13 Apr Ordinary Heroes
Ordinary Heroes, WWII book by Scott Turow
I listened to Ordinary Heroes as an audio book while driving back and forth to Columbia, SC, where my father, a World War II veteran and subject of the book I am writing, lives. So when I learned that this book is about a son’s quest for the truth about his father’s World War II experiences, I was immediately hooked.
The retired newspaper reporter son who narrates the story has found some letters sent to his now deceased father during the war from his then fiancée, a woman that the son has never heard of. The “fiancée” mentions his Dad’s court-martial! Of course, even though he was a lawyer, his father never spoke of any of this.
The son sets off on a mission to uncover the past. Along the way we meet an adventurous OSS agent and members of the resistance underground as well as military lawyers and infantrymen. A segment of the book takes place during the gruesome battlefields around Bastogne.
I enjoyed listening to this book very much. At the end the author speaks about his experiences writing this novel and how important the process was in getting to know his own father better, a World War II medic who ran the battlefield hospital described in his book.
No Comments