Taken from Dear John by Edward Hagerty (reviewer):
Dear John: Love and Loyalty in Wartime America
by Susan L. Carruthers
(Cambridge University Press, 2022)
Given the title of this book one might suspect at first glance that it contains lurid tales of romance gone wrong or gloating anecdotes describing soldiers' revenge on unfaithful women. In less adept hands the book might easily have gone further in that salacious direction, and though there are of necessity plenty of examples provided to support her points, Susan Carruthers has taken a more scholarly approach that adds much to our understanding of the impact of "Dear John" letters on American military personnel from World War II through Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom. The subtitle is equally important in identifying the scope of the book.... Read More
