First to the Front

The Untold Story of Dickey Chapelle, Trailblazing Female War Correspondent

By: Lorissa Rinehart

Narrated by: Kate Handford

The first authoritative biography of pioneering photojournalist Dickey Chapelle, who from World War II through the early days of Vietnam got her story by any means necessary as one of the first female war correspondents.

"I side with prisoners against guards, enlisted men against officers, weakness against power."

From the beginning of World War II through the early days of Vietnam, groundbreaking female photojournalist and war correspondent Dickey Chapelle chased dangerous assignments her male colleagues wouldn’t touch, pioneering a radical style of reporting that focused on the humanity of the oppressed.

She documented conditions across Eastern Europe in the wake of the Second World War. She marched down the Ho Chi Minh Trail with the South Vietnamese Army and across the Sierra Maestra Mountains with Castro. She was the first reporter accredited with the Algerian National Liberation Front, and survived torture in a communist Hungarian prison. She dove out of planes, faked her own kidnapping, and endured the mockery of male associates, before ultimately dying on assignment in Vietnam with the Marines in 1965, the first American female journalist killed while covering combat.

Chapelle overcame discrimination both on the battlefield and at home, with much of her work ultimately buried from the public eye—until now. In First to the Front, Lorissa Rinehart uncovers the incredible life and unparalleled achievements of this true pioneer, and the mark she would make on history.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2022 Lorissa Rinehart (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Jam-packed with colorful details and incisive character sketches, this is a vivid reappraisal of a pioneering journalist."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An astonishing story...exquisite. After reading this enthralling book, now, when someone asks, 'What three people from history would you have over for dinner?' My first choice is easy: At the head of the table is the incomparable Dickey Chapelle. Next to her, the other two guests will be fighting for table scraps." (Buddy Levy, author of Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk)

"An extraordinary story, told with cinematic flair. Chapelle's groundbreaking career should be studied in every journalism school in the country. Rinehart's vivid prose makes us feel like we're right there with her through all her trials and triumphs." (J. Martin Daughtry, author of Listening to War: Sound, Music, Trauma, and Survival in Wartime Iraq)

This woman’s tenacity eas amazing!

Excellent book. Thanks I found the history in this book very profound and interesting. Worth the time it took to listen.

Perceptive, Thorough, Well-told

Larissa Rinehart might be the next Doris Kearns Goodwin. I'm looking forward to reading whatever she next writes.
A fascinating story of a fascinating woman. It's inspiring to know there are such people in the world.

Amazing women

Great book. Loved hearing how she never gave up and kept pushing for what was right. Great role model for women.