Award, Carter G. Woodson Award, Orbis Pictus Award, and American Library Association's "Notable Books for 2007" list.
Find information on the author at http://www.jcopelandauthor.com.
RL 7.8, Lexile Score 930L
Radio Interview with author on WHO-AM 9-18-06— CLICK HERE to download 18 MB .mp3 file
Teachers: FREE Study Guide for Inman's War— CLICK HERE for .pdf guide.
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