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by Barbara Kent Lawrence (Author)
In January of 1939 when Barbara Greene, a beautiful and successful young British actress, met Joe Kennedy Jr., son of the American Ambassador, she could not have expected that their relationship would lead to her emigrating to America and piloting a plane around the eastern states to publicize Bundles for Britain, let alone her hasty decision to marry an American. Nor could her brother, Kent, have foreseen his bitter retreat from Dunkirk when he left England in January 1940 to fight in France, or his subsequent service in Cornwall, North Africa, Sicily, and Burma. Their stories portray the war on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and on the home front and battlefront.
In this intensively researched and highly readable story of war and love, we also hear the stories of other ordinary people who survived extraordinary circumstances. In the words of Evan Thomas, a New York Times best-selling author, "Both Sides of the Pond captures how awful and hard it was for this family to be caught up in the war, but also how it was, at moments, thrilling, meaningful, and romantic... For anyone who wants to know what it is really like to have your world turned upside down, read this book and be shocked, thrilled and moved. From heady and improbable love affairs amidst the falling bombs to the gritty deprivations of daily life, it's all here in a timeless, well-told tale."
Other authors note: "The war experienced by young actress Barbara Greene and her brother Kent revealed in this deeply researched and impressive family history will draw you in and keep you engaged." (Robert Malcolmson, co-editor of many books and articles, including The Diaries of Nella Last: Writing in War and Peace.) "The description of the humiliating retreat through Dunkirk is the best I have ever read." (Roy Martin, Master Mariner and author of Ebb and Flow: evacuations and landings by merchant ships in World War Two, and other books.) "This is a first-rate account of the build-up to World War II, a most descriptive account of the attack on Croydon and generally of the Blitz, that also includes a delightful passage on Warwick Castle." (Brian Ingpen, the author of eight books on maritime history, including Mailships of the Union Castle Line.) "An intimate and beautifully researched story of one young British woman's life as she finds love and a career on the stage and screen. When World War II destroys those dreams, she and her brother are called upon to serve their country in different but equally perilous ways. The author views historic events through this very personal lens in a way that brings Barbara and Kent's compelling stories vividly to life for the reader." (Elizabeth Winthrop Alsop, author of Daughter of Spies: Wartime Secrets, Family Lies.)
Richly illustrated with photographs and documents, Both Sides of the Pond, My Family's War is a captivating book that brings new insight into the lives of men and women who fought to defend our liberty.
