Tug of War: 48 Classic Stories About War & Peace, The

 Author's Summary

The 48 stories collected here cover the full scope of war -- from the first three stories which analyze how children are introduced to war to the last three, which dwell on death. In between, there is everything else: the battlefield and the home front, bravery and cowardice, despair and elation, victory and defeat. There are stories that will make you laugh out loud and stories that will haunt your dreams and make you weep. Some will have you nodding your head in recognition, others may have you shaking you head in perplexity or distaste. Here's the rub: your stories and my stories are apt to be different stories. Each of us brings to the reading our own experiences and our own beliefs about the way the world works. Buried within every war story is the germ of a peace story. And buried within each peace story is the germ of a war story. Stories included are:
 
Sherwood Anderson: War Leonid Andreyev: A Story Which Will Never Be Finished Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews: The Russian T.S. Arthur: A Noble Act Mikhail Petrovich Artzybashev: The Revolutionist L. Frank Baum: Gen. Jinjur's Army of Revolt Rex Ellingwood Beach, The City of Beggars Ambrose Bierce: Chickamagua George A. Birmingham: Civilized War Joseph Conrad: The Warrior's Soul, The Tale Stephen Crane: The Second Generation, The Upturned Face, A Mystery of Heroism, The Sergeant's Private Madhouse Richard Harding Davis: The Deserter Lord Dunsany: A Deed of Mercy, The Oases of Death, England Oliver Goldsmith: The Disabled Soldier O. Henry: Two Renegades William Dean Howells: Editha Stephen Leacock: An Interview with General Bernhardi, War Mania of Mr. Jinks & Mr. Blinks Jack London: The Unparalleled Invasion Amy Lowell: Lead Soldiers, The Bombardment, The Allies Arthur Machen: The Bowmen Katherine Mansfield: An Indiscreet Journey A.E.W. Mason: The Deserter Guy de Maupassant: Boule de Suif, The Horrible, Father Milon, Two Friends Alfred Noyes: Rada: A Drama Of War In One Act Forbes Phillips & R. Thurston Hopkins: The White Comrade Luigi Pirandello: War Saki: The Toys Of Peace, Reginald's Peace Poems, The Cupboard Of The Yesterdays Jonathan Swift: The Country of the Houyhnhnms Mark Twain: Luck, The European War, The War Prayer Henry Van Dyke: The Hero and Tin Soldiers, A Dialogue On Peace Between A Householder And A Burglar, The Broken Soldier and the Maid of France

MWSA Review

The Tug of War is an anthology of short stories written by twenty-eight authors from the 1880s to 1920s time period. Readers who enjoy reading historical literature on the theme of war and peace will appreciate this collection of stories. Included in the back of the book is a note section about all of the authors.  
 
This book was put together by Susan Ives at the PeaceCENTER and is comprised of stories that are out of copyright and in the public domain. She states: "Buried within every war story is the germ of a peace story.  Sometimes it's buried deeply, sometimes in a shallow grave--near the surface, easily unearthed--but it is there, always, if you dig." Stories range from showing us how children are introduced to war to stories which dwell on death. "Buried within every peace story is the germ of a war story. That is the irony of this anthology: that the war stories and the peace stories are the same stories. But they are all good stories that can change the way we think about war--and peace."

Reviewed by: Joyce Gilmour (2009)