What is History? And do we ever forgive ourselves?

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There was so much that I loved about this book, I couldn't put it down. Themes were about bravery, forgiveness, hope / hopelessness, and British fortitude. Other theme that surprised me was racism / prejudice, and the black minstrel entertainment industry in London during the war, (which I think played out exactly, exactly, exactly right). Also there were the rejected children, the outcasts.

I couldn't put the book down and have so many quotes I want to tag.

Here are some similar, though not exact, comparisons: All the Light We Cannot See, the English Patient, also even Birdsong and the first couple of seasons of Downton Abbey (but WWII).

There is one thing the author chose to do that would never fly in America, in fact publishers and citizens are erasing our current histories because it is too painful for us. It was shocking to see/hear, and yet the point of the author was definitely emphasized. Is it true that the British were skin-color prejudiced? That in fact the whole world is and was prejudiced in one way or another? That it is not just the sin of America? (Particularly the South?) Was it alright to use the historically accurate descriptions, or does it do more harm than good? Do we try to bury the past, or do we look it in the face so that we can know we don't want to ever go there again?

On a bigger scale, I don't see younger generations read these kinds of books. Will this change? How can we be safe if we don't read these stories, too? How can we know where we are going if we don't know where we have been?


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