Witness the life and times of Leon Granacki unfold in 'An Artist Goes to War'
CHICAGO, March 6, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Victoria Ann Granacki returns to the publishing scene with a captivating biography, "An Artist Goes to War: Leon Granacki in the South Pacific WWII" (published by Archway Publishing), chronicling her father's remarkable journey during his service in World War II.
Like so many others who served in World War II, Leon Granacki was an ordinary man from a working-class immigrant family drafted into the U.S. Army and thrust into the horrors of war in the South Pacific. But through sheer luck and pluck, he leveraged his art talents to survive and thrive, catapulting himself from private infantryman to master sergeant and mapmaker for General McArthur in the Americal Division's Intelligence section. In this book, Leon's story unfolds through original hand-drawn pen and ink maps, jungle watercolors, journal illustrations, scrapbook photos and heartfelt letters home to "Dear Gang" — his extended Polish American family crowded together in a Chicago apartment building. These letters express his yearning for family, holidays and love, highlighting the human side of the soldier.
"My father left an incredible written and visual collection of his wartime experiences that his family lovingly saved for him until he returned safely home," Victoria states. "As his daughter and art collector, architectural historian and archivist myself, I felt responsible to preserve the collection and present some of its highlights to a wide audience."
"An Artist Goes to War" is a compelling biography that transports readers into the heart of WWII through the eyes of an artist turned soldier. Visit https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/846599-an-artist-goes-to-war to purchase a copy of the book.
"An Artist Goes to War: Leon Granacki in the South Pacific WWII"
By Victoria Ann Granacki
Hardcover | 8.5 x 11in | 176 pages | ISBN 9781665739481
Softcover | 8.5 x 11in | 176 pages | ISBN 9781665739467
E-Book | 176 pages | ISBN 9781665739474
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
Victoria Ann Granacki retired from Granacki Historic Consultants in 2017 after over 40 years of master planning, urban design and historic preservation experience in Chicago and northeastern Illinois communities. Under 10 years of her leadership, the firm prepared 25 National Register and local landmark nominations, Certified Historic Rehabilitation applications for 400+ homeowners and Historic Resource Surveys for 60 northeastern Illinois municipalities. Victoria is passionate about collecting and preserving old documents, odd artifacts, weird art, and vintage buildings. She has authored "Chicago's Polish Downtown" for Arcadia Press in 2004, has rehabbed four historic buildings in Chicago, and in retirement, she chronicles family history.
Simon & Schuster, a company with nearly ninety years of publishing experience, has teamed up with Author Solutions, LLC, the worldwide leader in self-publishing, to create Archway Publishing. With unique resources to support books of all kind, Archway Publishing offers a specialized approach to help every author reach his or her desired audience. For more information, visit archwaypublishing.com or call 844-669-3957.
Media Contact
Marketing Services, ArchwayPublishing, 844-669-3957, [email protected], https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/846599-an-artist-goes-to-war
SOURCE ArchwayPublishing
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