“Lines of Courage”
By Jennifer A. Nielsen. Scholastic Press, New York, 2022, 388 pages, Grades 7-9.
World War I creates a divide in history. Before the war, people generally think that society is progressing. This is caused by a belief that people and nations make good choices that will better humanity. The great violence of World War I shatters this understanding of the essential goodness of human nature. Now people and nations learn that evil, not love and goodness, can be chosen. This false belief in the goodness of man began in the period known as The Enlightenment. World War I demonstrates the falsehood of this belief.
Jennifer Nielsen writes about four characters – two boys and two girls – involved in World War I. Their lives will become interlocked in ways unknown to themselves. The choices they make will determine if they continue the darkness of World War I, or try to reach for love and forgiveness. The name of this engrossing novel is “Lines of Courage.”
Felix Baum is a 14-year-old Austrian boy. Quite by accident, he is in Sarajevo the day the Austro-Hungarian’s crown prince is assassinated. Immediately, Felix and his father return to their hometown, Lemberg, near the Russian border. His father’s German friend, Major Dressler, is visiting Lemberg, accompanied by his 14-year-old daughter, Elsa. The girl raises pigeons that are trained to carry messages over long distances. She gives one to Felix, and tells him that the pigeon will fly back to her if he is ever in danger. It will soon be needed.
In England, Kara Webb is mourning the loss of her father. A sailor, Mr. Webb dies after rescuing 58 sailors from his torpedoed ship. One night, a German dirigible bombs her village. Kara and her mother attend to the wounded. After seeing the mother working for the injured, the British authorities ask the woman to join the Red Cross trains, caring for the wounded. Kara volunteers to be an assistant on the Red Cross trains and is soon deployed to France.
As the Battle of Verdun rages, teenager Juliette Caron flees the battlefield. In the ensuing chaos, Juliette becomes separated from her family. Not knowing what to do, she wanders in the destroyed landscape, hoping to find her family. She sees a young Russian, Dimitri Petrenko, standing in No Man’s Land. She leads him out of a minefield and nurses him back to health.
As the story continues, all four teenagers are faced with life-and-death decisions. Each must choose between good and evil. With almost no support, they must make their decisions. What happens?
Though Juliette lies to get information to help free her imprisoned father, she acts with heroic courage. All four teenagers must either choose the darkness of hatred, or the freeing power of forgiveness and love. All four must find bravery and virtue when they are frightened and alone. They all make profound acts of kindness and charity in a world completely lacking in these qualities. Their decisions filled me with admiration.
The book is fast-paced and compelling. Nielsen creates unforgettable characters in this gripping novel. I hope that you have a chance to check out this fine title. It is on this year’s Golden Sower List for the State of Nebraska. I finished reading the book at 2:15 a.m. I encourage you to go to the library and check out “Lines of Courage” by Jennifer A. Nielsen.
