John M. Longley was a farm boy from rural Maine who went to France as a teenager to fight in The Great War. Somehow, he survived that hell and returned to Maine, but it was only after his wife died that he opened up at some length to his grandson, Mark D. LeBlanc, about his time in the war. This well-researched book highlights the two years that Longley spent with the 103rd Infantry of the 26th “Yankee” Division. The book includes war documents and maps from the National Archives, local newspaper accounts, links to audio clips of Longley talking about the war, and photographs and tips of locations to visit in France. With a focus on the common soldier, From Maine to France and Somehow Back Again is a lively, evocative account of one man’s fight to survive and his unlikely return home.
