Company K (Library of Alabama Classics)

I read The Red Badge of Courage in the 8th Grade, All Quiet On The Western Front in the 10th grade, and If I Die in A Combat Zone my sophomore year of college. All great pieces of literate, all trying in their own way to show the human experience, that is, a horrifying experience, of mass warfare at a personal level.Yet, none even come close to the utter brutal reality and morbid irony of this book. Repeatedly I had to research to ensure it is a work of fiction, and the names and units are as such.I did two tours of duty in Iraq, and thus do not even pretend to imagine what trench warfare may have actually been like. As a student of history, I found these small aspects interesting. Yet other parts, that are timeless, that could fit into any time or place in human history, I found the most compelling and disturbing. The disfigured men who came back and are to horrible for normal civilians to lay eyes on, the nightmares of those living with guilt of what they did, stories of the soldiers secretly ridiculing their officers for lack of intelligence (perceived or actual), the men refusing orders or deserting amidst operations, and the girls left at home who did not wait for their men despite promising to do so. These all could have been transposed onto any armed conflict before or since.Though often listed as anti-war, I don't feel that was the other's intent. He simply told it like it is, factual. It just so happens that war, by its nature, is horrible, so it is naturally distressing. Where other great works are nearly poetic in their descriptions, this is plain, and thus even more easy to understand and conceptualize, thus adding to the experience, good or bad.I have always read books like these, mentally comparing them to my own experiences, and none have ever come close until this one, even though the setting is a century removed from our own. I may never read another like it, my search has been satisfied. And if anyone wants a recommendation, I will recommend this.

“Company K” is an incredibly poignant first novel authored by American, World War I Veteran, William March, it is on the shorter side of medium length and, while compelling, actually very readable. It is perhaps my personal favorite World War I, semi autobiographical novel that I have ever read and, for me compares favorably with “All Quiet on The Western Front”. I also rate it with “Ther Red Badge of Courage” which is about the American Civil War but is NOT semi autobiographical.William March was born in Alabama in 1893 and served in The United States Marine Corps in World WarI. As a student of various niches of American Literature I have made a point of studying American Southern Gothic Literature and American Southern Literature in general. For that reason I had purchased this book a few years ago, but had never gotten around to reading it as I focused on the more famous Faulkner, McCullers, O’Connor, Capote, Robert Penn Warren, etc…. I thought William March was not of this ilk.Then recently I read a non fiction work by Alistair Cooke about the American Home Front in 1942. Mister Cooke was traveling in the American South and reporting about the south. He began to write about American Soithern Literature and of all the authors he could have mentioned, he named William March. I was amazed. Now that I have read William March’s first novel, I completely agree with Alistair Cooke.This book is of a somewhat unusual format. The entire book is written in first person in very short chapters. But every chapter has a different first person narrator. These narrators include individuals who do not survive and report their own deaths in first person. In that context this work very vaguely reminded me of an Irwin Shaw play “Bury The Dead”. They are different formats but nonetheless reminded me of each other. Others may not see it.In summary it is difficult for me to overstate how much I liked this novel. It is compelling, but not a light, fun read. It is an anti war novel authored by a combat veteran. I am very glad to have finally read this novel and definitely intend to read more work by this author. At least for the time being, this author rates in my personal top tier of American Southern Authors. Thank You Alistair Cooke! And thank you for taking the time to read this review.

Faut avoir le coeur bien accroché mais il faut avoir eu une envie farouche de raconter l'horreur de la guerre pour écrire ce livre. Je dirais : à ne pas lire avant 16 ans parce que certaines scènes sont insoutenables et vous risqueriez d'en faire des cauchemars.Le livre se présente sous forme de très courts chapitres portant comme titre le nom d'un soldat, vivant ou mort (qui s'en est sorti ou qui meurt au cours du chapitre lui même). Certaines scènes sont donc racontées dans plusieurs chapitres selon le point d'un homme, puis le point de vue d'un autre. C'est inouï. A lire absolument mais âmes sensibles, je le répète passez votre chemin.

The book came on time and as expected, was better than the film.