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Overview
Inspired by a historical incident that took place in the village of St. Anna di Stazzema in Tuscany and by the experiences of the famed Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Division in Italy during World War II, Miracle at St. Anna is a singular evocation of war, cruelty, passion, heroism, and love. It is the story of four American soldiers, the villagers among whom they take refuge, a band of partisans, and an Italian boy, all of whom encounter a miracle - though perhaps the true miracle lies in themselves.Synopsis
James McBride's memoir, The Color of Water, was a literary achievement that topped bestseller lists for more than two years. Now McBride turns his extraordinary gift for storytelling to fiction. Miracle at St. Anna is a tale of courage and redemption inspired by the famed Buffalo soldiers of the 92nd Division and a little-known historic event in a small Tuscan village at the end of World War II-the massacre at St. Anna di Stazzema.
Stephanie Foote
- Book Magazine
McBride's new novel is a lyrical rendering of a few days in the lives of four members of the 92nd Division of Buffalo Soldiers in World War II, who find themselves behind enemy lines after one of their number rescues an Italian child. The novel unfolds the needs and desires of the four soldiers with sure, quick vignettes, weaving their lives together with the life of the Italian village in which they briefly stay. The soldiers soon recognize that despite their differences, they are all held in contempt by an army whose white leaders seem only too happy to sacrifice them. The book's value lies in its careful re-creation of the world of the Buffalo Soldier, whose service has been too-long forgotten, and in its unflinching willingness to examine not only institutional racism, but also the wounds inflicted on black soldiers by white superiors and by one another. McBride's careful treatment of the differences among his black characters and his measured understanding of the unsuspected perils of cross-cultural contact make the end of the book especially surprising. Schooled in hard lessons by the novel, readers may find its last pages anomalous and disappointing.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
This is the first novel by the author of the bestselling The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother . Based on an actual World War II event, Miracle at St. Anna recounts a horrific massacre in a village in Tuscany. A quartet of African-American soldiers, a band of Partisans, and an Italian boy interact in an extreme situation.From The Critics
McBride's new novel is a lyrical rendering of a few days in the lives of four members of the 92nd Division of Buffalo Soldiers in World War II, who find themselves behind enemy lines after one of their number rescues an Italian child. The novel unfolds the needs and desires of the four soldiers with sure, quick vignettes, weaving their lives together with the life of the Italian village in which they briefly stay. The soldiers soon recognize that despite their differences, they are all held in contempt by an army whose white leaders seem only too happy to sacrifice them. The book's value lies in its careful re-creation of the world of the Buffalo Soldier, whose service has been too-long forgotten, and in its unflinching willingness to examine not only institutional racism, but also the wounds inflicted on black soldiers by white superiors and by one another. McBride's careful treatment of the differences among his black characters and his measured understanding of the unsuspected perils of cross-cultural contact make the end of the book especially surprising. Schooled in hard lessons by the novel, readers may find its last pages anomalous and disappointing.—Stephanie Foote