"The Moon Is Down": One of Steinbeck's more worthwhile reads. Would recommend for teenage readers. Themes: war, occupation, resistance, and the "unbreakable human spirit". (Fiona)

I'm pretty sure that Americans should read this book a few times. Steinbeck clearly outlines the futility of occupying a town (country) full of people who love their land and feel that they are a free people. I wonder why this book isn't used in our schools. Things that make you go, “Hmmm.”

Edit: I'm now reading [b:Once There Was a War|4800|Once There Was a War|John Steinbeck|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348516021l/4800._SY75_.jpg|551523] and found that Steinbeck wrote this as WWII propaganda for the OSS (CIA). I wish that I could feel good about that. ( )

This is an excellent short novel about conquest and war, the costs and challenges of invasion and conquest, and what free people can do to resist being conquered. ( )

Written as a propaganda novel during World War II, Steinbeck's short novel tells of a few people in a small town conquered by an invading army. The invaders are clearly intended to represent Germany, though it is never specified. The invaded country is also unspecified, and could represent any of countries German invaded, or which had reason to fear invasion.
We observe just a handful of interactions between a handful of characters. There is the Colonel in charge of the invading army; the local traitor who aided the invaders in advance with information; the mayor and the town doctor, both loyal to their people, even while the invaders try to use them to gain control; and a few other men on the invaders side, and few men and women on the town's side.
The invaders will always follow orders from above. But the invaded people refuse to be conquered. ( )

“A light in the daytime is a lonely thing.”

“Our people are invaded, but I don’t think they’re conquered.” - That quote pretty much sums up this book. A town is taken over by soldiers from an enemy country, but the people of that town don't simply give in. Steinbeck shows us how the resistance of the people slowly, but steadily, erodes at the confidence of the soldiers and lets doubt creep in to their 'victory'. It reminded me a bit of what is happening currently, and for the last year, in the Ukraine.

The beginning of the book also reminded me a bit of the beginning of the movie "Inglorious Bastards". Even the man in charge of the enemy forces have similar names - 'Lanser' in this book and 'Landa' in the movie. I kind of felt like the unnamed invading army were in fact the Germans as well. Just my thinking on it.

An excellent book about the effects of war, and in my opinion, the overall pointlessness of it. ( )