Wesley’s Comments (group member since Apr 08, 2020)

Wesley’s comments from the Read to Win the War group.

John wrote: "Hi, Wesley-- Very interested in a relaunch of this group! This is definitely my niche and I look forward to meeting and hearing from other history enthusiasts."

Hi John! Thanks for your message, I'm glad you're interested in our book club! Although I don't have any updates today, I do hope you'll keep checking in because we definitely plan to relaunch. And messages like these will help to support the return!

Hey everyone, this is Wes from the WWII Museum library. I appreciate your recent comments, I'm glad to see you're interested in the book club! We plan to eventually relaunch in some capacity, so stay tuned. Thanks!

Thanks Rick, Pies by one point! Sorry about Richmond, I'm sure they will bounce back this week!

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Hi Wesley, I just wanted to say that I have enjoyed the video book discussions. Due to the time zone differences I can't usually get involved in the online book discussions and can only join in tow..."

Hi Rick! Thanks for your feedback. I'm glad you've enjoyed the videos and discussions. I know you have a bit of a time difference, so in the future I will try to post more conversation starters so folks can reply at their convenience. And I really appreciate that suggestion. We could occasionally do like a "roundtable" on a particular topic and members can use any books they like to contribute to the discussion. Great idea!

Thanks again and will be in touch. Until then, up the Pies! And good luck to Richmond ;)

Hello readers!

Just a heads up if you missed our Maus talk or would like to watch it again, we just posted the recorded video here on our goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/videos/1680...

And on the NWWIIM Youtube page:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRgI5...

On to what's next: we are taking a break to come up with our next books to read, as well as to work on improving the book club. So we would absolutely love to hear what you think! Please take a moment to let us know what worked and what didn't over the first six months, and what you would like to see going forward. Post any comments, questions, and suggestions in this discussion thread to help us make a better experience for members. We greatly appreciate it!

It's been an exciting first six months, as we've read four excellent books on very different topics like grand prix racing, Dunkirk, Dresden, and the holocaust, across different formats like nonfiction, fiction, and a graphic novel. We've tried to mix it up to keep it interesting, but let us know what you'd like to see the group read together in the future. Thanks so much for your participation, and I'm looking forward to seeing what y'all think. And of course, I can't wait to read and discuss our next books together. So remember to add your suggestions to this discussion thread, and stay tuned to this page for updates and announcements. And as always, read on!

Hello readers! First, apologies for the radio silence this past month, and the delay in announcing our next book. After our September selection, we will take a brief hiatus to try and improve the book club and create a richer experience for group members and all readers. And that's where we need your help, your feedback is crucial! Please add comments in this thread about any suggestions you may have for the book club's format going forward. Any thoughts are welcome on selections, schedules, discussion boards, webinar events, dates and times, etc.

Now on to book talk! Our September selection will be the classic holocaust memoir and groundbreaking graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman. This is our book club's first graphic novel, and I hope the uninitiated are willing to give it a go. It's definitely worth it! Maus is the first and only graphic novel to win the Pulitzer Prize, which forged new territory for the medium in the worlds of academia and literary criticism. It's a powerful and emotional read for its portrayal of the author's father's experience in concentration camps. It uses illustrations of anthropomorphic animals to portray the characters which adds another level to the story. There will be much to chat about on our discussion board!

We are also planning a live webinar discussion of Maus on Friday, September 25th at 11am CT. We will update you on the panelists, and we hope you will plan to participate! Please add your comments and questions to this discussion board thread for the next two weeks, and tune in to our live event on September 25th! The live event requires a free registration this time, so go ahead and sign up using this link:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K...

Thanks for your patience and participation, now read on!

Janice wrote: "FINALLY got around to watching this and really enjoyed it! Makes me want to read the book again with all this new insight...but I need to read Maus so I'm ready for our next session. Thanks so much!"

Hi Janice, I'm so glad you enjoyed the Slaughterhouse-Five talk! Chris and Kim really know their stuff, makes me want to tackle the rest of Vonnegut! I'm also glad to hear you're anticipating our next book Maus. Sorry I haven't posted anything about it yet, still working on programming but we're hoping to have something fun lined up for September. I really appreciate your participation and stay tuned!

Hi readers! For anyone who missed our Friday discussion of Slaughterhouse-Five, I just posted the recorded video in our goodreads video section. And here is the direct link as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StmkS...

Remember the discussion is ongoing, so let us know what you think in this discussion board. We'd love to hear your feedback on this talk, or anything about the book club in general!

Also, stay tuned for an announcement about our next book. Read on!

Janice wrote: "ARGHHHH!!! Got distracted at work and completely missed this today. Is the discussion available to view now?"

Hi Janice, no worries! I just posted the recorded video of our Slaughterhouse-Five discussion in our goodreads videos section, or see below for the link. Glad you were looking for it, and hope you enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StmkS...

Attention readers! Our live webinar discussion of Slaughterhouse-Five is tomorrow, Friday July 31, at 11am CT. We’ll be joined by Chris Lafave, Curator at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis, along with the WWII Museum’s very own Assistant Director for Curatorial Services Kim Guise. Use this link to attend the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/94203444009

Post all your questions and comments for Chris and Kim here on the discussion board, and we'll include them in our live discussion.
Hope to see you all there!

Kimguise wrote: "Hello readers!
I'm looking forward to our discussion on July 31. This will be
The National WWII Museum's second open discussion of one of my favorite books. Our first book discussion on Slaughterh..."

Thanks Kim! The Guests of the Third Reich website is amazing, I just watched the newsreel of US POWs and flipped through some of the diaries, powerful stuff. Gives you an idea of what Vonnegut may have gone through when he was captured. There's so much content, I could spend all day going through it!
Also wish I could go back in time to visit the exhibit. Appreciate you posting this, and looking forward to our discussion on July 31!

Readers, what do y'all think of the Guests of the Third Reich website? Does it give you more context for reading Slaughterhouse-Five? We'd love to hear from you, so chime in here!

Hello readers! Our July selection is also our book club's first novel: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. It's a well-known classic, but that doesn't diminish its power and relevance. And of course Vonnegut is one of the best American writers ever. Whether you've already read it, or if you're a newbie, this month's discussion will be worth your while.

We have a very special event lined up for this one. I will be joined on live webinar by two experts: Kim Guise, Assistant Director for Curatorial Services here at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans; and Chris Lafave, Curator at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis. Kim specializes in POWs which is very pertinent to this book, and Chris works with everything Vonnegut, including an entire exhibit on Slaughterhouse-Five. And of course, all three of us are big Vonnegut fans, so it should be a great discussion!

The Slaughterhouse-Five webinar will be on Friday, July 31, at 11am CT. Mark your calendars now so you don't miss this impressive panel discuss an all-time classic!

In the meantime, we will be posting some contextual materials and links to get the discussion started. To start you off, take a look at this virtual museum tour of the Slaughterhouse-Five exhibit at the KVML, led by Chris Lafave:
https://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/aiovg...

Please join in the conversation on our discussion board at any time, and remember to attend the webinar on July 31. Thanks and read on!

Hello readers! We just wrapped up our discussion of Dunkirk with author Joshua Levine last week, and it was another good one! If you weren't able to attend, or would like to re-watch it, the recording is posted now on our videos page: https://www.goodreads.com/videos/1646...

As for our next book in July, it's our book club's first fiction selection: the classic novel Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Stay tuned as we work out our reading schedule and related events. Read on!

Definitely enjoying both Dunkirk books! They seem to be fairly complimentary of one another so far.

I also enjoyed the Christopher Nolan film. Saw it not long after the release, so I need to re-watch it soon. Thought it did well to depict the tension of the moment, which we'll read more about in Levine's book.

Oh the Sebag-Montefiore book looks like a good one, especially according to the reviews. Particularly enjoyed the Christopher Hitchens article in NYT where he describes Dunkirk as "Britain’s absolutely all-time favorite disaster." He makes some points that have come through in our books, like the influence of politics on decision-making, Churchill's late understanding of the situation, and the chaos and lack of discipline on the beach. Great links and suggestions, thanks Rick!

Rick and Manray9, let us know if you get into it and how it compares. Anyone else read this one, or have any thoughts on our two Dunkirk books and/or the film?

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Thanks Wesley, I hope you enjoyed the footy match, a draw!"

Oh yeh forgot to mention that! A fair result for both our sides, I thought it was kinda cool to draw after we talked about it. Glad footy is back!

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I'm a bit late in joining in the discussion but I have enjoyed all the posts so far. I read Walter Lord's book on Dunkirk in 1986 and loved it (as I have with nearly all his books). I think it was ..."

Hi Rick! Glad you enjoyed the discussion board, we covered some interesting ground. Also glad to hear a positive review of the Walter Lord book from an experienced reader of WWII history like you.

Very interesting reference about the halt order. Lord did seem to allude to that divide between traditionalists and progressives among the Nazi military leadership. They had several practical reasons for slowing the offensive, namely concern for stretching the support lines. I think a lot of the discussion behind analyzing the halt order comes from hindsight, as this was a normal decision of military logistics that eventually allowed for an unprecedented rescue and rebound for the Allies.

Absolutely suggestions for further reading are always welcome, one of the best parts of book clubs is more book recommendations! Thanks for sharing these titles and your thoughts, Rick. Looking forward to hearing more.

agreed these discussion build my interest in learning more! thanks so much for your input, looking forward to hearing more! for anyone still interested in this discussion, please continue it right here anytime and we'll be monitoring to send replies. and don't forget about our wrap up event with author Joshua Levine on JUne 26. Read on!

Kali wrote: "Wesley wrote: "totally agree kali that allied success was helped by german hubris. Another great point about value in defeat which is exactly what dunkirk is"

To take that value in defeat in a dif..."

excellent points and context kali, the impact was going forward was huge on production, strategy and morale, i think that sums it up quite well!

i suppose that's as good a spot as any to wrap up the live chat, any more thoughts kali?

reminds me of the quote from the film that levine mentions, and i'm paraphrasing but it;s something like a british soldier says all he did was survive, and a gentleman replies that's good enough, and so it was!