Book Note: James Tobin, Ernie Pyle's War

This note does not contain major spoilers for the book.

I don't really think the concept of "spoiler" applies to historical biography. I certainly give away some of the things said in the book. Ernie Pyle was one of the foremost newspaper columnists and correspondents during the great depression and WWII. He was a major factor in creating the "common man" view of the war that's taken hold so thoroughly (look at Stephen Ambrose's work, for example).

I guess this book is part of the 40th anniversary outpouring of attention. Some of Pyle's own columns seem to have been in print at least relatively recently.

Pyle seems to have been rather a tortured man. I probably want to look into some of his actual columns -- perhaps the pre-war tour of the country, which he thought was his best work, and which wasn't subjected to the wartime pressures of the later columns.

Indeed, looking at the original columns probably would have been better. It's possible I misunderstood what this book was when I asked for it -- I don't actually recall now. I might have asked for a biography of Pyle, especially if it got good reviews.