The Language of the Enemy

In The Language of the Enemy, Stuart Friebert gives us something precious: a fictionalized, detailed view of the past that is wondrously free of sentimentality or nostalgia. Friebert's stories are simply told, but each of them has a bite. A young man's love of flying whisks him into a wartime disappearance; the big adventure of retrieving a mobster's body from a lake leads one rescuer to death from an infection; a revered German scholar breaks down as he recalls how he hurled into a bonfire books written by Jews. The Language of the Enemy illuminates-over and over-how cultural, natural, and historical forces can threaten an individual or community. The people in this book pick their way through a landscape filled with small joys (fishing, love, a piece of bread smeared with animal fat) and big dangers. Friebert imbues his characters with a beautiful dignity, giving each of them a nod of respect across societies and generations. I love this book.--Martha Moody