What do you think?
When Angels Wept
During World War I, they called it shell shock. During World War II, they called it battle fatigue. Today, it is known as post-traumatic stress disorder. All are tidy labels for the destruction of a mind. When Angels Wept follows the path of an idealistic young airman’s experiences and the horrors he encounters during World War II.
Born in Pasadena, California, Rob Hirsch has been raised with the Midwestern values of his Iowa born parents. He has a respect for life, a belief in the rewards of hard work, and an acceptance of duty. He loves his mother, respects his father, believes in God, and has an abiding trust in his country. He grows up as a well-liked, though somewhat shy child, who develops a fascination with flying and dreams of one day becoming a pilot. With the advent of World War II, he enters the Army Air Force Cadet Pilot Training Program and eventually becomes the captain of a B-17 bomber.
He finds love in a small, rural English village; yet death and destruction are ever-present. It is in the skies over Europe that the horrors of war begin a relentless invasion of Hirsch’s psyche, as his mind battles with the reality of a world that suddenly makes no sense. As the Midwestern values he has been raised with become compromised, guilt begins to form fissures in his mind. His respect for life collides with the destruction of life caused by the bombs he drops. When his sense of responsibility is devastated by the death of friends and crew members, the mental cracks widen and become hate filled crevices.
Born in Pasadena, California, Rob Hirsch has been raised with the Midwestern values of his Iowa born parents. He has a respect for life, a belief in the rewards of hard work, and an acceptance of duty. He loves his mother, respects his father, believes in God, and has an abiding trust in his country. He grows up as a well-liked, though somewhat shy child, who develops a fascination with flying and dreams of one day becoming a pilot. With the advent of World War II, he enters the Army Air Force Cadet Pilot Training Program and eventually becomes the captain of a B-17 bomber.
He finds love in a small, rural English village; yet death and destruction are ever-present. It is in the skies over Europe that the horrors of war begin a relentless invasion of Hirsch’s psyche, as his mind battles with the reality of a world that suddenly makes no sense. As the Midwestern values he has been raised with become compromised, guilt begins to form fissures in his mind. His respect for life collides with the destruction of life caused by the bombs he drops. When his sense of responsibility is devastated by the death of friends and crew members, the mental cracks widen and become hate filled crevices.
402 pages, Hardcover
Published December 7, 2017
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 20, 2018
Here is a good story that either men or women who fought in WWII, WWII or today, can relate to the horrors of war. The places may have changed or the faces may have changed, but war is still war and it is bloody, disfiguring and deadly. The story centers around Rob Hirsch your all American guy who wants to be a pilot. He dreams of becoming a pilot in the Army Air Forces. Hirsch is a great pilot who is the Captain of the Belle Deux a B-17 bomber The night before he and his men go out on their first mission they are sitting in a bar on the base to listen to the experienced men tell you what can happen inside your airplane, the blood and the guts of it all, many men left the room to throw up, the others, I think, are shell-shocked from the horrors of it all. Then the men are told to hit the racks, get some sleep before they go out on their first mission. Who can sleep after that??? Hirsch takes his men and ship on a mission to bomb a cement factory in Germany but on the way, they end up in a few air fights which leave the Belle shot full of holes and with one of two engines barely working out of the four. Hirsch gets the Belle to the target and barely makes it back to base. The Belle is so shot up it was going to be scrapped but Hirsch wouldn't hear of it and the Belle is reconstructed. to pass an A Inspect.
As Hirsch flies on mission after mission the horrors of war starts to take its toll on him. His mind starts to lose its grip on reality, with all of the death and destruction going on around him to the point it makes no sense to him. When he sees what the bombing of town and villages that he destroyed by bombing he see it is more than just buildings and homes, he sees how it affects everyone living through it all as they lose loved ones. This is causing such mental anguish for Hirsch which eventually leads to mental illness it causes him to become filled with hate and anger. He suffers from guilt because what he grew up believing in as morals and values he lost fighting a war to win at all costs. This will leave him a broken man inside, he will never be the same man he was before the war. We will learn how war can affect just one man of many who fights in their minds the same battle over and over again. Today it is known as PTSD.
As Hirsch flies on mission after mission the horrors of war starts to take its toll on him. His mind starts to lose its grip on reality, with all of the death and destruction going on around him to the point it makes no sense to him. When he sees what the bombing of town and villages that he destroyed by bombing he see it is more than just buildings and homes, he sees how it affects everyone living through it all as they lose loved ones. This is causing such mental anguish for Hirsch which eventually leads to mental illness it causes him to become filled with hate and anger. He suffers from guilt because what he grew up believing in as morals and values he lost fighting a war to win at all costs. This will leave him a broken man inside, he will never be the same man he was before the war. We will learn how war can affect just one man of many who fights in their minds the same battle over and over again. Today it is known as PTSD.
June 19, 2018
I enjoyed this book very much even though war and military historical fiction are not topics I usually read. This book is so much more than a war story though. McCue’s characters are so well developed and he has done such a great job researching this book that the people, places and events become very real to the reader.
The book tells the story of a young B-17 pilot during WWII. It takes place in England and over the skies of Germany. As he commands his first crew, his mid-western values are at war with the destruction caused by war. His physical and mental reactions to losing the young crew members he commands and others that he loves begin to take their toll.
This is a story that will stay with the reader long after you have finished the book. It is a very personal look at war and it’s casualties through the eyes of unforgettable characters. A definate must read for anyone. I recommend it to not just military fans but also to baby boomers, women, historical fiction readers, WWII buffs, and anyone who enjoys a good book you just can’t put down.
The book tells the story of a young B-17 pilot during WWII. It takes place in England and over the skies of Germany. As he commands his first crew, his mid-western values are at war with the destruction caused by war. His physical and mental reactions to losing the young crew members he commands and others that he loves begin to take their toll.
This is a story that will stay with the reader long after you have finished the book. It is a very personal look at war and it’s casualties through the eyes of unforgettable characters. A definate must read for anyone. I recommend it to not just military fans but also to baby boomers, women, historical fiction readers, WWII buffs, and anyone who enjoys a good book you just can’t put down.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews