[ book tip by Emily Bullock ] This collection of diary entries were all submitted to the Mass Observation archive in the UK. I had never heard of the MO until I picked up this book. I suppose it was a sort of Big Brother of its day for the pen-and-ink generation. Ordinary people were asked to submit their diary entries, their thoughts and experiences to the archive. The book runs from the days preceding the declaration of war to the midst of the Blitz in October 1940. The names of course have been changed as the MO prides itself on its anonymity. But through this book, I feel I came to know these people; their gripes about black out curtains, their concern for friends and colleagues in Germany, everyday musings. The entries contain voices from across a wide range of classes and professions: a social worker, a paper salesman, a housewife, and a young writer.

Each of the voices and their experiences is distinct, and from the initial optimism and confidence I saw their growing fears. I experienced with these people the loss of their old lives, even the loss of a child. But still they never gave up, because, well, after all this was real life and what choice did they have? Only it was more than that, there seemed to be a really passionate desire to carry on, to make the best of it all –a true example of a higher cause. This book made me feel humble; as the subtitle said, these were people living through extraordinary times. It was a powerful read all the more so because these were ordinary people, someone you might pass by on the street.

[ book info ] Garfield, Simon: We Are At War. The Diaries of Five Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times. (original language: English) Random House, London, 2007 (2005). ISBN: 9780091903879.