A tightly focused, graphic illustration of the many ways that war is hell.
An anecdotal overview of the day-to-day rigors of war as experienced by the common soldier in World War II.
Roberts, a professor of history at the University of Wisconsin, pulls together brutal accounts from soldiers who participated in the “three campaigns [that] left high-water marks for infantry misery: the 1943-44 winter campaign in the Italian mountains, the summer 1944 battles in Normandy, and the 1944-45 winter battles in northwest Europe.” As the author shows with vivid detail, their trials went far beyond exposure to enemy action. The battlefield’s assaults on the senses were unrelenting. Frontline troops faced awful weather, notably during the winter of 1944-45, with only sporadic opportunities to warm up and dry off. In some units, trench foot, caused by chronically cold, wet feet, put as many soldiers out of action as enemy fire, and some lost their feet to frostbite or gangrene. American soldiers’ boots, in particular, were notoriously leaky and ill-fitting. In the chapter entitled “The Dirty Body,” Roberts shows how soldiers were aptly portrayed by Bill Mauldin’s GI cartoon characters Willie and Joe, who deeply annoyed the buttoned-up, spit-and-polish sensibilities of Gen. George Patton. Dirt was antithetical to discipline, Patton thought, but Willie and Joe became heroes to rank-and-file soldiers; a too-clean uniform became a marker of noncombat troops. Because officials were also anxious to keep the dead and wounded out of sight as much as possible, the Graves Registration Service arrived on battlefields shortly after the smoke had cleared to bury the bodies promptly. Photos of the dead rarely appeared back home other than for the purpose of drumming up sympathy and/or anger to help fundraising efforts. Roberts uses her sources to powerful effect, and the illustrations and photos, while sometimes disturbing, add to the narrative impact.
A tightly focused, graphic illustration of the many ways that war is hell.Pub Date: April 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-226-75314-0
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Univ. of Chicago
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
HISTORY | HISTORICAL & MILITARY | MODERN | MILITARY | UNITED STATES | WORLD
Take a fascinating flight into human history on the wings of 10 important bird species.
An exploration of the deep and complex relationship between birds and human beings.
Moss, a British nature writer, broadcaster, and environmentalist who has written more than 40 books and field guides, is an ideal guide to this in-depth look at 10 consequential species and the threats to their continued survival. Spoiler alert: The world-changing birds are the raven, pigeon, wild turkey, dodo, Darwin's finch, guanay cormorant, snowy egret, bald eagle, tree sparrow, and emperor penguin. The contributions of some of these birds are immediately apparent—e.g., carrier pigeons could bring messages from the front lines of battles and wars, changing the course of the conflicts. The historical roles of other birds are more obscure. The snowy egret, prized for its long, feathery aigrettes, was driven to the brink of extinction by the plumage trade, but this led to the first bird protection laws. Moss is good at sorting out the myths from the realities of these birds' places in history. Darwin's finches, for example, were not actually the inspiration for his theory of evolution by natural selection but are still one of the best demonstrations of its veracity. The author also takes note of the prominent places these birds hold in mythology and literature, such as Poe's "The Raven,” but his larger theme is the threat of extinction that hovers over so many species today. As such, the centerpiece of his avian collection is the dodo, which has transitioned from a real bird to “the global icon of extinction." Its disappearance 300 years ago first suggested to the Western mind that a species could go extinct. The author’s thorough and well-argued book brings urgent attention to all the species that now face oblivion due to the global climate crisis. Heidaripour's illustrations complement the engaging, sobering analysis.
Take a fascinating flight into human history on the wings of 10 important bird species.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781541604469
Page Count: 416
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
As Wonder Woman might say, Suffering Sappho! This book is fascinating, fun, and consistently enlightening.
From Penelope and Pandora to Katniss Everdeen and Lisbeth Salander, the "hero's journey" gets a much-needed makeover.
In her latest, Tatar—the Harvard professor of folklore and mythology and Germanic languages and literature who has annotated collections of classic fairy tales, Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, among others—begins by pointing out that all of the faces of heroism discussed in Joseph Campbell's influential book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949), are male. To correct this requires a revision of the concept of heroism itself, rooted in numerous foundational texts. Starting with Greek mythology and Scheherezade and moving through the centuries all the way to the Game of Thrones series and The Queen's Gambit, Tatar incisively explores women's reinvention of heroism to embrace empathy, compassion, and care, often to pursue social justice. Among the many high points in this engaging study: an analysis of Little Women and Anne of Green Gables as autofiction, Jurassic Park as a reimagining of “Hansel and Gretel,” Harriet the Spy as an antiheroine, and a deep dive into the backstory of Wonder Woman. Receiving their own chapters are female sleuths such as Nancy Drew, Miss Marple, and the less well known characters of Kate Fansler, an academic, and Blanche White, who is Black. The book really takes off when it gets to contemporary culture, particularly in a section that identifies a female version of the "trickster" archetype in Everdeen and Salander. Of this lineage, among the shared interesting traits not traditionally associated with women characters is a prodigious appetite. "Like Gretel, Pippi Longstocking, and Lisbeth Salander before her,” writes Tatar, “Katniss gorges on rich food yet her hunger never ceases." The text is illustrated with many reproductions of paintings and other artwork—including a postcardworthy panel from the original Wonder Woman—that add much to the text.
As Wonder Woman might say, Suffering Sappho! This book is fascinating, fun, and consistently enlightening.Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63149-881-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Liveright/Norton
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
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