Letters on the Wall

by Michael Sofarelli

Book Overview

Since its creation in 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has become the most visited National Park Services site. Each year, 4.5 million people come to the Wall. Many of them leave letters or other... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061148776
• ISBN13: 9780061148774
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Smithsonia
• Length: 198 Pages
• Weight: 2.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 8.2" x 10.2"

Customer Reviews

This book should have been in every grammar, high school and college library

I know the author and his father so I may be biased but this book can not be read with a dry eye. As a child, my first funeral was a military funeral for a Vietnam hero, Anibal Aviles, from my neighborhood (Upper West Side, NYC). It was a tremendously sad and solemn event unfolding under my tenement. Not too long after, I got to befriend Tommy, a returning chopper pilot who got shot down. He was hesitant to talk about Vietnam but we saw the wounds to his back and stomach. We didn't know it then but he showed the signs of PTSD. God Bless him wherever he is. My uncle signed up for the Navy Reserve just before his token was called for the Army in 1968. I am truly grateful that he didn't have to go to Vietnam and am proud of his service. This book brought back all of those memories and more during my first visit to The Wall. The book, as is The Wall, is overpowering. I urge all to visit both AND please remember, that the memorial grounds should be treated with the reverence and dignity that all our vets deserve.

Excellent book!

This is an exceptional book - very emotional and touching. In fact, I found it hard to get through more than a few pages with a dry eye. As one who is too young to remember the Vietnam era, this book helped me to better understand this part of our country's history. Highly recommended!

Some Came Home

Wow! What a tribute! It's about time, we've heard too much about the guys who came back broken in body and spirit, addicted to drugs and despair. BX* & #!!! Mike Sofarelli, a Marine, came home missing part of his leg but he came back whole. The proof of this is the wonderful book his son, Michael, has written as a tribute to him. The book is hopeful, heartbreaking and, at some points, wryly amusing. It tells the story of how the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, The "Wall" went from being reviled when the design was unveiled to the most visited site in the National Parks system. The true authors are the thousands of loved ones who left rememberances near the monument. Buy the book, visit "The Wall" and thank a vet!