Matt's Reviews > The Second World War

It took me about 9 months to read this book by Antony Beevor. During this time period, I was consumed by the events that took place during 1939-1945 while the world and civilization plunged into uncertainty and fear. Everything that I had learned about the War previously seemed naive in comparison to what actually happened. I will not wax-poetic on exactly why that is, but I will say that I am very thankful I read this. I am left with an immense sense of appreciation at the heroism of the individual and the will to overcome seemingly magnanimous violence and inhumanity. The Second World War claimed so many lives that we will never be able to grasp the depth of loss on a human scale. The most important thing I walk away from this book with is to understand the obligation to commemorate the souls lost to this terrible conflict. The Second World War is a lynchpin moment in our collective history that should never fade into indifference, lest we forget.

Vasily Grossman, a war correspondent with the Red Army, said:
"There was something terrible, but also something sad and melancholy in this long cry uttered by the Russian infantry as they staged an attack. As it crossed the cold water, it lost its fervor. Instead of valor or gallantry, you could hear the sadness of a soul parting with everything that it loved, calling on its nearest and dearest to wake up, to lift their head from their pillows and hear for the last time the voice of a father, a husband, a son or a brother..."

Words of loss in situations repeated countless times over across Europe and the South Pacific. A conflict that affected generations to come, with lessons gained and lost.