Miracle at St. Anna : A Novel

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Summary: Buffalo soldiers in wartime Italy and a magical story
Review: Based on a historical incident of a massacre in a small village in Tuscany during WW2, James McBride's novel deals with the role of African-American soldiers, sometimes called the Buffalo soldiers, commanded by white southern officers. I expected this story to be about this and to also learn more about the Italian campaign. I was unprepared, however, to find myself in the middle of a tale constructed with magic realism, introducing some very memorable characters, the background for the story being just that - a background.

Because of the stupidity of their commanders, four of these soldiers find themselves far behind enemy lines. One of the men is a simple-minded giant who has rescued a small Italian boy from the rubble; one of the men is graduate of Howard University; one is a small-time preacher and outspoken hustler; and one is a Puerto Rican who can speak Italian because he has grown up in an Italian neighborhood. Eventually they find their way to a town that has known its share of sadness. Throughout the book, there are unexplained miracles, such as rabbits that mysteriously multiply under the floorboards of an elderly Italian's bedroom. And there are also some silly editorial mistakes, such as a man of 67 thinking back to his relationship with a lost love 40 years before when he was 17. It made me wonder if the author did this on purpose or whether he just couldn't do the arithmetic.

However, the strength of the story did make up for my doubts, and I was swept along with it, especially as it neared the end. Even though it's about war, there are good and bad people on all sides. And, actually, it is a German soldier who performs a vital act of heroism and compassion. A mystical quality pervades everything and the writing is strong and evocative. It put me right there in that village of Tuscany and yet there was something about it that made me know that these people and the village could never really have existed the way they were described. This was such a contrast to the author's former best selling memoir, "The Color of Water" that I had to readjust my thinking and let myself be placed into this magical world he took such a risk to create. I applaud him for his efforts.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: I picked up this book in one of the bookstores in Honolulu airport not knowing what to expect. It quickly turned out to be one of the best novels I have ever read. The story revolves around a group of American Buffalo Soldiers fighting in Italy during the Second World War. Though the story begins with an incident in the present time, the reader is eventually taken to the past in order to discover the circumstances that led to that "incident".
Emphasis is not only given to the discrimination within the armed forces but also to the development of the characters of the soldiers. The book is so well written that you feel that you are part of that group forming your own alliances and friendships. The struggle that unfolds is not only the fight for individual survival but also the struggle to understand oneself.
A beautiful bond that develops is the bond between a young Italian child and one of the soldiers. No heroics or blown out of proportion myths here. Just a beautiful bond between humans that run into each other in the worst possible condition, the midst of a battle.
Though the miracle takes place at the end, I also feel that it was unfolding throughout the book.
A beautiful book.

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Summary: Miracles of World War II
Review: James McBride's latest book, Miracle at St. Anna, forces the reader into the world of Italy during World War II. At first, this novel seems to be a typical war story. However, this story is told from a unique point of view, that of black soldiers. When one usually thinks of WWII, white men storming battlefields in France or Germany comes to mind. However, this novel deals with a much deeper issue than racial discrimination. It examines the human spirit and what it takes to find one's true self. It also praises the brotherhood of man and reminds the reader that everyone has the power of love within.
The book starts in the battlefields of Italy. Soldiers of the 92nd division advance across a river towards the German stronghold. It is then that the reader is introduced to a central character, Sam Train. He is a huge black man from Virginia who grew up poor and slaved all his life on a farm that he didn't even own. Train is carrying something unusual at his side. In his bag rests the head of a famous statue, Primavera, that he found amongst the ruins of a bridge in Florence. At first he tries to sell the statue head but later it becomes something of a lucky charm for Train. He believes it makes him invisible. In his own mind, he thinks that no harm can come to him while in the battle because of the Primavera's protection. This influences Train's decision to run through German gunfire to save a stranded Italian boy. They quickly escape to the safety of the mountain forest. The boy is wounded and Train quickly grows affectionate toward him. He sees qualities in the orphan that he has never known a white man to possess, such as innocence, trust, and love. In the oy's eyes, Train sees himself.
Led by duty, three of Train's comrades, Hector, Bishop, and Stamps, go after him to bring the soldier and boy back to safety. Hector is a Puerto Rican from New York. He acts as their Italian translator. Bishop is a man from missouri who poses as a preacher to swindle people out of money. He lcaims the only reasonhe followed the men into the mountains is because Train owes him fourteen hundred dollars from poker. Their leader is lieutenant Stamps, a smart, cool-headed man from Virginia who hopes to work his way up the military ladder even though he is black. They finally find Train with the wounded boy and set out to find a hospital and the rest of their company. But htey cannot escape the Tuscan mountains.
McBride does an excellent job of showing a minority soldier's point of view. During WWII, racism was still very much alive in the United States and transferred over to military politics. As McBride demonstrates, the black soldier's position during the war was a difficult one. In the case of the 92nd division, white captains would routinely sacrifice black soldiers over whites, as far as which company would be in more danger. McBride claims that Stamps and his comrades were sent to fight in the front lines because they were thought of as dispensible by the military. The author creates a new perspective of the military during WWII.
McBride's characters routinely feel depressed and rejected by their world. Many soldiers are "convinced that the white man is trying to kill them." Furthermore, why should black soldiers fight for a country that doesn't even appreciate them? While arguing over whether or not a white captain would send a search party after them, Bishop reminds Stamps of a certain day at training camp. On a sweltering hot day in Arizona, the black soldiers had to eat outside the restaurant on paper plates while German POWs sat inside "eating ice cream with the white MPs guarding them." Despite all of the obvious racism, Stamps holds on to the belif that their commander is "fair" and will send someone to get them. On the other hand, the Italians treat the black soldiers as equals. They do not care what color the men are because they give the villagers hope.
McBride raises the question of one's true "home." Is home where one is born and raised or is it where one feels free and able to live a fulfilling life? It would be easy to assume that many black soldiers would want to stay in a foreign country where they were treated with respect rather than go home to a country that treated them as second class citizens. The "miracle" at St. Anna is rather a self-fulfilling miracle that is accomplished by each soldier before the church of St. Anna in Bornacchi. All four men experience a self-awakening moment brought on amongst war and despair. In this Tuskan village, they discover the true meaning of life above the boundarys of racism and prejudice. McBride creates the Italian orphan as a representation of the power to love unconditionally, even after devastation and loss. Likewise, to the American soldiers, the boy represents an unconditional love that they have never known in their own world and a hope for the future. The story, as a whole, convinces the reader that there are such things as miracles and they can be achieved by anyone.

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Summary: An ambitious war story full of emotion...For McBride fans!
Review: Journalist James McBride, author of the best-selling memoir The Color Of Water paints a picture using a true historic incident as a backdrop to illustrate something out of the ordinary in his latest offering, Miracle At St. Anna. The author weaves a poignant story where a German SS unit massacred more than five hundred civilians. There were five or six survivors, including a small child, closely associated to the character Sam Train in the story.

From this scenario, the 'miracle' takes place as Train encounters a marble head that the Germans shot off a statue during a ferocious firefight. Train, looking for anything to salvage as a good luck piece, retrieves it believing that the head of the statue makes him invisible to the German front. In being rescued, the boy regards the giant Train in awe as his personal savior giving the story color and feeling. I felt that the heart of this story is relived through the eyes of the author as he uses timely vignettes interacting different aspects of each character's interpretation of whether there's a true need to fight. The fact that the author attempted to lace the main story with yet another point of contention says more for his courage and willingness to illustrate an analogy distinctive to a segment of military lore. History's Buffalo Soldiers whose hey day after the Civil War were known for their tenacious heroics and bravery, but more often than not was ignored by the U.S. Army for what they stood for, adds intrigue to give the story a special bent. Coming home after the war there were no parades, no slaps on the back, and certainly no equal status afforded them in putting their lives on the line. The parallels to these famous figures to the characters that McBride offers here raises questions, thus allowing for a unique dilemma: How do you fight for freedom across the water when there's no freedom at home? In tackling this subject, the author veers from the original focus causing a shift in storyline stability. The aforementioned is such a larger concern that one would wonder whether it would be served better as the subject of another book! However, value warrants itself above mediocrity with superb character makeup. The characters: Train, a slow dim-witted man from North Carolina; Bishop, a self-claimed egocentric minister; Hector, the Puerto Rican radio man; and Lt. Aubrey Stamps, the man who is given the unenviable task of molding this unit into a cohesive set of men to do the job assigned. I felt that the author did a wonderful job of assigning flavor to the story and making all of them congruous to the roles they play. In doing so he's able to engage the differences among them.
Bigger issues are discussed in the book, but McBride seems to struggle at times reflecting on them in lieu of dealing with the moral questions that are implied throughout the book. As such, it becomes a matter of conjecture whether those questions are answered with clarity. Readers may find the last half of it an anomalous twisting of a good plot, and may find it disappointing. Switching to mainstream fiction efforts like this after writing serious literature may give the effect and propensity to scrutinize an author's work more closely than needed. Perhaps after a few more quality fiction titles under his belt, he'll be judged appropriately for a successful transition and great storytelling to boot. This could be the start that may give him a great start. This is truly for McBride fans! Buy this book where books are sold.

Rating:
Summary: A book to treasure and re-read someday
Review: Like his first book, "The Color of Water," Mr McBride again gives the reader of "Miracle at St. Anna" a book to read, treasure and someday re-read. Set during World War II, this novel is based on actual facts involving Black soldiers, known as the Buffalo soldiers, who fought in Italy. The story centers around the experiences of four soldiers and the impact of a young, injured, and traumatized Italian boy who they begin to care for. Each character becomes a very distinct, real person and the story unfolds with the drama of the war setting, while also exploring issues of race, cultural differences, and the impact of the war on the local Italians. Characters are so vividly drawn that they become real people, whom we truly care about.
This book is also an education about the Buffalo soldiers themselves, a historical topic which I, personally, never came across in 18 years of school. While the title implies a religious motif, in my mind it is not a religious book at all but rather one that explores the mysteries of life, values and humanity. Both the characters and the story combine to make this a truly memorable book and a great read, a book I would recommend highly.