Fwd: Author Seeking WWII Fathers - VN Sons -- Pls Fwd

[Shirley Watkins <shirljo@texhoma.net>]

From: "Michael Takiff" <mtakiff@earthlink.net>

PLEASE FORWARD: WIDEST DISTRIBUTION POSSIBLE
I am an author working on a book of oral histories, to be published by
HarperCollins. (See Press Release below.)
The book will feature father-son pairs (both living), where the father is a
veteran of WWII and the son a veteran of Vietnam. The book will include a
broad range of people: from every geographic, ethnic and economic
background, every military specialty, every branch of service, every rank,
every point of view. The book will have no particular slant -- it's about
THEIR stories, not MY opinions.
If anyone reading this announcement, along with his father or son, fits the
above description -- or if anyone knows someone else who does -- please
contact me.
I also welcome suggestions about other places to search for such vets.
And please pass the word -- the more people who know about this project, the
better the book will be.
Thank you.
Michael Takiff
212-866-2738 (voice)
413-647-9085 (fax)
mtakiff@earthlink.net
160 W. 95th Street, PH3
New York, NY 10025


PRESS RELEASE:
HarperCollins Publishers
10 E. 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022-5299
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Takiff
212-866-2738
mtakiff@earthlink.net
HARPERCOLLINS PURCHASES BOOK ABOUT WORLD WAR II FATHERS, VIETNAM SONS
AUTHOR MOUNTS NATIONWIDE SEARCH FOR INTERVIEW SUBJECTS
HarperCollins has purchased book and audio rights to Michael Takiff's BRAVE
MEN, GENTLE HEROES: AMERICAN FATHERS AND SONS IN WORLD WAR II AND VIETNAM.
Set for a Veterans Day 2002 release, the illustrated hardcover will appear
as a major title under HarperCollins's William Morrow imprint. Mauro
DiPreta, Executive Editor, Adult Trade Division at HarperCollins, negotiated
the six-figure deal with Craig Kayser of the Kayser Pierce Literary Agency,
which is currently seeking interest in film and television rights. Takiff,
DiPreta and Kayser are proposing a documentary special to be aired
concurrently with the book's release, which will take advantage of both the
Veterans Day holiday and the Christmas season.
The book of oral history will be based on the author's interviews of over
thirty living father-son pairs, where the father is a veteran of World War
II and the son a veteran of Vietnam. Determined to produce a volume that
reflects the diversity of America's fighting forces in both conflicts, the
author is seeking interview candidates from every geographic, ethnic and
economic background, every branch of service, every rank and every point of
view.
The contrasts between World War II and Vietnam form the book's foundation:
the heroes' welcome accorded the earlier veterans, the scorn heaped on the
latter; the clear aims of World War II, the muddled goals in Vietnam; an
identifiable enemy on the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific, the enemy
who was everywhere and nowhere in the jungles of Southeast Asia. But the
stories will also touch on elements common to all wars and all soldiers:
courage, honor, service, duty, youth, adventure, fear, love of country and
of family, exasperation with military bureaucracy. Taken together, the men's
stories will tell the history of the two wars, each the defining experience
of a generation. However, this will be history told not at the level of
presidents and generals, but through the recollections of the men who
shouldered the rifles and drove the tanks. We know the effects of the two
wars on world politics; what did they do to American families?
Author Michael Takiff is confident the public will respond to the book's
linking of two wars and two generations: "The time is right for this book.
Interest in the WWII generation has been mounting the last few years. And
regarding Vietnam, I believe, as John McCain's presidential campaign
demonstrated, that the country is finally ready to be cured of its Vietnam
hangover. Whether hawk or dove during the war, whether supporter or critic
in retrospect, Americans are coming around to a profound appreciation of the
sacrifice of those who served. The recent anniversary of the fall of Saigon
was notable for provoking widespread interest - and virtually none of the
old rancor." In the interviews he has conducted so far, Takiff has found
that seemingly ordinary men tell extraordinary stories. "These individuals
have offered amazing insights into war and peace, life and death, courage
and fear."
While oral histories of each war have been published separately, no volume
has ever focused on connecting the experiences and emotions of the two
generations of soldiers. Takiff sees an urgency in writing this book: "The
men who fought World War II are all in their seventies or above. If we are
to learn not only what they accomplished, but also what they taught and
learned from their sons, there is no time to lose."
In honor of America's veterans, a percentage of the book's proceeds will be
donated to organizations that aid veterans in need.
For more information on the author's search for interview candidates, please
contact him at 212-866-2738 or mtakiff@earthlink.net.
For information concerning the sale of film/television rights, please
contact Craig Kayser at 718-424-3161 or ckayser@onepine.com.