Review: Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman

Author: Barbara W. Tuchman
Publisher-Format: e book-Random House Publishing Group, 640 pages
Also: Audio - Blackstone Audio, 19 hrs, 10 min
Narrator: Nadia May
Subject: World War I
Setting: England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria,
 various Eastern European sites
Genre: Narrative history
Source: my own shelves (Nook), public library download (audio)
Recommended? for history buffs and those interested in World War I.

I certainly wouldn't call this an enjoyable book, but it is certainly one of the best detailed histories of the opening days of The Great War, what we have come to know as World War I.  I'm currently participating in the War Through the Generations World War I reading challenge for 2012, and chose this Pulitzer prize winning chronicle to start my journey through this epic struggle between the Allies and the Central Powers. It did not disappoint.

By focusing on the issues, nationalism, misunderstandings, and rivalries leading up to the conflict, and examining in minute detail the build-ups, alliances, war plans, battle strategies, personalities, and mis-steps of the national leaders, Tuchman gives us, in clear and concise prose, an engrossing story of how the actions of so few impacted the entire world.  The first month's campaigns are explained in blinding detail and no matter how much or how little exposure the reader has had to military life and jargon and history, no matter how negative or positive the reader's attitude is toward the subject, she grabs our attention, arouses our emotions and intellect, and takes us through an entire month of mistakes, miscues, arrogance, buffoonery, lack of vision, and dare I say idiocy of the then current state of warfare.  19th century tactics were meeting head on with earky 20th century weapons and technology, e.g. the airplane and zeppelin; experienced leaders from previous wars held tenaciously (and disastrously) to their pre-drawn plans without taking into consideration the impact and possibilities of new weapons, the possible change in "enemy" strategies and tactics, at the same time they made erroneous assumptions based on untested hypotheses, or scenarios that were at least 100 years old.

It was a frustrating read.  At times I was so outraged by the stupidity of the players that I had to put it down for days at a time.  It was minutely detailed, easy to follow, even for this reader who normally doesn't "do" battle scenes.  In the end though it was a book that could not be abandoned, a book that made me examine my own attitudes about armed conflict and the total insanity of humans killing humans to prove a point.  I plan to read several more books, both fiction and non-fiction, about this conflict and the period surrounding the actual war years.  I doubt I will find one that is better written, or more readable.

I should mention that I was also able to get a copy of the audio version which I found helpful as I read the text.  Nadia May's wonderful abilities to speak in various European accents and to narrate phrases in a variety of languages added much to my enjoyment of this volume. If you can read only one book about this war, this is the one!

Winners! The Things We Cherished by Pam Jelloff

We have winners!!! This World War II story is definitely turning out to be a good read.  I haven't had time to finish it yet, so you'll have to wait for my review, but that's no reason to keep the winner's of our giveaway waiting.  Thanks to Liz at Doubleday, we have two copies to bestow and they are going to

Divya

and

Michelle 

at TheTrue Book Addict 

Congratulations! 

Review: Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand

Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Publisher: Random House, 
Format: Audio, 13 hrs, 56 minutes, 496 pg equivalent
Narrator: Edward Hermann
Year of publication: 2010
Subject: Survival as a POW during WW II
Setting: California, South Pacific, various venues in Japan
Genre: history, biography
Source: public library audio download
Rating: 5 of 5 .  Highly recommended - a must read.


Laura Hillenbrand has given us a hero-- Louis Zamperini--of incredible achievements in this story.  Many of my parent's generation knew of his exploits, but those of us who were born after WWII may not have heard about his life. It was a book I kept passing by at first but can't tell you why.  It was only when I mentioned that I was in the middle of a pile of books all themed around WW II that one of my best friends (one whose reading tastes I trust) said "Oh, you must have read Laura Hillenbrand's book".  I was embarassed to admit that I hadn't, and she assured me that when I got home I had to go search it out.  I realized I was fated to read it when I logged on that night to discover it was available and ready to be checked out on our library's downloadable audio books.

This is an incredible story.  Edward Hermann's narration is spot on, and I literally stayed up late several evenings in a row to finish it.  I've let it sit for a week or so before trying to write this review because it was such a powerful and disturbing book, that I wanted to be sure I had a full appreciation of it. 

Zamperini, son of Italian immigrants, made a name for himself in southern California during the 20's and 30's by being a very fast runner.  Those in the know were convinced that he would be the runner to break the four minute mile barrier.  Louis himself wanted nothing else. His speed earned him not only  a scholarship to USC. and a spot on the 1936 Olympics team.  He finished 8th in the 5000 meter race, but had the fastest finishing lap, an achievement that earned him an invitation to meet Adolf Hitler.  He returned to the states determined to train to make the next Olympics and break world records.  The war intervened.

In September 1941, Louie enlisted in the Army Air Force, got a commission as a 2nd LT, and was subsequently posted to Hawaii to serve as a bombadier.  Flying in a B24, his plane was shot down on a search and rescue mission over the Pacific Ocean.  Louie, the pilot and the engineer were the only survivors of this horrific crash, and spent the next 47 days floating in life rafts, drifting over 2000 miles, subsisting on rain water, raw fish, and ever rawer courage.

When they were finally rescued, their joy was shortlived--their rescuers where Japanese.  Hillenbrand paints the story of their horrific experiences as POWs in a matter-of-fact prose that, along with Hermann's equally matter of fact narration, allowed me to get through the cruelty without feeling that I couldn't handle it.  I normally do not read violence this graphic, but somehow had, by this time in the story, become so intent on knowing how Louie handled his captivity and whether he survived and then got on with his life that I had to keep on.

This is an inspiring and affirming story of incredible humaneness as well as staggering inhumanity and cruelty. Louie's life on his return to the living is as interesting and inspiring as his POW service and his athlete prowess. This is a story that transcends generations, genders and and should appeal to all readers.  It is a 5 star must read.  I'm definitely getting my own copy to keep on hand.  If you're an audio fan, you won't go wrong with that version either.

Review: The Paperbark Shoe by Goldie Goldbloom

Author:  Goldie Goldbloom
Publisher/Format: Picador (2011), Edition: First Edition, Paperback, 384 pages
Characters: Gin and Agrippas Toad; Italian POWs
Setting: Western Australia, World War II
Genre: fiction
Source:  ARC from publisher

Recently published in the US, this debut novel was winner of the 2008 AWP Award for the Novel in Australia (Association of Writers and Writing Programs). Not at all what I expected, this powerful novel tells the story of Gin, an albino woman born in Australia and feared as some sort of witch by all who knew her.  She found solace in the piano, and became a virtuoso player, but through a series of ugly circumstances, found herself incarcerated in an insane asylum.

Enter Toad, a small slightly mishappen man, who collects ladies corsets, but who after hearing her playing, marries her and takes her to his sheep farm in the wilds of Western Australia.  From here the story blossoms as Gin and Toad bond with two Italian POWs (one of whom is a shoemaker) who have been assigned to work on their farm.

This is a beautifully written, yet disturbing love story. At the same time it is a story of poverty, drought, beauty, ugliness, perversion, mother love, and unmet needs both physical and pscychological.  I was mesmerized, chilled, depressed, and gladdened by the story, by the writing, by the setting.  It is a chapter in World War II history that I wasn't too aware of, and I had never considered the discrimination toward albinos that occurred.  It certainly isn't a warm and fuzzy book, but it is one that packs a lot of emotion.

I have left out many details here, because this book needs to be experienced, and its nuances and plot twists discovered along the way.  There is not a huge involved plot--it is simply the story of four people plodding along, trying to stay alive and make it to the end of the war--but the setting and the characters and their interaction to each other and reactions to the setting really drive the story.  It is one that will haunt the reader for a long time.  A compelling and satisfying read.

Thanks again to Picador publishers for making this review copy available.