On Thursday, July 11 at 7 p.m., Bethlehem Public Library will host New England author Richard Rubin for a reading and signing of his new book, "The Last of the Doughboys: the Forgotten Generation and their Forgotten War."
85 years after WWI ended, Rubin went around the country and Europe, locating and interviewing the remaining veterans of The Great War. He searched through private collections, propaganda, and even music. His book relates the stories of the men and women he met: a new immigrant, drafted and sent to France, whose life was saved by a horse; a Connecticut Yankee who volunteered and fought in every major American battle; a Cajun artilleryman nearly killed by a German aeroplane; an 18 year old Bronx girl "drafted" to work for the War Department; the 16 year old who became America's last WWI veteran; and many more.
19th century men and women living in the 21st century, they kept their stories to themselves for a lifetime, then shared them at the last possible moment, so that they, and the World War they won -- the trauma that created our modern world -- might at last be remembered. They are all gone now, but readers will never forget them.
Rubin has published numerous essays and articles in The Atlantic Monthly and the New York Times Magazine including "The Ghosts of Emmett Till" which was anthologized in The Best American Crime Writing 2006. His short stories have appeared in literary journals such as The Antioch Review, The Virginia Quarterly Review, The Southern Review and The Oxford American. Previously, he published the book "Confederacy of Silence: a True Tale of the New Old South."
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.