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Just as the news
photographer focuses the camera for the perfect shot to capture a
moment, the novelist writing about World War II must hone in on the
details that will create a compelling reality. Author Brian D. Ratty, a
photographer and novelist, has done that in Dutch Clarke: The War
Years, the second
book in a series.
When war
breaks out, Dutch, a wealthy young
Alaskan, has no desire to sit at a desk job, either in the Marine Corps or
his family’s oil business. Dutch wants to be part of combat, and
resents his uncle Roy’s use of national connections to have him
assigned to the Office of War Information in Hollywood
after boot camp. However, Dutch learns to use a camera with the help of
Black Jack, a former magazine photographer, who because of race is not
utilized for his skills in the military. A third friend, Riku Togo, a Japanese-American, is also discriminated against. This small band of
brothers, partly because of Uncle Roy’s behind-the-scenes
maneuverings, is armed with cameras and sent on missions in the Pacific
Theater. Ultimately, Dutch gets his wish—combat—in some of the
bloodiest venues of the war.
Dutch’s tiny spy camera, which escapes detection by his captors, is
filled with shots that graphically depict the horrors he and his buddy
have seen: executions and important information about Japanese
operations.
The
novelist misses nothing as his narrative snaps pictures of racism,
injury, death, heroism, revenge, and redemption in nonstop action. Ratty
effectively weaves a combination of current drama and flashbacks as
Dutch narrates his saga. A skilled storyteller, Ratty has moments of
elegant prose.
Near death
after riding out a typhoon on a flimsy raft, Dutch says, “Lady Death
had woven her long fingers through the hairs on my chest while
whispering in my ear about forgiveness. Then she kissed me with that
sweet taste of redemption. With her call, warm and seductive, this
temptress was drawing me even closer . . . Why I closed my eyes to her
siren song, I will never know.”
Ratty has
created a character so engaging that readers will want to follow the
rest of the series. Dutch is a hero, but that isn’t his motive. Like
many veterans, service to his country comes before personal ambition,
and that leads to bravery, brotherhood and righting wrongs.
It’s no wonder
that the book is a ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year finalist and an
Eric Hoffer Award-winner.
Linda Salisbury - ForeWord Clarion
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