Press Release
For Immediate Release

An Alcove in the Heart: WWII letters of Sidney Diamond to Estelle Spero

October 18, 2004, New York, NY (updated September 23, 2019) – On Christmas Day 1944, on his way to fight in the battle to take back the Philippines, Lt. Sidney Diamond wrote to his sweetheart, asking her to keep him in an alcove of her heart until he returned. But he did not return. He was killed on Luzon on January 29, 1945. When his sweetheart, Estelle Spero, learned of his death, she vowed to do something, somehow, to prevent his name from sinking into oblivion.

She kept that 60-year-old promise with the publication of An Alcove in the Heart: WWII letters of Sidney Diamond to Estelle Spero. She chose from among the 525 of Sid's letters that she had kept, and wrote introductory headnotes. In these letters, Sid describes his experiences, affirms his belief in his country, and expresses his love for Estelle. He paints a vivid verbal picture of a man courageously facing wartime's worst while maintaining dreams of a future with his beloved Estelle. The letters also manifest the wit and humor which were part of Sid's nature.

Andrew Carroll, editor of the bestseller War Letters, considered Sid's letters extraordinary, constituting "a riveting war-time account that is also a compelling love story." A few of Sid's letters appeared in War Letters, and this led to interviews with Estelle on CBS Sunday Morning, NPR's This American Life, and Salon. In addition, the South Pacific section of the D-Day Museum in New Orleans features a quotation from one of Sid's letters as the main heading over an exhibit. The letter including that quote is in Estelle's book.

Sid was awarded the Silver Star (posthumously) "for gallantry in action at Luzon, Philippine Islands on 29 January 1945." The citation states: "Lieutenant Diamond's indomitable courage, determination and skill were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service."

An Alcove in the Heart: WWII letters of Sidney Diamond to Estelle Spero is available from the book's Web page at http://www.alcoveintheheart.com in quality paperback book format or as a downloadable ebook.

Estelle graduated from Hunter College, Phi Beta Kappa, at the age of 19. She worked on war equipment at Bell Labs after graduation and then, having received a scholarship from Northwestern University, earned a master of arts degree in theater and radio. She has taught speech and theater at the University of Alabama, was a speech therapist, was active in community theater, and then taught English and speech for 30 years at Queens College. Her first book, Reading for Academic Success, was published by Macmillan. She lived in New York with her husband Louis Lynch, and enjoyed theater, good books, and travel. She died in June of 2018.

For more information, email the publisher.