"Retracing his father's steps, Thorness admirably chronicles his father's service while relating his own march through Italy over 60 years later, gaining insight into both his father and himself."—Philip Zozzaro, Booklist
"Thorness's descriptions of the long-forgotten battles involved are vivid and his depictions of the Italian landscape 70 years later serve as reminders of the war which changed so many families and lives. Readers who had relatives affected by the conflict will find this tale of a son seeking to understand his father a compelling journey into the past."—J. Kemper Campbell, Lincoln Journal Star
“All Roads Lead to Rome starts as a journey of discovery and becomes one of self-discovery. A masterful accomplishment.”—Steve Olson, author of The Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the Atomic Age
“A moving and compelling story about the enduring power of the past. Bill Thorness juxtaposes two Italian journeys—his father’s during the Anzio campaign of World War II and his own retracing of it—to find a parent whose damaged leg disguised deeper wounds. He discovers a war’s lasting consequences.”—Richard White, Margaret Byrne Professor of American History emeritus, Stanford University, and author of Who Killed Jane Stanford?
“All Roads Lead to Rome is a deftly woven history of one man’s attempt to understand his father’s taciturn and damaged life by hiking the route his father’s army commando unit took as it fought its way north from the Anzio beaches to liberate Rome from the Nazis in World War II. A warm memoir and a historical resource, All Roads Lead to Rome stands as a heartfelt attempt to bridge a generation gap and probe the brutal and fiercely debilitating impact of war.”—Kit Bakke, author of Protest on Trial and Miss Alcott’s E-mail
“A touching and outstanding story, All Roads Lead to Rome is Bill Thorness’s journey to understanding his father, which takes us from the farmland of North Dakota to the battlefields of World War II Italy.”—Bill Woon, past executive director of the First Special Service Force Association and son of Force veteran Dave Woon, 2nd Company, 2nd Regiment
“An expansive journey through World War II Italy, All Roads Lead to Rome is a poignant, picturesque memoir of redemption and truth between father and son, past and present.”—Alicia DeFonzo, author of The Time Left between Us
“Any hope that humanity will more quickly move beyond war as a method of conflict resolution will likely come as a result of leaders who, whether personally or peripherally, finally acknowledge and speak to the damaging ramifications of war on present and future generations. Books such as All Roads Lead to Rome are vital for what they can add to this awareness, and it is one of the best books I have read so far on the cross-generational impact of military service, particularly combat.”—Tracy Crow, coeditor of It’s My Country Too: Women’s Military Stories from the American Revolution to Afghanistan
