Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer

This is a novel about a platoon in the south Pacific during World War II.  It is definitely a war novel.  There are a lot of battle scenes depicted and explanations of military protocol as well.  Because it was published during 1948, though, the swearing has been replaced with the alternate word "fug," which I actually prefer.  There are some personal story lines as well, and we learn a bit about the Sergeant and Lieutenant Hearn.  It is sad, not just because war is terrible, but because the men don't seem to care that it is and there is almost no mourning or mercy or even sensitivity shown in the platoon.  It seemed very real to me.

It is an easy read and worth the time, although be prepared to get a realistic, not very positive view of the war.

No comments:

Post a Comment