Soldier's Heart: The Campaign to Understand My WWII Veteran Father — A Daughter's Memoir

You'll Never Know #1-3

by Carol Tyler

In the wake of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and Art Spiegelman's Maus comes cartoonist Carol Tyler's multigenerational graphic memoir, Soldier's Heart. The author chronicles her fraught relationship with her father, Charles, a WWII veteran, and how the war affected their lives through both childhood and adulthood. Soldier's Heart is also a tribute to servicemen and women, dramatizing the trauma of the war on the Greatest Generation and those who followed. Tyler's ink and watercolor narrative is in turns sprawling and gimlet-eyed: compassionate and enraged. Her father's memories are woven into her own, which span her Catholic, Midwestern childhood; her troubled marriage; her daughter's struggles; and her efforts to care for her aging parents. Even though Tyler's work has an accessible, homemade feel (the organizing metaphor of the book is a photo album with "snapshots" of Tyler family life), Soldier's Heart is a sophisticated graphic work about war, love, and loss.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, History, Nonfiction, War, Memoir, World War II

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 23, 2015

Reviews

[Robert]

I already have the three original volumes of Carol Tyler’s masterful trilogy, and loved the story to pieces. Recently, when I got to choose some books from Fantagraphics as partial payment for a feature I’d done for The Comics Journal, I couldn’t resist getting this great big all-in-one edition–because I knew it would compel me to read it all over again (which I just did). It’s a moving, gorgeously drawn and produced volume, a work of genuine vision, compassion, and love. Carol Tyler is one of the great cartoonists of our age and thus far this is her magnum opus: she’s currently at work on something new, so we'll see what we get next. In the meantime, I've decided to keep the three-set of original volumes and give this edition to my friend Barry, who served in the Marine Corps and is a talented artist and craftsman; I predict he will really connect with Tyler's historical sensibilities and honest storytelling. Sure hope so! Five for five stars, without question.

[Derek Royal]

I missed out on the early installments of this book, the three You'll Never Know volumes released between 2009 and 2012. It has been one of those titles that I've been meaning to pick up, but unfortunately those volumes remained in my virtual to-read pile. On the other hand, that "unfortunately" might not be entirely accurate. In many ways, I'm glad now that I hadn't read those earlier books. The final collection of Tyler's memoir, A Soldier's Heart, is a magnificent work, and I feel it might not have affected me the same way spread out over three volumes interspersed over several years. This is definitely a highlight of the year, and something I'd like to think through more thoroughly.

[J.T.]

I had only read short comics by Carol Tyler (in Wimmen's Comix), so I really enjoyed delving into this brick of a book (collected from three previously published volumes). Just so much care and detail went into this love letter to her father. That's not to say she isn't at times critical of her dad, but I can't imagine anyone not being moved by the amount of time and effort Tyler spent researching and learning about her father's past.

The book shifts between a hand-drawn and lettered "scrapbook" detailing her dad's time in the army during WWII. The words are from his journals, each page illustrated in sepia tones. In between this journal entries, the book shifts to the Tyler's present day life (including flashbacks and memories) navigating relationship problems with her husband, the hospitalization of her daughter for mental problems and dealing with her aging parents.

This is autobio done well. Compelling and richly illustrated. My only real criticism is with the cover. If I knew nothing about the book or its author, I wouldn't have picked it up based on the cover (which is painted in a style different than what's inside). I suppose it conveys a feeling of the story, but it's just not as well crafted as what you see inside the book itself.

[Aaron]

A masterpiece, the greatest work of a great cartoonist. It’s a biography of Tyler’s father and his entire generation, and it also shows how Tyler’s own life has been shaped by her parents’ traumas. It’s comparable to Maus and Fun Home, yet different from either. It’s a tough book to read because of its length, elaborate art, and awkward format. But every serious comics fan should read it.

[rookisaghost]

2.5
long graphic novels aren't my thing I think but also there is so much going on on some of these pages sometimes without clarification its difficult to know whats going on. I struggled with the several handwriting fonts, and didn't even attempt to read the handwritten letter in the middle of the book. However, the content/message is good.

[Nadja]

A must-read for every "fan" of war-literature. I would love to emphasize the personal narration of the author, who is putting a lot of her own life into it, so it is jit just another war story, it is a complexity of storylines of the past and the present that come together in the lives of people.

[Stuart Norman]

The art and design is incredible throughout, but the story gets better as you progress. Really, it’s an astonishing work of art and quite possibly the best graphic work I’ve ever read. This book should be on more people’s radars.

[Sarah]

Intense! I loved it though towards the end it started dragging a bit. Maybe reading it in the 3 separate books works better.

[Justin Wier]

Monumental. A portrait of the mental scars left by war, but so much more. One of the few times I’ve found myself tearing up reading a comic.

[Donald S]

beautifully drawn and lettered -- a difficult story to read

[Tenli]

A complex and far ranging graphic memoir, Soldier’s Heart well repays the effort it takes to read this hefty tome.

[Maggie]

As the daughter of a world war II veteran myself, I really connected with this graphic novel. An excellent read that explores the long-term psychological effects war has not only on veterans, but on their families. The book provides no real answers and no easy suggestions for healing, but it does offer forgiveness, appreciation, and, as the title suggests, understanding.

[Jemima]

I was pleasantly surprised by this comic-memoir, as I don't typically enjoy war novels. This memoir was beautifully written and illustrated causing the reader to feel the story as if it's happening in real time.

[CC]

A very poignant family memoir in the vein of Fun Home which touches upon WWII and so much more.

Stunning illustrations.

[Ted]

A very good work..

[Comics Alternative]

http://comicsalternative.com/comics-a...

[Lo]

This author is a real talent. I was amazed by the creativity and thoughtfulness that went into this book. It's very long, but the journey is worth it.

[ArchaeoLibraryologist]

Amazing story that mixes the author's life and memories with those of her father's WWII story.

[Lisa]

This was a fantastic read. I picked it up because Fab4Mania has gotten a ton of positive press lately and I realized the author had written works before it.

I recommend this one!

[Yvette]

Carol Tyler 关于她父亲，一个深受战争创伤的二战老兵，以及关于她的家庭和婚姻的自传体回忆录三部合集。

[Yvette]

You'll Never Know系列有三册 Book I: A Good & Decent Man,Book II: Collateral Damage, andBook III: Soldier's Heart. 家族回忆及自传体。通过讲述父亲当年在二战欧洲战场上的故事，剖析原生家庭对作者自己的婚姻和感情关系的影响。