To Hell and Back is the war memoir of Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier of World War II. The book is so well-written and engaging that it reads like a military fiction thriller rather than a non-fiction account. The soldiers with whom Murphy shared his army days are brought to life on the pages of the book, and the men’s struggles with everything from enemy soldiers to brutal weather and poor living conditions provide a glimpse into military life that could only be provided by one who had actually experienced it.

While this book is written in a straightforward, contemporary style, it is emotionally difficult to read in places due to the intensity of feeling that it conveys. Realizing that the stories the reader is partaking of are true and the characters in the book were real people brings a depth that is not possible with a fictional account. Anyone interested in World War II or military history will enjoy this important look at the life of an American soldier.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  82 religious exclamations; 177 mild obscenities; 34 religious profanities; 54 derogatory names; 4 anatomical terms. Note:  In addition, the words “jerry” and “kraut” are used to refer to Germans over 100 times (not counted in the language rating).

Violence/Gore:  A few verbal threats; several reports of people wounded or killed in battle; a character has to do “corpse detail”; report of animals killed in an accident; report of a man and farm animal shot to death; vehicles loaded with corpses pass by; report of civilians shot to death; character tells a story that involves drinking animal blood; report of towns destroyed; report of a plane crash with fatalities; list of ways in which people died (natural and violent causes); animal carcasses are briefly described; a few fistfights; many battles using guns, bombs, and artillery with only non-serious injuries described; animals are wounded and killed by artillery; a wounded horse is killed as mercy; a character suffers from a serious infected wound, with minimal description of the treatment; a vehicle is destroyed; characters shoot windows out of buildings; a few battle with men wounded and killed with minimal description; a character is killed by shrapnel; a few characters die in battle; characters die slowly from wounds; a character is shot many times before dying; a few characters are killed by snipers; a fewbattles in which characters receive bloody, fatal injuries from gunfire, artillery, and other weaponry; a character is covered in blood; a bloody facial injury is described; description of the disposal of corpses; a few characters lose limbs to artillery; a few battles with men injured and killed by gunfire with severed body parts described; a few battles with guns, grenades, and artillery in which men are killed, including being burned to death and gruesomely wounded with bloody injury described.

Sex/Nudity:  A character receives love letters from a woman (none are described in detail); a woman worries that her husband is cheating on her a few times; men try to find ways to meet girls; a man has a fantasy about snuggling with a girl, but no details are given; characters hold hands and kiss; characters flirt verbally; a woman gives a man a back massage; joke about patting women on their bottoms; men discuss good-looking women a few times; characters are naked for medical reasons a few times; a mention of a man losing a private part of his anatomy to a wound; a few mentions of “cat houses” or whorehouses; a character tells a joke about a woman taking off her clothes; a few jokes about a shortage of women at the front; a few mentions of venereal disease, including means of treatment; a man describes a dream about flirting with a girl, and mentions the size of her breasts; men flirt with prostitutes; characters brag about their sexual exploits or prowess a few times; a woman mentions her period; characters flirt with a girl and brag about their sexual prowess;report of men visiting brothels;a child tries to pimp a 14-year-old girl to a character (the offer is declined, and the scene is not detailed or descriptive).

Mature Subject Matter:

Death (friend, family member); war, including the ethics of killing in war; theft; prostitution; PTSD, gambling.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Reported marijuana use; adults smoke and chew tobacco; mention of making moonshine/illegal alcohol; a dog drinks wine; a child tries to acquire cigarettes.