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Trial in the Desert
Courtesy Broadway
by E.B. Ray
August 5, 2009
The year is 1942. The United States has just entered World War II, but England still stands almost alone against the Axis powers. Germany's Afrika Korps and their Italian allies, led by legendary Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, have driven the British army back into Egypt. If Egypt falls, the British will lose the Middle East and its oil fields. That would force the Soviet Union to make peace with Germany. The Nazis can still win the war.
The British formulate an audacious plan: to send the Long Range Desert Group, a special-forces unit that conducts raids and reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines, to find and kill Rommel.
"Killing Rommel" (Broadway, 2008, $16), which was released in paperback last month, is historical fiction, but much of the story is true. In many ways, "Killing Rommel" is the perfect summer read. Author Steven Pressfield's writing elevates the book far above most of today's popular fiction. It's a ripping adventure story, told in a compact 285 pages. It is also a thoughtful and moving meditation on the morality of war.
Lt. R. Laurence Chapman is the narrator who volunteers for the LRDG. Chapman is drawn to the group because he believes it offers a chance for an individual to make a difference, adding, "… there was something far deeper to my desire to serve with this group of men. It had to do with the desert, the inner desert. I wanted to go there. … I knew only that I needed to place myself past where others had been, beyond where I had been myself."
What Chapman finds in the desert is a crucible where men and machines are tested to the limits of their endurance and beyond. And he finds that in war, it's kill or be killed. But then a solider has to find a way to live with what he's done.
posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/05/09 at 01:28 PM. [printer version] Share |
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Feb 10, 2012 | 02:12 PMHolland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
DonnaLadd: Thanks, Maddow, for the credit and the link love for this post: on.msnbc.com/yflZ4j
Feb 09, 2012 | 09:50 PM
Biz Roundup: Welcoming New Businesses to Town
redlion: Interesting story. I actually patronized one of Scott's stores during a recent six week stay in the DC area. Still have a re-useable shopping bag from there. Had ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 04:55 PM
[Outlaw] A More Perfect Union
thabian: Loved this column not only for the very important subject matter, but because it contained a truly entertaining voice. I wanted to read more!!!!
Feb 09, 2012 | 04:35 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
DonnaLadd: Let's not forget when Rep. Holland tried to ban abortion back in 2006. Many of us weren't laughing about that stunt. Here's a 2010 report on him and a ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 04:15 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
Jason Meeks: brief mention of it in video :) by Colbert (via Twitter trending) http://tpmmuckraker. talkingpointsmemo.com/201 2/02/mississippi_rep_want ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 04:01 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
DonnaLadd: Oh, and I love it when Mississippi punks the nation.
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:57 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
DonnaLadd: I'm surprised anyone took it seriously. We heard about it earlier the week, and it seemed obvious before it was Holland. But we all deal with him. I'll ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:40 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
Lori G: I thought it was genius when I saw it. Of course, I knew the Colbert joke. I think that is the problem. In this state, there just aren't enough people that ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:20 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
DonnaLadd: I can totally see Holland on Colbert, both pretending to be conservatives! Ha!
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:16 PM
Fight the Power
rlnave: Attorney General Jim Hood was worried for nothing. Even though he was at the Supreme Court making arguments in the ongoing pardon case this morning, I'm hearing that Jackson Democratic Rep. ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:16 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
Lori G: This is an old Colbert joke! I wish someone would send this to Colbert. I swear, I think he'd cover it.
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:02 PM
[Editor's Note] Aloha, Jackson
DonnaLadd: By the way, I looked up an image of the patch our captain friend gave us. Apparently, he is with the 25th Infantry Division; read more here.
Feb 09, 2012 | 01:23 PM
Biz Roundup: Welcoming New Businesses to Town
DonnaLadd: Case in point from the Christian Science Monitor: Whole Foods Killing off Small Natural Food Stores: After years of delivering organic produce to health-food ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 01:19 PM
Biz Roundup: Welcoming New Businesses to Town
DonnaLadd: This is a mixed blessing. They sell cool stuff, but they could shut McDade's and Rainbow down if we're not all careful about where we spend all our food money. ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 01:08 PM
[Outlaw] A More Perfect Union
DonnaLadd: Amazing column.
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