Ordinary Heroes is a narrative, nonfiction account of World War II as told through the perspective of veterans who served in various theatres of the conflict. Beginning with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and ending sometime after V-J Day, the book recounts the soldiers’ experiences at home and abroad, describing in detail what it was like to be at war. The stories are pulled from interviews conducted by the authors, which were verified and assembled into a timeline. Thus, the tales are presented chronologically as the war progresses.
Stylistically, Ordinary Heroes resembles a novel, as it is written from a third-person limited perspective and often forgoes sweeping historical commentary in favor of internal dialogue and introspection. Its focus lies squarely upon the shoulders of the characters and their personal experiences.
Of the sixty-plus men and women in the book, the majority are originally from – or currently reside in – Berks County, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
Famous quotes containing the words ordinary and/or heroes:
“If ordinary people complain that I speak too much of myself, I complain that they do not even think of themselves.”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)
“The heroes and discoverers have found true more than was previously believed, only when they were expecting and dreaming of something more than their contemporaries dreamed of, or even themselves discovered, that is, when they were in a frame of mind fitted to behold the truth. Referred to the world’s standard, they are always insane. Even savages have indirectly surmised as much.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)