Men at War

Loving, Lusting, Fighting, Remembering 1939-1945

De: Luke Turner

Narrado por: Luke Turner

As the Second World War moves beyond living memory and its last veterans leave us, we are in danger of losing our opportunity to understand the reality behind the conflict's myths, machines and iconography. From filmmakers, writers, artists and ordinary people (including his own family members), Luke Turner assembles a broad cast of characters to bring this much-mythologised conflict to life.

There are conscientious objectors, a bisexual Commando, a transgender RAF pilot and those who simply did what they could to survive and return home to a complicated peace. By exploring a wartime experience that embraces sex, lust and the body as much as tactics and weaponry, Turner argues that the only way we can really understand the Second World War is to get to grips with the complexity of the lives and identities of those who fought and endured it.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Luke Turner (P)2023 Orion Publishing Group Limited

Reseñas de la Crítica

So original and surprising I am all but speechless with admiration (THE REVEREND RICHARD COLES)

Beautiful . . . Luke Turner's tender account of servicemen's transgressive private lives, transforms our understanding of the Second World War . . . The mix of memoir, encounters with veterans and historical research is engaging and surprising. It is difficult to encapsulate the tender, forthright sensibility of Men at War; it is a loving, important work (Erica Wagner)

This tribute to the outliers and oddballs of the Second World War is a reminder that, in the very best of ways, not all men are created equal (Dan Jones)

Profound, moving and complex, Men at War is a powerful reflection on trauma and love, on humanity in adversity (BRETT ANDERSON)

loved this book!

I very much loved this book. I heard about it when the author was interviewed on a fav podcast, so hearing him read his own words after listening to him discuss his research was perfect. I share his conflict- a fascination with the machines & history of war, but a horror of its realities- as well as his interest in the small stories of the ordinary people who fought in WWII. As an American & a woman, the very British look at masculinity and male sexuality within the war years was a history I had never before heard. Make it all the way through- the last few chapters will touch your emotions. I could feel the steel of the monument he described, and the simple delight of seeing the generations continue in a baby playing with a spinning toy. Strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII, gender/sexuality studies, or anyone has ever asked themselves "what would I have done if I was a young adult in WWII? And what would the impact of my choice be on me & my descendants?" (me, I'm signing up for the code girls or moments men, as the latter took qualified women)