The Forging of a Rebel

Rating:
Summary: Completely Engaging
Review: I first read Barea's long book in 1965 and enjoyed it immensely, as it captured a time and events with compelling immediacy. Remembering how engaged I was, I reread The Forging of a Rebel (skimming the section dealing with Barea's early childhood to get to the more exciting stuff) and found, having completely forgotten the book, that I was every bit as involved as when I read it almost four decades ago. It's a very personal account of Barea's life as it braids with the events of the time, from his work in a bank (and, later, at a patent office), through his stint in the Spanish army with duty in battle-torn Morocco, to the prelude and raging turmoil of the Spanish Civil War. His journalistic style makes for quick reading. It's hard to imagine any reader not be pulled through to the end.