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Miracle at St. Anna | 
| Author: James Mcbride
Publisher: RIVERHEAD BOOKS
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $19.11
You Save: $5.84 (23%)
New (6) Used (8) from $6.83
Avg. Customer Rating:  37 reviews
Sales Rank: 53799
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 1.2
ASIN: B0000AHRAW
Publication Date: December 31, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
In Miracle at St. Anna, James McBride, author of the bestselling memoir The Color of Water, tells a war story that, like all great tales of conflict, connects the enormous tragedy of war with the intimate stories of individual soldiers. Miracle at St. Anna vividly follows four of the U.S. Army's 92nd Division of all-black buffalo soldiers as they become trapped between forces beyond their control and between worlds. Three of the soldiers have bolted behind enemy lines to rescue their comrade, the colossal, but simple, Private Sam Train. They find themselves stranded between worlds in a remote central Italian village, with the German Army hidden on one side and their racist and largely mismanaged American commanding officers on the other. The strange world of the village floats between myth and reality, where belief in magic coexists with the most horrific acts of war. In the melee that opens the book, the giant Sam Train suddenly comes to believe he can turn invisible, the local miser believes he is cursed with a wealth of rabbits, and each of the other soldiers also exists in a mythical world of his own. But they are all about to be shattered by the Miracle. McBride illuminates an ironic moment in American history, a time when black soldiers fought bravely for the country whose "freedoms" included Jim Crow laws, segregation, and institutional and widespread personal racism. Miracle at St. Anna puts these intimate stories at the center of the much larger story of the struggle of people of color in this country. Each character is trapped and forced to act as nobly and as bravely as he can in the midst of forces beyond not only his control, but beyond his world. --Paul Ford
Product Description
Inspired by a historical incident that took place in the village of St. Anna di Stazzema in Tuscany and by the experiences of the famed Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Division in Italy during World War 11, Miracle at St. Anna is a singular evocation of war, cruelty, passion, heroism, and love. It is the story of four American soldiers, the villagers among whom they take refuge, a band of partisans, and an Italian boy, all of whom encounter a miracle -- though perhaps the true miracle lies in themselves. Traversing class, race, and geography, Miracle at St. Anna is above,, all a hymn to the brotherhood of man and the power to do good that lives in each of us. It reveals a little-known but fascinating moment in history through the eyes and imagination of a gifted writer. Like The Color of Water, James McBride's stunning' first novel will change the way we perceive ourselves and our world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 32 more reviews...
 Amazing Grace September 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This story sings to the human soul with the power of timeless poetry. The author has artfully entwined gritty realism and surreal divinity.
It will enjoy a permanent place in our family library.
 very disappointing September 20, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'd been meaning to read this for years, and since the movie is due for release soon, I thought I better hurry. This book was totally lost on me. What was the miracle? I won't spoil it for those who haven't read yet, but that kind of power, divine intervention..I could do without. The aftermath was bleak and unfulfilling for the reader and the characters. I got the feeling McBride didn't know what the end should be. It opens with a great hook..Hector's cryptic words "I know" and finished with my own, "who cares?" The characters were cliche, the language wasn't true to the time period, and the writing wasn't that great. I'm sorry, Mr. McBride, but I will try your memoir.
Miracle at St. Anna February 5, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was reading through a weekly entertainment magazine when I cam across a blurb aboout Spike Lee prepairing to direct the movie "Miracle at St. Anna", about WWII Buffalo Soldiers by James McBride. I became interest and looked up Mr. McBride. Found out about his other book, the Color of Water....so, I decided to order them both. I am not a licensed book reviewer, I just love to read and this story is one of the best I've ever read. McBride is a fantastic story teller - once I opened the book, I found it hard to put it down. I could feel myself there with these soldiers on that mountain in Italy scared, confused, woundering why am I here fighting for someone else's freedom when I am not free my self? I can't trust the folks who lead me because they either hate me for what/who I am, secretly jealous because I have the command of this foreign language and I should be leading, have the ability to adapt to various situations that command me to be strong and survive, or they are just plain bigots. If this isn't enough, I am held down in a village waiting for help because a big hearted brother has decided to save this little fellow's life. Solidarity! Like it or not I am here and on the other side is the military enemy who hates and destroys everything insite. I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. This book had me feeling for those men, wanting to know how and if they make it; and if they do, what the future holds for them. A great read...tell me what you think. Oh,loved the Color or Water too!
Miracle at St. Anna January 19, 2008
Excellent capturing of the Negro experience in
World War II Italy. Contrasts U.S. attitudes with Italian attitudes.
Miracle at St. Anna November 8, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a powerful fiction based on experiences of the African American soldiers in Italy near the end of WW2. Written by the author of "The Color of Water", James McBride, it's a story of racism, kindness, war, longing, and redemption. I've read it twice, something I don't often do. Plot, characters, and even language move and dance in this great story. READ IT!
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