Remember Us
American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and A Forever Promise Forged in World War II
Published on 29. April 2025
Book
Hardback
528 pages
978-1-4003-3781-1 (ISBN)
Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Amazon Editor's Pick
"An intimate, moving look at the war that extracts deep meaning from the carnage and loss." - Publishers Weekly
What happens when you lose your freedom and the people who eventually get it back for you are no longer alive to thank?
Remember Us, by Robert Edsel-#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Monuments Men-begins in the pre-dawn hours of Hitler's invasion of Western Europe on May 10, 1940, when his forces rolled into the small rural province of Limburg in the Netherlands shattering more than 100 years of peace. Their freedom gone, the Dutch lived through four-and-a-half years of occupation until American forces reached Limburg in September 1944, the last portion of Western Europe liberated by the Allies before their advance on Nazi Germany slammed to a halt.
Like The Monuments Men, Remember Us is an ensemble piece that follows twelve main characters over a six-year span, zeroing in on ordinary people including Frieda van Schaeik, a teenager who falls in love with an American soldier; Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole, the first member of the 101st Airborne to receive the Medal of Honor; and Sergeant Jeff Wiggins of the 960th Quartermaster Service Company, who escaped the poverty and racism of Alabama for yet another indignity-digging graves.
Drawing on never-before-seen letters, diaries, and other historical records, Edsel shows the painful price of freedom, on the battlefields and inside American homes. In this rich, dramatic, and suspenseful story, he captures both the horrors of war and the transcendent power of gratitude, showing the extraordinary measures the Dutch have taken to thank their liberators. Remember Us is exactly the book we need-a reminder that grief is universal, that humanity knows no national or racial boundaries, and that we all want to be remembered, somehow, someway, by somebody.
Amazon Editor's Pick
"An intimate, moving look at the war that extracts deep meaning from the carnage and loss." - Publishers Weekly
What happens when you lose your freedom and the people who eventually get it back for you are no longer alive to thank?
Remember Us, by Robert Edsel-#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Monuments Men-begins in the pre-dawn hours of Hitler's invasion of Western Europe on May 10, 1940, when his forces rolled into the small rural province of Limburg in the Netherlands shattering more than 100 years of peace. Their freedom gone, the Dutch lived through four-and-a-half years of occupation until American forces reached Limburg in September 1944, the last portion of Western Europe liberated by the Allies before their advance on Nazi Germany slammed to a halt.
Like The Monuments Men, Remember Us is an ensemble piece that follows twelve main characters over a six-year span, zeroing in on ordinary people including Frieda van Schaeik, a teenager who falls in love with an American soldier; Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole, the first member of the 101st Airborne to receive the Medal of Honor; and Sergeant Jeff Wiggins of the 960th Quartermaster Service Company, who escaped the poverty and racism of Alabama for yet another indignity-digging graves.
Drawing on never-before-seen letters, diaries, and other historical records, Edsel shows the painful price of freedom, on the battlefields and inside American homes. In this rich, dramatic, and suspenseful story, he captures both the horrors of war and the transcendent power of gratitude, showing the extraordinary measures the Dutch have taken to thank their liberators. Remember Us is exactly the book we need-a reminder that grief is universal, that humanity knows no national or racial boundaries, and that we all want to be remembered, somehow, someway, by somebody.
Reviews / Votes
'Master historian Robert Edsel, one of our finest storytellers, has given us yet another work of power and originality. The research is staggering, the story spellbinding, and the writing luminous, the work of an historian with the novelist's touch. Remember Us is one of the outstanding works of our time, a reminder of the power of both evil and transcendence. A truly great book.' * Donald L. Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Masters of the Air * 'Robert Edsel's evocative narrative reminds us that service to others takes many forms, often unseen yet immeasurably vital. This is more than a history--it is a tribute to the enduring power of courage, legacy, and the human spirit.' * Bonnie Carroll, Founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS); recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom; and U.S. Army widow * 'This is a beautiful, moving piece of work. It reads like an excellent novel. This book has soul.' * Dr. John C. McManus, author of To the End of the Earth: The U.S. Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945 * 'This is a story all-but-untold; it offers an unforgettable and important historic contribution. I am left transformed emotionally and fulfilled with the experience of towering humanity. This story leaves the reader better.' * Major General Jeffrey Phillips, Executive Director of Reserve Organization of America (ROA) * 'This is a story that needed to be told in full to honor and remember the courage of the many who gave their lives for the cause of freedom and the Dutch populace who vowed to never forget their rescuers.' * BookTrib * 'Remember Us is that rarest of books, a volume that transports the reader to a distant place and time and draws immense meaning from the past. By weaving together heroic personal stories of the Second World War with the pure devotion shown to thousands of fallen American soldiers in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Robert Edsel reminds us vividly of what Lincoln called the 'mystic chords of memory' that bind us together and lead us toward our better angels. This is a deeply moving work of art, and one you will indeed remember long after you put it down.' * Admiral James Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, 2009-2013, and New York Times bestselling author of The Restless Wave * 'An intimate, moving look at the war that extracts deep meaning from the carnage and loss.' * Publishers Weekly * 'Deftly crafted, emotionally engaging. An informative and compelling read from start to finish.' * Midwest Book Review * 'Deftly written, emotionally compelling, and the kind of 'true life' story that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf.' * Midwest Book Review * 'Robert Edsel's book honors the efforts for permanent remembrance of Americans who have died on foreign battlefields. He has preserved much history of WWII itself told through the eyes of survivors as they were invaded by German forces. He also describes the fierce determination of these Dutch people to honor the fallen Americans who liberated them from the German occupation. The book is a testament to the goodness of both the American and Dutch people through the values they share.' * Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Senator from Texas (1993-2013); U.S. Ambassador to NATO (2017-2021) * 'The writand shy;ing is genand shy;tle and temand shy;pered yet deeply emoand shy;tive at times, both styles creand shy;atand shy;ing powand shy;er in the othand shy;er. The narand shy;raand shy;tive is orgaand shy;nized into five secand shy;tions, travand shy;eland shy;ing from ?'Freeand shy;dom Lost' to ?'Love and Rememand shy;brance,' each part offerand shy;ing new insights and inforand shy;maand shy;tion that fits seamand shy;lessand shy;ly into the one before and paves the way to the next.' * Jewish Book Council *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Focus
Product notice
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 41 mm
Weight
612 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4003-3781-1 (9781400337811)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Robert M. Edsel is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of four non-fiction books including Rescuing da Vinci, Saving Italy, and The Monuments Men (also with Bret Witter), which served as the basis for Academy Award recipient George Clooney's 2014 film. Mr. Edsel has been honored with the Texas Medal of the Arts; the President's Call to Service Award; the Hope for Humanity Award, presented by the Dallas Holocaust Museum; and the Foundation for the National Archives' Records of Achievement Award. In 2022, the United States Army and the Smithsonian Institution made Mr. Edsel an honorary graduate of the first Army Monuments Officer Training Program, an idea Mr. Edsel advocated for nearly twenty years. Mr. Edsel is also the Founder and Chairman of the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, recipient of the National Humanities Medal, awarded by President George W. Bush.