Ordinary Heroes

Ordinary Heroes
Scott Turow
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374184216
Fiction, Historical Fiction
Reviewed by Chris Gerrib

Scott Turow’s Ordinary Heroes is a masterful story of war and discoveryIt’s the story of two men, Stewart Dubinsky, a middle-aged reporter, and David Dubin, his father, a lawyer in the US Army during World War II. After the father, dies, Stewart discovers that he had been court-martialed right after the war. David hadn’t talked much of the war, but Stewart had at least assumed he served honorably. Fearing the worst, and somewhat selfishly hoping to make a book out of it, Stewart investigates.
Stewart researches the case, and eventually discovers that his father had left a manuscript with the man who was his defense attorney. This manuscript, told in first person, forms the bulk of the book. In it, we see David go from a young man with dreams of glory to a combat veteran, having been forced to lead an infantry company during siege of Bastogne, and his interactions with Major Robert Martin, a mysterious operative with the OSS. Also playing a key part is a Polish resistance fighter, Gita Lodz.
During this odyssey, we discover the horrors of war, committed by both sides, and the various internal struggles of racism, homosexuality, and politics. At the end, Stewart discovers some very shocking facts about himself. This is truly a great read, and I highly recommend it to any fan of adventure and good writing.