Philip Gambone
As Far As I Can Tell: Finding My Father in World War II
Named One of the Best Books by the The Boston Globe for 2020
Here’s What They’re Saying About As Far As I Can Tell:
“Philip Gambone weaves a moving memoir of his family, a vivid portrayal of his travels through the locales of WWII, and a powerful description of what that war was like to the men who fought it on the ground into a seamless and eloquent narrative.” — Hon. Barney Frank, former Congressman, Massachusetts
“In retracing his father’s World War II army service across the U.S. and Europe, Phil Gambone ingeniously uses public records to plumb private mysteries: Who was this “impossibly foreign” man, and what did he have in common with his son, who dodged the Vietnam draft by being gay? This is a travel book unlike any other: across continents but also into the past and toward self-forgiveness. Richly researched and written with unerring grace, Gambone’s journey is an act of witness, of belated connection, and, ultimately, of courage that does justice to his father’s.”— Michael Lowenthal, author of Paternity Test, University of Wisconsin Press
“A single question pulses through As Far As I Can Tell: why didn’t my father talk about his time in the war? With meticulous research, Philip Gambone puts sound to silence, offering us a book-length love letter, not just to his father, but to anyone whose life has been hemmed in by obligation, obedience, and the brutality of the system. It’s also a coming to terms with the unknown in others, which is its own hard grace. A vital, dynamic read.”— Paul Lisicky, author of Later: My Life at the Edge of the World
“As Far As I Can Tell is a fascinating mix of autobiography, travelogue, and historical research that not only takes us on a great adventure in search of what World War Two was like for those who fought in the European theater but probes that most difficult of all subjects, the relationship between a father and a son — in this case, a gay son. Extensively researched, highly literate and profoundly thoughtful, the story Gambone tells uses not only soldiers’ memoirs but writers as disparate as Samuel Johnson and James Lord to make this a reader’s delight.”— Andrew Holleran, author of Dancer from the Dance
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Author
Philip Gambone
Philip Gambone is an award-winning fiction and nonfiction writer whose work has appeared in numerous literary magazines and anthologies. His short story collection, The Language We Use Up Here (1991), was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award, while his novel Beijing (2003) received multiple literary nominations, including the PEN/Bingham Award for Best First Novel. He has also contributed essays, reviews, and articles to publications such as The New York Times Book Review, The Boston Globe, and Christopher Street. His book Something Inside: Conversations with Gay Fiction Writers (1999) was named one of Pride magazine’s “Best Books of 1999,” and Travels in a Gay Nation: Portraits of LGBTQ Americans (2010) was nominated for the Stonewall Book Award and other honors.
A dedicated educator, Gambone taught high school English for 44 years and held teaching positions at Harvard, Boston College, and the University of Massachusetts. At Harvard Extension School, where he taught fiction writing for nearly three decades, he earned two Distinguished Teaching Citations. His writing has been supported by fellowships from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the MacDowell Colony, and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation.
His latest collection of short stories Zigzag, and his nonfiction work As Far As I Can Tell: Finding My Father in World War II are available from Rattling Good Yarns Press and also available from independent booksellers and from Amazon, Bookshop.org, and Barnes & Noble.
$28.95
Order from Rattling Good Yarns Press
Availability: In stock (can be backordered)