Overview

""A profoundly affecting and complex look at war and marriage. The story, replete with personal photographs, is astonishingly intimate, a visceral peek into the irreducibly human element of a war as seen by those who fought it and those who were compelled to witness it from afar."" - Kirkus Reviews Discover the poignant love story, the gripping war story, and the meaningful lessons for any couple facing separation, all while gaining a powerful reminder of a significant time in history. Prepare for a ride filled with honesty, vulnerability, and the enduring power of love against the backdrop of a nation in conflict. This captivating memoir throws you into the heart of the late 1960s, a time of war, social upheaval, and the fragile beginnings of young love. Separated by an ocean and the Vietnam War, newlyweds bridge the distance with heartfelt letters, revealing raw emotions, youthful insecurities, and the daily stresses of a world turned upside down. Readers of The Women: A Novel by Kristin Hannah will appreciate this memoir, as will those interested in the Vietnam War and its impact on American families. The book is a poignant reminder of the emotional toll of war on both soldiers and their loved ones, and it offers a unique perspective on the challenges of maintaining a relationship during times of conflict. ""A personal snapshot of the turbulent 1960s as framed through the hearts of two souls divided by a war that would ultimately divide a country. An engrossing memoir of the struggle to hold a marriage together, highlighted by the actual contemporaneous exchanges of love, anger, and hope of two people trying to maintain balance as the world was literally shifting beneath their white nursing shoes and muddy combat boots."" Tom Avitable, best-selling author of Give Us This Day and The Devil's Quota ""This book was as revealing as it gets for a couple. Carole and Bill held nothing back in their letters."" Grace Tiscareno-Sato, Reviewer, Military Writers Society of America ""Carole's and Bill's The Hardest Year is one for the history books. Carole's and Bill's correspondences exemplify the raw emotions, new and fleeting love, and moral injury that soldiers endure. Bill's heroic time at war and Carole's tumultuous encounters on the UW-Madison campus during the riots and protests parallel each other as they maneuver through the infancy of their marriage."" Laura Naylor Colbert, Iraq War Veteran, author of Sirens: How to Pee Standing Up

Full Product Details

9781629673042

Table of Contents

Reviews

""What a ride, what raw emotions, what daily stress they shared with each other . . . I couldn't put it down and found myself grateful for the honesty these two young people shared."" Grace Tiscareno-Sato, Reviewer, Military Writers Society of America ""This book is a true transportation into the Vietnam era both from a civilian and a military lens."" Laura Naylor Colbert, Iraq War Veteran, author of Sirens: How to Pee Standing Up ""Their dialogue through distance is a love story, a war story, and a poignant reminder of a time in history that should never be forgotten."" Annette Langlois, author of Campus and Combat: Writing through War ""The heartfelt letters written by Carole and Bill contain meaningful lessons for any couple facing the same circumstance."" Patrick Sturm, retired Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy

Author Information

Carole Wagener has been a writer for ten years. Her memoir, The Hardest Year: A Love Story in Letters During the Vietnam War (2023) was a finalist in the 2023 International Book Awards. It's based on 300 handwritten letters between Carole and her newlywed husband, William, a GI. fighting in the Vietnam War. In 1968, she was a student at the UW-Madison at the height of the antiwar protests. There Carole earned her degree in physical therapy and then worked as a physical therapist for fifty years. Carole became an antiwar activist and wrote an award-winning screenplay to that effect entitled The Girl with the Dark Red Hair (2024). William Wagener is married to Carole Wagener and is the co-author of The Hardest Year: A Love Story in Letters During the Vietnam War. He is a disable Vietnam Veteran who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). William wrote two family genealogy books and produces two local TV shows in Santa Barbara County, ""On Second Thought"" and ""Take Back America.""

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