John Ostrander Loses It
Twenty years ago this month saw the publication of the first issue of my twelve issue historical western, The Kents (which has since been gathered into a TPB and is on sale at Amazon, among other places; end of plug). The book chronicles how the ancestors of Clark Kent’s adoptive family came to live in Kansas and was set before, during, and after the Civil War.
Of all my work, this is one thing of which I’m exceptionally proud. I did a great deal of research for the project and while by no means a history per se, it has a great deal of history in it.
One of the goals I set for myself was to try to convey to the reader how the characters, the people, of that time felt about the events that engulfed them. We, of course, know how that conflict resolved itself but they did not. Was the nation going to tear itself apart? How many more would die? If I was a soldier, would I die or be wounded or maimed? Would my loved one live or die?
The same uncertainties apply to other conflicts, such as WWI and II, Korea and Vietnam. I recently saw the movie Dunkirk (which I found to be harrowing and brilliant) and, if you know anything about that story, you know how it winds up. However, what the movie makes so plain is that no one actually involved at the time had any real idea of how it would be resolved. If anything, they expected the British and French troops gathered at Dunkirk would be annihilated or captured.
Nobody today knows how our story will end. Over the past days / weeks / months of the Trump presidency, we’ve seen the country roil like a broken thing. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m 68 years old and I’ve never seen anything like it. I doubt not only the competence of the most powerful man in the world but his sanity. He lashes out not only at perceived enemies but at the very institutions that power our democracy.
All of us are in the middle of this story and we do not know how it will end. Do we all understand that it does not have to end well? Our country, our way of governing, is an experiment that could still fail. There is no reason that it has to survive. Every great country or civilization has fallen. Every single one. Some aspect of what they were may continue but the main substance collapses. There are those both within and without our borders who would see us ripped apart. And we appear to be doing it. Our survival is not a given and no one should assume it is.
How will our story be written, a hundred years from now? Will it be a story of triumph and, if so, whose triumph? Or will it be a story of tragedy and a fall from grace? Who will write that story?
Abraham Lincoln, in his famed Gettysburg Address, said, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated {to liberty}, can long endure.” That’s as true today as it was then.
Any bets?
John , an interesting thing is while the movie Dunkirk obviously will attract a lot of WW2 history buffs, my guess is a lot of the everyday people who just go to watch it won’t know how it ends. I have done background research for max Allan Collins historical novels. When people meet me they often ask me what do I do- my day job helping the child care system stay afloat and helping improve conditions for children is often of no interest but my other work – the comics and art stuff, the historical research well that is of interest. And during the Kennedy books, well lot of the people I knew under 40 didn’t know much other than Kennedy got shot. No Knowledge of even Oswald’s name! So there will be a lot of folks in suspense at how Dunkirk ends! And this is also why so many people are not real upset at American Nazis and the dialogue is so much driven by contemporary views- the issues the Nazis want us to discuss. I had two uncles at the battle of the Bulge (and who didn’t know each other was there) one came back in a coma the only survivor of his squad sent on one of those suicide missions against a tank that you know Sgt. Rock always wins. To me the Nazis are the enemy like Al Quaida but to many Americans they are just another group like the Kiwanis but carrying funny flags. Most Americans know little about history and have no interest in it which is why we do such stupid things.
John – another great article and I appreciate you putting it into perspective like this. And a note to George – man, I love those novels and you guys do a great job! I usually know the broad strokes but not the details. Especially with a thriller like this last one with Bettie Page and the Rosenbergs. Great stuff.
Remember when Jay Leno would do those “walkabouts” and ask people on the street questions about politics, politicians, news of the day, etc?
Now I know that those segments were edited, and those who answered correctly were usually edited out, but the sheer dumbness of some people was never really funny to me–it was horrifying.
But I do take issue with one thing that you wrote, unless I’m reading it wrong….”the issues the Nazis want us to discuss.”
Nazis DISCUSS things? You mean like at the Wansee Conference?
Aside from that, I didn’t know that you work within the child care system and with Max Allan Collins (one of my favs!) I’m proud to know you and to call you my friend
Jesus, John. Twenty years since THE KENTS came out? I remember you working on it like it was last week!
Brilliant column, btw! :-D!!!!