Description:
In this powerful anniversary edition of China Marine, Eugene B. Sledge--acclaimed author of the classic WWII memoir With the Old Breed--offers an unforgettable portrait of a young Marine navigating the uneasy peace that followed history's most brutal war. Already celebrated for his visceral honesty and humanity, Sledge deepened his legacy with this rare account of the U.S. occupation of North China, a period as volatile as it was transformative.
Sledge's memoirs remain enduringly popular because they never flinch from the truth. His reflections resonate across generations, offering readers not only a veteran's hard-won wisdom but a moving story of survival, friendship, trauma, and the long journey back to ordinary life. His life and words have become part of American cultural memory, featured prominently in both Ken Burns's PBS series The War and the HBO production The Pacific.
This special anniversary edition honors that legacy with two new forewords: one by his son, bestselling author John Sledge, and another by eminent military historian John McManus, who together illuminate Sledge's continued relevance in understanding war and its aftermath.
Review Quotes:
"[This] is an outstanding work that will have a wide appeal to scholars and to general readers. . . . No one captures the scene, the setting, or the emotions better than E. B. Sledge does. No one. . . . China Marine will have legs to it. The book will last. Like With the Old Breed, it will be read, appreciated, and taught, now and for decades to come."--From the Foreword by Stephen E. Ambrose, author of Band of Brothers and The Wild Blue