READ THIS: QUIET HERO Secrets from My Father’s Past By Rita Cosby
"It's very interesting to look back at your review last May which started by saying, 'The war on terrorism is in full swing,' and with references to Sept 11th. Given what has happened in recent days with the killing of Bin Laden and the superb work of our Navy Seals, the message of Quiet Hero resonates more than ever... Evil must be stopped and Good men and women often prevail. My father knows this firsthand."
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In the year 2010, where car bombs have recently appeared in Times Square and the war on terrorism is in full swing, many concentrate on today and the era since September 11, 2001 rather than on the past. However, without an excellent sense of history, one loses perspective and the ability to appreciate all that we have today. Not only has Rita Cosby given us a superior historical account of her father's experience in Europe during World War two and its effect on his and her life in Quiet Hero, but also she has given us a new view on how one might see today from the eyes of yesterday. You cannot clearly see where you are going until you understand where you've been.
From the Nazis screening such basic information in the classroom curriculum to edit that Ford was not the leading car manufacturer worldwide (true) in favor of European brands to horrific episodes that were far worse, the reader is given a personal account of the nature of war at its worst and how it affects a young life for generations forward. From earning the Fighter's Cross to telling his daughter he moved to America as it's the land of opportunity, Richard Cosby and his story will capture you.
Rita states: "I feel as if I'm slowly beginning to switch on lights, illuminating rooms of my father's character that I'd never known existed. With just a few questions answered, I'm beginning to assemble the pieces of the puzzle that is my father."As the accounts unravel, the truths of who her father became as a result of World War II contrasted with Rita's own coming of age in Greenwich, Connecticut show us how lucky we are to be Americans. As many of us are when we are young, she didn't understand where her father was coming from when one year at her birthday party she did not get the outfit she wanted (certainly you must like Fashion to some degree if you are reading Whom You Know, so you may have done this also!), and now as an adult in writing this book it is clearer than ever that she does know where her father came from now.
The ravages of war, so inhumane, bring out how human we all are at the end of the day, wanting the same things. On page 195 Rita's dad states how the thought of a great steak and vodka always cheered him up and kept him going during the war (and if you would like a recommendation Mr. Cosby we like Uncle Jack's Steak House and Star Vodka.)
Rita states: "I feel as if I'm slowly beginning to switch on lights, illuminating rooms of my father's character that I'd never known existed. With just a few questions answered, I'm beginning to assemble the pieces of the puzzle that is my father."As the accounts unravel, the truths of who her father became as a result of World War II contrasted with Rita's own coming of age in Greenwich, Connecticut show us how lucky we are to be Americans. As many of us are when we are young, she didn't understand where her father was coming from when one year at her birthday party she did not get the outfit she wanted (certainly you must like Fashion to some degree if you are reading Whom You Know, so you may have done this also!), and now as an adult in writing this book it is clearer than ever that she does know where her father came from now.
The photos in the center enhance the book even further, and our favorite is the one of Rita and her dad at Thanksgiving in Warsaw. The whole book will touch you and bring tears to your eyes and the nearly 300 pages will fly by as you become engrossed in the past with Rita and her dad. And speaking of endings, you will love what signified the end of the war for Rita's dad. With a note and a red ribbon, the mystery item (we want you to read the book!) was a light at the end of the tunnel and the happiest moment of the book to us.
In the 150 books plus Whom You Know has reviewed, we consider this to be one of the best. Whom You Know highly recommends Quiet Hero by Rita Cosby. We are sure this is the best un-store bought gift she could ever give him!
It is no secret that Peachy's favorite person in the world is her own dad, so in this regard she particularly loved the book also.
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“I’ve been blessed to interview many world leaders, celebrities, and other notables, yet the most important person I’ve ever sat down with is not one of them, but my own dad.” -Rita Cosby
Do you ever truly know your own parents? What mysteries are in their pasts? When Rita Cosby was eight years old, she first noticed her father’s scars etched across his body, but was quickly told, “We don’t talk about it.”
An enigmatic man with a haunting gaze, Rita knew little about her father Richard’s background: just that he had left a decimated Poland after World War II and had always refused to answer questions about it. One Christmas when Rita was a teenager, her father abruptly announced he was leaving, which caused a severe divide in their relationship that would continue most of Rita’s life. But years later, after her mother’s death, Rita discovered a worn and tattered suitcase tucked away full of mementos, including an old Polish Resistance armband, rusted tags bearing a prisoner number, and an identity card for a POW named Ryszard Kossobudzki. These relics and her journalistic instinct would be the tools for Rita to open a new dialogue with her distant father, and embark upon the most amazing journey of her life.
After years of estrangement, Rita finally persuaded her father to break his silence. With each new day came revelations about her father’s harrowing past fighting on the frontlines of the Resistance, his codename, his dramatic prison camp escape and ultimate rescue by US forces, and it brought a daughter to understand why her father had always kept his emotions and true feelings hidden. The hard exterior he showed to his family was honed during those years of fighting for his life and country during the war. He even remembers the very moment he became numb, and void of emotion. As Richard shares the details of his secret past with his daughter, Rita finally comes to understand the man that has mystified her for so long. In turn, Richard discovers the daughter he never really knew. QUIET HERO culminates with Richard’s emotional return to his homeland for the first time in 65 years, where he receives a hero’s welcome from the President himself and ultimately faces his personal demons. Walking the streets of his past, with his daughter now by his side, this powerful, and at times, gut-wrenching visit brings them closer than ever before.
A gripping chronicle of individual heroism, QUIET HERO is at its heart a story of remarkable discovery for both a father and daughter. At a time of increased discussion on patriotism and family values, this book reminds us of the heroes among us, and in a deeply personal manner, shows the profound effects of war upon a soldier’s soul and the families that love them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
RITA COSBY is a renowned TV host and veteran correspondent who anchored highly rated prime-time shows on Fox News Channel and MSNBC. She is currently a special correspondent for the top-rated CBS syndicated newsmagazine Inside Edition. Honors for the three-time Emmy® winner include the Matrix Award and the Jack Anderson Award. She was also selected by Cosmopolitan magazine as a “Fun and Fearless Female.” A recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Lech Walesa Freedom Award, she hosts the National Memorial Day Parade broadcast to all U.S. military installations around the world. Her first book, Blonde Ambition, was a New York Times bestseller. Visit www.ritacosby.com.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:
Threshold Editions is an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Simon & Schuster, a part of CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at http://www.simonandschuster.
QUIET HERO: Secrets From My Father’s PastBy Rita Cosby
Threshold Editions
On-sale May 18, 2010; Hardcover; $26.00
Through her book QUIET HERO, Rita Cosby is partnering with the USO on a massive, new campaign called Operation Enduring Care, which will help wounded warriors and their families. Book proceeds will go towards this $100 million initiative, as well as two museums in Poland, the Warsaw Rising Museum and The Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which is being built where the Warsaw Ghetto once stood.
