Youth and War

[genoveva]

I would like some suggestions on pieces of literature that involve war and youth that you have enjoyed reading (& why), or that you have heard are worth reading. I've been recommended:

Diary of Anne Frank
The Red Badge of Courage (If you read this, did you really like it? )
The Kite Runner
The Bread Winner

Thanks for any suggestions! I'm open to all forms- fiction, non-fiction, short stories, poetry and/or drama.

[Aurora Ariel]

For books which speak about war I would suggest Empire of The Sun, War and Peace, and the Illiad. Those of some of the first ones that come to mind, but I'll probably think of more later.

[Virgil]

The Red Badge of Courage (If you read this, did you really like it? )

Thanks for any suggestions! I'm open to all forms- fiction, non-fiction, short stories, poetry and/or drama.

Yes I've read The Red Badge of Courage and enjoyed quite a bit. Other war works: War and Peace, The Illiad, A Farewell to Arms, Henry V, All Quiet on the Western Front. If I think of others I'll get back here.

[chmpman]

There's a short story by Ambrose Bierce called "Chicamauga" that's pretty good.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by youth but here are a couple that may be of interest:

Slaughterhouse Five (up there on my favorite book list)
All Quiet on the Western Front (I've never read the book, but the movie is good)

I'll see if I can think of more.

[Aurora Ariel]

*Just to add another few, there's a great one called Soldier Boy and one called Young Digger. I read these a few years ago, but you still should be able to find them. Gosh, there's so many poems, books, and articles dealing with fightning between nations and races, problems of the world, etc- the list is almost endless. But one prominent war poet comes to mind- Wilfred Owen. Check out his Anthem For Doomed Youth and other poems. Well, I've got to get going now, but good luck with your search, bye!

[Riesa]

The Painted Bird, by Jerzy Kosinski, haunting, terrifying, and beautifully written.

[Virgil]

Here this web site might help.

http://www.answers.com/topic/war-novel

[bluevictim]

I would like some suggestions on pieces of literature that involve war and youth that you have enjoyed reading (& why), or that you have heard are worth reading.

I'm always pretty clumsy when it comes to articulating why I enjoyed a certain piece of literature, so I'll just put down some random thoughts and hope that it somehow turns out to be helpful.

The Iliad, by Homer -- It has already been mentioned a few times, and there is hardly any need for me to explain why it's worth reading, so I'll try to be brief. It is currently my favorite piece of literature. A moving story profoundly told. The poem inspires the reader to think deeply about the great themes of life without resorting to the pretentious direct abstract speculation ubiquitous in other great works of literature (for example, War and Peace). The language is beautiful and vivid (you've probably heard the term "Homeric simile"); the speeches are magnificent, and the narrative is engrossing. So much for being brief.

The Persians, by Aeschylus -- This is a tragedy about the defeat of Xerxes and the Persians, at the hands of the Greeks. It stirs up feelings of national pride not by dehumanizing the enemy, but by sympathizing. The messenger's report of the battle is one of the most moving accounts of heroism I have ever read. The disappointment of the Persians was also well-portrayed. Besides war, Xerxes' youth is also a prominent theme of the play.

Flight to Arras, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery -- Since the Greek works I mentioned are so far removed from modern warfare, it may not have been what you had in mind. Flight to Arras is a vivid account of a mission over France. There is a lot of reflection on the modern war machine, as well as the youths who composed it. I really enjoyed the honest descriptions of the pilot's thoughts, experiences, and comrades.

Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo -- The fighting in the main plot is insurrection rather than war, but the youthful idealism of the participants is a major theme. There is also the detailed account of Napolean's exploits. There are many other themes in this long novel, so it's not really focused on youth and war. That pretentious direct abstract speculation I mentioned before abounds, and makes the book wonderful.

[Whifflingpin]

"Whom the Gods would Destroy" Richard Powell - this is a take on the Iliad story, but with young protagonists.

"AK" by Peter Dickinson - child soldier in guerrilla warfare in Africa

"Quartered Safe Out Here" George Macdonald Fraser - autobiography WWII

[beer good]

Forgive me if this is too obvious, but... "Lord Of The Flies" by William Golding? And for good measure I suppose "Battle Royale" by Koushun Takami too, for a modern take on the same story.

Depending on your definition of youth, Dalton Trumbo's "Johnny Got His Gun" would probably work. Great book at any rate.

Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America" might work, though technically it's about a non-war (a what-if on the US staying out of WWII due to a fascist president, seen from the perspective of a young Jewish American).

EDIT: Oh, and of course, "The Tin Drum" by Günther Grass.

[steve12553]

I remember, vividly, parts of the book "April Morning" by Howard Fast that was read as a class project when I was is gradde school many years ago. The story dealt with a teenager thrust into battle during the beggining of the American Revolution. Asfar as youth reaction to war it was very well done.

[genoveva]

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by youth

Thanks for all the suggestions! Please keep them coming. I am looking forward to reading all your replies more closely later today! For now, off to class...

As far as what I mean by youth, I'm interested in the relationship between war and youth on many different levels. Youth meaning someone who is not quite an adult yet meaning teen and under. Youth fighting in wars, protesting against them, war's effects on youth, how wars and it's ripple effects change the lives of the younger generation. Kids that are separated from families as a result, etc. etc. Babies that die... Does this make the youth culutre less sensitive to violence? Can we really relate or make sense of war in our modern time, and is the relationship between war and youth the same and/or different from times past when there was one on one battle rather than push a button from far away and you're dead war. How the youth deals with processing such experiences, personal experiences, you name it!

Thanks again!

[kilted exile]

Try First World War Poetry.
On of my favourites is Recruiting

[Virgil]

Can we really relate or make sense of war in our modern time, and is the relationship between war and youth the same and/or different from times past when there was one on one battle rather than push a button from far away and you're dead war.

For your study though, I wouldn't get too hung up on "one on one battle." Fighting with swords and spears was still a group activity. The dramatic situations where two warriors square off in The Illiad was either very rare or probably didn't happen at all. Tactics were in place to isolate a smaller group so that they could be killed by a squadron/larger group. Fairness in fighting has never been an ideal of war. The same thing applies to a remote war. Tactics are developed to maximize your advantage over the enemy. No one takes risks in war at the expence of his comrades for the sake of fighting fair. Again, fairness has nothing to do with war.

[Basil]

El Coyote, The Rebel by Luis Pérez is about a boy who joins the Mexican rebel army at the age of eleven. It fits the bildungsroman model very nicely, if that is what you are looking for.