State of Grace — Robert Timberg

From the author of the critically acclaimed book The Nightingale Song comes an evocative and personal portrait of America during the time between the Good War and Vietnam.

Reviving the powerful themes of courage, manhood, and loss, Robert Timberg returns for his second book with a strikingly personal exploration of the generation that split along the fault line known as Vietnam.

Using as a backdrop the New York City sandlot football team he played for after high school, Timberg is able to evoke a devasting period in fine detail and vivid color as he tells the story of a troubled young boy that played running back growing into a strong man that attended the Naval Academy and set out to become a Marine officer.