It is a bitter irony that at the same time black Americans were being denied civil rights and were enduring extreme racial hatred at the hands of their countrymen, they were compelled to fight and die for their country.
Popular perception of America’s involvement in WWII envisages white soldiers / marines / pilots fighting in Europe and the Pacific. However African-Americans were among the thousands of military personnel embroiled in the conflict. With the exception of the commanding officers, the 92nd Infantry Division, which fought in Italy, was almost exclusively black. Known as the Buffalo Soldiers, their uniforms carried the Buffalo shoulder patch worn by their predecessors during WWI.
James McBride’s novel, Miracle at St Anna, focuses on four soldiers from the 92nd division during the dying days of WWII.
After rescuing an injured Italian boy, Private Sam Train – cut off from his own division – takes off into enemy territory to look for help. Reluctantly following are the remnants of his unit, Bishop – the sleazy, on-the-take preacher, Stamps – the lighter skinned Lieutenant and Negron – the Puerto Rican.
The four men take refuge in the Serchio Valley in a village adjoining the site of recent massacre. In the village of St Anna, hundreds of civilians – women, children and the elderly – were butchered by German soldiers. To make matters worse it seems that they were betrayed by one of their own.
As the Americans wait for orders or rescue from their commanders they become involved with the local Italians who offer them the sort of acceptance they’ve never experienced from white people. While Train focuses on caring for the young boy, his colleagues, together with a group of Italian partisans seek to determine whether there’s a traitor among them.
Miracle at St Anna is James McBride’s first novel but his second book. His first, The Color of Water, spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list. McBride is the son of white Jewish woman and black clergyman. The Color of Water is a biography of his mother Ruth’s extraordinary life including her Christian faith. McBride himself is a believer and his books resonate with the strength of his conviction.
McBride’s faith imbues the story with a sense of hope and a confidence in the power of God. The love of God seems to rest in the least likely of people. The preacher Bishop has no insight into God’s character. A shiftless womaniser who uses his gifts for speaking to fleece the vulnerable, he loves and trusts no one. It’s the illiterate Sam Train who loves sacrificially and powerfully who demonstrates an understanding of God.
With a background in journalism – he wrote for The Washington Post and Boston Globe – McBride writes with the insistence of a newspaperman. Based on historical details surrounding the massacre in the village of St Anna di Stazzema in Tuscany and on the experiences of the soldiers of the 92nd Division in Italy during World War II, Miracle at St Anna is grounded in history. McBride’s extensive research is woven neatly into the narrative’s thread.
While the title might suggest an upbeat, happy-ending sort of novel, this is, fundamentally, a tale of combat and devastation.
The novel raises issues of race and identity in the midst of war. The descriptions of battle and the impact of war on individuals makes for some gritty reading.
There’s an urgency about the story that leaves him little time for McBride to develop his characters. But it’s the story he’s interested in telling and he tells it very well.
