A friend gave me this book a few months ago & though I started it then, reading others has made finishing it difficult - I'm sure I am not the only one who this happens to!
It is a collection of personal stories about how ordinary people left the UK to fight against fascism in Spain.
I knew virtually nothing about this period of history & found the testimonies at times to be riveting. The courage & single mindedness they showed is very impressive.
There is though an assumption that the reader has a good knowledge of the era & at least a basic working knowledge of the Spanish Civil war. I don't understand why the author didn't put a brief factual note to ground the testimonies (battles, sites & time lines etc) alongside these personal accounts.
It would have been far better read too had the author included a chapter or two explaining the reasons the war happened, including the political situation in Spain before & after, & how that all related to the rest of Europe.
I will certainly have to do some more detailed serious historical reading to answer those questions for myself.
Thank you John for the book.
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