Dave Dawson in Libya

Robert Sidney Bowen, Jr.Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.4

Word count: 276K words
Chapters: 28

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Dave Dawson in Libya by Robert Sidney BowenAuthor: Bowen, Robert Sidney, 1900-1977,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Oct 25, 2015

Editor's review

Dave Dawson in Libya is a wartime adventure novel for young readers set against the North African campaign of World War II, with the plot built around the experiences of its young protagonist. Books of this kind move at a brisk pace and are packed with action, emphasizing courage, quick wits and comradeship; they serve as a useful sample of mid-twentieth-century adventure fiction for boys. Readers may note how the war setting is simplified and how sharply characters are divided into good and evil. As a public-domain eBook it is easy to obtain and excerpt, suiting casual reading or discussion of war narratives in popular fiction. It should be said that the book bears clear marks of its era, and some expressions sit at a distance from present-day views of war and region; readers are advised to read it critically rather than as a work of history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Young readers who enjoy fast-paced wartime adventure stories
Literature enthusiasts interested in the style of twentieth-century adventure fiction for young readers
English learners who need light English reading practice
Readers interested in popular narratives about the North African campaign of World War II

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting rigorous historical accounts and source-based scholarship on World War II
Readers sensitive to battle scenes or period-specific expressions
Readers who prefer literary fiction with strong characterization and finely drawn inner lives

Reading tips

Read chapter by chapter, following the goal and outcome of each of the protagonist's actions to grasp the adventure structure.
Jot down period-flavored expressions as you read, then examine the ideas behind them once you have finished.
Read alongside a basic timeline of the North African campaign to distinguish fictional plot from historical fact.
If using the book for English study, pick three to five action-description sentences from each chapter for imitation writing practice.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable as a history of World War II?

Not really. It is an adventure novel for young readers set against the North African campaign of World War II, with a plot driven by action and suspense rather than rigorous historical narrative. Those seeking factual history should choose works with annotations and documentary evidence; this book can serve as popular fiction that conveys the atmosphere of its era.

Do I need to know the World War II background before reading?

Not systematically, but knowing that the story takes place on the North African front will help you understand the setting of the characters' actions. The book gives only brief background, so readers unfamiliar with place names or military terms may wish to consult concise material on the North African campaign of World War II.

The book contains period-specific expressions. How should I view them?

Early adventure fiction of this kind often features simplified good-versus-evil divisions and period language. Read it as material for understanding the historical context of popular literature, note which expressions belong to a particular era, and compare them with present-day views of war and region rather than accepting them wholesale.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Robert Sidney Bowen, Jr. Author · American · 1900–1977

Robert Sidney Bowen (1900–1977) was an American pilot, journalist, and writer of popular fiction, born in Boston. He served in the British Royal Air Force during World War I and later edited an aviation magazine. From 1930 onward he turned to writing and became known for the fifteen-volume Dave Dawson series of wartime adventure novels for young readers, as well as the Red Randall series. His works often center on aviation, war, and coming-of-age themes, and he also wrote on sports and horses. The Dave Dawson books follow a young hero whose flying adventures are closely tied to the wartime setting; the plots are fast-paced and combine adventure with inspirational growth, giving them some influence among young readers of the period. Public information is limited, and systematic study of his life and style remains sparse.