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Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Linda Hervieux (Author), Ron Butler (Narrator), Blackstone Audio, Inc. (Publisher)

The injustices of 1940s Jim Crow America are brought to life in this extraordinary blend of military and social history, an account that pays tribute to the valor of an all-black battalion whose crucial contributions at D-day have gone unrecognized to this day.

In the early hours of June 6, 1944, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, a unit of African American soldiers, landed on the beaches of France. Their orders were to man a curtain of armed balloons meant to deter enemy aircraft. One member of the 320th would be nominated for the Medal of Honor, an award he would never receive because the nation's highest decoration was not given to black soldiers in World War II.

Drawing on newly uncovered military records and dozens of original interviews with surviving members of the 320th and their families, Linda Hervieux tells the story of these heroic men charged with an extraordinary mission, whose contributions to one of the most celebrated events in modern history have been overlooked. Thousands of African Americans were sent abroad to fight for liberties denied them at home, including these members of the 320th: Wilson Monk, a jack-of-all-trades from Atlantic City; Henry Parham, the son of sharecroppers from rural Virginia; William Dabney, an eager 17-year-old from Roanoke, Virginia; and Samuel Mattison, a charming romantic from Columbus, Ohio. In Europe these soldiers discovered freedom they had not known in a homeland that treated them as second-class citizens - experiences they carried back to America, fueling the budding Civil Rights Movement. In telling the story of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, Hervieux offers a vivid account of the tension between racial politics and national service in wartime America and a moving narrative of human bravery and perseverance in the face of injustice.

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  1. Listening Length
    9 hours and 33 minutes
  2. Author
    Linda Hervieux
  3. Narrator
    Ron Butler
  4. Publication date
    October 27, 2015
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  7. ASIN
    B016P1Y23S
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length 9 hours and 33 minutes
Author Linda Hervieux
Narrator Ron Butler
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date October 27, 2015
Publisher Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B016P1Y23S
Best Sellers Rank

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
767 global ratings

Customers say

Customers praise this book's historical accuracy, appreciating the author's thorough research and detailed historical context. The writing is well-crafted, and customers find the story engaging, with one review highlighting its balanced narrative of soldiers' lives and experiences. Customers find the book enlightening, learning about the profound challenges faced by African American soldiers, and one review specifically mentions their incredible bravery during D-Day. Customers consider it an important addition to military and social history, with one review noting how it includes the contributions of African American military personnel.
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37 customers mention history accuracy, 33 positive, 4 negative
Customers praise the book's historical accuracy, appreciating the author's thorough research and references, with one customer noting its extraordinary blend of military and social history.
Fascinating read. This book is well researched, well presented. It panders to no one. The content allows the reader to form opinions on one's own....Read more
Excellent information. This is an important resource in my library....Read more
I love this book, good history not found in most history classes.Read more
Interesting read and shows the history of how segregation and Jim Crow laws affected black citizen soldiers....Read more
29 customers mention readability, 26 positive, 3 negative
Customers find the book thoroughly readable and fascinating, with one customer noting it's a must-read for WWII enthusiasts.
Interesting read and shows the history of how segregation and Jim Crow laws affected black citizen soldiers....Read more
Fascinating read. This book is well researched, well presented. It panders to no one. The content allows the reader to form opinions on one's own....Read more
This was a great read. It shined a light on some very brave African AmericansRead more
good read and historical backgroundRead more
18 customers mention writing quality, 18 positive, 0 negative
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as a work of literary art.
This book is a must read, it is so brilliantly written and enlightening. I think it should be required reading in all nigh schools in the USA....Read more
...While well written, the bias towards some American’s (mostly conservatives) shines like a spotlight in this book and again, defies historical facts...Read more
A well written book and certainly an eye opener for us to remember what life was and still is like, makes you think twice about your actions on lots...Read more
Excellent writing about a subject so few of us know about.Read more
16 customers mention story quality, 15 positive, 1 negative
Customers praise the book's storytelling, with one review highlighting its balanced narrative of soldiers' lives and experiences, while another notes how it fills in gaps in Black history.
Great story that needed to be told. We should pay attention to the past.Read more
...I couldn't put it down. This is a remarkable story. Within the first 1/4 of it I already couldn't believe how much had happen....Read more
Must read story that received no press coverage at a time when racism controlled the media's effort to down play or ignore Black soldiers...Read more
Excellent story of a dark chapter in our nations history of treatment of real American heroes....Read more
9 customers mention interest, 9 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book interesting, with one mentioning it is particularly engaging for military veterans.
Great book about a little known part of our history. Interesting and hard to put down.Read more
...A unique and interesting work.Read more
This is a well written book that holds your interest if you have an desire to learn about some of theWWII heroes who have been forgotten.Read more
I was unable to put it down. Enraging, heartbreaking, informative, inspiring....Read more
8 customers mention sensitivity, 6 positive, 2 negative
Customers appreciate the book's sensitivity, with one review highlighting its deep and abiding respect, while another notes how it factually depicts the blatant overt racism of the time.
I was expecting a war story. This is a civil rights book, NOT a war story.Read more
...It factually depicts the blatant overt racism that undergirded the Jim Crow US military that existed prior to the integration of the Armed Forces in...Read more
...of the service to our nation these men provided, even as they were mistreated and unappreciated.Read more
...This book is a beautifully written story of a group of brave, self-sacraficing men who saved many lives at the largest assault in modern history,...Read more
6 customers mention enlightened, 6 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book enlightening, learning quite a bit from it, with one customer noting how it sheds light on profound challenges.
This book is a must read, it is so brilliantly written and enlightening. I think it should be required reading in all nigh schools in the USA....Read more
Well written, well researched. Taught me a lot. Book was in great condition, fair price. Thank you +++++Read more
Interesting read. Enjoyed it and learned quite a bit.Read more
I was unable to put it down. Enraging, heartbreaking, informative, inspiring....Read more
6 customers mention importance, 6 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book important, with one noting its invaluable addition to military and social history, while another highlights its coverage of African American military contributions.
A fascinating read about the Battalion history forgot. An important book that is brilliantly written to boot. A must-read for all Americans.Read more
...written and widely researched, Forgotten is an invaluable addition to military and social history and just a plain good read.Read more
Includes the contributions of African American military and Coast Guard, records efforts that my father in law remembered....Read more
...These forgotten men were a major contribution to the war and their story should be part of the school curriculum.Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Rita Jupe
    5.0 out of 5 stars Boardwalk Empire fans will enjoy the vibrant chapter on Atlantic City
    Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2016
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    "Forgotten" is thoroughly researched and thoroughly readable. It is the story of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, a unit of African-American soldiers who landed in France during the D-Day invasion via a U.S. Army system then-rife with institutional racism. While their mission at Normandy--particularly the heroism of a medic named Waverly Woodson, who tended to the wounded and the drowning for 30 hours before collapsing from his own wounds--was mentioned in army press releases and received extensive coverage in the black press, their contributions quickly disappeared from the public record and public discourse. Medals, if they came at all, were of a lesser degree. Even the GI Bill had limits in its implementation, as veterans recount, since trades such as TV repairman became de facto earmarked for white veterans in the parts of the country where Jim Crow persisted. Hervieux threads strands of social history, military history and journalistic interviews with the handful of 320th veterans who were alive during the 10-year span of her project to create a stirring narrative that is never sentimental. Boardwalk Empire fans will enjoy the vibrant chapter on Atlantic City, NJ, and the enduring love story of Wilson Monk and Mertina Madison. Quiz night and general knowledge aficionados will appreciate the chapter on the history of barrage balloons. British readers like me will find fascinating the policy battles that surrounded the stationing of U.S. soldiers on UK soil. "Forgotten" does the men and families of the 320th honor.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Barbara Petrick
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Baloon Battalion
    Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2015
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Few Americans know anything abot the 320th Barrage Baloon Battalion or its contribution to the World War II offense. In Forgotten, Linda Hervieux not only provides a comprehensive story of the 320th--composed entirely of African American soldiers--but by placing it in the context of 20th century social history, she draws a dramatic picture of Jim Crow life and its cruelty. With a keen eye for the telling detail, she renders the background of many soldiers who risked their lives for a country that ignored their claim for equality. Based on hundreds of interviews, Hervieux points out how black soldiers were strictly segregated and mistreated while German and Italian prisoners of war were treated as friends. In the short months of their stay in Europe, the men of the 320th were treated warmly by the British population. This short term of normalcy in race relations was brought to an abrupt end when the black soldiers were returned to the strictly segregated United States military service. Hervieux recreates the drama and danger of DDay and the part the 320th played in that epic battle.
    Excellently written and widely researched, Forgotten is an invaluable addition to military and social history and just a plain good read.
    49 people found this helpful
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  • James J. Fallon
    5.0 out of 5 stars it is so brilliantly written and enlightening
    Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2015
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This book is a must read, it is so brilliantly written and enlightening. I think it should be required reading in all nigh schools in the USA. The book, Forgotten isn't merely another WWII story, but the high ideals, intelligence and devotion of people before and after the war. These are human beings who gave their lives to this nation even though they were marginalized, tortured and murdered because of the color of their skin. Ms Hervieux in this book captures these men's feelings of joy and pain through survivors and family members of their treatment.

    I know some may think oh no another textbook, but you would be wrong. This book is a beautifully written story of a group of brave, self-sacraficing men who saved many lives at the largest assault in modern history, individual stories of heroes true, fighting for a country they believed in. Ms Hervieux writes so well and the stories have a grand fluidity that it made you want to keep reading. I hope we see many more books from this author in the future.

    These men had to fight to be able to fight, yet they were not given their due. Curtains in segregated train cars had to have closed because bigots would shot at the train cars if they saw it was filled with black soldiers. In the US they could not go to many restaurants, movies or USO's, yet they saw German and Japanese prisoners with their guards in those same establishments. However when they reach the British Isles they were welcome not as black Americans, but Americans, and the people loved them.

    The book Forgotten tells the story of these heroes and sheds light on the horrors of "Jim Crow" America which is either unknown by the younger generation and forgotten by other generations. The bigotry is less than it was then, but we still have a long way to go to eradicate it as we see in the news every day now.
    26 people found this helpful
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  • robert n. johnson
    4.0 out of 5 stars WW2 Stories Worth Knowing --- Why Only Now?
    Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Truly appreciate the book. Top quality author wrote a broad enough touch historical story to provide reasonable context to the content. Would really like to read more books published about our military operations support units especially in the Pacific & South Asia.

    Share all the history. Release the narrative so we can celebrate all who contributed to the world becoming safer for Democracy and Humankind.

    ACommon1 Connectivity!
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  • ArikB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great History Revealed
    Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Excellent book. At first you may wonder why it takes so long to get to the war contributions of the black soldiers. However, this is because the context of their environment is vitally important to understanding how incredibly brave these men were with the SIGNIFICANT racial obstacles they had to endure. Thanks to the author. I went to France and visited the Normandy Beach for the Omaha operation and it makes this even more special. No one talks about the contributions of black soldiers in the success of the invasion of Normandy. Without this book I would have never known SMH. The fact that there are no black soldiers in the movie Saving Private Ryan is crazy.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Satisfied Consumer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge is Valuable
    Reviewed in Canada on March 15, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    An eye opening addition not only in regard to the efforts to defeat Hitler's armies, but specifically in regard to the contributions made by Black soldiers, contributions that all too often have gone unsung.
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  • Steve Haywood
    5.0 out of 5 stars It's a startling book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This is an odd book. It purports to be a history of 330th Barrage Balloon Battalion, a unit of African American soldiers, among the first to land on French beaches on D Day. In this guise alone, it's fascinating. How many of us would have even pondered the technology of barrage balloons, let along the racial bigotry brought to bear by US soldiers against their brothers in arms who were trying to.protect them at the time. But that is the power of this book. It's a social history in which race figures strongly, as it still does widely across the US. OK, I'm English, and I wouldn't want anyone running away with the idea there isn't a strong vein of racial bigotry in my culture too. But really, how can you be that bigoted again fellow soldiers, many of whom were heroes by anyone's standards? I was proud when it came to assembling troops in the UK that for many black.conscripts England was their first experience of being treated decently by white people. It brought tears to my eyes to read of ordinary British folk confronting institutionalised US racism by not only refusing to apply Jim Crow restrictions against black troops in pubs and clubs but by actively welcoming black troops into their homes. The book should be read widely: more needs to be known about this shameful facet of history.
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  • Joel Luboff
    5.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten - A very important book that helps us remember !
    Reviewed in France on February 3, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is a very important book – thoroughly researched, smoothly and concisely written, and given the advanced age of the central personalities, extremely timely. Concentrating on the life and actions of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion the book paints a wider and very vivid picture of what life was like for African American soldiers in general during World War II. Despite the outrageousness of the conditions and racist statements these people had to face daily, the author avoids polemicizing; she lets the facts speak for themselves. As I read this fascinating account, I had the eerie feeling that I should have known these facts already. These remarkable men and their stories should have been part of the narratives all along about WWII and in particular about D-Day. Instead they were brushed aside and might have stayed that way forever but for the author’s years of research and writing. Despite the title, she makes it possible for us to remember via one good read.
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  • OC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Jim crow and the army
    Reviewed in France on June 23, 2019
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Like most Europeans, my knowledge of Jim Crow laws was rather limited. One of the merits of this book is the contrast between the quiet military heroism of these guys and the racist attitudes of the US army in the 1940'S
    The likeness between jim Crow laws and Spanish inquisition limpieza de sangre is also striking...and shocking
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  • Sasha Maya Angelou
    5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling read indeed
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Excellent read. Bought tears to my eyes. These accounts are never heard in the mainstream media. Black soldiers made such a massive contribution during WW2 and all wars prior and since with barely any recognition. They fought in the trenches, they fought hand to hand they were in the navy and flew bombers. And while doing all this for their country they fought the biggest enemy that was racism from their own country and white soldiers which they continued to fight every day of their lives during peacetime too.
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