The War Beat, Europe

Reviews / Votes

World War II has been covered so extensively it is rare to find a book that breaks new ground. In The War Beat, Europe, Steven Casey explores a largely overlooked topic from an original perspective.Casey dives deep into the collaboration and dissention among these individuals to confront the stereotype that the media and military acted in lock-step to present a sanitized view of the war and maintain public support.... For all its deep research, historical heft, and fidelity to truth, the book has anengaging narrative flow that compels the reader on to each succeeding chapter. This is attributable, in part, to finely drawn sketches of people involved that facilitate the reader feeling as if one is in the shoes of an Ernie Pyle in combat with his beloved infantry men, or among the Writing Sixty-Ninth, getting ready to fly on a bombing run. * Kevin Bemel, Journal of Military History * The core of Casey's book is his meticulous documenting of the many tensions between the US military and the media. Many incidents resonate with the present day ... Casey uncovers some challenging material, which flies in the face of the US media's glorification of its own historical role ... This fine book works on many levels. It has its heroes ... It has more than the requisite dose of jeep-dashes across bomb-scared terrain, testosterone and typewriters to keep the aficionado of World War Two reportage reading ... This book underlines the importance of a free media in wartime, but more than this it shows the need for a critical body of scholarship to probe that media's claims about itself; to unpicked the threads of self-aggrandizing myth and grubby reality which make up the tapestries of war and political history alike. * Nicholas J. Cull, Journal of Modern History * The text is carefully written and contains comprehensive notes....Highly recommended. * R.A. Logan, CHOICE * [W]ell-researched * Jim Michaels, World War II * Focused on the combat dimension of war, Casey's account achieves considerable momentum, while his richly descriptive prose evokes the linguistic agility of his journalistic subjects. * Susan L. Carruthers, Diplomatic History * This fine book works on many levels... [It] underlines the importance of a free media in wartime, but more than this it shows the need for a critical body of scholarship to probe that media's claims about itself; to unpick the threads of self-aggrandizing myth and grubby reality that make up the tapestries * Nicholas J. Cull, Journal of Modern History * A vivid contribution to media and military history. * Kirkus *