A Bell For Adano

A BELL FOR ADANO
by John Hersey

 Award: Pulitzer Winner 1945

 Date Read: March 17, 2016

 While I found A Bell For Adano charming overall, I am not a huge fan of the war genre. This novel tells the story of an American officer in occupied Sicily who helps the town find a replacement for a bell that was melted down for weapons during WWII. In addition to helping them replace their beloved bell, the heartbeat of the town prior to the destruction of war, Major Joppolo becomes an advocate for the town in general by procuring food and other necessities and allowing the fishermen to resume fishing without paying bribes. All of this is done to the chagrin of his superiors, who are more concerned with the functioning of the army than restoring the town's morale and normal functioning.

 While many war novels I have read for this project portray the army in both positive and negative lights, this novel in particular paints the army as heroes, coming to the rescue of a small town and placing their priorities above their own. Although Adano is a fictional town, modeled on the real town of Licata, just about every other parallel is true, including the melted bell.

A Bell For Adano is a classic tale of good vs. evil, democracy vs. fascism and right vs. wrong. Hersey adeptly puts these dichotomies in stark relief through robust character development and the setting of occupied Italy. While I can understand why it won the Pulitzer in  1945 and I enjoyed reading it, I don't believe I would pick this one up again.

 Looking Forward: The Child Buyer, A Single Pebble, The War Lover

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