By the Ghost Light: Wars, Memory, and Family
Language: English
Published by Random House Canada, 2023
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: World of Books Inc, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.World of Books Inc
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
Condition: Used - Very good
£ 4.99
Quantity: 2 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
NATIONAL BESTSELLER . From one of Canada's most beloved performing artists comes an audacious work of non-fiction that explores the stories that shape us and the reach that the past can have across generations . "Thomson makes visible the ghosts of the Great War, untangling themes of loss and longing, service, and grief." -Tim Cook Growing up north of Toronto, R.H. Thomson's imagination was captured by romantic notions of war. He spent his days playing with toy soldiers on the carpet of his grandmother's house, recreating the Battle of Britain with model planes in his bedroom, or sitting at the local theatre watching World War II B movies-ones that offered a very clear perspective on who were the heroes and who the villains; which side were the victors and which the vanquished. Yet Thomson's childhood was also shaped by the spirits of real-life warriors in his family, their fates a brutal and more complicated reminder of the true human cost of war. Eight of Robert's great uncles-George, Joe, Jack, Harold, Arthur, Warren, Wildy, and Fred-fought in the First World War, while his great Aunt Margaret served as a wartime surgical nurse in Europe. Five of the great uncles-George, Joe, Fred, Wildy, and Warren-were killed in battle while two others-Jack and Harold-would return home greatly diminished, spending the rest of their lives in and out of sanitariums, their lungs scarred by disease and poison gas. Throughout their lives, the great uncles, as well as great aunts and cousins, were faithful letter writers, their correspondence offering profound insights into their experiences on the front lines to their loved ones back home, a somber record of the sacrifice the family paid. In By the Ghost Light, R.H. Thomson offers an extraordinary look at his family's history while providing a powerful examination of how we understand war and its aftermath. Using his family letters as a starting point, Thomson roams through a century of folly, touching on areas of military history, art, literature, and science, to express the tragic human cost of war behind the order and calm of ceremonial parades, memorials, and monuments. In an urgent call for new ways to acknowledge the dead, R.H. has created "The World Remembers," an ambitious international project to individually name each of the millions killed in the First World War. Epic in its scope and incredibly intimate in its exploration of lives touched by the tragedy of war, By the Ghost Light is a truly original book that will challenge the way we approach our history.…
Seller Inventory # CIN1039008380VG
- Title
- By the Ghost Light: Wars, Memory, and Family
- Author
- Rh Thompson
- Publisher
- Random House Canada
- Publication year
- 2023
- Condition
- Very Good
- Binding
- Hardback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1039008380
- ISBN 13
- 9781039008380
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World of Books Inc
Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
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Founded in 2002, World of Books is a leading online destination for buying and selling both preloved and new books, committed to making sustainable reading accessible to all. With a mission to help people read more and waste less, World of Books offers a huge range of affordable, high-quality books — giving both new and preloved titles a second life. The company also operates World of Books – Sell Your Books, an easy-to-use platform that allows customers to trade in unwanted books for cash, helping to keep books in circulation while promoting sustainability. As a Certified B Corp, World of Books is driven by a vision to become the world’s largest and most sustainable dedicated online bookstore. The company measures its success through the positive environmental impact it creates, the value it provides to customers, and its ability to operate profitably while supporting its sustainable mission …
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