Helen Picca's Blog - Posts Tagged "wwii"
The Importance of History
I am enjoying the PBS series, “The Vietnam War,” currently airing. When I first started writing The Last Frontier of the Fading West I began during
World War II
. The story grew organically through that war as it affected average American citizens’ lives and the returning wounded and POW’s, with all their scars. The thread of war wove thru the narrative both as a memory and a current event, ultimately bringing me to
Vietnam
which I never intended to include. But there it was, as my novel progressed from the 40’s thru the 50’s and into the 60’s. I couldn’t write anything about my heroine Jennifer’s life, in the 60’s without writing about Vietnam, pervasive in the life of every American, whether draftee or the parent of a draftee. Whether you were for the war or against the war. It filled our consciousness, ever-present in the media.
In September 1967, I had graduated high school and was about to enter secretarial school, when we learned that two boys—for they were still boys—from the last graduated class, were killed there, one the brother of a classmate and friend of mine. It hit home. Suddenly that faraway foreign place that existed only on the television was in our homes and in our hearts, it was personal.
That personal experience and the anti-war sentiment that grew as the casualties mounted found a voice in my book. It became an underlying theme. War is hell. My heroine railed against war and its stupidity, and as I watched the first episode of this PBS series, I was struck by a Vietnamese man quoted early on, who says something to the effect that in war there are no winners or losers, only destruction. Jennifer would agree with him.
Since beginning the research for my book, I have been enamored with WWII books, and there have been so many really good ones published lately. For some reason, they speak to me. Underlying the story and its characters, regardless of the setting, there are the real people who existed and the events that took place in history. They inform our writing and help to insure history will not be forgotten.
In September 1967, I had graduated high school and was about to enter secretarial school, when we learned that two boys—for they were still boys—from the last graduated class, were killed there, one the brother of a classmate and friend of mine. It hit home. Suddenly that faraway foreign place that existed only on the television was in our homes and in our hearts, it was personal.
That personal experience and the anti-war sentiment that grew as the casualties mounted found a voice in my book. It became an underlying theme. War is hell. My heroine railed against war and its stupidity, and as I watched the first episode of this PBS series, I was struck by a Vietnamese man quoted early on, who says something to the effect that in war there are no winners or losers, only destruction. Jennifer would agree with him.
Since beginning the research for my book, I have been enamored with WWII books, and there have been so many really good ones published lately. For some reason, they speak to me. Underlying the story and its characters, regardless of the setting, there are the real people who existed and the events that took place in history. They inform our writing and help to insure history will not be forgotten.
Thank God there are Book Clubs!
Like most readers, I have a favorite genre, even a specific time frame. I love
historical fiction
and especially WWII books, even reading non-fiction, doesn't matter, so long as it involves that war. My first novel began with
WWII
and wove a tale of romance and life in a small rural community... The Last Frontier of the Fading West Not sure why, except maybe I was in the war in my past life ( I was born in 1948, so that is possible).
Left to my own devices, I would always choose a book that is historical in nature. So thankfully, there are book clubs, prompting me to read books I would never have chosen by myself. Having been a member of a book club for the past 10 years, I can honestly state that some of the best books I have ever read were book club selections. And the bonus is, you get to talk about your impressions of the book with other people who invariably have a different take, a different understanding, a different point of view.
If you love to read, seek out and join a book club. Your reading experience will be greatly enriched!
Left to my own devices, I would always choose a book that is historical in nature. So thankfully, there are book clubs, prompting me to read books I would never have chosen by myself. Having been a member of a book club for the past 10 years, I can honestly state that some of the best books I have ever read were book club selections. And the bonus is, you get to talk about your impressions of the book with other people who invariably have a different take, a different understanding, a different point of view.
If you love to read, seek out and join a book club. Your reading experience will be greatly enriched!
The Never-Finished Puzzle of History
When I was researching
WWII
for The Last Frontier of the Fading West, I became enthralled with the
Japanese balloon bombs
, a rather primitive, yet brilliant, weapon developed by the Japanese for use in their war against the U.S., and which the U.S. government kept secret to avoid a panic. I found a way to include them in the story (including their fascinating construction and delivery mechanisms) when one of these bombs caused the only WWII-related deaths on U.S. soil not far from
Port Orford
. But in all my research, I never read about the
Triple Nickles
, nickname for the 555th Parachute Infantry Battallion, the nation's first black paratroopers, which is very much a part of this
history
, and finally coming to light, courtesy of OPB, Oregon Public Broadcasting. What I love about history is that it is never finite. . .over time, new information is revealed, transforming our understanding of the events. If you are a WWII buff, add this piece to the puzzle. https://www.opb.org/news/article/trip...
