The Moon is Down

The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck. We were in Salinas, CA, last weekend and went to the Steinbeck Center. Very interesting. I learned a lot about Steinbeck. And I learned about this book that he wrote at the beginning of the war, and was severely criticized for. So I was curious, and downloaded it. It’s short (136 pgs) and written in that minimalist Steinbeck style, so a quick read, but I really enjoyed it. A book that gives the truth about war, about how war affects the “little people,” the civilians who have no part in it but whose lives are turned upside down. The critics were angry about the way he humanizes the soldiers (Nazi soldiers, though that is not explicit) but in most wars, the grunt soldiers are like that: just doing their job, not entirely clear about the motives or the larger picture, wishing for home. And the way it builds to the inevitable conclusion feels so true. I recommend it, esp. in light of the war in Ukraine.