SONG OF THE YOUNG SENTRY

by David Westheimer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 16, 1968

In 1942 an American bomber is shot down in the Mediterranean and its survivors are captured by the Italians. ""For you, the war is over,"" they are told, but for Lang and Moran, who remain together until the Allied liberation, the war has, instead, assumed another dimension. To survive and overcome the deprivation, the anxiety, the monotony, the acute yearnings, is a test of their perseverance, ingenuity, and for Lang, of character. As they are moved from camp to camp, from the Italian command to the German, Lang develops from a callow, self-centered crybaby into a resourceful and reliable leader. In his case, however, it is both an advantage and a fault that he accepts his circumstances too easily though this is not a point which the author labors. Facile and tidy, more believable than Westheimer's Von Ryan's Express, the male audience should be assured. The title is from Lili Marlene, which is an indication of the novel's emotional pitch.

Pub Date: Sept. 16, 1968

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1968

Categories: FICTION