The Yanks Are Starving: A Novel of the Bonus Army

by Glen Craney

Two armies. One flag. No honor.
The darkest day in American history.

Former political journalist Glen Craney has enthralled readers with novels set during the medieval crusades and Scottish wars of independence. Now the award-winning author turns to World War I and the Great Depression, bringing to life the little-known story of the Bonus March of 1932, which culminated in a shocking clash between thousands of homeless veterans and U.S. Army regulars on the streets of the nation's capital.

Mired in the Great Depression, the United States teeters on the brink of revolution. And the nation holds its collective breath as a rail-riding hobo from Portland leads 20,000 World War I veterans on a desperate quest for justice to the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

-- Foreword Book-of-the-Year Finalist Historical Fiction
-- indieBRAG Medallion
-- Chaucer Award Finalist for Historical Fiction

This timely epic evokes the historical novels of Jeff Shaara as it sweeps across three decades with eight Americans from different backgrounds who survive the fighting in France and come together again, fourteen years later, to determine the fate of a country threatened by communism and fascism:

-- Herbert Hoover, the beleaguered president.
-- Douglas MacArthur, the ambitious general.
-- Pelham Glassford, the compassionate police chief.
-- Walter Waters, the troubled leader of the Bonus veterans.
-- Floyd Gibbons, the war correspondent and famous radio broadcaster.
-- Joe Angelo, the Italian-American who is George Patton's orderly.
-- Ozzie Taylor, the street musician turned Harlem Hellfighter.
-- Anna Raber, the Mennonite nurse.

We follow these men and women from the Boxer Rebellion in China to the Plain of West Point, from the persecution of conscientious objectors in the Midwest to the horrors of the Marne in France, and from the Hoovervilles of the heartland to the pitiful encampment in the bowels of the District of Columbia.

Here is an alarming portrayal of the political intrigue and government betrayal that ignited the only violent conflict between two American armies under the same flag.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, American, War, World War I

Paperback

Published January 1, 2014

About the author

A native Hoosier, GLEN CRANEY is a novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and lawyer. He caught the history bug as a boy while tracing the steps of his ancestors on Civil War battlefields and the reconstructed forts of the first Kentucky pioneers.

His travels around the world have found him playing baseball in Cuba, walking the biblical sites of Israel, exploring the Secret Vatican Archives in Rome, and climbing Templar castles in Scotland and France. His books have taken readers to Occitania during the Albigensian Crusade, to the Scotland of Robert the Bruce, to Portugal during the Age of Discovery, to the trenches of France during World War I, and to the American Hoovervilles of the Great Depression.

He graduated from Hanover College with a major in history and holds graduate degrees from Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. After a stint as a trial lawyer, he joined the Washington, D.C. press corps to report on national politics and the Iran-contra trial for Congressional Quarterly magazine. He then moved to California to write movie scripts, and his feature screenplay, Whisper the Wind, about the Navajo codetalkers of World War II, was awarded the Nicholl Fellowship Prize by the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences for best new screenwriting.

With the encouragement of his mentor, Hollywood legend Harry Essex, he tried his hand at historical fiction and mystery-thrillers, and has never looked back. His debut historical novel, The Fire and the Light, was named Best New Fiction by the National Indie Excellence Awards. He is also a three-time indieBRAG Medallion Honoree, a Chaucer Award First-Place Winner, a three-time Foreword Reviews Book-of-the-Year Award Finalist, a Scéal Mystery-Thriller Award Finalist, a Nautilus Silver Award Winner, an IPPY Silver Award Winner, an Eric Hoffer Finalist and Honorable Mention Winner, a Da Vinci Eye Award Finalist, and a BTS Readers Choice Award Honorable Mention.

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Reviews

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a carefully crafted historical novel that describes the dirty underbelly of American social conditions in the early twentieth century leading up to World War I and then culminating in the shameful treatment of "Bonus Army" in 1932. However, readers who are anxious to read about what organizers called the "Bonus Expeditionary Force" will have to read through the first half of this book where the lives of various individuals are followed until they converge in Washington D.C. in the early years of the economic depression of the 1930s.

By the time the book's narrative approaches 1932 the reader has been made intimately familiar with the personalities of the principal characters in a way that only skillfully written fiction can do. Some of these characters are fictional composites of various individuals who played a role in the history of the time. Others are actual historical characters well known to us all.

The historical characters of note include Herbert Hoover, Douglas McCarthur, and George Patton. Herbert Hoover is portrayed as a sympathetic character with a past of noteworthy accomplishments, but who found himself as president overwhelmed by an impossible situation and surrounded by bad advisers. Douglas McCarthur and George Patton are described as being as weird and crazy as junior officers as they are widely known to have been later as senior officers. McCarthur's actions (i.e. not following orders) as described in this book portend his later actions in Korea under the Truman administration.

Other historical characters in the book with whom I was previously unfamiliar are Pelham D. Glassford (Police Superintendent), Floyd Phillips Gibbons (news reporter), Joe Angelo (WWI veteran), and Walter W. Water (veteran and Bonus Army leader). Glassford is described in this book as clearly being the unsung hero in an impossible situation. Joe Angelo was honored during the war for having saved George Patton's life, but in 1932 Patton publicly refused to acknowledge any recognition of him.

Anna Raber (Nurse) and Ozzie Taylor (WWI veteran, musician and African American) are fictional composites of characters known to exist but whose identities are lost to history. Anna Raber is described as being the daughter of a Mennonite minister from Indiana. The author's objective in having her come from a Mennonite background was probably to describe a medical nurse with pure motivations to minister to human needs wherever they arose. Ozzie Taylor is another fictional character who represents the African American veterans known to be have been part of the bonus army. The inclusion of individuals from these minority backgrounds allows the book to also describe the racial discrimination and persecution of pacifists that occurred during that era.

I invite any historical scholars who happen to read this book to comment on whether they agree with the representation of history as portrayed in this book. The part of this book which I suspect to be controversial is the suggestion in the book that somebody--probably McCarthur--arranged for a shooting that killed two and injured others, and then this incident was used as an excuse to attack and burn the bonus army camp.

This book brings to life a part of history with which many people today are unfamiliar. Thus I hope this book is widely read.

I received a free copy of the ebook edition of the book from the author.

[Mark Mortensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This historical novel spans the first third of the 20th Century in America culminating with the 1932 national Bonus Army protest in Washington, D.C.

The Great War touched the lives of all Americans, but those who participated overseas under the umbrella of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) witnessed much sacrifice and horror. Armistice assured freedom and peace, but the monetary fruits of victory did not filter down to the common veteran. As veterans tried to move forward and put the war behind them many had their best attempts thwarted by the 1929 stock market crash and the national economic depression that followed. The plight of the Great War veterans caused some to band together as members of a newly created Bonus Army / Bonus Expeditionary Forces (BEF) to seek an early release of their governmental bonus. A clash inside the Washington D.C. beltway between veterans and governmental officials would settle the issue.

To set the stage award winning novelist Glen Craney introduced eight diverse Americans through standalone chapters. I was very impressed with his in depth character development and his creative skills to later braid each individual together within the story. His grasp and comprehension of historical events in the time period is outstanding.

With five solid books behind him, the former trial lawyer and Washington, D.C. press correspondent has melded his journalistic skills and west coast screenwriting career to hit his stride. With such talent his future is wide open.

I received this complementary book without obligations. It was my desire to read the novel and offer a fair review.

[Nathan Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are moments in time that truly are "pivot points" that affect not just individuals, but entire countries. The governments handling of "The Bonus Army" veterans is one such pivot point. This incident is usually glossed over in schools, but it was truly a watershed moment that has been proven to repeat itself in various ways even to this day. For those of you, who like myself, just had a passing knowledge of this event - it occurs in the middle of the Great Depression on July 28, 1932. Veterans of World War I marched on Washington to try and convince the government and President Hoover to forward the Bonus that they were to be given in 1945 (when many of the World War I vets would have passed away). Close to 17,000 veterans, many homeless and with families, made a trek to Washington DC to protest, only to be met by overzealous generals with infantry and calvary.

In the end, 4 Bonus Army soldiers lay dead and their "shanty town" was burned to the ground. Their leader, Walter Waters, who lead veterans all the way from Oregon to the nations capital - was run out of town unceremoniously. Amazingly, Waters re-enlisted in the Navy to fight for his country again in World War II.


Craney covers this incident in such detail that I wish to grant him an honorary doctorate from Movies and Manuscripts University - which will get him about as much as the Bonus Army Veterans got at the end of their "adventure" - which is to say - nothing.

"The Yanks are Starving" starts well before the incident and follows many different "characters" of the era and gives you a birds eye view of how all of their different paths all came together on that fateful day. I am very interested in history, but must admit I knew little about World War I. There are so many famous people in this book that it would make Forrest Gump seem like he never met anyone of import.

Some of the characters off the top of my head - Ty Cobb, George Patton, Douglas McArthur, Walter Johnson, Smedley Butler, Herbert Hoover, Winston Churchill, and Carnegie Mellon all make appearances. Looking at that list, you would assume that this has to be a total work of fiction - but what is more amazing is that it is not. It is "historical fiction", but the events are real. The author did add two "composite characters" to help move the story along, but gives very solid reasons for doing so at the end of the book - and I believe that they only add to the story.

A few of the reviews state that the book is too long and started too far in advance of the main event. At first I felt the same, but by doing this Carney really brought to life all of the different personalities involved. Also, by starting the novel with events that preceded World War I and taking you through the trenches with the characters the reader can really understand what these men sacrificed. When put into contrast to what they were asking for, you may come to the same conclusion that the government has been in the business of screwing veterans for many decades and generations now. There would have been so much lost if Carney would have solely focused on the actual event that this would have been an average book at best instead of a book that stands out as one of the best and most memorable that I have ever read.


I can't tell you how many times I had to stop reading and look up on the internet to see if what was in the book actually happened. After the first 15 times of finding that the research was spot on, I just quit looking and enjoyed the book knowing that this was the result of a huge amount of research.

The amount of detail and interactions between the characters is truly amazing. It almost had the feel of "Game of Thrones" with the complexity of the different factions, characters, and settings involved - but much easier to follow. It always amazes me when an author tackles a subject that a person already knows how it ends, but still is hoping that someway - somehow - that it ends in a kind of weird parallel universe with a different ending. Even knowing the inevitable ending - my attention was held until the end.


If there is anyone involved with producing television mini-series - this is one that I feel would be a sure fire hit.


I give this book my highest recommendation. If you are into history - this is a "must read" book that you need to add to your library. Thank you, Mr. Craney, for the effort that you put into this fabulous book!

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://authoralliance.net/yanks-starv...

The Yanks are Starving: A Novel of the Bonus Army by Glen Craney is a novel set in the pivotal decades of the opening of the twentieth century. Craney is a graduate of Indiana School of Law and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. As a member of the Washington Press Corps, he covered the Iran Contra Trial for Congressional Quarterly magazine. Previously Craney practiced trial law.

World War I is my favorite period of history to read about because so much of what the twentieth century became can be directly tied to the war. From standing armies, communism, mechanized warfare, alliances, and the rise of the United States are a result of the war. By the end of the century the Serbs would draw Europe into limited fighting, Russia would become a country again, and artificial borders created after the war would vanish. It was the beginning of the modern times.

Initially, I was expecting a short novel covering that single page in history books about Hoovervilles and McArthur facing off against the WWI vets protesting in Washington DC. Admittedly, this incident is barely mentioned in history books and probably has escaped most American's historical memory. There is a reason for this. Not only is it part of the deep depression, it is also a national embarrassment. Probably the first in a long line. I remember the treatment Vietnam veterans received coming home and how problems reintegrating into society were ignored. I also remember Gulf War Syndrome being called a hoax, and I don’t seem to see many “I Support the Troops” flags or car magnets any more. The Bonus Army was the first of many lessons in the disposability of military veterans after they served their purpose.

I was a little surprised to see this book had nearly six hundred pages to cover a single event. The surprise, it turns out, was very pleasant. The Yanks are Starving covers three decades through the eyes of eight major characters and a few supporting ones. There are supporting characters like a young Eisenhower, Smedley Butler, George Patton, and James “Big Jim” Reese Europe. Of the main characters, Herbert Hoover is a compassionate man who reminds me much of Jimmy Carter both as during and before his presidency. Douglas Macarthur is shown on a personal side much different than his image in World War II and Korea. There are two common working class characters Joe Angelo and Walter W Waters who are drawn together by WWI. Anna Raber, a Mennonite, experiences WWI as a nurse in Europe. Ozzie Taylor, a black street musician, and Pelham Glassford, a West Point plebe, round out the sexes, races, and classes of America.

Reading advance praise for the book I saw a glowing review by a Marine veteran. As a Marine veteran myself, that peaked my interest since Marines are mostly interested in Marine Corps history. I found out quickly the Marines had their role in this story. The book opens with Smedley Butler in China during the Boxer Rebellion and the Marines role expands through the last major character in the novel Floyd Gibbons, a reporter from the Minnesota Star. It was only last year I found out about Floyd Gibbons. He is responsible for immortalizing the second most important Marine Corps’ event after the raising of the flag at Mount Suribachi -- The Battle of Belleau Woods.

One problem I typically find in historical fiction is that the author will take an event and choose and discard events that he wants to include and exclude from history. Basically uses what he needs to fabricate a good story. In the end, many novels end up no more accurate than a “based on a true story” television movie. Craney manages to keep history honest and, although a few characters are fictional and conversations cannot be verified, there is little need to fact check his work.

As I mentioned above the history is accurate, but it is the storytelling that pulls you in. The writing, flow of the story, and characters make The Yanks are Starving very difficult to put down. Craney does an outstanding job at bringing the history to life and keeping it alive. There isn’t that usual long dry spot in the middle of the novel that the reader feels obligated to trudge through. The Yanks are Starving is event and character driven. When some of the characters are having down time the reader is quickly switched over to another character or group of characters, and there is no filler in nearly six hundred pages of the novel.

Although the book centers around mostly the army and army veterans, there is enough Marine Corps in this book to keep any Marine veteran reading. I will admit to being drawn into this story and thoroughly enjoying it, although I usually avoid military novels that do not center around the Marines. This is also much more than a military book. It is about American classes, race, the sexes, and the role of government and the military. It is also a story about threats to America, real or imagined, and the changes in American culture. Craney has written an outstanding social and military historical novel of the United States covering the crossing over from the nineteenth century mentality into the twentieth century. Simply put, an outstanding novel.

[Stanley McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Yanks are Starving is a masterfully written saga of pre and post World War 1. Glen Craney explores the lack of loyalty of battle officers for their troops and government’s abandonment of the welfare of the troops who fight for their country. This book explores the lives of eight individuals from wildly differing experiences and backgrounds whose clash in July 1932 culminates in a poignant and sad story of American history.

Douglas MacArthur appears to be a poser and a posturer. His lack of loyalty to his troops and the veterans is glaring. President Hoover was mired in a post WW1 world of the filthy rich re-enslaving the population in poverty. Floyd Gibbons, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, is wounded in the Battle of Belleau Wood. He becomes a radio correspondent dubbed “The Headline Reporter.” He was among the first to use remote reporting broadcasts and followed the BEF (Bonus Expeditionary Force), a group of Doughboys heading to Washington to collect a bonus, which had been promised by congress.

Walter W. Waters, leader of the Bonus Army, and his wife travel from Portland, Oregon to the nation’s capital rounding up veterans on the way. The Bonus Army is tagged “The Bonus Expeditionary Force” (or BEF). By May 1932, the Bonus Army numbered more than 20,000 men. The climax of the book recounts the expulsion of the BEF by a detachment of U.S. Marines and Army Tanks, with George Patton on horseback routing the squatters. Joe Angelo, the soldier who threw his body over Patton to save his life (and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for the sacrifice) was totally ignored when he called to Patton to recognize him and stop the assault on the BEF. The BEF was routed from their attempt to get the bonus offered them and the government branded them Communist Sympathizers.

We received this book directly from the author as a request for read and review and I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history, specifically military history and the shameful failure of our government to honor their troops. This book would make a terrific mini-series as it follows who in our historical military events might actually be the true heroes. C E Williams

Read the full review on https://rosepointpublishing.com

[Eileen Iciek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this novel about the plight of WWI veterans during the Depression who sought to have the "Bonus" Congress had voted for them paid in 1932 instead of 1945 (who said today's politicians were the only ones pushing forward their financial obligations?). The author did a great job of telling the story from the point of view of a number of famous, not so famous, and completely unknown individuals. The famous include Herbert Hoover, Douglas MacArthur, and George Patton.

I moved to the Washington DC area in high school and recall history teachers briefly mentioning the historical incident when thousands of desperate veterans came to the city to urge Congress to pay their bonuses then, but no more than mentioning it. I had no idea what a pivotal event it was at the time, and probably was the main reason why Herbert Hoover (by all accounts a decent and kind human being) lost re-election to FDR in 1932. MacArthur comes across as an ambitious bully, and Patton maybe a little better, but neither was the hero they are often portrayed as. Their fellow West Point graduate, Pelham Glassford, who had been named Chief of Police in DC a few months before this incident, comes out as a hero in this story, along with a journalist, Floyd Gibbons.

This novel was well-written and never slowed down. It was a fascinating re-telling of a bit of history that should not have been so forgotten. Highly recommended.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The impact of war

If you enjoy historical novels you enjoy this book. It depicts an era of US history I knew nothing about as an Australian. However the Australian history of the same period is almost parallel. Volunteer soldiers, fighting trench warfare, with outdated tactics and weapons to come home as veterans unloved and unappreciated. Good on them to have taken their grievances to the Whitehouse.

[Helen Hollick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
'The author tells the story from the points of view of several different characters, which works very well ... combines the best of fiction and history.'

[Andy Lopata · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic look at a seemingly forgotten event in America history. Brilliantly weaves fact and fiction, as a result creating a different perspective to ordinary biographies and history books.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

Since the author asked me to read and review this book in exchange for a Kindle copy, I should explain my perhaps quirky star rating scale. Four stars, to me, is a top rating. Of all the 400+ books I've reviewed here on Goodreads, I've given just one five-star rating, that to the entire body of Aubrey/Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian. So, three-and-a-half stars for this historical novel? That's an excellent rating from me.

I thought The Yanks Are Starving a compelling read. I knew the bare outlines of the events the story is about, but none of the details; this fictionalized retelling of a now-forgotten episode in American history filled in that blank spot in my education. The characters in Craney's story about the Bonus Expeditionary Force are, with few exceptions, historical figures who played important roles in the confrontation; the exceptions, as Craney explains in an afterward, are meant to represent groups of participants (the nurse Anna standing in for several nurses; the black soldier Ozzie standing in for soldiers who fought in the Negro regiments).

I was fascinated to encounter younger versions of characters I've studied in other contexts: Herbert Hoover, Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton, Dwight Eisenhower. The author did his research; the characters seem real and recognizable without being animatronic mannikins spouting quotes. At no point did I feel Craney taking liberties with known history, as some historical novelists have done.

As to the tales of what American soldiers did in the Great War and how the country turned its back to them during the Great Depression, open-minded students of actual American history ... the un-sugarcoated version ... will find plenty here to feed their cynicism. Politicians suck; the police serve their political masters; corruption is rampant; even the military leaders the down & out members of the Bonus Army once served want nothing to do with them. We treated our WWII veterans much better, but during my own life I've seen the country turn its back on other good soldiers ... the veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars, for example ... but never to the shameful extent we abandoned the heroes of WWI in a time of great need.

And what excuse was used to justify military action in the streets of Washington, DC to put down the Bonus Army? Communist agitation, the all-purpose bogeyman I remember from the McCarthy days of the 1950s ... now I better understand its origins and underpinnings. For that alone, Craney gets my respect.

The only bad marks I'd give this historical novel are a few typos and a couple of what I think, perhaps mistakenly so, are anachronisms: one a reference to Herbert Hoover as "leader of the free world" (was that description applied to any American president before WWII?); one reference to working in "Stalin's gulags" (did we know about the gulags, or use that term even if we did, in the early 1930s?).

Trivial quibbles aside, I really enjoyed The Yarks Are Starving. It's entertaining and educational, and it tells a compellingly interesting story.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Yanks are Starving: A Novel of the Bonus Army by Glen Craney

A highly recommended read for everyone. Very enjoyable!

This is a great story. I was hooked from the start and it just kept me enthralled.

The characters are fascinating. I love how the author explains in the "Authors Notes" how a few of his characters (Ozzie and Anna -two of my faves) came to be. A fine effort to show respect and to recognize the many men and women who sacrificed much, who suffered through years of a kind of hell that I hope you and I don't ever have to face. These people, whose names and stories have disappeared with time, should be remembered. Thank you Glen.

I can understand now why I have never heard this story before. It's a huge embarrassment to the GOV (IMO). I tried to imagine what would happen these days and I can't honestly say that it would never get so ugly - The Occupy Movement/We are the 99% and the more recent Ferguson riots and protests comes to mind where some questionable tactics were employed by all involved. It's a shame. Many in the story seem to not be as admirable as I thought (was taught). I don't think I would be too surprised to find that there are those in GOV currently who are less than admirable. A crying shame; just like the following quote...

"the old American spirit of pioneer neighborliness and response in emergency has rotted away with the years." editorial in the New Republic, August 10, 1932. Sadly, this could have been said today. Additional information I found interesting at:
http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/les...

I received this book from the author in e-book format. This review and my opinion are entirely at my discretion. I received no compensation and was not required to review in exchange. I do thank the author for the opportunity to read his work. He has rapidly become a must-read author for me!

Next up: The Fire and the Light - the cover art is beautiful.
http://www.glencraney.com/Fire%20desc...



Status Update (51%)
8/26/2014

I'm really enjoying the book. I had not heard of the Bonus Army before so I am looking forward to finding out what else happens. I am grateful for my Kindle copy because it is so easy to look things up [people]. So interesting. I like them very much (most). I'm also checking for additional pictures on my searches so I can put faces to names (there are some great ones already in the book). Fun! I am such a fan of this author. Thanks for sharing your talents with us Glen Craney! 49% to go!! Plenty of time for lots to happen… hope it doesn't break my heart :( We'll see!

[James Reese Europe, Noble Sissle, Floyd Gibbons, Pelham Glassford, Gladys and Dorothea Cromwell, etc.]

[Katelyn Shaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads First Read and I want to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read this novel.

“The Yanks Are Starving: A Novel of the Bonus Army” is a well-written book about the bonus army. The narrative was thoughtfully woven and the characters came to life as individuals. It is obvious the author did extensive research and well knows this period of history.

The only area where I felt this novel could have been improved was on the pacing and focus. I felt that more attention should have been given to the last half of the book—the first half dragged on longer than was necessary, although I do appreciate the author’s efforts to build the foundation of the plot and stage for later character developments and reactions.

I very rarely give out 5-star reviews and my total score for this book would be 4.5 stars. Overall this was a highly enjoyable read and one that I would recommend.

[Ceh131973 · Rating 5 out of 5]

[The Yanks Are Starving] by [Glen Craney] was a very well written book that I really did not want to put down. Which is why I often found my eReader on the floor the next morning where it dropped. As a student of history I am glad to see one of the most glossed over and darkest times in American history addressed. The Bonus Army was a real thing. Our government asked young men to defend democracy overseas but when they returned they were shunned and treated as criminals.

Although some of Craney's characters were fictional(as he states in his notes) they were based on real life people. The hurricane that is referred to at the end of the book where WWI vets were left to fend for themselves is also a true event often called "Hemingway's Hurricane" because of the scathing report he wrote after being one of the first to see it's aftermath.

I think this is a must read book for anyone who wants to learn the truth about American history. Even though it is a fiction story it is purely based on fact and the author really did his research well.

[Christoph Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Yanks are Starving: A Novel of the Bonus Army" by Glen Craney is a large and complex novel covering so much more than only the Bonus March from the title - which in itself is a truly inspired and appreciated choice. The protest march by WWI veterans is not widely known about and this fills the gap in my knowledge not only with a sharp focus on the events. Crabey goes back to the beginning of the century and to several locations to show how interconnected worldwide events are and how individual fates and personalities perceive and contribute to the event. The characters may seem unusual choices at times but all makes sense once you reached the end of this loaded novel.
As European it was rather fascinating to see the American perspective, especially since there are various well chosen characters and strands of narrative.
This truly is an outstanding historical novel that works on so many levels. Brilliant.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had "The Yanks Are Starving" on my to read list for over a year. Glad that I finally got around to reading this splendidly written account of the men who fought in WWI and who subsequently participated in the Bonus War Army of 1932.

The book is 559 pages long, yet the only time it seemed to run slow was during the description of the Bonus Army settling into camps in Washington, DC. It could have been a little more condensed.

That said, I am happy to give this incredible novel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best

As a child of the early 1930's, this was a quite accurate to the real happening. I had several relatives who participated in the bonus march. During WW II, although they had sons and other family members fighting, they would get very agitated at the mention of MacAuthur, Patton. In the news.
. .

[Paul Conder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read, and a very interesting part of US history I had never heard of before.

[Linnea Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glen Craney's epic historical fiction novel, The Yanks are Starving: A Novel of the Bonus Army, recounts the tragic events of World War I and the Bonus March in 1932 when veterans marched on the U.S. Capital to demand the bonus promised by Congress for their services. The book is divided into Part One: No Man's Land (1900-1919) and Part Two: Over Here (1931-1932). The stories of eight characters, who were actual historical figures or represented a distinct group, are woven together to capture the national disgrace of how the U.S. government turned against veterans seeking a bonus to help them financially during the depression. The story begins with a prologue set in December 1941, when World War I veteran Walter Waters shows up at a recruiting site for the navy. Throwing a flaming stick over a line of recruits, he warns that President Hoover came close to sparkin' another American Revolution when he failed to deliver economic justice for destitute World 1 veterans.

Part One then goes back in time, setting the stage for social inequities, political corruption, and brave heroes who survived the carnage at the Marne in World War 1. 

Part two meticulously details how jobless WWI veterans organized a group called the "Bonus Expeditionary Forces" (BEF) to march on Washington, DC. The BEF's goal was to get the money Congress had promised in the Bonus Act. The catch was that this bonus would not pay out until each veteran's birthday in 1945, paying out to his estate if he should die before. Walter Walters leads the veterans to set up camps and occupy buildings in various locations in Washington, DC. The largest center is a shantytown on the Anacostia Flats, across the river from Washington's Navy Yard. When police try to move protesters out of occupied government buildings, two protestors are killed in a riot. After that, General Douglas MacArthur ruthlessly advances on the camps with tanks and tear gas to disperse the protestors permanently. 

Author Craney masterfully weaves the threads of individual stories, culminating in a national tragedy when the army is called out to war on unarmed citizens. The prose is elegantly written, and the dialogue captures each character's essence and the rawness of war and desperate events. It is a profoundly moving novel that will resonate in your mind after reading it. News reporter Gibbons summarizes the tragedy of the Bonus March as follows: "Tonight, in a dark, damp rail yard in the heart of this great country, two battles are being waged. One is for control of the economic crossroad of America. But a more desperate battle is for the souls of men and women who could be forgiven for believing that God is right behind our government in abandoning them…."

Though the individual stories seem disjointed initially, each voice is necessary to show how military leaders and politicians failed veterans. Social injustices, such as persecution against conscientious objectors, are realistically portrayed. Blacks, segregated in the U.S. army, are readily accepted by the French forces to fight alongside them. One of the most engaging characters is a Mennonite nurse, Anna, who must muster the strength to care for and comfort wounded soldiers without losing her soul.  

The Yanks are Starving: A Novel of the Bonus Army is a captivating epic that realistically depicts the tragedy of how courageous soldiers who survived World War 1 were betrayed by military leaders and politicians at the time of their greatest need during the depression. Highly recommended.   

[The Shield Maiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Yanks are starving is a brilliant, although sometime harrowing, novel about an almost forgotten era in American history. Everyone with an historical interest will have heard of The Great Depression, but the story that Craney has depicted is not one that I am familiar with. The Bonus Army’s story is a tragic one and Craney did not hold back in his depiction of these desperate families and the government’s response to them, which was appalling to say the least. A veteran army and the Army clashing, it really does beggar belief that this could have happened, but happen it did, with all of its tragic consequences.

It is very obvious that the author has really done his homework, this book screamed authenticity, and the historical depictions were second to none. And although there is a huge cast of characters in this novel I soon learned who everyone was and their role that they played in this story.

I thought this book was something very special indeed. If you are a fan of historical fiction set in America then this book has to be on your to-read list. It is gripping from beginning to end and it is one that I certainly recommend.

[Janis Friedrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative read

Based on historic facts this book reveals how brutal politics and politicians, as well as power seeking individuals can be. Craney reveals how quickly the sacrifices of those who believe in a righteous cause can be used up then discarded when the next crisis affects the pockets of the powerful. Craney develops the characters, the times and the situation to make you feel a part of what is going on. Thankfully the book ends on a high note because before that you wonder "could this really happen in America". Well worth the read.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found reading about the two periods very interesting from an historical point of view. WWI and the Veterans "sit in" in Washington DC during the Depression. I knew of the shooting of veterans but had never really had much of the context which this novel provided.

[Allan Schefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good historical novel about a blight on our government.

[Paul Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

full review and interview with the author coming 1/31/23 with Coffee Pot Book Club Tour

[David Ebsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a big read, not for the faint-hearted. But it's beautifully written and follows the stories of several well-known protagonists - Herbert Hoover and George S. Patton, etc - through the trenches of the First World War, through their various experiences of America during the 1920s and into the Great Depression, and then finally into the horrendous story of the Bonus March and its consequences. I have to say that I knew nothing about the Bonus March beforehand and it's genuinely a largely untold story. So congratulations to Glen Craney on a wonderful achievement. The novel is a page-turner but also one of those rare works that manages to bring surprise after surprise in every chapter. Highly recommended.

[John Jeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glen Craney’s THE YANKS ARE STARVING would make a compelling film, of course, but the richness of his prose and the near-four-dimensional portraits we get of each and every character and even the settings here, would ensure that film critics, who would have to compare the movie script with the book, would fault any movie for failing to live up to this deeply felt epic.

Not only does Mr. Craney's powerful writing engage every sense – even touch and smell – this book also inspires the way great literature should, moving us to compassion, even anger, feelings of enduring intensity.

YANKS actually is two books, and Mr. Craney’s structure and Table of Contents tell us so. But it’s not until we get well into Part I that we realize what he’s doing to us and for us. In the first section, he introduces us to actual historical figures and composite characters based on very-real people. While long(ish), the first half takes us all over the country, where we not only meet these people, he makes us want to learn as much about them as we want to know about any intimate friend. And so we fast become caught up in their lives and in the time and settings they’re lived in.

For instance, we meet Ozzie Taylor, a young black man who plays oboe so badly that an early Harlem hero, James Reese Europe, an actual pioneer in early 19th-century ragtime, can barely stand the noise. We meet Anna Raber, a star-crossed Mennonite who’s blackmailed into serving as a nurse in the War to End All Wars. These are those composite characters. We meet Douglas MacArthur, who becomes a contemptible villain. We meet Hap Glassford, the doomed World War I general who, despite his admirable sympathy and even more admirable good humor, runs headlong into power he can’t beat. (My favorite character is Floyd Gibbons, the larger-than-life newspaper reporter-turned-radioman, who turns up just about everywhere with flamboyance and color that make for some of the best passages in the book.) These are just a few of Mr. Craney’s sprawling and brilliantly drawn cast.

In Part II, all of these lives collide. This results in a true and shameful and largely ignored bit of American history, with and ending that's at once tragic, infuriating and, yet, somehow, poignant and hopeful.

Which is precisely why, especially in this book, Mr. Craney sets the standard for some of the country’s finest historical fiction today. This story resonates, indeed. It reminds us that the events here actually happened, and that similar injustices continue to this day: Young Americans are sent to fight and die in horrific wars. They return home broken veterans to power that deserts, even kills, its poor; then as now, the Top 1 percent holds an unbreakable grip that crushes the rest of us.

That this book won’t let us forget that the story in these pages gets told every day in the media actually is what brilliant historical fiction should be. What happened is real, yes, and Mr. Craney forces us to consider history's injustices through his expert scholarship and vivid storytelling. In an equally fascinating dynamic here, it just so happens that one of those injustices is that Glen Craney isn’t, yet, recognized as this country’s preeminent contemporary writer of historical literature.

[Bookmuseuk]

This is a sprawling epic of a novel which has at its core a shameful episode of American history – the story of the Bonus Army.

The Bonus Army were a group of veterans who had all served in the trenches during the First World War. In 1932, at the height of the depression, out of work and on the brink of starvation, they converged on Washington to demand the ‘bonus’ they had been promised for their service. For weeks, while Congress and Senate debated their fate, they lived in squalid camps around the city, only to be driven out by the army in a show of brutal force.

But The Yanks Are Starving is more than just the tale of that summer. In its scale and scope, it is reminiscent of Russian novels like Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate, which takes a similarly long view of the Siege of Leningrad.

The early chapters read like a series of short stories as, beginning at the turn of the twentieth century, Craney assembles his cast of characters, both historical and invented. One by one, we meet young Westpoint officers like Macarthur, Pershing and Glassford, future President Herbert Hoover, notorious journalist, Floyd Gibbons, as well as those who will become nurses, stretcher bearers and the soldiers of the Rainbow Division and the Harlem Hellfighters.

It is only as the US enters the war in 1917 that the lives of these characters begin to intersect and we enter the hell of the trenches. Others perhaps have done more to show the scarring effect of that experience on the young soldiers. Craney’s characters are by and large a gung-ho lot.Yet Craney does not flinch from showing us the ugliness of war, nor the racism with which black soldiers were subjected, nor the brutal treatment meted out to conscientious objectors.

The first half of the book ends in 1919, with the soldiers returning to a parade on Fifth Avenue. The story then jumps to 1931, with Hoover in the White House, and the economy in the stranglehold of the Great Depression. It now becomes the tale of how a ragtag bunch of veterans, driven to desperation by poverty and starvation, try to take on Washington. And how the officers who once led them into battle turn their guns on them.

Craney has clearly done an enormous amount of research, and chosen from the lives of his historical characters incidents that make powerful scenes. He paints characters who are individual, often highly eccentric, in language that is rich and earthy.

The character who most frustrated me was Hoover. I would have liked to understand better how the man who organised famine relief in Europe during the War and who protested the draconian settlement with Germany at Versailles could, just over a decade later, so signally fail to provide the same help to his own people. Was he surrounded by the wrong people and badly advised? Or was it simply inconceivable to him that large scale starvation was possible within the United States?

At almost 550 pages*, this is not a read to be undertaken lightly. It is, however, a powerful story of a landmark event in history - one that made me both sad and angry. The novel feels timely, too, when once again the poor are asked to carry the can for the mistakes of rich men. If you believe in learning the lessons of history, this is one for you.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Yanks Are Starving" is a historical fiction novel that takes on the Bonus Army of the 1930s. If you are not familiar with what the Bonus Army was, it was a bunch of World War I veterans that marched through Washington, D.C. in order to demand compensation for their services during the war. They clashed with government officials during an already dark time during American history. Obviously, the country was going through a very difficult time in the early 1930s with the occurrence of the Great Depression and there were a lot of people who were really wanted to get the government to give them what they deserved. This is a very detailed, well researched look at this time period.

This is a huge, sweeping novel that stands at over 500 pages but it is chock full of really interesting historical figures and some fictional characters that really give you the overall feeling of what the country was going through at that time. I really liked how the author was able to weave all of these characters together in order to make the story feel really real. You're able to see the issue from a lot of different angles, which I think really helps you to understand the different points of view of the time.

I think that the writing of this book as one of the most stand out things about it. Although this book is quite long and I do think that some parts could possibly be cut, overall, the author really keeps the story moving along. I always enjoy learning about different historical events that I may not know quite as much about. The Bonus Army is one of those subject that I just do not know much about and I found it fascinating. In this country today, we still have a lot of conversations about how the people who fight and our Armed Forces are compensated for what they do so I found myself thinking a lot about the issues that we still struggle with today while reading this book. This book is a very interesting book that takes place during a pivotal time during our country's history and I believe that historical fiction readers will appreciate the great characters and very good detail within this book.

[Kate Vane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ebook of The Yanks are Starving from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued to read this book as it was about a period of US history I knew nothing about, the march by homeless and hungry veterans – the so called ‘Bonus Expeditionary Force’ – on Washington during the Depression.

The book follows a number of real – and some fictitious – characters. The narrative is split into two parts. The first part of the book begins in the early twentieth century and takes in military action in China, Mexico and then France during World War 1. The second part is concerned with the political fallout of the Depression and the events surrounding the Bonus Expeditionary Force.

The scope of the book is impressive – from Hoover questioning his Quaker faith in China, to journalist Floyd Gibbons meeting rebels in Mexico, to the (fictitious) Mennonite, Anna Raber, arriving in London to begin her life as an army nurse.

There’s a danger with this kind of book that the characters become stereotypical, declaiming key points in history, explaining events. That doesn’t happen here. The characters are complex and well rounded. You feel that while many of the events are familiar to us, they are seeing them for the first time.

The author has chosen characters from different classes, ranks and backgrounds, and with conflicting motives – ambition, courage, belief, survival, opportunism. I particularly liked his depiction of journalist Floyd Gibbons, who manages to demonstrate all of these at different points in the narrative. The long timescale of the book allows some of the main characters to meet at different points, demonstrating how their relationships are altered by events. There’s a deft handling of both the subtleties of these relationships and the big events.

The Yanks are Starving offers an interesting insight into events of the last century - with resonance for today.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Great Depression. My mother grew up during the hardscrabble 1930's, and told tales about what life was like. The fears from that decade never left her. I don't recall her ever telling us about the Bonus Army, however, and reading The Yanks Are Starving was my first exposure to a shameful incident in America's 20th century history. Many of the "doughboys" who fought in WWI were unemployed during the Depression. They were each entitled to "bonus pay" for their military service, but their certificates would not mature until 1945. Impoverished and desperate, the soldiers banded together to march on Washington to demand immediate payment. The Bonus Army was was lead by former army sergeant Walter W. Waters, who is one of the main characters in Glen Craney's novel.

The book opens before the first world war, and in alternating chapters, introduces Waters and seven other characters, many of whom became household names. Among them are Black Jack Pershing, Herbert "Bert" Hoover, and Douglas MacArthur. It was fun reading about their lives before they became major players. As America enters the war, these characters converge, their battlefield experiences nothing short of heart-stopping. Similarly, their post-war lives are followed, until the Depression forces them to band together once again. It seems likely that the story of the Bonus Army was suppressed because no one wanted to remember the violence perpetrated upon them by their own government in their own capitol city.

Glen Craney has taken the facts of their lives to shape strong and memorable characters. He relates their story with vivid realism, particularly through dialog, and it is clear that he knows his history. Good historical novels like this one, well composed and founded upon sound research, provide enjoyable but valuable ways of learning about our not-so-distant past.

[Jerry Landry · Rating 5 out of 5]

For sake of transparency, this review is of a review copy provided by the author. Some stories in American history are retold countless times while others fall to the wayside until a historian or novelist brings them back to the public's attention. Glen Craney's novel is a great example of the resurrection of a story that should be more prevalent in the public consciousness.

Not only does his novel have well-known figures such as General Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D Eisenhower in the mix, but he also utilizes colorful lesser-known individuals like Floyd Gibbons and Chief Happy Glassford along with fictional characters to represent pivotal stories that were not so well documented in order to weave a rich narrative tapestry to keep the reader engaged from beginning to end.

From what I knew coming in and what I've since learned through additional research, Craney's fictional account is quite accurate to the historical events. Besides just being entertaining, Craney helps his readers to get a conception of how ordinary people fit into various momentous events of the first third of the 20th century. He lifts the curtain a bit for the prominent figures as well, but his writing craft shines when dealing with the everyday individuals.

The one negative criticism I could see a reader having is at one point after the Bonus Army's arrival in Washington, DC where the momentum of the plot seems to slow down a bit, but for me, it felt true to the experience of the Bonus marchers in waiting for congressional action and served an important purpose in the story. Overall, I would highly recommend this book as an interesting piece of historical fiction that invites the reader to learn more about the forgotten stories of these veterans who felt left behind and forgotten even in their own time, and I look forward to reading more of Mr. Craney's work in the future.