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BOOK REVIEW: Home Front Soldier: The Story of a GI and His Italian American Family During World War II Richard Aquila State University of New York Press, 1999. 208 pp. In Home Front Solider: The Story of a GI and His Italian American Family During World War II, the reader learns of Philip Aquila and his family through a series of letters the solider wrote home during World War II. Preserved by his sister, Mary, and collected into this book by his son, Richard, Philip Aquila's letters illustrate the life of a soldier and his Italian American family during the war years. They are at once both a personal story and a social document of the times. The first chapter, by Richard Aquila, Philip's son, provides an invaluable introduction to the letters and sets the context for the reader. Of the six sons in the Aquila family, four served in World War II, but it was Philip who was the prolific letter writer. He wrote these letters to Mary, his sister, but they were expected to be shared with the entire family, especially the parents, who could not read or write. Mary as the eldest sister of the family assumed responsibility for domestic matters and it was her responsibility to share the letters with members of the family. After Mary read the letters to her parents, she left the pages on the table for other family members to read as they came and went from the family home. Richard Aquila estimates that his father wrote approximately 2,500 letters during his years in the service, of which more than 500 remain. Why did Philip write so much? Most importantly, as Richard speculates, Philip wanted his parents and siblings to know he was doing fine. Many of the letters are short and to the point. Once he writes to Mary, "Just another letter short and snappy . . . just so you hear from me, right?" He knew that a letter from him kept his mother, who was ill at the time, content and less worried about her son: "I figure a letter each day helps Ma stay a little happy." Richard also speculates that Philip wrote letters as a way of passing time since "he was a very private man who would rather spend free time with his family than socializing with strangers." The letters also allowed him to have a say in family matters even though he was stationed thousands of miles away. The collected letters themselves offer insight into Italian-American and American life during the 1940s and illustrate many of the themes and issues of Italian-American society. Like many families with sons in the war, the Aquila family, a working class, immigrant family, struggled to survive. Philip had just married Mary, and the letters show the difficulties the new marriage faced because of separation. As Richard notes, the usual family problems with in-laws, finances, and misunderstandings "were exacerbated by both the war and the great distances that separated husbands and wives." Soldiers often communicated their frustrations and helplessness in the letters they wrote home. Exasperated that he cannot help his wife during her pregnancy, Philip writes to his sister, "I'm really worrying about my wife getting to the hospital. I sure wish I could be there myself to make sure she can make it on time." The letters also illustrate the importance of family in Italian-American culture. Philip and other members of the Aquila family placed the needs of the family above personal needs. For example, as Richard notes in the introduction, Mary left her job to care for her ill mother and to "keep the family and household functioning." Numerous letters explain how Philip remained loyal to his parents and siblings even though he was married and in the service. As Richard states, "The sons were expected to protect family members, take care of home repairs, and contribute money to the household." The daughters were expected to take care of domestic matters and support the family at home. The importance of family is illustrated in the way Phillip ends every letter to his sister: "Love To: Ma, Pa, Mary, Tony, Francie, and Carlo [His brother and sisters] X X X X X X X X - Phil." The letters demonstrate how difficult life was for Italian immigrant families. Philip's father was a blue-collar worker, who picked up odd jobs during the Depression, and his mother took in laundry and " leads the children out to the farms where they pick beans and fruits during the summer and early fall." The children were often taken out of school in the early summer in order to assist the mother with the harvest. At one point, Philip writes to his sister about the farm work: "[Mom's] been going to the farm for 16 years now, and that's too darn much. Why, an infantry soldier doesn't get as cold and wet and hot as Ma used to get [working on the farm]." Philip's letters offer additional insights into military life on the home front, World War II, and American society in general. Philip - the first to receive a high school diploma in his family and an excellent student - was fascinated by politics and history. However, the focus of the letters is on "a soldier and his family during the war." The book also contains many pictures from the Philip L. Aquila Collection. These pictures further highlight the themes of Philip's letters, especially family. Home Front Soldier is an insightful look into American society during World War II, and Richard Aquila's excellent introduction to the letters provides the reader with the context to appreciate the letters more fully. While history is often written about heroes and leaders and major events, Home Front Soldier illustrates that "history" takes place on a much more personal level for most people, at home and with the family. Italian Catholic Federation, 8393 Capwell Drive, Suite 110, Oakland CA 94621 tel: 888/ICF-1924; 510/633-9058; fax: 510/633-9758; Email: info@icf.org Website designed by HYPERSPHERE