Why read And No Birds Sang?

Book cover of And No Birds Sang

Book description

Turned away from the Royal Canadian Air Force for his apparent youth and frailty, Farley Mowat joined the infantry in 1940. The young second lieutenant soon earned the trust of the soldiers under his command, and was known to bend army rules to secure a stout drink, or find warm…

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Why read it?

4 authors picked And No Birds Sang as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

C.W. Lovatt

Author

Farley Mowat is a literary genius. What more reason do I need?

From C.W.'s 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Clark McCauley

Author

Mowat’s title is taken from John Keats’ poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci: “O what can ail thee, Knight in arms, Alone and palely loitering? The sedge has withered from the Lake, And no birds sing!”

Best known for his books People of the Deer and Never Cry Wolf, Farley Mowat here turns his naturalist’s eye to the experience of war. His brief memoir describes joining, training, and fighting as part of Canadian forces in WWII. He led a rifle platoon in the invasion of Sicily and up the spine of Italy against fierce German resistance. From humorous to…

From Clark's list on to understand the experience of men in combat.

Matthew Murphy

Author

This book is a personal memoir of Canadian author Farley Mowat, who joined the Canadian Army and fought as part of the First Canadian Infantry Division throughout the Sicilian and Italian Campaigns in World War Two. It is a vivid testimonial to losing your innocence under fire, and it strongly personalizes the sort of history that sometimes seems impersonal when preserved in black-and-white documentaries and archived in massive coffee-table books compiled for curious dads. This book was a definite influence on me in the early stages of writing my book, helping me learn more about the day-to-day life of…

From Matthew's list on the war within: the mental strain of modern warfare.

If you love And No Birds Sang...

Mark Zuehlke

Author

Canada’s most famous nature and environmental issues author also served as a lieutenant in the Canadian army during World War II. He joined the infantry in 1940 after being turned away by the Royal Canadian Air Force due to his youth and apparent frailty. When his Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment landed on Bark West Beach in Sicily on July 10, 1943, Mowat began a long march through combat that would only eventually end with the war’s end in the Netherlands. But it was the intense experience of combat from that searing hot July day to the end of December…

From Mark's list on Canadians on their World War 2 service.