11 Days of Remembrance: Genres and Generals

That time of year has come again where I write on a subject that has long been dear to me- the importance of Remembrance Day. This year, to start off the 2015 edition, I thought I'd bring your attention to a few pieces of literature with a twist: I have yet to read them.

I'm majoring in English, but my minor is in history, with a particular flair towards classes pertaining to the military. As such, I have become privy to some interesting-sounding recommendations, some of which come compliments of my professors.

Enemy at the Gates is well known for being a film from 2001 with Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, and Joseph Fiennes. However, it started out as a book by William Craig. I've seen the film, and it is quite good. It takes place in Russia, and pertains to the Battle of Stalingrad. I don't want to give too much away if you haven't seen the movie. If the old adage of books being better than movies holds true, I can only imagine just how good the novel itself will be!

After much searching, today I finally found the book All Quiet on the Western Front, which was originally a book by German author Erich Maria Remarque, but was also made into a film in the late 1970s. I have yet to see the movie, along with read the book, but I have high hopes and expectations as the film itself has long been highly regarded.

Many people have likely heard of the film Valkyrie. I've never seen it, and I don't plan to as it didn't appear to be acted out well (but that was just my opinion of the trailers... I could be wrong). Once again, at the bookstore today, I came across a wonderful find that I promptly purchased and brought home. It's called Valkyrie: The Plot to Kill Hitler. The book was written by Philipp von Boeselager, who was the last survivor in the plot to assassinate Hitler, and as such is his memoir of the event. I've studied the subject in a few history classes, so I'm fascinated to gain the perspective of a person who was there.

The last book on the list has me quite intrigued as I found it on the floor of the bookstore that is dedicated to sci-fi, fantasy, and comic books. I picked it up because the title caught my name: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. I read the synopsis that came with the book, and it sounds like it involves ENIGMA, which was the German code machine, and links it up with modern-day computer/ hacker warfare (if that description may be used). If ENIGMA sounds familiar, it was brought to attention and fame in the movie The Imitation Game, which, sadly, I have yet to see.

I'm hoping these novel finds will give me a new genre to appreciate. After all, I already appreciate their histories.