The Color of Courage Finalist in Prestigious Benjamin
Franklin Awards
WWII Diary of Boy Soldier Recognized in 2 Categories
Los Angeles, California, March 18, 2015 — The Color of
Courage—A Boy at War: The World War II Diary of Julian Kulski (Aquila Polonica
Publishing, Nov. 2014) has just been named as a finalist for the 2015 Benjamin
Franklin Award in two different categories: Autobiography/Memoirs, and Interior
Design (1-2 Color).
The winner will be announced in a ceremony held in
Austin, Texas, the evening of April 10, 2015. Now in its 27th year, the
Benjamin Franklin Award, sponsored by the Independent Book Publishers Association
(IBPA), is the premier awards competition in independent publishing,
recognizing excellence in independent publishing. There were nearly 1,400
entries this year.
In his Foreword to this remarkable diary of a boy soldier
during World War II, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Lech Walesa calls The Color of
Courage “a superb lesson of humanity.” The Chief Rabbi of Poland, Rabbi Michael
Schudrich, writing the Introduction to the book, praises The Color of Courage
as “an inspiring read.” Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Center for Strategic &
International Studies, says: “Compelling, readable, and very moving.”
“We’re excited to learn that The Color of Courage is a
finalist in two categories for the 2015 Ben Franklin Awards,” said Aquila
Polonica president Terry Tegnazian. “This is a rare look at World War II
through the eyes of a young boy soldier that stays with you long after you
close the book.” To learn more: www.polww2.com/AboutCourage
Julian Kulski was a 10-year-old Boy Scout living in
Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland in 1939. His diary follows his wartime
experience from ages 10 to 16. He quickly begins his own personal war against
the Germans with small acts of sabotage but soon, at age 12, is recruited into
the Underground Army by his Scoutmaster, where he is trained in weapons
handling and military tactics. Kulski undertakes a secret mission into the
Warsaw Ghetto, is captured by the Gestapo, sentenced to Auschwitz, beaten,
rescued, fights in a Commando unit during the vicious street fighting of the 1944
Warsaw Uprising, and ends as a 16-year-old German POW...finally risking a dash
for freedom onto an American truck instead of waiting for “liberation” by the
Soviets. Watch the book trailer: www.polww2.com/CourageTrailer
Kulski’s diary is enriched by more than 150 photos and
illustrations, 13 maps, and 11 “Digital Extras,” which are short videos created
by Aquila Polonica from historical film and audio material that bring Kulski’s
story to life in an unprecedented way. Watch sample Digital Extras: www.polww2.com/SampleDigitalExtras
Interior design, typesetting and cover art are the work
of talented Los Angeles designer Ewa Wojciak, Senior Lecturer of Fine Arts at
the USC Roski School of Art and Design. Although this is her first book for
Aquila Polonica, Wojciak has an extensive background as a designer and creative
director primarily for the entertainment industry, with a client list that
includes Disney, CBS, HBO, Sony, Universal Pictures and Fox, as well as in
advertising agencies and print media. In The Color of Courage, Wojciak brings a
fresh, contemporary look to this historical memoir, with pull quotes that draw
the reader through the text, and an innovative use of thumbnail images and QR
codes augmented by URLs to incorporate the multimedia Digital Extras into the
print book.
Aquila Polonica is an award-winning independent publisher
based in Los Angeles, specializing in publishing, in English, the World War II
experience of Poland—the first of the Allies to fight Hitler. See more at:
www.AquilaPolonica.com
Today is the 71th anniversary of Murder in Markowa. Ulma Family Museum should be opened this year.
ReplyDeleteGreater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends (John 15:13)
Lukasz thank you.
DeleteYou're welcome, Dr Goska. Ulma Family Museum is expected to open in early December 2015.
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