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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