Official Review: Iron Crossed by Renata Rose and Phil Rose

[Kibet Hillary]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Iron Crossed" by Renata Rose and Phil Rose.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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What makes a man realize he has been blindly following authority? What do you do upon the realization that every path you have taken had been predetermined? Will Martin choose to question authority against his father’s advice? What will he do? What happened to his father and mother?

“Up to now he had simply acquiesced to the indoctrination, without questioning. Now, for the first time in his life, he questioned.”

The story begins in 1935 in Germany. Local people had mixed reactions concerning Hitler’s reign. Some loved him because he had provided job opportunities. Martin was sent to a firm to begin his apprenticeship in carpentry. He was recruited by the government together with several other carpenters to work on the Westwall upon his graduation. His mother feared losing her son but turning down the offer would have spelled doom for the young man. Eventually, they had to release him to travel far away from home for the first time. Martin was a brilliant and industrious worker, and he was deployed to another project after the Westwall. He was finally conscripted into the army.

Iron Crossed was co-authored by Renata and Phil Rose and published in 2017. The book is 273 pages long and contains forty-eight chapters. It is a historical fiction based on factual events. This is a story of rare survival, heroism, hard work, and love as narrated by Martin to his daughter years later. It reveals Martin’s journey as a carpenter, in the army, and upon discharge from the army when Hitler died. The harsh living conditions during and after WWII are vividly described as well.

This is a remarkable and action-packed tale narrated in the third person. There is nothing I did not like about the book. I felt I was learning about the Second World War newly from a new and interesting perspective. Martin had been part of the German Army, and his story shows one who was ready to valiantly defend his country even if it meant paying the price with his own life. His brilliance in military tactics was outstanding, and he was awarded two rare badges on a single day. It was amusing to read Martin understood the kind of authority that came with the awards when he had an encounter with another officer. He did not fight for rewards and promotions. He was simply faithfully performing his duties and the awards followed.

This is also a story of loss and a successful recovery. Martin lost his close friends in the war. His parents passed away while he was on duty. The circumstances leading to his parents’ death infuriated him. He found someone whom he loved during such gloomy and depressing times, though. Leni was a resolute woman who supported Martin immensely. She was very optimistic and quick-witted, unlike her husband. One will be disheartened by the debilitating conditions the family faced in East Germany and the fierce struggles they had to endure in Australia. Their perseverance and hard work finally paid off.

The plot of the story was well-built. There were several twists and turns that made the story more gripping. The dialogues were lively and at times humorous too. The language employed in the book was straightforward, and as a result, it was easy to read. I noticed only one major error where it appeared the dates had been interchanged. This did not detract from the general enjoyment of the book, though. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend the book to all fans of historical fiction books.

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Iron Crossed
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[Twylla]

Excellent review! I am anxious to read this book. The era of Hitler and WWII from the German perspective is fascinating. Thanks for the great review.

[Cecilia_L]

This sounds like a unique and honest perspective of WWII. Thanks for your enlightening review.