Her whole person had a fire, a hunger. It never crossed his mind
that it was
for anything but him.
--JITTERBUG LIFT by Oliver Flynn
--JITTERBUG LIFT by Oliver Flynn
Title: Jitterbug Lift
Author: Oliver Flynn
Published 2013 by CreateSpace
ISBN-13:
978-1479259137
Reading “Jitterbug Lift” was like watching a great movie in Smell-A-Vision on a roller coaster while trying to balance a bucket of popcorn on my knees. It had me at page 1.
A riveting page-turner, its themes of forgiveness and
solidarity resonate in our 21st Century as ever more lines in the
sand are drawn politically, globally, sexually, and racially. These days when someone can lose
their life for wearing a “hoodie” or a turban, it’s important to remember the
Berlin Airlift—when the same pilots who dropped bombs over Berlin volunteered
to save Berliners from starving at the hands of the occupying Soviets three
years later.
Jesus advised us to turn the other cheek. But just how challenging is that
really? The answer fuels “Jitterbug Lift.”
As a baby boomer, I knew about the Cold War, but not what
started it. Despite my Southern
teachers’ insistence that Communism was a “Red Menace,” I was not sure if that
was entirely true. I don’t know why I remained ignorant of the sadistic “Berlin
Blockade” engineered by the Soviets to force post-war Berliners into submission
through deprivation.
Oliver Flynn (actually 3 authors) has crafted a masterpiece
that boldly tackles an aspect of Western Allies’ involvement in the Cold War
that goes beyond spy vs. spy. Not
only is “Jitterbug Lift” historically accurate, it offers a fun read with
delicious writing.
Some of my favorite lines include:
Some of my favorite lines include:
“Years of flying mixed with an almost spiritual understanding of what keeps planes in the air moved his hands and eyes.”
“It took an hour for the doctor with them to separate
Ivanoff’s charred back from the remnants of the cockpit seat.”
As a Jewish woman who lost most of her family in the
Holocaust, I was a tad wary of a story that may be “pro-German.” I found that the story is pro-human
life. Jewish and otherwise.
And the best part?
Women save the day. Feeble,
starved, strong women. The
storyline runs on contradictions, paradoxes and ironies. Our Kraut-hating American hero, Chance,
trades bombs for food cargo as the former bomber pilot takes on missions with
the Airlift to rescue his friend whose plane has gone down in enemy
territory. The Allies’ new enemy
(Soviet Union) is their former friend and vice versa. And there’s a mysterious femme fatale who will do anything
for a “higher cause”—and I mean anything.
Even ordinary furniture takes on a sinister use when it’s used as a
torture device.
A friend asked if “Jitterbug Lift” is a “bodice ripper.”
Well, buttons do pop off from time to time, but at its core, this is a Love
Story. The love of one man for his
best friend; one American for one German; citizens for their country; parents
for children; the religious for their religion; prisoners for freedom; and the
most moving of all:
The love of humans for humanity.
Originally published 2013 on my Open Salon Blog:
Originally published 2013 on my Open Salon Blog:
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