FORWARD, CHILDREN!

by

Paul Alexander Bartlett

 with an Introduction

by

Steven James Bartlett

Forward, Children! is a gripping anti-war novel. It brings vividly back to life the experience of WWII tank warfare as it was fought and endured by soldiers in the tank corps during battles in France, North Africa, and Germany. The novel is also a story of love in French Ermenonville, where Rousseau lived during the last period in his life and was buried.

The title Forward, Children! comes from the opening line of La Marseillaise, the French national anthem:  

Allons, enfants de la patrie,
Le jour de la gloire est arrivé.

Forward, children of our country,
The day of glory is at hand.

Forward, Children! has been widely commended by many leading authors and critics, including renowned English novelist, poet, and critic Ford Madox Ford, John Dos Passos, James Purdy, and Russell Kirk.

Pearl Buck, Nobel Laureate in Literature, wrote: “He [Bartlett] is an excellent writer. Forward, Children! is an excellent piece of work, with fine characterizations.”

Upton Sinclair wrote: “I found Forward, Children! extremely interesting and convincing. I think it is one of the best descriptions of fighting I have ever read. In fact, I can’t remember any account of tank fighting in such detail and [which is so] convincing.”

Forward, Children! has now been made available through Project Gutenberg as a free downloadable eBook in a variety of formats. To view the alternative formats and to download a free copy of the novel, click here.