Customer Reviews

Written on the Knee: A Diary from the Greek-Italian Front of WWII

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Written on the Knee" is a war diary with related letters, photos, and maps included. There are also sections giving a brief history of the time before, during, and after the diary to put the diary in context. It's an interesting, personal look at what WWII was like on Greek-Italian front. Since it's a diary, he often writes a lot about some aspects (like the travel, finding food, finding ways to send letters, interpersonal relations, air raids) and less on others (actual patients and wounds treated and the fighting going on).

After the diary section of the book, the editor has included information about the overall war movements on this front which helped put the doctor's experiences in context. I understand why it was put afterward--so the reader could share in the not knowing the big picture that the doctor experienced--but some readers might find it more useful to read it first.

The nice black and white photos show the doctor at the various camps and villages and help show the people and places that he describes in his diary.

One of the included maps shows the doctor's travels with the dates he wrote about entering the town or area so the reader can track his movement. There are other maps showing the lines of war and such, but there was so much information on the black-and-white maps that I had a hard time figuring out where the doctor was and how the map related to what he was describing. People used to these types of maps will probably find them useful, though.

I'd recommend this book to WWII history buffs and to those of Greek descent who are interested in that nation's history.


This review is also posted at Different Time, Different Place book reviews.

Whenever I read about a major event in history, I wonder what the regular people involved thought about it. For example, there are plenty of documents explaining what Roosevelt, Churchill, and even Hitler thought about World War II. But what about all the ordinary people who found themselves in the middle of a war unlike anything they had seen before? Those ordinary people were simply swept up into the tide of history. For the most part, their stories are ignored or relegated to sidebar status. Fortunately, individual accounts are growing in popularity. Written on the Knee provides one man's perspective from the Greek-Italian front of World War II.

Written on the Knee is the World War II diary of Dr. Theodore Electris. The diary opens with the mobilization of Dr. Electris's unit. He was drafted soon after his marriage to his beloved Chrysoula. Dr. Electris's diary covers his time at the front as well as his journey home. Most of the diary is devoted to his daily activities. Dr. Electris always had numerous patients. Unfortunately, the medical staff was quite small, and the number of wounded was large. All of the soldiers struggled with the shortages of food and supplies, as well as the challenge of fighting in unfamiliar terrain.

The diary does not focus on the details of particular battles. Instead, it covers the daily life among the troops. Obviously, they were not always involved in battles. Much of their time was spent in transit or in camp. When the unit is in camp, it is easy to forget that they are fighting a war. The men settle into daily routines and form friendships. Dr. Electris does a beautiful job of describing his unit's activities, both on and off the battlefield. The diary is very detailed. It also includes various photographs that Dr. Electris took along the way. The photos help the reader attach faces to the names mentioned throughout the diary. The addition of the photos is a nice touch since this is such a personal account of the war. It really feels as if the reader is there with Dr. Electris.

As a soldier and a physician, Dr. Electris faced an internal conflict. He was a physician first, but he was also a soldier. On some levels, Dr. Electris seems to be a reluctant soldier, yet he wants to protect his country. He fulfills his duty by tending the wounded. One thing that I found very interesting was the number of civilians he also treated. As word spread throughout the villages the unit occupied, civilians also asked Dr. Electris for help. At times, it sounds as though he was running a civilian practice and fulfilling his military duty. Dr. Electris's love for his country and his profession appear throughout the diary. They are among the driving forces of his life.

Dr. Electris's diary ends with his return home during the Nazi occupation of Greece, but that is not the end of Written on the Knee. Dr. Electris's daughter, Helen Electrie Lindsay, includes a wonderful Epilogue and an extremely informative appendix. The epilogue includes details of the family's life during and after the Nazi occupation. There is also an amazing family story regarding how Chrysoula got her house back from the Nazis. The appendix provides valuable information regarding Greece's involvement in World War II. The appendix also contains some great political cartoons from the war.

Written on the Knee is a fascinating look at the Greek-Italian front of World War II. It offers one man's perspective of an often overlooked portion of history. This is a must-read for history fans as well those who simply like snapshots from history.

Written on the Knee is a fascinating look at life on the Greek side of WWII when Greece confronted Italy. Helen Lindsay's father, a physician, kept a daily diary of his experiences and his desire to return to his new bride fills many entries. She has wrapped the diary in the context of the war and what happened after his return giving him credit as the author.

World War II was more than America fighting Germany and Japan. "Written on the Knee: A Diary from the Greek-Italian Front in WWII" is a picture of another theater of the war, not often documented. Covering Electris' time in the conflict fully from his drafting to his return to civilian life through selected diary entries, it's a deeply personal way to learn about the conflict between Greece and Italy during the conflict that consumed the world. "Written on the Knee" is a must have for both historians and nonspecialist general readers looking for other perspectives on WWII.

Overall Review: I am not usually one to enjoy a memoir or biography, however, Written on the Knee had me entranced from the first entry! I learned not only a great deal about a part of WWII that I hadn't even known existed, but I also learned a little of the culture of the Greek people of that time. You can easily tell that Dr. Electris is not an author by trade, but that perhaps is what lends so much charm to his musings. His whole focus is on his home, his wife, the beautiful countryside. There are many references to the war going on around him, but he keeps a positive outlook through it all. He always gives such lovely and heartfelt descriptions of the land around him, and you can feel of his deep love and longing for his home and his new wife. The letters that are written by his wife, Chrysoula, are lovely as well. Very poetic and full of life and love.

I loved watching his internal transformation as he undergoes such hardships and horrific circumstances: hunger, exhaustion, anger, frustration, depravation, loneliness, fear and worry for himself and for his loved ones, and death all around him. He begins to see the magnificence of simple pleasures, such as milk, socks, oranges, rice, letters from home, or a raincoat as a blanket! There is a freshness and even an innocence to these diary entries, and yet they tell so much. I think we so often forget that even a war goes on day by day, minute by minute, and there are experiences that fill each of those days and minutes! In the words of Chrysoula: "...--and so time flies in the midst of moments of tears and boredom and consolation and hope."

The layout of this book is lovely and informative. There are maps (both in color and in black and white), pictures throughout the diary itself, and all kinds of background information about the war and regions round about. At the end, there are even more pertinent stories, poems, and even some very clever political cartoons and propaganda! All of it was very fascinating. If you are at all interested in the Mediterranean area of the world or in Greek or WWII history, this is for you. Romantic and endearing, simple and unassuming, Written on the Knee is a beautiful memory of a period that should not be forgotten. Overall rating is 4 out of 5 stars!

Content Review:

PROFANITY: A few mild instances

VIOLENCE: Mild throughout, a few moderate instances

SEXUAL CONTENT: One very mild instance

MATURE THEMES: Mild to Moderate

RECOMMENDED AGE GROUP: 16+

Written on the Knee is a diary of a war, and as such, there is violence. However, being the diary of a doctor, instead of trying to incite empathy through his vivid detail, all violence is presented very matter-of-factly which makes it appear more as background information. There are multiple air raids, battles between enemies and skirmishes between friends, deaths of both soldiers and animals, and many wounded, but none of these are described--it is wholly without shock value. There were two instances where he passes some dead soldiers and lightly describes the scene, but he spares most of the details. More often than not, his details revolve around the sounds and the feelings (such as the earth trembling during bombs, or the fear felt during raids). The diary section I would consider to be Squeaky Clean. In the additional sections, however, there are much more details and particulars on the war including specific massacres, conditions during the German occupation, and numbers of the dead and executed in Greece. There is a picture of some children (in the nude) during a famine. There were less than 10 instances of profanity, and they were all very mild. There was only one very mild instance of sexual content when two characters are reunited--it is a one sentence reference and is very sweet and clean. The themes revolve around war: fear and worry, separation from home and loved ones, and the rigors of war. Written on the Knee is most definitely a Clean Read for ages 16+!!

This review was written by Emily
A Squeaky Clean Reads Book Reviewer
This book was sent to Squeaky Clean Reads by Scarletta Press for a review

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