I’ve just finished reading From Here To Eternity by James Jones, as I continue to read both current and older novels about World War II. From Here to Eternity is set in Hawaii in the year leading up to and including the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It depicts the soldiers of the “old” Army, their training and life while stationed at Scholfield Barracks on Oahu.

In writing From Here To Eternity, Jones drew on his own experiences serving in the Army at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. An eye-witness to the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, Jones used that involvement to create the plot and characters in From Here To Eternity. The realism in the book could only have come from living through the events.

As his first published novel, From Here To Eternity became a best seller and won the National Book Award. That was quite a feat for a new novelist even in 1952.

Not only was the novel a success, Hollywood made it into a block-buster movie in 1953 starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Cliff, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, and Frank Sinatra. With this illustrious cast and Director Fred Zimmerman, the film version of From Here To Eternity won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay Adaptation, Best Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra) and Best Supporting Actress (Donna Reed.) You definitely need to see this film, if you haven’t already.

James Jones planned to write a World War II trilogy, From Here To Eternity being the first of three. Later he wrote The Thin Red Line published in 1962 and based on his experiences fighting in Guadalcanal. The Thin Red Line was another success, and it, too, was made into a movie in 1964 and again in 1998. Most of you will remember the 1998 version starring Sean Penn, Nick Nolte and Jim Caviezel, although I also recommend the 1964 version.

The third novel in the trilogy, Whistle, comes from Jones’s experiences recovering from his wounds in a veterans hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Jones did not finish Whistle before his death of congestive heart failure in 1977. His friend and associate, Willie Morris, completed it from Jones’s volumes of notes and published it in 1978. I’ve read this one, too. Few novels or films show WWII wounded veterans recovering state-side. Whistle gave me insight that I later used in my novel Scarred Dreams.

I highly recommend From Here To Eternity. Note that writing styles were different in the early 1950’s. Also, Jones uses improper grammar and misspelling intentionally as a way to convey the characters level of education and background. If this bothers you, be aware and be prepared. I found the reading a little more difficult due to the style so it took longer to read, yet the novel, over all, is excellent. You will definitely want to read it. From Here To Eternity is truly an American classic.