Nov 15, 2003 06:00 PM
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(Updated Nov 15, 2003 06:00 PM)
I think War novels are the best novels ever written, because most of the time, the authors themselves have seen action. In a way, it’s a sort of “real” fiction. You will find in most of these novels, a stark depiction of humanity. You will find friendship as never before, love and hate, men overcoming their differences under fire and the ultimate realization that they really don’t hate the enemy – they just want to go home. So here it is, my list of definitive war novels. If you come across any of them, BUY THEM!
- Battle Cry – Leon Uris
Leon Uris died this year, and the world lost a great author. He is most remembered for his Arab-Israeli novel – Exodus. But Uris first entered the fray when he wrote his first novel – Battle Cry. It is when you turn the pages of this book that you come across a talent that is budding, a talent in its first youthful, raw element. Every character from the all-American, Danny to the anti-Semitic Texan, Speedy to the whore-chaser, Spanish Joe, they are all here. Every character is real, except for the one ultimate character Max Shapiro. The book is set in WWII, the Pacific Conquest, in the aftermath of Pearl Harbour. It is a gripping account of a bunch of boys who went into battle and gave their lives for their country. UNPUTDOWNABLE!
- Tales Of The South Pacific – James Michener
This is a WWII book that is in a class apart by itself. Michener himself was a sort of amateur historian, so the book is well crafted. Ever wonder about the other side of war? Is war all about fighting? Aren’t there some places where the action never ever reaches? This book is about those people, behind the scenes, from the Englishman planter acting as a spy behind enemy lines, to the French Madam who kept a brothel to entertain the officers, to the legendary pilot, Bus Adams who rubs the top brass the wrong way to the perfect officer who was an affair with an Army nurse. It’s all in here, every chapter a story in itself. Read it, and I guarantee you, you’ll love it!
- The Naked And The Dead – Norman Mailer
This is a classy WWII book. About personal wars and how they affect the common soldier, how they become pawns in the hands of larger players. Stark and gripping, crafted by a master author, some passages will literally shock you. You want to know about war and the hellishness of human nature – you’ll get it when you read this book! Not a run-of-the-mill war novel!
- All Quiet On The Western Front – Eric Maria Remarque
This is an all time classic book. A WWI story of the Germans fighting the English, told from the perspective of a young German, it is surprisingly frank and will tug your heartstrings. All of us are human, even the enemy!
The Red Badge Of Courage – Stephen Crane
From Here To Eternity – James Jones
These books WILL change your life!
These are what I call novels! Not trashy paperbacks by Sidney Sheldon or Mary Higgins Clark!
