For Immediate Release
Experience World War II firsthand in this elegantly told story in the form of letters from an enlisted man to his wife and daughter.
Austin, TX February 17, 2006 – “P.S. Kiss The Duchess For Me” recalls 1944 in candid, colorful and charming detail as a man who obviously missed his calling as a writer corresponds with his wife and nine-year old daughter over the course of eight months while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II.
This first person narrative of army life manages to make interesting what undoubtedly is a common story. His tale is told with a wry, dry, self-deprecating sense of humor, and a sarcastic, yet romantic view of life. Written and edited by free lance writer Joe Rossi, the Duchess in the book’s title refers to Rossi’s mother; and the letters that form the bulk of the book, were written by his namesake and a grandfather he never got the chance to know, Private Joe Moss.
From the first letter where he says “our training consists of 17 weeks of learning how to kill and after only the Good Lord knows what will happen,” to the dispatches from the French countryside where he assures us “I have a comfortable foxhole, no hot and cold running water of course but the best I can get under the circumstances,” you feel as though you’re right there alongside him. The writing is emotionally charged, painfully honest and forthright. “I’ve got the funniest kind of feeling in the pit of my stomach. I suppose it’s due to the fact that I am scared to death. I’ll get over it, I know, but just the same, it sure is an uncomfortable feeling.”
The book’s subtitle is Letters from an Unknown Solider. It’s a twist on the concept of the unknown solider such as the ones that can be found in Tomb of the Unknowns, or sung about in the Doors’ “The Unknown Solider.” Here is a soldier who is virtually unknown, an anonymous white headstone in a V.A. cemetery. For all intents and purposes, they are unknown, even though who they are is no secret to their families. What “P.S. Kiss the Duchess for Me” does so well is introduce us to such an unknown solider, letting us get to know him, thus rendering him known. He’s someone we feel we now know, someone who really lived and is no longer with us. It clearly shows us the true cost of war in documenting the inner thoughts and feelings of a single soldier.
