the english patient bloomsbury modern classics

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest HemmingwayĪrguably best known for her feminist retelling of the Trojan War, The Silence of the Girls, Pat Barker also penned an illuminating trilogy of books about World War 1: the Regeneration trilogy. Essential reading as books on World War 1 go. As a teacher, I taught this book multiple times and always enjoyed revisiting the world and lives of Tommo and Charlie.Ĭhildren’s book or not, Private Peaceful is one of the best war books I’ve ever read, and it has a very important message concerning the toll that war takes on the human mind. Private Peaceful is a children’s novel, but one that adults will get as much out of. This is a story of brotherhood and the ties that bind. When the war begins, Tommo (our narrator) is too young to enlist, but he follows his big brother’s lead and they make it to France. Tommo and Charlie Peaceful are teenagers. Telling the story of two brothers, from the perspective of the youngest, Private Peaceful moves from the tranquil English countryside to the trenches of World War 1 and back again.

Private Peaceful is easily one of his strongest novels. Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgoīritish children’s author Michael Morpurgo is famous for writing books about war and books about animals (or, in the case of War Horse, both). While you do need a steeled mind and a strong stomach to read it, At Night All Blood is Black is undeniably one of the greatest books about World War 1 ever written. It explores the toxic side of male camaraderie and how racism continues to live and thrive even while staring death in the face. It’s a visceral story that takes its toll on the reader. Like most of the best books on World War 1, At Night All Blood is Black is not an easy read. It’s a story of binaries: the in-group and out-group us vs. When the novella opens, Alfa is cradling the dying body of his friend Mademba, whose body has been torn open.įrom here, At Night All Blood is Black uses the backdrop of trench warfare to explore the relevant themes of racism, humanity, and masculinity. Winner of the International Booker Prize 2021, At Night All Blood is Black is a heartrending novella by Senegalese-French author David Diop.Īt Night All Blood is Black tells the story of Alfa, a Senegalese man in the French trenches of the Great War. Translated from the French by Anna Moschovakis At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop We’ve included both novels and poetry collections here, because some of the best poetry ever written was penned by soldiers in the trenches of World War 1. Here is a selection of some of the best books on World War 1. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje.The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer.All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel.All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway.

At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop.

The english patient bloomsbury modern classics