Show The Herald Journal Logan Utah Friday April 25 2003 — C5 SHERMANS LAGOON on omens)k noam i Book chronicles war WK teewnr A mi mmm tmimi it ye US 60 years ago in By Heidi Vbgt Book review Associated Press Writer Warden Was a Spy: And “The America in Other Tales From Home-FroWorld War II" By William B Breuer John Wiley & Sons 228 pages $2495 Air-Ra- id nt CATHY MMTME HDU HEHR-MSX- rIT pOESHfT MITER BECAUSE OUT WITH HE’S THE OME swing? PURSUING XIWEHCTK XFIUKE NM CORE NNRT POWER! MENDNTT Ml MEHRNOr IF I DONTT UHE HIM just wmt id se AND Rewem-BCRE- (MESSING FOR LOVE IS EMM DRESSING TO DUMP IS THE D HS THE FABULOUS ONETHATMTIUMV X TOUGH ONE How does it feel to be in a country that’s mobilizing for war? What do people talk about? Do they change the way they dress orsocial-iz- e or look at foreigners? One way to find out is to read their stories stories that William B Breuer records in detail Warden Was a Spy” in “The ' Today as accounts of sleeper agents and troop' movements dominate the news again for the first time in years Breuer’s book about the home front during World War II provides a revealing if sometimes simplistic look back at how it feels to live in an America at war stories from Pearl HarThe book’s l bor to Day celebrations remind us that some aspects of the home front don’t change when peacetime becomes wartime There’s still n gossip celebrity obsession and anecdotes that are big news for a day In the 1940s these stories included those about a mother and son enlisting in the Army on the same day an officer preventing Gypsy Rose Lee from stripping for the troops and a Japanese-American’intemm- Air-Ra- id BEETLE BAILEY 00-pl- us V-- E small-tow- grocfer who lost all his ration stamps in one gust of wind But Breuer does more than tell tales about Rosie the Riveter’s war efforts and Clark Gable’s enlistment that were part of daily wartime conversation He mixes in accounts of espionage and attempted attacks that were covered up by a US government which wanted to make sure its citizens felt safe on their own soil et Breuer tells his reader how the invasion ended up in a plans for the Chicago post office how Nazi agents set wildfires in the Northeast and how German spy HAGAR THE HORRIBLE ' ed Zmssr- Ernie Lehmitz managed to become an air-rai-d warden in New York Unfortunately Breuef’s cavalier style doesn’t let him tell the whole story His text oozes patriotism to the point that he leaves readers desperate for a bit of the cynical view of government that has become familiar in the decades since World War II Breuer even manages to write about the without making the US government seem all that bad He concentrates instead on the patriotic Nisei who petitioned to enlist in the Army ) And Breuer would have done better by telling his stories straight rather than embellishing them with cliches and awkward attempts at a conversational tone (“Ludwig took to spy’’ ing like a duck takes to water ) Also section tides such as “A Patriotic Heroine’s Long Ordeal” don’t do much to pull the reader into the story Still being in on a secret is id ways fun Breuer’s most interesting accounts are those of espionage and cover-up- s For example he describes in detail how the German-America- n Bund was dispro-Na- zi solved and the techniques the German government used to wage a war of propaganda in the United States Breuer writes these (ales like he’s whispering a juicy bit of gossip into his reader’s ear — a little exaggerated but interesting all the same And just like with gossip some embellishment is On if it adds to the shock value Breuey doesn’t attempt to pull these quick vignettes together into a cohesive narrative of the American home front but lets them stand as little bites of American history Each story is short eAough to read in a few minutes Warden Was a Spy” doesn’t “The Air-Ramess with analysis or bother with the complex- ities of wartime life but it is a comfortable read and a pleasant peek into an era long past ‘ id top-secr- D-D- ay Sons of Bear Lake A novel by Douglas Jex turned his face to Peter He raised himself up on the bed “Damn it Pete you because I’m make me feel old Because afraid I wish they would get you out You don’t belong here It’s going to ruin you" Fbr a moment Pater wqs taken aback Alex sounded so sincere “Alex you don’t know Bear Lake! There’s no bar you can’t buy a car MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM it’s so far away' from everything not enough people always the same ones I knew too much about everybody They had me branded It was boredom There was fifty kids inmy whole high school I faced the same six teachers for three years! Two of them were idiots'" Alex laid his head back down on the pillow He sighed “Our teachers didn't last a semester They couldn't dodge the switchblades” But Peter didn’t hear him! “In Bear Lake it’s a mortal sin to smoke a cigarette You've got to go tochurch three times a week and sit in Sunday School classes taught by numbskulls We've never heard of drugs-- don’t even know FOX TROT their names” IMPROTESTO THE RECORD (DOWRY'S 6ESTAPO-UC- E POUCMGOF THE WOT WE USE MUSK LISTEN UP RlAA! MY SISTER PAH) FOR THESE SACKS YNC SOTS CDS AND IURN THEM IF IU X WANT To! TMNK THEY'RE TALK ABOUT X COPY LET ME PLAY DUMB JuSTTHS ONCE a Alex was stili trying to get through “In our school every third ioqker was a drug store You could buy what you wanted even pass it in class And we had a funeral every month — overdose suicide knifing” Pete continued as though Alex hadn't spo- ken “If we did anything even smoke the bishop knew the next day People are so petty they can tell who sings off key before they walk in church" Alder D died in his bathtub and no one found him for two weeks We didn't even know his name when the cops came to ask us questions” “My folks make a virtue out of poverty They are working land that thaws out only for three months It will never yield enough to get one month's income in the bank They think sacrifice makes a person holy Being rich is sinful” ' “I’ve carried a million dollars of greenbacks in my briefcase and wondered how many funerals it took to bring them together-ra- nd how many more were coming — including mine — each time the bundle changed hands” A lighi from the road flashed across the windows For a moment they were silent “Oh damn it go to sleep ’Lex” Peter finally said “You're worse than ma” Peter could hear the grin in Alex's voice “Sweet dreams Peter my lad Just know that your ciders want the best for you” The next day Peter drew the duty roster turn to guard the barracks —a whole day sitting in the big hall to prevent wholesale thievery that would otherwise occur Every man in the fifty drew the duties — KP GI party cleanups and barracks guard By rights he should be with the company calling the march as they moved from class to class But he wanted to make a point: everyone should pull every duty —no was the bane of the bugging out it somehow — at was beat to going Army Peter least for his one platoon So he determined to take his turn at all duties Alex could march the men Bug-but-is- m See Alex muttered “The man next door to us tomorrow’s Herald Journal for the next install- ment of this story issza REAL LIFE ADVENTURES CLOSETOHOME Win at bridge A piece of art is worth what- ever someone will pay for it 16-1- And presumably its value two-no-tru- "Hey Janlol Want to hetp play a MtU prank? IWw off their glaetM ana swap tlwm with ttw passenger In front of them" opening and too 'one-no-tru- few for a two-no-tru- open- - V not take the ’ 4 3 A 4 3 h 8 A V still in the dummy as the key entry you get three diamond Vyjs 73 3 L? J 0 1 V S 5 2 k A 4 A 4 A : which is a 436 percent chance Instead immediately play a diamond to your ace and continue monds until West takes his king Then with the spade ace A South Ak h 2 Dealer South ' Vulnerable East-We- st South West North A-’- Pass Pass I ses ' ID 7 AS dia-- It will be blocked whether the finesse wins or loses That finesse gains only when East king-doublet- J S K h 2 mond finesse because the suit has Q Fast A Q J 111 7 V 10 953 of dummy’s diamond suit You should A K 7 h 2 West 3-- rebid balanced hand with too many points for a A cards split 2 but you will still need to make something after a North from clubs if the missing South how would you try to Sputh's 0 one diamond and two clubs You will get one extra trick shouldn’t require too many calories to solve this puzzle but if you were sitting West has led the spade queen to dummy’s king? Enterprise Assn points showing As always start by counting your top tricks Here there are seven: two spades two hearts expending some mental labor? no-tru- Copyright 2003 Newspaper o- 19-2- depends primarily upon either its rarity or its usefulness JNow let’s turn to bridge contracts How do you view — or value — one that can be made purely by cashing’ top tricks? It might be financially rewarding but wouldn’t you prefer to succeed after make three tricks and nine in ali ing In my book that is 18 19 or a poor 20 but if you use the 8 range for a one-ntnimp opening you would be By Phillip Alder 1 2 NT pass '3 NT East Pass All Opening lead: A Q - : |