READ THIS: QUIET HERO Secrets from My Father’s Past By Rita Cosby Highly Recommended by the Intellectual Patriots of Whom You Know
"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."
Peachy Deegan loves this book so much that the intellectual patriots of Whom You Know have read it now too. They add:
Rita Cosby brings the touching story of her father's life to us in her NY Times bestseller, "Quiet Hero." Not only is this story at times heart wrenching and uplifiting, but also it has a purpose for us all -- inspiration. W
hen her beloved mother passes away, she happens upon one of her suitcases and inside she cannot believe what she has found. The objects of a modest father, who had suddenly left his family, and his unknown struggles as a POW during WWII. She moves forward, with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, to unravel her family's mystery. A riveting story teller, Cosby, shares with us her fathers covert fight against the Nazi regime which ultimately leads to his capture in a German POW camp. Only after understanding her father's struggles can she begin to put behind her years of emotions in the wreckage of a father who left, and begin to understand this complex man. As Cosby perfectly notes, he had "shone a light into the dark corners of his life and lit up my own."
This story is a testament to the possibilities in life. It is also a sharp reminder that, in this day in age, that we must look out for our own families and our military families. Bravo Rita. This was a story that needed to be told.
It reads like something out of a movie: a tattered suitcase containing fragments of a secret life: a warn Polish Resistance armband, rusted tags with a prisoner number, an ex-POW identity card. When Emmy-award winning journalist Rita Cosby visited a storage unit to sort through her mother's belongings six years after her mother passed away, little did she expect that this is what she would find. The contents of the suitcase clearly belonged to her father, who had left her family when Rita was a teenager. At that point in time, Rita knew very little about her father's past - only that he'd grown up in Poland and emigrated to America at the end of World War II. And in the years since he'd left her family, the distance between them had grown considerably. However, upon discovering the suitcase, she resolved to learn more about this man. It was time for the interview of her life - the one that would be the key to unlocking her father's history, and thus, her own history. Little could she have imagined the pain and horror that the would uncover. After seeing his hometown obliterated by bombs, the teenage Ryszard Kossobudzki (always known to Rita as Richard Cosby) covertly distributed anti-Nazi propaganda, lied about his age in order to join the Resistance, was gravely wounded and captured, and ended up in a German POW camp. Thanks to a daring and courageous scheme, he managed to escape from the POW camp, and was rescued by Americans. The sharing of her father's story brought father and daughter together in a way which extends far beyond the boundaries of typical father-daughter relationships. The strong, gruff, seemingly emotion-less man by whom she'd been raised suddenly became human - vulnerable, scared, and irrevocably scarred, both physically and emotionally. The emotional journey of Rita and her father was capped by a physical one - after learning her father's story, Rita was eventually able to convince him to join her on a journey to his homeland, which he hadn't seen in sixty five years. Touching, disturbing,heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting, Quiet Hero is a story which deserves to be heard. Beautifully written in an easy, conversational manner, this is one of the most remarkable books I've read in the past several years.
I've read many memoirs over the years, but none like Quiet Hero by Rita Cosby. Her story was so moving. I found myself becoming very emotional and couldn't believe the stories her father had to tell. Ms. Cosby tells her father's story with a sense of care that could only be told by a daughter. With the majority of this story taking place in memories of WWII, it was so moving and inspiring to hear a story of resistance. With everything that happened during WWII, it is so refreshing to hear a story of triumph. This is a book that anyone who knows of the tragedies of WWII must read. It shows what hope looks like in a time when it seemed like there was none. This is a wonderful book to spark discussion and is a must for families as well. I've told several people I know about this book and how they need to go out and purchase it right away. This book was by far the best memoir I've read to date.
Rita Cosby's Quiet Hero is poignant, intriguing and thought provoking. It is the story of Poland during WW II, but more importantly it is the story of a woman discovering her father's past, revealing an unbelievable family history. Rita Cosby, journalist, Emmy award winner, TV host and author. That's how we knew her up until now. Sister, daughter whose father left the family on Christmas Eve in 1983, caretaker for her terminally ill mother. This is how we know her after taking in this powerful story of her life. After her mother's passing, Rita discovered an old suitcase filled with items such as a Polish Resistance armband, identity tags, and a card for an ex-POW, Ryszard Kossobudzki, better known as Richard Cosby, Rita's father. Rita knew she had to reach out to her father to tell his story. What Rita discovers upon finally convincing her father to open up is a heartbreaking story of a young man, only thirteen years of age, who saw his hometown torn apart by bombs, who lied about his age to join the Resistance and who eventually was captured and sent to a German POW camp. Richard Cosby eventually escaped and was rescued by Americans, but he was left with scars, both physical and emotional that would affect him for the rest of his life.Quiet Hero is a story that should be read, discussed and never forgotten. It is an emotion filled memoir that will touch and inspire all those who read it.
I usually do not seek out books about WWII or POWs to read for enjoyment, but I am so glad that I picked up Quiet Hero, by Rita Cosby. This is one of the most touching and inspirational books that I have ever read. Rita Cosby retells her father's story of growing up in Warsaw during WWII, becoming a prisoner of war to the Nazis, and fighting against them in an attempt to gain back the freedom that was taken so brutally from him and the Polish people. I have never felt such a wide range of emotions while reading a book. From sadness and disgust to happiness and joy - so many strong feelings were brought out of me. I really felt a personal connection with the author. Not only did I learn of the tragedies endured by her father and the heroic acts he performed to combat them, but I also witnessed the once strained relationship between Rita and her father bloom into something truly beautiful. Whether or not you are a WWII history buff, you will definitely enjoy this book. It is something that can be enjoyed by all, no matter what your reading preference might be. Go out and pick up a copy today! You will be fascinated with what you learn, and your heart will be touched by what you feel.
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Peachy's original review:
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.)
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.
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The recent operation for Osama Bin Laden shows the strength of the US military and its importance in maintaining freedom and democracy for our country and throughout the world.
Rita Cosby knows this on a very personal level.
As a renowned journalist for more than two decades, she was one of the first to report that Bin Laden was behind the 9/11 attacks, she also did an exclusive interview with then Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf right after 9/11, where after hesitation, he said he would side with America versus the terrorist mastermind. Cosby also traveled to Afghanistan near Bin Laden’s original hide-out in Tora Bora where she spent time with our troops. She was the first journalist to witness an actual interrogation at Guantanamo and see the detainees up close.
Now, in her newly released paperback, QUIET HERO: Secrets From My Father’s Past, (May 17th, Threshold Editions) she reveals how her own father became a POW who was saved by US troops. Her father’s story is one of sheer courage and patriotism as he battled the Nazis in WWII as a teenage resistance fighter, escaping in the sewers and ultimately weighing only 90 pounds (standing six feet tall) when he was rescued.
QUIET HERO is also a rare glimpse into the deeply personal story of the effects of war on those who fight and their families. Cosby’s father never discussed his visible and invisible scars until now, and as a result, the journey has caused father and daughter to reunite after decades of estrangement.
Rita Cosby is now on a mission to help our wounded troops and their families. Significant proceeds from QUIET HERO go to the USO’s Operation Enduring Care program. Having served as a keynote speaker alongside many military leaders such as Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Rita is working tirelessly to give voice and raise awareness on the critical issue of Post Traumatic Stress and the debilitating long term effects confronting our troops and thereby impacting all our citizenry.
She has become the national spokesperson for ICAMI’s (International Committee Against Mental Illness) stress disorders program and the United Stress Disorders Association, which focus on helping those with PTSD. It’s estimated more than half a million of our troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan alone will have some form of PTSD, with an estimated 18 veterans a day committing suicide.
QUIET HERO has also become required reading in psychology and social work courses focused on trauma and recovery in several US universities, including NYU and Fordham. Her father received a special commendation from the prestigious Medal of Honor Society for his bravery.
“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
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 and has become a key spokesperson for troops and their families suffering from PTSD. Because of her “extraordinary journalism and exemplary service on behalf of her community,” October 11th, 2010 was officially named “Rita Cosby Day” in the State of New York. Her first book, Blonde Ambition, was a New York Times bestseller. For more information, visit www.quiethero.org.
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.com.
QUIET HERO: Secrets From My Father’s Past
By Rita Cosby
Threshold Editions
On-sale May 17, 2011; Paperback; $16.00
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.
