Have you ever had something that you valued alot, but you were willing to give it up for a greater cause? Perhaps your time or money for a charity? How did you feel about your decision later? Good? Not so much? For famed British author Rudyard Kipling had to question whether the sacrifice of his son for his nation in World War I was worth it.
In Kipling's Choice by Geert Spillebeen, we see a fictionalized account of the real life story of Rudyard Kipling and his son John. Rudyard himself had been unable to serve in the military as a young man because of his poor eyesight. He hoped his son though would get to have the glory he was denied. His son though, was also physically unfit for service but Rudyard used his connections to get his son a commision as an officer in the Irish Regiment of the British Army in World War I. John leads other young men into battle in 1915 and finds that his first battle will be his last. He is wounded and as he lays dying, he has suffers from the madness of war and he thinks of all the things that led him to this point. Later, when Rudyard gets word that his son is 'missing', he too reflects on his role in his son's unfortunate mishap. Should he have done what he did to get his son in the army? Should he have written all those patriotic works that encouraged others to enlist? When you read this, ask yourself whether Rudyard's sacrifice of his son for their country and it's cause was a noble thing to do after all.
(call # FIC SPI)
