1915-1968

"As the Allies raced to defeat Hitler, four men, all in the same unit, earned medal after medal for battlefield heroism. Maurice 'Footsie' Britt, a former professional football player, became the very first American to receive every award for valor in a single war. Michael Daly was a West Point dropout who risked his neck over and over to keep his men alive. Keith Ware would one day become the first and only draftee in history to attain the rank of general before serving in Vietnam. In WWII, Ware owed his life to the finest soldier he ever commanded, a baby-faced Texan named Audie Murphy. In the campaign to liberate Europe, each would gain the ultimate accolade, the Congressional Medal of Honor"--Provided by publisher.

Traces the life of the Trappist monk who became one of America's best known spiritual writers, describing his childhood and worldly education, his faith journey, writing career, and his involvement in social issues of his time.

Numerous readers discovered Merton through his hefty autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (HBJ, 1948). Forest is one of them. In this considerably shorter volume, Forest introduces the many facets of the 20th-century Trappist monk whose life included not only the physical work, worship, and contemplation of a monastic community, but prolific writing as well (a partial list of Merton's works is two pages long). Forest lucidly chronicles Merton's life, illuminating it with the events that shaped it and the insights that emanated from it. Although his esteem for Merton and his contributions to the peace movement are apparent, he treats Merton's weaknesses frankly.

An original and fresh look at the renowned monk's search, passage, and ultimate reconciliation between his inner nature and the life he chose to live. The author accomplishes this through an analysis of Merton's major journal and poetic writings.

The author's simple straightforward narration is joined by photographs that cover the period of Merton's infancy to his death.