Local Writes Book on Famed War Correspondent

Chaucer’s Books (3321 State Street)  will host local author Lorissa Rinehart for an in store discussion with noted podcaster Joe Coohill (Professor Buzzkill) to talk about her debut book “First To The Front: The Untold Story of Dickey Chapelle Trailblazing Female War Correspondent” on Thursday, July 13 at 6 p.m.

“First to the Front” Description

The first authoritative biography of pioneering photojournalist Dickey Chapelle, who from World War II through the early days of Vietnam got her story by any means necessary as one of the first female war correspondents.

“I side with prisoners against guards, enlisted men against officers, weakness against power.”

From the beginning of World War II through the early days of Vietnam, groundbreaking female photojournalist and war correspondent Dickey Chapelle chased dangerous assignments her male colleagues wouldn’t touch, pioneering a radical style of reporting that focused on the humanity of the oppressed.

She documented conditions across Eastern Europe in the wake of the Second World War. She marched down the Ho Chi Minh Trail with the South Vietnamese Army and across the Sierra Maestra Mountains with Castro. She was the first reporter accredited with the Algerian National Liberation Front, and survived torture in a communist Hungarian prison. She dove out of planes, faked her own kidnapping, and endured the mockery of male associates, before ultimately dying on assignment in Vietnam with the Marines in 1965, the first American female journalist killed while covering combat.

Chapelle overcame discrimination both on the battlefield and at home, with much of her work ultimately buried from the public eye—until now. In First to the Front, Lorissa Rinehart uncovers the incredible life and unparalleled achievements of this true pioneer, and the mark she would make on history.

About the Author

Cultural critic and historian Lorissa Rinehart writes about art, war, politics, and the places
where these discourses intersect. Her writing has recently appeared in Hyperallergic, Perfect Strangers, and Narratively, among other publications. She holds an MA from NYU in Experimental Humanities and a BA in Literature from UC Santa Cruz.

About the Interviewer Dr. Joseph Coohill, aka Professor Buzzkill

Joseph Coohill is an expert on British and Irish history. He received his doctorate in modern history from Oxford, has published widely in his field, and has taught at universities in Britain and the United States. He now brings scholarly history to as wide a public audience as possible, through public talks and podcasting. He is the producer and host of the wildly popular Professor Buzzkill History Podcast. His current research project is called “The Churchill Legend in the United States, from 1939 to the 21st Century.”

He is also the host of Professor Buzzkill History Podcast, a weekly romp through some of the history myths and misconceptions that are most deeply embedded in our culture.

Website: https://professorbuzzkill.com/