Dear Bob: Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II Spiral-Bound | March 2, 2021

Martha Bolton, Linda Hope

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An extraordinary collection of posts to and from the “G.I.s’ best friend” and incomparable entertainer

Winner of the 2021 Golden Scroll Awards for Memoir of the Year and Christian Market Book of the Year awarded by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association

FIRST PLACE WINNER IN THE MEMOIR CATEGORY OF THE 2022 SELAH AWARDS


For five decades, comedian, actor, singer, dancer, and entertainer Bob Hope (1903–2003) traveled the world performing before American and Allied troops and putting on morale-boosting USO shows. Dear Bob . . . : Bob Hope’s Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II tells the story of Hope’s remarkable service to the fighting men and women of World War II, collecting personal letters, postcards, packages, and more sent back and forth among Hope and the troops and their loved ones back home.

Soldiers, nurses, wives, and parents shared their innermost thoughts, swapped jokes, and commiserated with the “G.I.s’ best friend” about war, sacrifice, lonely days, and worrisome, silent nights. The Entertainer of the Century performed for millions of soldiers in person, in films, and over the radio. He visited them in the hospitals and became not just a pal but their link to home. This unforgettable collection of letters and images, many of which remained in Hope’s personal files throughout his life and now reside at the Library of Congress, capture a personal side of both writer and recipient in a very special and often-emotional way. This volume heralds the voices of those servicemen and women whom Hope entertained and who, it is clear, delighted and inspired him.

Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Original Binding: Hardcover with dust jacket
Pages: 328 pages
ISBN-10: 1496832655
Item Weight: 1.5 lbs
Dimensions: 6.0 x 0.98 x 9.0 inches
The book provides an impressive and nicely arranged collection of contemporary photographs, posters, and other material. While not a study in the military sense, Dear Bob… provides lessons and reminds us of why American service men and women choose to fight, and what they felt when separated from family, friends, and country. -James Stacy / The Journal of America’s Military Past
Martha Bolton was the first woman staff writer for Bob Hope, helping to write his television shows, personal appearances, and military shows for approximately fifteen years. She is an Emmy-nominated writer and author of eighty-eight books of humor and inspiration. She has received nominations for a Dove Award, WGA Award, and a Golden Scroll Merit Award for Fiction.