The only way I can try to be a little funny is to make something out of the humorous situations which come up even when you don’t think life could be any more miserable. Since I’m a cartoonist, maybe I can be funny after the war, but nobody who has seen this war can be cute about it while it’s going on. My reactions are those of a young guy who has been exposed to some of it, and I try to put those reactions in my drawings. I’m not old enough to understand what it’s all about, and I’m not experienced enough to judge its failures and successes. “I haven’t tried to picture this war in a big, broad-minded way. It almost reads like an interview, written in first person and giving his perspective on the time.

This book is a compilation of his comics, narrated by the author. Bill Mauldin was a cartoonist for the Army newspaper The Stars and Stripes. Published in 1945, Up Front is a different sort of history book. (He’s a good one 🙂 ) He encouraged me to pick up some fiction again, and he also gifted me one of my favorite books from this era, Up Front by Bill Mauldin. I devoured first-hand accounts, and books which used first hand accounts as sources.Īfter a while, my husband noticed that some of the topics were starting to weigh heavily on me. I focused on finding books and sources written by people who lived through the conflict. If I were going to try to portray a difficult time- for instance life in the slit trenches and foxholes of the 1940s- how was I to do it well? However, living a quiet life and writing about unquiet times proved a challenge. Still, once I started studying history again, I quickly remembered to be grateful for these.Īt least my loved ones can get medical care.Īt least I’m not wondering where my next meal is coming from. Like every family, we have our ongoing health and relationship struggles that may not end this side of heaven. Of course there have been sorrows and troubles. Thus far I’ve lived a quiet life, and I’m thankful for it.

Up front bill mauldin first edition