Tag Archives: Len Deighton

Book Reviews, Mind

What We’re Reading This Month – August 2020

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This past month has been a busy one. As society emerges from months of isolation the demands of stir-crazy families, a modern economy, and extended work hours in our day jobs has drastically cut down on the available reading time. I’ve turned to a few audiobooks during my commute to feed my appetite, but have still managed to read a few pages each night from a trusty hardbound, real-life book. This month’s reading selection features a mix of what was on-hand and what was easy to consume in these days.


The centerpiece for my reading this month has been The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson. Since last autumn I have been eagerly awaiting its release. There are few authors I’ve bothered to set up a Google Alert for, and he is one of them. For Father’s Day this year my wife purchased it for me and which fit neatly into the mental space I’ve made for the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

“And so, with family turmoil, civic trauma, and Hitler’s deputy falling from the sky, the first year of Churchill’s leadership came to an end. Against all odds, Britain stood firm, its citizens more emboldened than cowed. Somehow, through it all, Churchill had managed to teach them the art of being fearless.”

In true Larson style, he weaves the historical narrative of the Battle of Britain, which began this month in 1940, with that of the human experiences of Winston Churchill, his family and closest associates in his first year as prime minister. Historical figures, especially the giants like Churchill, can be so famous that we view them as a two-dimensional version of themselves. Larson’s true skill is drawing out primary sources – letters, diaries, speeches, etc. – from the unlikely corners of history to inflate these 2D oversimplifications into three-dimensional, flesh and blood people with human foibles, emotions, and insecurities when the outcome of monumental events were uncertain. 

Furthermore, Larson reveals a wartime England that still clung to the normalities of life. Air raid sirens, shelter wardens, and rubble have been well-captured by history, but it was also a time when night clubs stayed open, debutantes were still presented to society, and the love-struck sought flowers and chocolate to express their affections. Probably the most memorable chapter for me describes the night of Queen Charlotte’s dance of 8 March 1941 and the death of jazz band leader Kenrick “Snackhips” Johnson as bombs rained down on central London and exploded into packed hotels, night clubs, and shopping districts. 

The Splendid and the Vile showed that Londoners didn’t simply turtle into a year-long shell only to emerge when the Nazi’s turned their military attention to invading the Soviet Union in May of 1941 True, many nights were spent sleeplessly awaiting the Luftwaffe, fighting fires, and digging the wounded and the dead from the rubble. But other nights were spent with lovers, dancing in clubs, courtship, and adultery. Churchill’s family enjoyed the privileges of the privileged society and spent weekends in the country in comfortable homes and exceeding their ration coupons. It was an exciting time to be alive for the English and the prospect of nightly death sharpened their appreciation for life. Larson magnificently portrays how life went on in England through the stories of Churchill’s daughter, Mary Churchull, and private secretary, John Colville who had their own stories of love and disappointment.

WIth this book I have renewed appreciation for Larson’s writing and added respect for the English spirit as they persevered with living and fighting when the second world war seemed the most hopeless and bleak.

Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain by Len Deighton

“The Luftwaffe, hitherto a tactical supplement to the blitzkrieg, a force that had taken orders from the army, was about to take upon itself a strategic role. Moreover, it was asked to create a strategy, and then to translate that strategy into day-to-day tactical objectives for its bombers and fighters. The experience of its staff officers was not equal to this task.”

It’s been in my head for months to learn about the Battle of Britain while living in England. 2020 marks the 80th anniversary of the start of the battle and there are several events across the country to mark England’s success in defeating the Luftwaffe’s attempts to crush the Royal Air Force and England’s fighting spirit. I’ve sung the praises of Len Deighton for years. He’s one of my father’s favorite authors and his Cold War spy thrillers are some of the most enjoyable reads I have in the past five years. He’s also had success writing alternative histories – which have been converted into a television series. Deighton has also written some histories, and with his storyteller’s pen, has done an excellent job of making them readable and digestible

While he tells a remarkable narrative, Deighton does analyze the Battle of Britain beyond the mythical heroic Royal Air Force pilots and their advanced Spitfire and rugged Hurricane fighter aircraft. He delves into British aircraft production, the Luftwaffe staff shortcomings, German short sightedness. Probably the greatest feat Deighton reveals is the immense difficulty and achievement in the logistical balancing needed to build, employ, and maintain the Royal Air Force Fighter Command at a time when wooden-framed, cloth-covered aircraft were still in the British inventory. It’s a quick read and the way he organized his sections I was able to read a little at a time without having to commit to a full study of the battle.

The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan

“I struggle for your rights despite my fears. But your rights have to be balanced against our needs for survival. That is why you cannot be satisfied. For you, every viable solution will always be lacking in justice. In a peace plan, everybody will have to do with less than they deserve.”

In a departure from the Battle of Britain theme, I downloaded the audiobook of The Lemon Tree for my commute into work. In a vary Erik Larons-esque style, Tolan weaves the long history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the story of a single home built by an Arab family and later occupied by an Jewish family. The home, and the lemon tree that was planted in the garden, become the focal point for all of the contradictions, injustices, and mutual hope that characterizes the evolving conflict. It’s a story looking backwards, not a solution looking forward, but it’s greatest feature is the empathy a reader can gain for both sides. 

I listened to this as an audiobook and hearing the stories orally added an additional layer of hurt to the injustice.

The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene

“The prudent man might seem cold, his rationality sucking pleasure out of life. Not so. Like the pleasure-loving gods on Mount Olympus, he has the perspective, the calm detachment, the ability to laugh, that comes with true vision, which gives everything he does a quality of lightness – these traits comprising what Nietzsche calls the ‘Apollonian ideal.” . . . Odysseus loved adventure; no one was better at the experience of pleasure. He was simply more reasonable, more balanced, less vulnerable to his own emotions and moods, and he left less tragedy and turmoil in his wake. . .  . In a world where people are increasingly incapable of thinking consequentially, more animal than ever, the practice of grand strategy will instantly elevate you above others.”

Finally, the end of my COVID-induced physical separation and work absence has given way to a rushing return to the office. A backlog of emails, papers, and activities to coordinate has eaten into the reading time I previously enjoyed. I turned to Robert Greene for a daily dose of professionally thought-provoking material. Having finished The 48 Laws of Power a few months prior I decided to pick up another of his works, this time The 33 Strategies of War. Each “law” is packaged into a chapter of historical case studies, analysis, related parables, and cautionary counter-examples. In short, Greene gives a readers’ digest of political-military content for the busy and the rushed. I tend to read a few pages each morning over coffee, allowing my brain to engage with the material as the caffeine stimulates my central nervous system.

Geared toward the non-military professional, The 33 Strategies of War employs lessons of past conflict for common usage. There may be some disappointment for those that view their industry as cutt-throat and hope to find practical advice on wielding the knife. It’s not prescriptive for action, but encourages the reader to think with a clear vision. 

Don’t expect to become a new Napoleon after reading this work, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself with a more ruthless inner monologue in your daily interactions.

Andrew Zapf is a co-founder of Pushing Horizons.

Disclaimer: All views expressed are that of the author. As an REI Associate, Pushing Horizons earns from qualifying purchases.

Book Reviews, Mind

Alternative Histories

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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

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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.