Alan’s War: The Memories of GI Alan Cope by Emmanuel Guibert
This graphic novel came about from a chance encounter by its creator while traveling. Alan Cope described his adventures to the author in French, which was later translated to English. The story of Cope’s life from World War II to post-war America and Europe deeply touching. He hardly sees any battles in Europe, and most of his stories involve the different characters he meets along the way, all of whom have influenced his path in life.
I found myself unable to put the book down as I was reading it. However, by the end of the book I actually felt strong resentment for Cope. I determined that he was an uninteresting person that lived an interesting life. He never seemed to make the most of every situation he found himself in, it seemed as though he took everything for granted. It wasn’t until later in life that Cope took the time to analyze his life and had some regrets about some of the decisions he had made.
I really enjoyed this quiet and quirky memoir that had classic cartooning and a style of storytelling that seemed as though Cope was telling me his stories directly. When I read books, I have a tendency to flip the pages to smell the scent of the paper and ink that wafts towards me. Alan’s War is one of the better smelling books I’ve read recently, and if that won’t convince you to pick up a copy, then I don’t know what will.
