Fourteen American World War II cemeteries chart the path of the conflict from North Africa, across Europe, and to the Philippines in BROTHERS IN ARMS. There’s a staggering number of war dead laid to rest in these cemeteries, and among them, a devastating amount of brothers buried side by side. BROTHERS IN ARMS achieves a monumental undertaking by bringing many of these stories to light for the first time in one beautiful, heart wrenching book. For those unable to pay their respects to the men buried overseas, the book acts as a guide, providing histories and vivid descriptions accompanied by gorgeous pictures of each cemetery to render them in acute detail. From Normandy, to Luxembourg, to Manila, it’s not only a chronicle of brothers who served and perished, but how the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) came to honor them all. And how, in a touching display of humanity across language barriers and thousands of geographical miles, those they fought and died to liberate cared for these brothers long after their deaths.

BROTHERS IN ARMS is a meticulously crafted book, organized with a keen eye for detail and a reverence that carries like a subtle undercurrent throughout. Interspersed with mementos, personal photographs, heartfelt postcards, and tragic Western Union telegrams, the brothers’ histories are told through anecdotes from descendants, surviving relatives, friends, and comrades in battle. While the focus of the book is on brothers buried overseas—truly only a fraction of sibling casualties, which further displays the sheer magnitude of it—the chronicle shows a painstaking level of work, respect, and genuine heart that went into its creation. Some of the stories will already be familiar, like the infamous sons of President Teddy Roosevelt, or the Niland brothers, who inspired the film Saving Private Ryan.

With the scope of backstories, it becomes clear that no matter their economic circumstances, social class, education level, race, or ethnicity, these brothers and their families share the same depth of unimaginable loss and the grief that still lingers decades later. Some came from families where all siblings served—including sisters—and only a few returned, while others lost their only sons. In the case of the Tester family, three sons are buried side by side in Belgium. Still others, like the Akimoto brothers, made the ultimate sacrifice while they and their families were being sent to internment camps by the government. A similar refrain follows each and every story: that the loss was too painful to talk about. BROTHERS IN ARMS assures that these men and their bravery aren’t forgotten.

A stirring portrait of bravery and sacrifice, BROTHERS IN ARMS offers an emotional, heart wrenching perspective of World War II.

~Jessica Thomas for IndieReader