Iola Reads is leaning into renewed interest in World War I.
The horrors of the first global war are vividly captured in the Oscar-nominated movie “All Quiet On the Western Front” at the same time distressing images from Russia’s attack on Ukraine are splayed daily across social media, news and television.
Enter “The Grand Escape,” a narrative nonfiction novel by Neal Bascomb, author of “The Nazi Hunters.” This engrossing tale recaptures the struggle of Allied soldiers and pilots imprisoned in one of the worst German prison camps, Holzminden — better known as “Hellminden.” Ten prisoners escaped through a tunnel, then faced a harrowing journey through enemy territory.
Copies of the book are available at the Iola Public Library, schools and other locations.
The library also offers a WWI display until March 10, featuring rare photographs and letters sent home by local soldiers. Other items on display include a uniform, gas mask, canteen and poetry of the time period.
Then, on March 7, the library will show “The First Great Escape,” a 45-minute documentary about the escape, at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room. Also, participants will be offered a chance to crawl through a section of an escape tunnel that is the same dimensions as the one constructed at Holzminden.
Deb Greenwall with Iola Reads said the tunnel section was recreated using historic diagrams. Organizers thought it would be interesting to offer an interactive experience.
“It’s actually a bit claustrophobic,” she said. “People can crawl through to see just how enclosed they were underground.”
The library and the Allen County Historical Society will offer a drawing to give away six sets of adult and youth passes to the WWI Museum in Kansas City. Winners will be announced at the March 7 event.
Greenwall said the increased interest in WWI and the selection of the book is a coincidence. The committee chose “The Grand Escape” about a year ago. The group tries to pick a different genre each year and had never covered WWI, though they had done books related to the second world war.
“I read this book and it was just amazing,” Greenwall said. “It’s fascinating to read about their thought process and what they went through, because this was before the Geneva Convention and there were no rules about how to treat prisoners of war.
“You grow to love these characters. And especially for nonfiction, it’s so well-written.”
DESPITE similarities, “The Grand Escape” is different from “The Great Escape,” a 1963 movie about the mass escape of Allied soldiers from the German POW camp Stalag Luft III.
But that story, in a way, inspired author Bascomb to tell the story of the earlier escape.
On his website, Bascomb said an editor suggested he reexamine “The Great Escape.” Bascomb is known for historical, nonfiction narratives and has written numerous books about the second world war, including “The Nazi Hunters,” “Sabotage” and “Hunting Eichman.”
