Author Victoria Ann Granacki
shares her father's US Army service as a mapmaker in the jungles of
the South Pacific
CHICAGO, June 27,
2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In her new biography, "An
Artist Goes to War: Leon Granacki in
the South Pacific WWII," accomplished writer and historian
Victoria Ann Granacki shares her
father's World War II story through his original maps, watercolors,
journal sketches, personal letters, photos and more. When Granacki
inherited the extensive collection of her father's wartime
scrapbooks and mementos, she knew that his firsthand experiences
should be preserved and shared.
Leon Granacki was a commercial
artist, living with his extended Polish American family in a
cramped six-flat apartment building in Chicago when he was drafted into the US Army
in 1941. Leon leveraged his art skills to rise through the ranks
from private infantryman to master sergeant and mapmaker for
General McArthur in the Americal Division's Intelligence
section.
"An Artist Goes to War" gives readers a first-hand glimpse at
history, using 300 images collected and created by an everyday man
turned soldier. Granacki shares her father's hand-drawn maps of
enemy positions in the jungles of Guadalcanal and Bougainville,
watercolor paintings, sketches of fellow soldiers, and over 200
letters to his family that were collected and saved by Leon's
sister during his three-and-a-half years overseas.
"Despite the horrors of war, Leon's indomitable optimism always
comes through in his letters," Granacki said. "Even in the thick of
the jungle, his letters home are filled with childlike tenderness
and reassurances that he will come home safe. They reveal his
longing for family, shared holidays, fishing, and a woman to love.
Through his artwork and letters, you can experience what it felt
like on a very personal level to be part of World War II in the
South Pacific."
By sharing Leon's experiences, she hopes to not only preserve
his story but also help others whose family members never talked
about their time overseas during World War II so they may better
understand their loved one's wartime struggles.
"An Artist Goes to War: Leon
Granacki in the South Pacific WWII"
By Victoria Ann Granacki
ISBN: 9781665739467 (softcover); 978165739481 (hardcover);
9781665739474 (electronic)
Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the author
Victoria Ann Granacki retired from
Granacki Historic Consultants in 2017 after over 40 years of master
planning, urban design and historic preservation experience in
Chicago and northeastern
Illinois communities. Under 10
years of her leadership, the firm prepared 25 National Register and
local landmark nominations, Certified Historic Rehabilitation
applications for 400+ homeowners and Historic Resource Surveys for
60 northeastern Illinois
municipalities. Victoria is passionate about collecting and
preserving old documents, odd artifacts, weird art, and vintage
buildings. She authored "Chicago's
Polish Downtown" for Arcadia Publishing in 2004, has rehabbed four
historic buildings in Chicago, and
in retirement, she chronicles family history. To learn more, please
visit https://www.granackiarts.com/.
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Ashley Fletcher
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Media Contact
Ashley Fletcher, LAVIDGE,
4806487560, afletcher@lavidge.com
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