November 7–14, 1996

critic pick|six pick

Paul Fussell

Philadelphian Paul Fussell is best known for The Great War and Modern Memory (which won the National Book Award) and Wartime: Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War. Those books were revered for their piercing discussions of the forces that turn private soldiers into public heroes and horrors into hurrahs. Fussell's newly published memoir, Doing Battle: The Making of a Skeptic, is more than a simply told life story. As one might expect, the book is caustic and kind, with vivid and evocative imagery that includes everything from dressing up as Mickey Mouse for Halloween to fighting in the woods of southeastern France during World War II. Russell Baker calls it "a wonderfully angry memoir." Yet it is a tender memoir as well, as Fussell exposes his ability to be moved by that which is honest in art, culture and life.

Thurs., Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., Borders, 1727 Walnut St., 568-7400.

— Robert Drake