The View From The Ground by Martha Gellhorn
By Alan Russell
- 1297 reads
This book was a birthday present from my wife back in early April 2018. She may have regretted buying it for me couple of times as it almost achieved the status of the third party in preliminary divorce proceedings. Since I undid the gift wrap this book became a constant companion. It has been with me from Southampton to Manchester, on to Aberdeen, then Glasgow and back home to Ringwood. It has been with me at breakfast, while waiting outside on the front door step to take my wife to work and at night when lights go out.
‘The View From The Ground’ is a collection of 35 articles written by Martha Gellhorn based on her observations of life and the world from the 1930’s through to the 1980’s. Geographically the articles take the reader from the Southern States in the 1930’s, Europe before and during World War II, the Middle East, Cuba and Britain in the 1980’s.
‘Justice At Night’ is the first piece. It is the description of the lynching of a negro prisoner. A lynching fuelled by the flames of racism, ignorance, lack of respect for the rule of law by both citizens and law enforcers alike, hot summer evenings during the depression and alcohol. Her description of the victim’s torment up to when the fatal rope snapped tight and beyond is forensic. Her own unflinching description il War, World of the ugly reality of that night and what she felt shocks the reader compelling them to read every word of this piece.
Coincidentally, just before I read this piece we had watched the film of Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ which was just as shocking as ‘Justice At Night’.
Both serve as salutary lessons for all of us to make sure that our rule of law remains sacrosanct.
The other 34 essays cover the depression in America in the 1930’s, how Britain almost slept walked into World War II, the Spanish Civil War, World War II, refugee camps in the Middle East, Cuba and Britain during the miner’s strike in the 1980’s. All run seamlessly across five decades and end with her despair at how the crazy world never seems to be learning from its mistakes.
You may think that all of these pieces would have the reader reaching for the service revolver, a single bullet and a large malt whisky but they don’t. One overriding theme that shines through her darkness of despair is ‘survival’. How people survived in grinding poverty, prolonged unemployment, political oppression and physical torture to still have hope for the future. Take ‘hope’ away from anyone and the world becomes a sad and dangerous place for all of us.
There are two lessons I have taken from this collection. One, that is not new to me but is merely a confirmation of my long held belief, is that the world is a crazy mess. Always has been and in spite of all the lessons of history will always remain so. The second lesson, which also is a confirmation of another long held belief, is that no matter what your own circumstances are there will always be someone who has or is going through worse and is surviving.
If you do feel that you need your mood lifted from all of this grim reality then save ‘Monkeys On The Roof’ from the 1960’s until last. In fact a better plan would be to remove all of the pages of this story from the book altogether and place them in a sealed envelope, entrust to a loved one and write on it:
NOT TO BE READ UNTIL I HAVE READ ALL OF THE OTHER 35 PIECES
The View from The Ground by Martha Gellhorn published by Granta Publications, London. First published in 1989. Paperback £9.99 ISBN 978 1 86207 149 0
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A friend read this and also
A friend read this and also loved it. Another one on my list, then!
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