Customer Reviews

Mollie and Other War Pieces (Bison Book)

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The publishers notes (above) give you the details. But this book is a keeper. Liebling has a warm and caring and unpretentious style of writing. Everyone is his friend. He doesnt hide any of the nasty details about war or people, rather, what's missing is the self-righteous indignation and arrogance and insolence that characterizes modern journalism's judgments about people and events. Liebling takes people and events as they come and as they are. Liebling didnt believe he was superior to the people he wrote about, and he didnt pretend to be a General. You'll enjoy reading his tales.

Bison Books has done lovers of Americana a great service by re-publishing this collection of short war-pieces by the great Joe Liebling. It was originally published by Schocken (Liebling's only book in that house?) in 1964, shortly after his death.

These days, most readers would know Liebling's New York City pieces, full of sociologically outlandish characters, comically drawn. The soldiers (and others) Liebling describes in North Africa are people rather than characters, and the outlandishness arises from the situation of war. The comedy is replaced with a deeper humor. The reviewer of February 19th 2006 says "everyone is [Liebling's] friend", and everyone was his friend, in the war zone; readers used to an acerbic Liebling will find a different sort of journalist here, more kind-hearted, odd as that word may seem when used of the guy who wrote the old 42nd Street grotesque, "The Jollity Building". And more truthful as well; the New York City writings are naturalistic but synthetic, recombinant and illustrative. These soldiers in "Mollie", American, British, or French, are real as well as realistic, with real families and neighborhoods who noticed when they didn't come back. Journalistic ethics and military credentials demanded veracity . As well as a kind heart.

First, an admission: AJ Liebling is one of my all time favorite authors. I will buy anything of his, sight unseen, if I don't have it. I've read 'Between Meals' at least five times, and this book at least twice.

Liebling was a war correspondent for The New Yorker. He landed on the Normandy beaches about 90 minutes after the first soldiers did. His war correspondence was different from most, though. Not at all bombastic or chauvinistic, he did character sketches of the persons actually involved in combat--making it all the more heart-rending when one of them failed to return. In addition to this book, he also wrote 'The Road Back to Paris'--also excellent. Not taking anything at all away from this edition (I applaud any publisher who cares enough about good writing to keep Liebling in print) I should mention that this book, along with 'The Road Back to Paris', 'Normandy Revisited' and 'Between Meals' was anthologized a couple of decades ago in a book called 'Liebling Abroad'--a great deal should you stumble across a copy.

Liebling's war writings have also been anthologized by the Library of America. That's a pretty select company he's in. If you appreciate good writing, and good writing about WWII, you will appreciate this book. Bravo to Bison for keeping this gem in print.