THE SKY SUSPENDED

Bookish Oxford student Jim Bailey overcame his fears to fly fighters for the Royal Air Force during WWII. His memories are told with a knack for blending droll observation about military life and moral ruminations on war with anecdotes of aerial action and the constant presence of death. Bailey is patriotic, but he raises questions and considers the morality of warfare. Graham Seed's narration captures Bailey's wartime naïveté and youthfulness, as well as his later reflections, with a British understatement that makes all of the author's thoughts more powerful. While accounts of wartime heroism are common, Bailey's candor makes this memoir one to consider. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 06]