LitPick Review
Gene Metcalfe is a 19-year-old high school student living in DeKalb, Illinois, in 1942, when he reports for basic training at Camp Grant to become a member of the 508th Paratroop Infantry Regiment during World War II. After a misunderstanding, Gene is required to repeat basic training, making him the most overqualified paratrooper in his regiment at the time he boards a C-47 as part of Operation Market Garden. The plan is to protect a road bridge in Nijmegen, a city in Holland.
During the jump, the regiment comes under fire by German soldiers. Gene is wounded, and a brief inspection by his fellow soldier determines his fate. He is left for dead, and over the next several months, Gene endures capture by the German soldiers, a tense stay in a POW prison, a botched escape attempt, and eventual liberation at the end of the war.
Told by biographer Marcus A. Nannini, Metcalfe’s story is the personal account of one man’s experiences as a young American paratrooper whose life is forever changed through his experiences, all while his easygoing, humorous nature remains intact..
Opinion:
Left For Dead at Nijmegen is an enthusiastic retelling of Metcalfe’s experiences gleaned from years of conversational interviews conducted by Nannini. As a result, the book is a third-person account of Metcalfe’s story putting a little emotional distance between the situation and the narrator but also effectively breaking down the story for the average reader to follow. Nannini is skilled at explaining the terminology, customs, and details behind every anecdote. However, this tends to make it a slow read despite its short length.
The book is also filled with relevant photos that help paint a clearer picture of Metcalfe’s experiences and the book's cast of characters—ordinary and famous—who are featured in the narrative. I recommend Left For Dead at Nijmegen to World War II enthusiasts, those who have experienced active combat, and readers who like a more personal perspective of the events they have read about in history books.
