Review
Title: Why We Fought: Inspiring Stories of Resisting Hitler and Defending Freedom
Author: Jerry Borrowman
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: History/Biography, World War II
Year Published: 2021
Number of Pages: 208
Binding: Cloth
ISBN: 978-1629729343
Price: 19.99
Reviewed by Conor Hilton for the Association of Mormon Letters
Why We Fought: Inspiring Stories of Resisting Hitler and Defending Freedom by Jerry Borrowman is not the sort of book that I often read (for a variety of reasons, partially ideological—given my commitment to pacifism and nonviolence). I was very pleasantly surprised by Borrowman’s book. Borrowman has selected seven stories—the first five are all mini-biographies, the sixth is about a particular military unit, and the last one is focused on a specific battle.
The first five chapters are stronger than the last two, though all are engaging and easy to read. Borrowman’s prose is clear and clean, very accessible for a wide variety of audiences. The book would be an interesting introduction to some lesser-known efforts at resisting Hitler for a teen audience or anyone interested in thinking about different ways to do good in the world, particularly during times of war.
I enjoyed and appreciated that Borrowman tells the stories of nonviolent resisters—and largely remarkable people, who were also average, everyday folks that happened to put together their own talents and grit and determination to make a difference. I had never heard of most of the people and events that Borrowman details here and want to know more about most of them!
I was particularly captivated by the story of Juan Pujol, a Spanish double agent who created an entire imaginary network of agents and sources that he used to feed the Germans bad or incomplete information. Truly remarkable. The book goes into great detail about his exploits and they are thrilling.
The individuals highlighted here are not Mormon and the book has little to no direct connection to Mormonism, content-wise. The book does offer vivid stories of courage in the face of great odds and could serve as an interesting pairing for the stories of war and stratagems found in the Book of Mormon and other books of Mormon scripture. Or perhaps just as an interesting insight into a particular strain of Mormonism and its fascination with war stories.
Regardless of the Mormon resonance, Why We Fought is an engaging collection of stories of real-life people that did some remarkable things in times of tragedy and war. Worth your time if you like snapshots of heroism and war stories.