Tag Archives: Fiction

Book Reviews, Mind

Understanding War Through Fiction

Leave a comment

There are many nonfiction books that bring to life the events of the past, cast real-life villains and heroes as relatable, and provide a human touch to the recitation of historical events. Pushing Horizons will undoubtedly recommend many such books to our readers, as we did last month. However, there are times when Fiction takes a prominent place in the education of a reader. There is great value in a fictionalized version of history, where an artful rendering can transform a daunting mountain of facts into a carefully constructed story symmetrically framed and walled in symbolism. To my students, perpetually busy with the demands of academic life, I offered the following novels as a break from their normal scholarly consumption – with the hidden benefit of continuing their education.

The Centurions and The Praetorians by Jean Larteguy

“Well, we’ve become adult without the help of our traditional leaders; we have fought wars in which they took no part and undertaken journeys on which they were unwilling to accompany us.”

Few novels make it into the required reading lists of military professionals. Once An Eagle by Anton Myrer has been hailed for decades as an instructive tome for prospective second lieutenants – helping cement the image of the mature, experienced, and savvy prior-enlisted platoon leader at the expense of the Academy-bred lieutenant. However, well-worn, annotated copies of another set of novels was being quietly passed within the military profession. After the US military’s traumatic experience and exit from Vietnam the institution of arms, along with the country, was willing and eager to jettison the memory of guerrilla warfare in favor of conventional, large-tank formation, anti-Soviet army doctrine. However, the novels of Jean Lartéguy bring guerrilla warfare to life by putting skin and flesh to the historical skeleton of France’s painful exit from their Algerian province – providing historical parallel to America’s war in Vietnam. The wars in Algeria were fought with a ferocity and intensity that forever scarred the French psyche. Lartéguy, a veteran of the Free French Forces during World War II, before he turned to journalism, gave an ugly and personal fictionalized narrative of the very real tension and contradiction of France’s opposition to the Algerian War of Independence. 

 

Lartéguy’s main characters evolve from the experiences and internment after the defeat of Dien Bien Phu in French Indochina to the savage war in Algeria. Having been asked to maintain the integrity of France, with which Algeria was an integral part, the officers of the fictional 10th Parachute Regiment resort to torture and extrajudicial murder to defeat the National Liberation Front’s fighters in Algiers and the elsewhere. Each of Lartéguy’s officers must grapple with the emotions and implications of a conflict that pitted the idea of France against the rights of her subjects. In Algeria, European and Muslim neighbors were thrust into murderous competition as the availability of a moderate central path to a peaceful resolution disappeared under revolutionary violence.   

 The “enemies” of France were the very people that had come to believe that their independence was guaranteed French liberte. Every action taken in Algeria was taken at the behest of a series of French governments that refused to accept its shrinking empire – even as Vietnam, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria all agitated to separate themselves. I recommend The Centurions, and its sequel The Praetorians, as a way to understand that the military exists in a world of messy, often short-sighted politics where leaders with power sometimes lack the vision, and those with vision lack the influence. Armies don’t go to war alone. Their societies go with them. This novel allows the reader to compare their contemporary environment with France in the mid-Twentieth Century – a modern, republican democracy with nuclear weapons and a worldwide military presence.

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

“Hey, brother, we in a real nightmare,” Jackson finally said. “You just trust in Jesus,” Cortell said. They both knew these might be the last words they would exchange. “But keep you fuckin’ rifle out of the mud, too.” They touched hands again and Jackson turned to follow Mellas down the line.

Probably one of the better, if not the best, war novels that unflinchingly provides a realistic and emotional perspective on camaraderie, tension, and trauma of the bonds made and severed in combat. I would recommend this to any level of leader, as the Marlantes gracefully shifts from the platoon commanders’ and battalion commander’s perspective to show the rational and consequences of the brutal calculations of military benefit and human cost. It’s an immersive read, which reflects the high quality of the writing.

Karl Marlantes is a Vietnam veteran, and he makes an appearance in Ken Burn’s “The Vietnam War” documentary – which I also highly recommend. The documentary’s film footage and testimonials of the Vietnam War mirrors the fictionalized experience in Matterhorn. I don’t think Marlantes pulled any punches in his story as his words smack of real pain, real frustration, and real hopelessness he probably experienced first-hand. 

“Within an hour Cassidy had joined Hawke at the LZ and every replacement was laden with machine-gun ammunition and water to the point where he could barely move. Hawke or Cassidy would walk up to each one and have him jump up and down. If the kid looked too lively they’d throw another belt of ammo across his shoulders until his knees were just short of buckling. Then Cassidy left and they were all sitting in the mud again, covered with ammunition and canteens. “Don’t fucking worry,” Hawke joked with them. He began to speak in a sonorous monotone. “Come unto me all you who are burdened and heavy laden.” Smiles appeared. He quickly turned on them. “But I ain’t giving you fucking sinners any rest.” He turned to one of the replacements who had cracked a smile. “You think I’m fucking Jesus or something? Do I look like Jesus to you?””

I have already recommended this book to several young lieutenants to help them imagine the complexity of serving and leading in war.

The Young Lions by Irwin Shaw

“I’d change with you, Old Man, Michael thought. The days you’ve lived through. The best days of America. The optimistic days, the short wars, the little killing, the bracing, invigorating, early-century weather  . . . You married and sat down to dinner with many children in the same house for twenty uninterrupted years, and only foreigners fought in the wars then. Don’t envy me, Old Man, don’t envy me. What good fortune, what a gift to be seventy and nearly dead in 1942!”

Although entirely set during World War II era, this novel barely focuses on the combat aspects of the century’s greatest conflict. In fact, the main characters aren’t the stereotypical hero that finds themselves in extraordinary circumstances unlocking their greater, more courageous versions of themselves at the moment of crisis. Rather, the characters’ involvement in the war is so normal it allows the reader to concentrate on the emotional transformation their army experience thrusts upon them. The impacts on their worldview and personal relationships at home and within the service are relatable to today’s veteran. Written in 1948, this novel had an immediate impact on the popular understanding of World War II. 

Although Shaw’s narrative covers a lot of ground, from the 1930s to 1945, the progression doesn’t feel rushed or unnatural. In fact, it helps that he avoids the major battles of the war, using the interludes to prod the characters into different emotional conflicts and self-realizations. In the end, it’s a tragic human story played alongside one of the greatest of humanity’s calamities.

To make my list of recommendations, I would draw your attention to the way fiction, just like other forms of art, can impress upon the reader an emotional connection to the topic. There are passages within The Young Lions that are more valuable to someone willing to learn about war. Non-fiction works aren’t able to fully capture the emotion of love and loss, there are few moving sermons quoted in the history books, and the symbolism of a well-crafted story can resonate across a generation. From Irwin Shaw comes these powerful and consistently applicable warnings about the savagery of war:

“The enemy is more savage than a tiger, hungrier than the shark, crueler than the wolf; in honor and in defense of our modest way of life, we stand up to him and combat him, but in doing so we out-tiger him, out-shark the shark, over-wolf the wolf. Will we at the end of all this then pretend to ourselves that the victory is ours? The thing we defend perishes from our victory as it would never perish from our defeat. . . Kill, if you must, because in our weakness and in our error, we have found no other road to peace, but kill remorsefully, kill with a sense of sorrow, kill with economy for the immortal souls who leave this life in battle, carry mercy in your cartridge cases, forgiveness in your knapsacks, kill without revenge, because vengeance is not yours but the Lord’s, kill, knowing that each life you spend makes your life that much the poorer.”

Andrew Zapf is a co-founder of Pushing Horizons.

Disclaimer: All views expressed are that of the author. 

Book Reviews, Mind

Alternative Histories

Leave a comment

As a general rule, I don’t like alternative histories. There are too many assumptions, too much weight given to single events or actors, and not enough agency given to others. In an era of superhero movies and magicians schools I am unable to suspend disbelief for most alternative histories. But . . . . there are exceptions to every rule and I have found two novels that pull at me in ways that provoke strong empathy and reflection. The first is a novel about the Second World War, or rather the abrupt conclusion of World War II. The second is a novel from the Cold War that tips the razors edge toward conflict. 

SS-GB by Len Deighton

Anyone who knows me knows that Len Deighton can do no wrong with me. His books are well crafted, perfectly paced, and contain just enough surprise to keep the tension without going into excess. His Bernard Samson series (see My Father’s Library) holds a special place in my heart. I have eagerly consumed Deighton’s nonfiction works. However, in 1978 Len Deighton wrote SS-GB, a novel of the Nazi occupation of Great Britain and an armistice that kept America from mobilizing to invade the continents of Europe and Africa – which is still fighting in the Pacific theater. The novel is centered around a murder in London, but it is the subtle description of the circumstances of Great Britain’s fall to the Nazi war machine that really drew me in. In this book, Germany never invaded the Soviet Union, France fell but Charles de Gualle is lost to history, the Nazi landings at Dover inspire the same awe as the Normandy invasion do in reality, and the occupation of London mirrors what we know to be true about the occupation of Paris. In short, Deighton’s alternate reality is a hair too close to reality for comfort – which adds to the suspense of a well-crafted spy/crime story. Coupled with the usual wit of his protagonist, the book is a fast page turner.

It was also made into a BBC series recently, but read first.

Red Army by Ralph Peters

This novel is one of the first novels I have ever read as a teenager and one I returned to numerous times to challenge my assumptions about the world. It seems like ages ago, but during my childhood, the Soviet Army’s ability to overrun Western Europe was a real threat. Although I watched the Berlin Wall crumble and the Soviet Union collapse I always wondered what phantom powers resided in the huge army divisions of the Soviet Army. Russia’s greatest legacy in warfighting is its willingness to throw massive amounts of men into battle, whatever the casualties, to overwhelm and defeat the enemy. 

Red Army is a story told from the Soviet point of view as its soldiers, officers, and pilots wage war on Western Europe. The frightening implications of the Cold War turning hot are laid evident as the mightiness of NATO is overcome by the numbers the Russian people have always brought to the battlefield. Sometimes what we fear most is justified.

You could argue that I’ve avoided this genre, but the fact is I’ve found so much rich material from nonfiction to slake my thirst. These two novels take place in what became two of the largest conflicts to grip the planet in the Twentieth Century, and the authors’ ability to research and imagine a world near enough to the reality we enjoy puts these two novels in a category more specific than merely “fiction” – but as warnings of what might have been.

Andrew Zapf is a co-founder of Pushing Horizons.

Disclaimer: All views expressed are that of the author. 

Book Reviews, Mind

My Father’s Library

2 Comments

My father’s library has always been a magical place for me. As a kid, I was amazed at his ability to answer my endless questions, fix my broken toys, and tell stories of people long since dead and buried. Where did he come by this knowledge? Now I see his library for what it is, a whole life experiences and knowledge that has collected in a single room of the house. There a etchings he bought while a student in in Vienna, artifacts from his days in the military, treasures from auctions he attended in rural Pennsylvania, and endless rows of books that reflect his varied interests. Behind each book was a world of information, mythology, history, or key just waiting to be bestowed on the next one to open it. As a child and as an adult, the pull of his library would shape my views on education, learning, and what it means to be a man.

I have come to appreciate my father’s library as a window into his life and times. There are books on the American Civil War, Cold War politics, and many books from his days writing his Master’s thesis on the ethnic and religious heterogeneity of the Yugolsav Republic – which would be extremely relevant after the fall of the Communism in Europe. He is a man that surrounded himself with the heroes of the ages, great speeches, monumental events, and fantastic tales of intrigue, bravery, and treachery. From his library I have read many books. Some I’ve borrowed for an evening, some I have borrowed for years, and some have merged into my own library. Below is a selection that just might intrigue you:

Berlin Game By Len Deighton

Len Deighton novels have always been on the top shelf of my father’s library while I was a child. As an adult he told me he kept them out of reach, and out of sight of his potentially grabby and destructive sons because the Bernard Samson novels were his favorite.

When I did get around to pulling this from my father’s shelf I found some of the best writing I’ve read in years. Deighton’s characters are developed and believable without superfluous descriptions. His plots are intricate and realistic without relying on extravagance. And, most importantly to me, I feel the tone of the conversation, the tension in the room, and uncertainty of the characters commitments.

Some examples of his subtle romanticism and humor:

“Did you ever say hello to a girl you almost married long ago? Did she smile the same captivating smile, and give your arm a hug in a gesture you’d almost forgotten? Did the wrinkles as she smiled make you wonder what marvelous times you’d missed? That’s how I felt about Berlin every time I came back here.”

“Before pouring the wine, Silas lectured us about it, Chateau Palmer 1961, he said, was the finest claret he’d ever tasted, the finest perhaps of this century. He still hovered, looking at the wine in the antique decanter as if now wondering whether it would be wasted on the present company.”

“He liked skiing, golfing and sailing, and generally having a good time. Frank Harrington was waiting for retirement, something for which he’d been strenuously practicing all his life.”

“”For a month I couldn’t get her out of my mind. She occupied my every thought. I got no work done.’
“When was that?’ Dicky getting no work done was not enough to give me a reference to the date.”

It also gave me a window into how my dad was as a young man. To read books he thought were humorous, well written, and spoke to his own sense of adventure.

Out of This Furnace By Thomas Bell

This was the book my father gave to me as a teenager when he wanted me to know about my family history. As a child I heard stories of relatives I would never meet from the old country, so old that they no longer existed on the map. Although a fictional depiction of Slovak immigrants to the United States, the writing of Thomas Bell and the struggle of his characters resonated so strongly in my life that I still think about this book. It’s the story of a family, but also the story of an Old Europe and a New World.

The immigrants’ story is never a simple one. Packed with obstacles, language barriers, naivety, repeated disappointments, and hardship the immigrants gradually carved out a place in America through ambition, encouragement, and the belief in small successes. Bell’s character make such a journey as succeeding generations stand on the shoulders of their fore-bearers. This story inspired my father to know our own history better, it also motivated him in his own life – that a seemingly minor success in his own life could provide the opening for his sons or grandchildren to step through into greater prosperity and security.

The writing is eloquent and captures the uncertainty of those living in an precarious world. It held my attention and continues to hold my imagination. If anything, it can help each of us view our own stories while looking back across the wave tops of generations.

With Snow On Their Boots By Jamie H. Cockfield

My father was a student of history, which made him a student of war, struggle, and violence. The milestones of human achievement are often marked with the beginning or endings of war. As my interest in military service grew and developed from adolescence into adulthood, my father had one key and all-encompassing lesson. He strove to de-glorify war, to shine a light onto the darker aspects, and remind me that all wars destroy, disrupt lives, and kill the innocent. Jamie Cockfield’s telling of the Imperial Russian soldiers on World War I’s Western Front was part of my education.

It’s a nonfiction work, so you can imagine the arc as World War I progresses. However, the joy and horror of the book comes from the reader placing themselves in the shoes of the Russian soldiers, far from home, facing the horrors of the trenches, and learning of the fall of the Russian Empire. World War I saw the collapse of three empires and political and social movements that would churn into the storm of World War II.

This book sticks with me because it encapsulates the lessons of my father. The stories of those Russian soldiers did not end cleanly. They did’t go home to a reception of flowers and praise. They fought amongst themselves, were betrayed, forgotten, and had to forge new lives out of the clay of uncertainty. Some didn’t survive and oftentimes their individual stories had grisly and unfortunate endings. This was war and what war brought to mankind. My father never wanted me to forget that rippling effects of conflict touch places we could never conceive beforehand.

In Cockfield’s own words: “Home before the leaves fall’ the soldiers all shouted to their families in August 1914 as they marched toward an enemy who felt the same way. Both sides prayed to the same god for victory, with the equal assurance that that god was on their side. Like helpless actors in a play the script of which they seemed to have no role in writing, the leaders of the nations in 1914 helplessly played their parts as hourly Europe lurched toward war until all the major countries on the continent were sucked into a gigantic maelstrom that lasted for a horrendous 1,561 days, toppled four monarchies, destroyed a centuries-old social structure, decimated thousands of towns and villages, and left a number of dead that God alone could count. As for the misery the war caused, it cannot begin to be calculated. The dead can be buried and forgotten and the villages rebuilt, but for the survivors the mental scars could not be erased except by death.” 

Andrew Zapf is a co-founder of Pushing Horizons.
Disclaimer: All views expressed are that of the author.