4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Iron Crossed by Renata and Phil Rose is definitely an outstanding piece in the biographical genre. I was expecting a boring war story (it’s not really a genre I’ve exposed myself to too much), and I may have even been a tad biased towards it, but I picked this book up anyway because I wanted to “try something new”. I was pleasantly surprised.
This book is centered around the life story of a German, Martin Schlaefer, and how his ordinary life got turned upside down by the Second World War. Martin was a bright and strong fellow who lived happily with his family and friends, despite the poverty they were forced to endure at their farm in the countryside. On his way to becoming a successful carpenter, Martin received a sudden letter saying that his services were needed at the Westwall (along with those of many other men; including his friends, Paul and Alfred). His initial excitement at the prospect of going to new places and learning new things quickly turned into exhaustion. Unfortunately, this feeling stayed even as he was stationed from one place to another in order to aid Hitler’s plans for war (he didn’t really have much of a say in the matter). It was only natural that, afterwards, he was drafted into the army, and eventually into a secret service, the élite Brandenburger Commandos that operated for “special purposes” or missions. The book takes us through the rigorous training he had to endure throughout. He received three highly regarded medals, the Iron Crosses, due to his courage. The post-war world also had its own share of struggles, but Martin only wished to live in peace with Leni, his wife, and his children. In order to do this, he had to flee Russian-occupied Germany to Australia with his family.
Iron Crossed is written by Martin’s daughter, Renata, but is told mainly through Martin’s perspective. This is done quite well, as even though it wasn’t Martin who wrote the book, it seemed like he did. I felt as if I was privy to all of his thoughts and emotions (and occasionally that of other characters as well). This makes it very enjoyable for a person like me, who doesn’t necessarily like biographies too much, which is mainly because I can usually tell that it was written by someone else. What sets this book apart is that I don’t feel a distance between the protagonist and myself. In a sense, you could say, there is an authenticity to it. Another thing I loved is that all the characters, no matter how minor, felt real; the book does this only through a brief line or two that provides insight into their lives. This technique is one that I came to admire as I not only got to appreciate minor characters, but the focus was still on the protagonist; I wasn’t subjected to long life stories that went off track from the one we were initially focusing on. It also occasionally calls out the time’s practices for what they were, i.e. misogynistic (especially when it comes to sex songs, and objectifying women). Another aspect of the book that I really enjoyed is that it makes the readers think and question things they know to be true. It is important to understand that Martin’s diligence was not due to a love for Nazism; it wasn’t a hatred of Jews or a racist sentiment of Aryan superiority. It was rather a combination of obligation (he didn’t have much of a choice in how his life took shape), and to do what was right for his country. Generally, a World War II book would not be narrated from a young German soldier’s perspective, but I believe a conversation like this is needed. By showing that he, too, had his own great struggles and reservations, despite ultimately serving Hitler, the book presents to us a complexity of human life; it shows us that not everything is as black and white as it seems.
Iron Crossed is definitely a worthwhile read, and I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. It does, however, have minor spelling errors, and missing commas here and there. There was also a point in the book where I felt a bit “creeped out”. Specifically, when Martin’s sexual experiences were being narrated. It wasn’t the narration itself that was uncomfortable, rather, it was the realization that Martin’s daughter was behind it. All in all, none of these negative aspects took away from the book, and I was very glad I picked it up. I would recommend it to people who don’t necessarily explore biographies like myself; this could be a good gateway into that genre. I would not recommend it to those who find graphic war details disturbing, however. I also wouldn’t recommend it to those people who don’t have a high tolerance for engineering details as that has a lot to do with Martin’s experiences.
******
Iron Crossed
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Sahar Majid's review? Post a comment saying so!