Hello Enthusiasts,
Though it's a little outside of the normal field of my reviews, today I will be reviewing a non-fiction book. The book is Scarlet Fields, and it is the memoir of John Lewis Barkley, a Medal of Honor recipient from the first World War. This is actually a re-release of the original work No Hard Feelings!, but Barkley always wanted it to be titled Scarlet Fields.
Barkley starts out his memoir by discussing his joining the army and going through training, which sounds like it would be pretty boring, but is humorous and generally entertaining. The reader gets to follow Barkley as he develops as a soldier, then gets deployed out to Europe, right on the front lines. From here the excitement really builds, though with some downtime for the reader to catch their breath. The story leads to a nearly unbelievable climax in a mostly disabled tank on the front lines of France (Barkley's story was confirmed by others who were present). This act is what actually earned Barkley the Medal of Honor, and it is not a mystery how it was given to him. The whole tank sequence reads like the script to a FPS video game. While the story certainly doesn't end there, it's never quite as intense as that climax.
This book is very well written, which cannot be said of all memoirs. The writing feels very human, with the same kind of casual language that one would expect if Barkley was just telling them his story. His recollection of detail is also outstanding, from the smells of the battlefield to the sight of a decimated France. The book is aided by the fact that Barkley also takes the time to explain certain military concepts and lingo for the uninformed reader, which is even more helpful now than it likely was then, since so much has changed in the last 100 years.
Despite the limited amount of time that some of them are have in the book, the story is also greatly aided by Barkley's brothers in arms. They help to keep the mood during the down times, which must have been the only keeping anyone sane in an environment like World War I. As the story goes on the reader gets to know these other soldiers as well, and we get to watch everyone, including Barkley, grow from the new recruits to the seasoned veterans of war that they became. Not everyone makes it, and there is some serious loss, because war is hell. Barkley doesn't sugarcoat that fact at any point; he frequently speaks about how hungry, tired, and filthy everyone is. It's these deplorable conditions that make the quiet moments more lighthearted and enjoyable, like when they find a bunch of wine in the cellar of a destroyed building in France. At their core, these were regular American guys on the battlefield, so the downtime to drink and laugh was almost as necessary as sleep.
Really, the only downside of this book is the ending. After all of the excitement from the war to end all wars, readers are brought to the life after the war. I'm not saying that it's not important for soldiers to come home, that's the happy ending to the war that everyone fighting hopes for, and I was very glad to know that Barkley was able to get home. However, it is a little dry after the action of the battle. Perhaps this could be seen as symbolic, as it isn't unheard of for soldiers to get so used to the battlefield that domestic life just seems too dull for them after a while. Still, compared to the rest of the story, the book doesn't exactly go out on a high note.
On the whole, this book outclasses a lot of fiction in terms of a compelling story, and not just because we know that this one really happened. The book is hard to put down, really compelling the reader to keep turning the page. If you like reading non-fiction or memoirs, you will very likely love this. If you don't normally read this kind of thing, at least check it out from your local library and give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised; I know I was.
I give Scarlet Fields a 9 out of 10.
Sincerely,
The Bored Enthusiast
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