Private Peaceful // Michael Morpurgo
A combination of Michael Morpurgo books and my Nan’s stories of World War II sparked my ever-increasing enthusiasm for history. Private Peaceful is my favourite book I read as a child.
The narrator is Thomas “Tommo” Peaceful, a young Private in the First World War. The story follows Tommo as he reminisces about his childhood in the hours before his brother is executed. Charlie, Tommo’s brother, was court-martialled after disobeying his Sergeant because he refused to leave an injured Tommo on the battlefield. It’s a story honouring the bonds that were broken in the destruction of war, and the thing I love about this war story is the humanity retained inside.
I now wish to study English Literature and History at university because of my interest in viewing history as equal social and political entities to be documented through writing, an interest that I think began with reading Private Peaceful.