American Civilization

I’ve just finished the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  The book takes place during World War II on the island of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands.

The story unfolds through a series of letters.  In the words of English literature, that’s called the epistolary tradition.  Most the story is about the German occupation of the island during the war.  I hadn’t realized that the Germans took over Guersey in 1940 and that the people of the island were cut off from any Allied nation until the end of the war.

I haven’t been able to discover whether there’s a translation of the book in French.  But, I would highly recommend it as a good read.  To see a short video (in English) about the book, click here.

Frankly, until reading the book, I hadn’t really thought much about any of the Channel Islands.  Which makes me wonder:  have any of you ever been to Guernsey?  If so, what’s it like?  After all, you’re a lot closer to the English Channel than I am out here in California!  I’d look forward to any response…..