Author Event With Kevin M. Callahan: "Brothers in Arms"

Honor and remember our fallen war heroes this month, as Darien Library, along with At Home In Darien, welcomes  Kevin M. Callahan, who will talk about his book, Brothers in Arms: Remembering Brothers Buried Side by Side in American World War II Cemeteries.

Winner of the 2020 Bill Fisher Award for Best First Nonfiction Book from the Independent Book Publishers Association, Kevin's book features over 700 historic photographs and other original artifacts, and tells the stories of brothers buried side-by-side in American World War II cemeteries overseas. Fourteen of these noble cemeteries are spread around the world, holding the remains of over 90,000 fallen Americans and listing another 80,000 missing. All made the ultimate sacrifice so that others might live in peace and freedom.

These sacred burial grounds are kept in meticulous care by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Any visitor will be struck by the endless rows of white burial markers, fallen heroes resting far from their homes, but among their comrades and often near the battlefields where they fell.

Walking among the gravestones, it is especially heart-rending to come across two burial markers with the same last name, two brothers—in one case three—buried side-by-side. With memories and materials collected from the families who lost their brave brothers, Brothers in Arms puts a face and a story to those names carved in white marble.

From North Africa to Europe to the Pacific, Brothers in Arms takes the reader on a journey—of the war, of America in the first half of the 20^th century, and of these solemn resting places—all through the stories of these heroic brothers.

About the Author

Kevin M. Callahan grew up in Elgin, Illinois and, in 1991, received a B.A. in History from Yale University, where he also played football. After graduation, while backpacking through Europe, Kevin visited the American cemetery at Normandy and was struck by both the beauty of the grounds and the sacrifice of so many. In 2009, Kevin visited the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Italy with his wife and three young sons. Walking among the gravestones, they came across a pair of brothers buried side-by-side. He found the sight of the two brothers resting forever together to be especially poignant.  It inspired him to find and tell the stories of all brothers buried this way in American World War II cemeteries. Kevin traveled to 35 states to meet with surviving family members of these brothers to collect photos, artifacts, and memories. The book includes profiles of 72 sets of brothers and includes over 700 original photographs and other artifacts.

Kevin has an MBA from the MIT Sloan School and a Master’s in International Affairs from the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs. He lives in Rowayton, Connecticut with his wife, three sons, and two dogs.