Leon Uris has tackled several inherently dramatic historical periods in his works - from the Irish battles for independence in Trinity and Redemption , to the fight for the creation of the state of Israel in Exodus .
For the most part, Uris has shown an ability to weave stark personal tales of love, courage, and survival in with events as they actually occurred in those periods. When he stays out of his own way - letting the drama of the events drive the development of his characters and story - he succeeds with books that stand the test of time. Exodus will still crackle the fourth time you read it. When he fails - as with the dreary, preachy A God In Ruins - the characters are overdrawn, wooden, and smother any interest you would have otherwise had in the unfolding events.
With Mila 18 Uris turned his attention to the broad expanse of World War II, and specifically focused on one of the most incredible events of the past century: the Jewish rebellion against the Nazis in the Warsaw ghetto.
As part of the Nazi policy of lebensraum ("living space") Germany's explicit goal was to obtain additional land throughout Europe - pushing primarily East in an attempt to gather control over as many natural resources as possible, and unite the German people with the land ( the Blood and Soil idea).
Hand in hand with the land expansion goals went the Nazi racial policy. As Germany continued to conquer more and more of her neighbors, the Nazis also sought to remove the Jews from those areas. Initially, that did not necessarily mean extermination, but rather removal to concentrated areas (camps, ghettos), and slave labor. That policy, which until 1942 still considered relocating all of Europe's Jews to an undetermined location (Madagascar, for example), eventually of course just became murder.
Setting the Stage
As Mila 18 begins, we're introduced to a number of characters in Warsaw on the eve of the Nazi invasion. Uris appropriately describes the undercurrent of tension, and at the same time captures the naivete of those who would soon be caught in the Nazi web - from the wizened Rabbi Solomon who cautions that Jews must take what God has to dish out, to the callow professor Bronski, who will mirror Chamberlain's appeasement strategy to the bitter end - losing the respect of his family along the way. We're also introduced to the strong Polish army officer, Andrei Androski, who also happens to be an Olympic soccer player...and Jewish. He plays a central role in the coming rebellion, but also represents an irritant of mine with Uris' work in general - more on that later.
Uris uses the technique of a character's journal - at first kept by one man, Alexander Brandel, and later expanded to include contributions from a number of the ghetto leaders - to provide a first-hand view of the changing environment. While this can be a hand occasionally overplayed, it has the ring of authenticity, as journals from the dead do indeed provide a key piece of history.
Through both the journal entries and the unfolding events, we see Warsaw slowly begin to change. As the Germans quickly overpower the Polish military, they begin to exert their control over Polish life, and slowly squeeze out the Jews. First through restrictive laws, prohibiting Jews from participating in certain events, working jobs, etc, and eventually through the removal of Jews from their homes to a newly-created ghetto.
While there are any number of references to historic figures like Hans Frank (the Nazi governor of the Polish region), Himmler, Heidrich, and Hitler, the great strength of Uris is in the description of these events through the eyes of ordinary people, and the connection of the larger events with the more mundane aspects of their lives.
Deborah Bronski, the wife of the professor, is engaged at the start of the book in an affair with an American/Italian journalist, Chris de Monti. The move into the ghetto of the Bronski family breaks further an already splintered relationship.
An the same time, Deborah's brother, the aforementioned Andrei, is forced to confront the challenges of his own relationship with a non-Jew, Gaby. Even as he struggles to find ways to fight against the Nazi presence, Andrei must continually deal with the insecurity of his relationship, and the terror of losing Gaby.
Evolution of Rebellion
As Jewish rights unravel, the book moves into its central theme: the intra-Jewish struggle over the nature of their rebellion. The varying strategies are personified by some of the central characters in the book - the wizened Rabbi Solomon who cautions against active rebellion, and directs his listeners to accept what God doles out; the bookish, thoughtful Alex Brandel, who wants to protect his people as much as possible, and decries active fighting that he fears will draw Nazi wrath; and the intense officer Andrei, who simply wants to fight the Germans at every corner.
Uris paints a picture of a group whose priorities and resolve change over time, as their humanity is ever stripped by Nazi rule. As hunger and terror rip the group apart, we see them grow dirtier and leaner all the time - former German friends in some cases do not even recognize them. At the same time, we see them grow into sophisticated leaders, like the child Wolf Brandel, who takes on more and more responsibility.
At many points in the book, Alex, the Rabbi, Andrei, and others argue over their strategy, with Andrei always seeking a fight. Over time, as other strategies are proven ineffective, the ever-smaller group of Jews finally begins to embrace the active rebellion.
At the same time, the Germans have become more and more uncomfortable with the Jews who have managed to survive in the ghetto - with the local leaders finally deciding they need to eliminate the entire ghetto.
The Battle
Mila 18 climaxes with the 40-day battle for the survival of Warsaw's remaining Jews. The years of gathering guns and ammunition, of building bunkers, and training civilians to fight, begins to pay off. In a series of dramatic battles, we see the Jews surprise the Nazis with their spirit & tenacity. Despite being vastly overmatched in terms of resources, the Nazis are again and again driven out of the ghetto.
Uris draws out the details of these battles which drive home the Jews' predicament - the stark picture of Jewish children who've been taught not to cry when hiding from Nazi predators is a heart-wrenching glimpse into their existence.
We know, of course, how the battle turns out. There is no happy ending to this particular fight. After 42 days, the ghetto finally gives out, as the last fight is joined. After spending much of the previous year drinking away his guilt, the journalist de Monti has willingly entered the ghetto, and is spirited out to freedom so that he might lead others to the hidden journals - and reveal the courageous stand of Warsaw's Jews.
Conclusion
As with the best of Uris' books, Mila 18 (which refers to the address of the command bunker from which the Jews manage their fight) uses the detail of ordinary people's lives to describe historic drama. His command of the details makes this an extraordinary work, with few drawbacks.
There are a few, though. Uris has a tendency to draw a central character who is too good to believe - Conor Larkin in Trinity for example. In Mila 18 that character is Andrei. Handsome, tough, heartbreaker, moral compass, supreme athlete - Andrei is everything you'd want in a hero....and perhaps a bit too much. While he never gets to the distractingly ridiculous level of A God in Ruins , it comes close. The other characters, though, are all realistic - flawed and courageous, at turns subject to great self-doubt (which saves the Andrei character from being completely unbelievable), we really get a feel for their plight.
The other problem I have with this story is the historical perspective some of the characters have. I have a difficult time believing that some of the Jews in the ghetto have learned as much detail as they seem to know about events outside the ghetto - especially since the world didn't piece much of this together until after the war. The term "final solution" is also used repeatedly by Brandel and others, though I'm not sure where they would have picked it up during the war.
Outside of those small objections, though, this is a tremendous read.
It was a time of crisis, a time of tragedy--and a time of transcendent courage and determination. Leon Uris s blazing novel is set in the midst of the...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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