Fading Voices and Haunting Memories: From the World War II Era

by Gloria Miller

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0533144973
• ISBN13: 9780533144976
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Vantage Press
• Length: 352 Pages

Customer Reviews

An Intimate Look at WWII

When my parents handed me this book to read several years ago, I was like, oh, it's just another one of those books. You know, books that really aren't all that interesting but my parents thought that they had to share it with me because the author is from my hometown. This past weekend, my mother-in-law wanted to borrow it and my parents started talking again about Mrs. Miller ~~ so, I decided to pick it up and read it. I haven't been able to put it down. The stories in this book are haunting. They are real. They are stories from soldiers who fought in both theaters, the European and the Pacific. They are stories from civilians that remained behind, especially Gloria's stories. The stories weren't elaborate or embellished ~~ they were spoken in the way the soldiers told their stories and they were intimate stories spoken to preserve the memories of the horrors they had seen. I did not find this book to be anything other than educational and preserving the memories, the voices of the men and women who survived that period, for history's sake. It is a honest look at what happened then and it is something I will encourage my children to read when they are older. It is a collection of stories, thoughts and bits of historical facts. It is something that I wish my great-uncles shared with me ~~ one of them was a pilot for the Royal Air Force in England (he signed up long before the draft), and I think there were three others that fought in Europe. Looking at the pictures, I find it hard to believe that what are our Senior Citizens today were at one time thrust upon the theater of the world and fought to preserve the world from lunatics and madmen. Those senior citizens are fast fading and I am grateful for Mrs. Miller's effort in retaining some of these voices for future generations. This is definitely a book to keep for all libraries. I am proud to have read some of the histories of the men from my hometown. It has helped me understand better some of my grandfather's generation's thoughts and dreams, and why they are the way they are. I have a bigger understanding of the sacrifices and turmoil they all have gone through. It is definitely a book I would recommend all serious students of history to read. It's a bit more intimate than the dry tomes that should be required history reading. I am glad that my parents have lent me this book and hope to hear that Mrs. Miller will write another one soon! 5-17-06

New Perspective to WWII

Fading Voices and Haunting Memories, by Gloria Miller, provided me a completely different view of WWII. I have always been a fan of history, especially that of American history, and great American battles. However, out of the knowledge that I have received from school, never has this approach been introduced. Gloria Miller tells the story of a "middle-American" poor, farm girl from rural Ohio and the effects the war had on her and the people closest to her. Instead of approaching WWII in a manner that we have all heard before, she sees the war from her own eyes, as a naive young woman, whose decisions and actions revolve around this great but horrible time. After reading this book, I have a renwed appreciation for the American people, who banded together in times of dispair, and made the sacrifices that they did. Whether the sacrifices were risking thier lives, or sending mail, America pulled together, and that alone defines greatness.

Honoring our vets

Fading Voices was quite a volume from a new author and I heartily recommend it to those who are interested in the personal stories behind WW II. As those who lived through WWII are fading it is an important collection of their voices and well written. It's a reminder of the heroism exhibited by regular people in extraordinary times and it is good to keep that heroism in mind during our present times.

Unknown Sacrifices

It is hard to believe since the time of World War II that any more emotions could be brought forth by another book. But Gloria Miler's book "Fading Voices and Haunting Memories" does exactly that. This book brings out more than the sacrifices of our soliders, it identifies in heart-felt detail, what was endured by the men and women who supported them from these lands. This book provided me a different view and a better appreciation of World War II.

Fading Voices and Haunting Memories

I found this book to be exceptional! I learned so much about World War II, not just from the history in the book, but especially from the personal experiences. This book should be required reading for everyone born after 1945. We must not lose this history and Ms. Miller makes it all come alive in her book.Thank you, Gloria Miller, I felt just like I did when I watched Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.