Andrew Carroll has done an amazing job. I don't know how he could have chose what to include or what to quote. I do know though, that every American should read this book and thank the men and women who have contributed.
If you step back from the emotional impact for a moment and look at this book objectively, the the appeal of these letters and the willingness of the writers or recipients to make them public, may seem a bit puzzling. Afterall, they are all very personal letters. The mystery is removed when you realize that it's not a coincidence that these letters are singularly American; I doubt there would be such an equivalent public sharing from citizens elsewhere. Our openess is sometimes called American bravado and exhibitionism by others, but as these letters of humanity plainly show, they are more properly seen as simple testaments to honesty and truth.
I for one am proud of a country that appreciates such human expressions but am even more proud of the many men and women who served or waited for those who did, and whose stories are told here. They, more than most of us, can appreciate the following sentiments.
"Everything that I have written is closely related to something that I have lived through." (Henrik Ibsen)