Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

Use this Topic to discuss books you are reading or that fit the 6th Scavenger Hunt task.

Task 6: World War I began on July 28, 1914. Read a Boxall list book that features World War I or another war, and then read a Boxall book from the other side of the conflict. (Contributed by Jennifer Austin)

I got a bit creative here because I'm low on books at this point but I thought it would be cool to do 'Garden of the Finzi-Continis' which is about a Jewish family starting to be persecuted by Mussolini in fascist pre-WWII Italy, and then "The German Lesson" which is about a boy post-WWII reflecting on his family beings Nazis during the war.

Thank you for mentioning The German Lesson, Amanda. I have If This Is A Man by Primo Levi, but I had no idea what I could pair with it.

I think I'll go for Austerlitz and The Lonely Londoners. Besides their common theme, they both seem to be set in the UK and perhaps have a thread of lost identity and displacement. I'll know for sure once I've read them.

The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West, 2/24/24, describes events connected to WWI from the English side. Storm of Steel by Ernst Jünger is a description of the trench warfare based on a German soldier's diary, 3/16/24.

Under Fire, by Henri Barbusse deals with trench warfare on the French side in World War I.

An unusual pick for this might be Independent People by Halldór Laxness, World War I brings short lived prosperity to poor Icelandic farmers. And they are happy that (quote) the idiots are killing each other. And it is a great book.