The Brass Ring

by Bill Mauldin

1971,book club,in dj

Genres: Biography, History, Memoir, Nonfiction, War, World War II, Cartoon

275 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

William Henry "Bill" Mauldin was a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist from the United States. He was most famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers, as represented by the archetypal characters Willie and Joe. These cartoons were broadly published and distributed in the American army abroad and in the United States.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

“A Sort of Memoir” from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Bill Mauldin covers the ten-year period ending with the close of WWII, in which he served overseas as a cartoonist for Stars and Stripes. The guy led a colorful life, and if you know his most famous characters, infantrymen Willie and Joe, he writes as gruffly and humbly as you’d expect (ex. “One of the nice things about Chicago is its tolerance for rubes.”). Stories include his getting busted for hopping a train during the Depression, going to art school in Chicago, and earning his Purple Heart and Legion of Merit. The memoir climaxes with the cartoonist’s meeting with decidingly non-fan General Patton.

The book’s well stocked with photos and many of Mauldin’s original cartoons.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

World War 2 killed millions. It also made a relative handful of men great. Bill Mauldin, the GI's cartoonist, was one of those. I found this book in the book sale of the Beaver Island Library for 25 cents. Every year I find a great book in that book sale. A memoir, The Brass Ring gives an underbelly view of the war, all the incompetence and thievery and bloated egos balanced against the underappreciated suffering of soldiers on the front line. It was his life's work, to hold up the wrongs against that bravery in hand drawn works published beginning in small divisional newspapers all the way to Life magazine. He won a Pulitzer while still in the field in Italy. Best are the stories of being in World War 2 from the inside, culminating in his meeting with Patton who objected to him not portraying soldiers in a neat, tidy way. Mauldin didn't budge. Great men don't.

[J.D. Steens · Rating 3 out of 5]

“A sort of a Memoir,” the book’s subtitle, describes it well. Mauldin writes of his growing up in s. New Mexico, his beginnings as a cartoonist, and his WWII experiences with Stars and Stripes (mainly in Italy), including a possible reference to an in-law relative of mine: “There were a few Marxists who tended to huddle and murmur together, plotting God knows what.” Mauldin’s hardscrabble life probably produced an anti-authoritarian, highly irreverent, yet driven personality.

It is this that came through in his cartoon characters of WWII soldiers that made him famous at the time. In his description of General Patton, Mauldin writes, that Patton “never went near the front without biographers and photographers in tow.” Patton didn’t care for Mauldin’s description of deprived soldiers, relative to the situations of the well-to-do military brass. “‘All I am suggesting,’” Patton told him, “‘is that you think a little more about the journalistic aspects of this thing. The accuracy of it. Sure, maybe draw a scruffy-looking fellow once in a while. There are scruffy soldiers. But not the majority. Why, do you realize that less than ten percent of the army ever sees the front lines?’” To that, Mauldin responded, “That’s the ten percent I draw pictures of.’”

There’s a reference to the Big Lie in Mauldin’s book, indicating a longer history to that term than the plot to overturn the US 2020 presidential election. According to an article in the New Yorker, the Big Lie was “first notably used by Adolf Hitler.”

[Thomas J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way back in my schooldays I haunted the North York Public Library, looking at books of all genres, especially humour. This included collections of cartoons - either comic strips or editorial cartoons, and some were the military cartooning of Bill Mauldin (which I always pronounced "maudlin", totally by mistake, but it seemed appropriate to his drawings of combat soldiers).

Anyway, this is his autobiography of the years from his early childhood in mainly Arizona and New Mexico, through his year at art school in Chicago, and then enlistment in the National Guard and posting overseas for the invasion of Italy, up to the end of WWII.

The early years are interesting for anyone wondering what growing up through the 1930s in a poor family was like. But the military part is quite an eye-opener to what went on through training, and during the invasion of Europe. The soldiers at the front took the beating while many of the rear echelon types did rather well. His description of the visiting Congressman and of his meeting with Patton are brief but worth the effort.

[David Doel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I describe what I thought of this book, I should tell you how I came to have it. I borrowed it from a woman I dated around 50 years ago. She was a good person and gave me good advice, but our relationship didn't end up going anywhere. I forgot to return the book and am just now reading it.

The book was very interesting for me; Bill Mauldin was a Pulitzer prize winning cartoonist during World War II. The book tells how he came to be a cartoonist and follows him during the war. I don't know whether this was written before or after Catch 22, but there is a similarity in their stories. Bill has a sense of humor which keeps the book entertaining.

[Arnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book so long ago... I think I was a freshman in high school. I wanted to be a cartoonist... My Art teacher was a Navy WW II veteran, my father was an artist who happened to be fixated on WWII history. Dad said: Read this. So, I did. For years after that all my characters were “Mauldinesque” until I found my own style. I was in awe of Bill Mauldin’s life in the trenches with Willie & Joe. His humor in the face of war just inspired me... it still does!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best memoirs about WWII or journalism by a political cartoonist who made a career out of it. Funny, poignant, well-written, and down to earth, this really gives you a feel for what it was like for a charming country boy with talent, ambition and the smarts to take advantage of the opportunities he finds.

[Sharon Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Brass Ring by Bill Mauldin

This was a favorite of mine since my father was in World II and loved the artist so much, I too became a fan of this author.

Bill Mauldin, American an editorial cartoonist, writes of his survival of a broken home, being jailed at fifteen, infuriating General Patton with his satire during W.W. II, and being wounded.

Excellent book.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtitle is "A Sort-of Memoir," which is true. It covers the period from 1935 (Mauldin about age 10) to the end of WW II. Quite funny and candid. Probably worth a re-read. Lot of illustrations, mostly his famous cartoons. On the WSJ list of must-read journalism memoirs.

Call it 4.49 stars.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mauldin’s sense of humor always came through in his cartoons, and it comes through even more so in his memoir, particularly in his story of his childhood and young adulthood. Written in 1971 but this only covers his life up through the end of World War II.

[Hugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once you get past the growing up portion and into the war time stories it becomes much more entertaining. Super interesting to know that there were soldiers doing more than just fighting while they were over in Europe.

I liked this.

[Marvin Fender · Rating 1 out of 5]

pg 60

[Arlene Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an autobiography by Bill Mauldin from his youth throughout his experiences in World War II. His sketching to him is like food to someone else. He was born in 1921, in NM, and almost immediately had a pencil in his hand. He enlisted in the National Guard several months before Pearl Harbor was attacked, and ended up volunteering for the 45th Division infantry. He landed a job with the 45th Division News as a cartoonist, which allowed him several hours a week away from his division. He was there during the invasion of Sicily, Italy and spent most of his time during the war in Italy during the occupation and withdrawal of Germany. His cartoons were for the boosting of morale of the regular soldier depicting situations they could identify with, but sometimes not reflecting too well upon the officers.
His cartoons both won him fame and got him in trouble with the higher echelons, like General Patton. This book is not just about sketching but about life with the soldiers, with those who Mauldin worked with on the paper, the civilians and those who read his works. It's constantly about survival. He witnessed the tragedies of war and the results of fatal errors made, of heros and of hopelessness. It also has humor and personal interaction. I think his cartoons are really good, some are hilarious; some may have an “irreverent quality to them”. I have my favorites. Some make you laugh out loud. They are worth looking closely at. Towards the end of the war in 1945, he read in the Stars and Stripes that he had won the Pulitzer Prize award. Quite frankly, he was a lucky man, and escaped being killed several times.
I thought this was an interesting book, and revealed aspects of the war that I had never considered. This book contains some profanity.

[Steven Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Mauldin lived out his life as a good political cartoonist, but this memoir of his Arizona youth and his war--that's World War II--showcases his genius as the Army's G.I. cartoonist and deserves a place as a classic American autobiography. To its credit, the Army knew what it had and issued Mauldin a Jeep of his own and carte blanche to travel. He stayed in or near the front lines and chronicled it with his drawings of Willie and Joe--his verisimilitude proved by Gen. Patton's calling him on the carpet in a deathless scene (which Patton lost). Full of life and lavishly illustrated. Oddly, the book's subtitle--A Sort of a Memoir--appears only on the dust cover.

[Thomas Arn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an autobiography by an author who did political cartoons for newspapers during World War II. He tells his story of how he got into cartooning and what it took to get known. After joining the Army, he began to do the cartoons of the soldiers to tell their story, likes and complaints. It is a very interesting story. At times there is some bad language in the book, although probably true to the characters, it lowers the value of the book.

[Rob MacCavett · Rating 5 out of 5]

An autobiography by the WWII creator of the “Willie and Joe”. He went on to become an equally successful political editorial cartoonist. He could grab the essence of a topic and portray in graphic art so that it hit home. It takes some sort of genius to make light out of the horrors of war. I found wisdom in his work.

[KennyO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autobiography of a fascinating man who tested the patience of all military brass, even those who were inclined to support him. Mauldin was also one of the great political cartoonists of our time. I loved reading about him.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this back when it first came out and have a hard covered copy.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suspect he was an arrogant little somebody, but his accomplishments were still fantastic and fascinating.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable as a straightforward history of the author's first decade of professional activity, but invaluable as an unintentional social history of the period 1935-45. Shedding light on unrecorded or currently inconvenient attitudes toward racial stereotyping vs. racial reality, laissez-faire child-rearing practices, and sexual mores.