As we reported last week, worldwide press coverage in advanced of the release of The Kissing Sailor has been intense. There is good reason for this as it is a compelling story focused on “Five Ps: The Picture, the Place, the Publication, the People, and the Proof.
Here’s part of what renowned inaugural host of Good Morning American had to say about the book in his Foreword:
“A BOOK? An entire BOOK? About a black and white still photograph? Must be some picture! Indeed, it’s one of the most memorable and beloved photos ever taken and this book about it is masterful story-telling, a super detective story that solves a 65 year old mystery. Who were the sailor and nurse, in a passionate kiss, in LIFE magazine’s photo taken in Times Square, New York City on August 14, 1945, the day that World War Two ended? What made this one photo worth not just a thousand words, but millions of words over decades? Because it makes us actually FEEL like we were there experiencing the exultation of the war’s end with millions of others around the America.”
“Who were the players in this tale? Three people from different worlds who had never met each other came together, purely by chance, for just a few seconds at 44th Street and Broadway at a historic moment in time. They were the great photographer, Alfred Eisenstaedt (Eisie), the “Father of Photojournalism,” who was on assignment for LIFE in Times Square trying to capture, on film, the wild emotions of that day; an American sailor who was on leave after two years serving on board a ship in the Pacific War; and a young woman in a nurse’s uniform who was on lunch break from her job in midtown Manhattan. She had strolled to Times Square to learn for herself what patients had been telling her all morning; that the war might be over.”
The Kissing Sailor…striking a resonant chord for millions of Americans.
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