The Last Good War:The Faces and Voices of World War II
Belmont Village and Welcome Books Announce Book Release, Unveil 10-State Author Tour
Book Tour Press
The Last Good War is a stunning collection of portraits and service stories of WWII veterans from across the country, released by Welcome Books this fall, just over 65 years after the end of WWII. The 10 state book tour concluded Dec. 9, 2010 at Belmont Village of Encino. The tour included book signings at several Belmont Village communities, museums and other historic points of interest. To view press coverage about the project and the tour, including interviews with our WWII vets, please click the links below.
Houston Press Coverage: http://bit.ly/fox26_lgw; http://bit.ly/kuhf_veterans
Nashville Press Coverage: http://bit.ly/wsmv_bv; http://wpln.org/?p=21576; http://gcanews.com/newsNov11_2010.pdf; http://wpln.org/?p=21626
National/Web Press Coverage: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lena-tabori/books-for-veterans-day_b_781247.html; http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/
Northern California: http://www.mercurynews.com/san-jose-neighborhoods/ci_16590371
Los Angeles: Beverly Hills Courier: http://bit.ly/dKa2rZ; Palos Verdes Peninsula News: http://www.pvnews.com/articles/2010/12/09/local_news/news1.txt; Easy Reader Magazine: http://www.easyreadernews.com/2010/12/arts/long-run
Chicago: WGN: http://www.wgntv.com/news/middaynews/wgntv-author-veronica-kavass-thomas-sanders-the-last-good-war,0,6386809.story
San Diego:
North Co Times: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/military/article_a8dcbd93-e5ab-55bd-a827-da389fe18842.html; http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/dec/02/last-good-war-celebrates-world-war-two-veterans/?utm_source=kpbs.org&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=user-share
KPBS Public Radio: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/dec/02/last-good-war-celebrates-world-war-two-veterans/?utm_source=kpbs.org&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=user-share
For a full tour schedule, please visit www.welcomebooks.com/lastgoodwar
About the Book
This project, now four years in the making, began with the vision of a young photographer named Thomas Sanders. Sanders photographed his first WWII veteran while studying at Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, and it was that encounter that started him on his mission.
Says Sanders, “I was a twenty-one-year-old college senior when Randall Harris told me his service story. I was stressing about my final exams, and the girl’s phone number I was trying to get that weekend. When Randall was my age, his only goal was to live to the next day. I couldn’t even fathom what that would feel like. I hope when people see my images of the veterans and read their stories, they become more appreciative of all those who have served our country and fought our wars.”
In Fall 2008, Belmont Village met Sanders. Intrigued by his mission, talent and insight, and captivated by the opportunity to help our residents share their stories, we commissioned him to photograph our veterans in Belmont Village communities throughout the country. Over the course of the next year, Sanders photographed almost 300 Belmont Village veterans, bringing his total collection to around 400.
His work soon caught the eye of publisher Welcome Books, who enlisted a young StoryCorps writer, Veronica Kavass, to follow Sanders and record the oral histories of the veterans he photographed.
Says Kavass, “The biggest challenge with this assignment was the race with time. These stories are slipping away, and I didn’t really take that into account until I found myself chasing after them. As I followed Tom’s trail, I found that a number of the veterans had already passed on and many others could no longer remember that far back, making each story all the more important.”
Praise forThe Last Good War:
“Photographer Thomas Sanders and oral historian Veronica Kavass set out to honor these hardy survivors before their stories pass from memory to history. The wrinkles on their faces testify to their pride and perserverance. Their eyes, dimmed with age but still full of vitality, have seen things that should not be forgotten.” -American History Magazine
“Just the cover of this book can break your heart. . .Anyone who is close to a member of the ‘greatest generation’ will treasure these wizened faces captured before the entire generation is gone.” -Starred review, Publishers Weekly
”. . .hits home like a one-two punch.” -World War II magazine
“Awesome. I feel like I’m learning things I never knew about World War II.” -Gary Drennon, past Tennessee State Commander of the American Legion, and Co-Chairman of Music City Honor Flight