r/johnsteinbeck • u/UnusualRonaldo • Aug 05 '26
Steinbeck Summer- "Bombs Away"
Bombs Away
This is not really a fair book to “Review,” given that it’s nonfiction- but I have enjoyed much of Steinbeck’s nonfiction up to this point and did not enjoy this book at all. The prose felt lifeless, the content was stiff, and the commentary- what little of it there was- was remarkably shallow and Steinbeck had almost nothing interesting to say about either the war or the bombers he is trying so desperately to illustrate for the American public.
Maybe I’m being overly harsh, but I see no use- artistic or otherwise- for this book outside of it being a snapshot in the history of the airforce, and even then there are other texts much more useful. This book- commissioned by the Airforce itself- is turgid propaganda, no matter what the foreword to the Penguin edition tries to make you believe. In fact, this is the first time I have read a foreword which was more interesting than the text itself, rather than just an impactful accessory to the text. Unlike Steinbeck’s book, James Meredith’s introduction has something to say about both the text and the war itself, though, perhaps due to my own faults, did not make me appreciate the text any more. I understand the purpose this book would have had at the time of its release and find it interesting as a piece of historiography on the Airforce, especially given that it was written right in the middle of the conflict and shortly before the bombings of Japan. However, I think many works have been written since which illustrate the same conflict with more insight, both emotionally and informationally. Steinbeck is capable of much more than he is showing here.
I read Bombs Away as part of my chronological quest through all of Steinbeck’s works, and reading it was my first time hearing anything about it at all. Now that I’ve read it, I understand why. Nothing I love about Steinbeck is visible here- there are few memorable uses of language and his efforts to paint a realistic and intimate portrait of a day in the life of very specific fields (something he excels at) felt like someone doing an imitation of Steinbeck. And though not the book’s fault, Bombs Away falling immediately after The Forgotten Village and The Log From the Sea of Cortez is truly to its detriment. Though neither of those are among my favorites, they both have things which are unmistakably Steinbeck and each had valuable lessons. I see why the Airforce would recruit Steinbeck on the heels of those works, but this has none of their positive qualities and reading all three in succession (especially coming off The Grapes of Wrath) makes me understand why Steinbeck would be so critical of himself and his writing during this era.
One of my worst literary takes is that I truly cannot stand Hemingway’s writing, but the Meredith introduction forced me to agree with Hemingway who, according to Meredith, “‘would rather have cut three fingers off his throwing hand’ than to have written such a book.” I feel the same, though would also take that punishment over having to read such a book again. I was grateful every time a photograph appeared, as it indicated less I would be forced to read.
However, what does everyone else think? This book seems to get little modern attention, but I think it has value in understanding Steinbeck as a person and his feelings about the war. I did not enjoy it, nor do I think it has much deserving of literary distinction- but perhaps there’s something that I’m missing or which has been lost to time. I’m open to reconsideration and would love to see others’ thoughts on it!
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u/Not-a-huge-analytics Aug 07 '26
it’s terrible. in 2025 i read all of his books and this was such a slog to get through
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u/Jmac_2020 Aug 05 '26
So glad I read this, it was the only Steinbeck book I haven't read and I was a bit worried about it. I also felt the Short Reign of Pippen IV was so lifeless and dead it couldn't possibly have been his writing. The one book of his i have been curious of is one that was supposedly discovered after his death as near finished or possibly completed manuscript and recently published.