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Written by Our Reviewer, Stuart Nachbar
Thursday, 04 December 2008
Bear Any Burden: A Well-Developed Espionage Thriller In reviewing Ellis Goodman’s Bear Any Burden, I must disclose that I am a descendent of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. If you come from a similar family background, from a country such as Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland or Romania that has been a venue of two world wars, and prior acts of discrimination (not only Jews faced discrimination and persecution in those countries between the later half of the nineteenth century and the end of World II), you will appreciate this story. Bear Any Burden Its title taken from John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address, Bear Any Burden, is a unique espionage thriller. While it is not a non-stop action story in the mold of Ian Fleming or Robert Ludlum, it had more than enough back story and plot to hold my interest. This is a story of family and freedom. Most of the story follows the lives of three main characters from birth through education, through immigration and assimilation into new societies in the West. Interesting for me is that I read this story at the same time as I am finishing Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. In the book, Gladwell laid out his perception of the pattern of Jewish immigrant success in America. Goodman’s book followed that very pattern with the family of its businessman character, Sir Alex Campbell, although the character’s pattern is formed across the pond. The three main characters of Bear Any Burden are all Polish immigrants who have left their home country then later returned to attend to family matters. Sir Alex Campbell is a former intelligence officer who is occasionally asked to do “small jobs” in the conduct of his business as the chief executive officer of a London-based global beverage alcohol producer, importer and distributor. These jobs typically involve delivering a package, little more, and do not put Campbell’s life at risk. Bear Any Burden goes to considerable effort to develop Campbell’s background. A descendent of Polish Jews, Campbell’s family leaves their home country and sets up business in Scotland, first as pushcart merchants, then later through two generations in the food and beverage business. Alex, the third generation is an academically trained businessman, who returns to run the family business after graduation from Harvard Business School. Anna Kaluza, the British agent in the story, has taken a roundabout path from Poland to London, by way of Australia. From beginnings as a hopeful model, Anna becomes a successful airline stewardess, who later, after a divorce, returns to Poland to care for family. As she arrives in Poland, she is asked to consider work in espionage. She is not only athletic and beautiful; she is also quite independent and intelligent. She is Campbell’s contact on this “small job” that turns out to become a larger assignment, because her brother’s life has been put into jeopardy. Erik Keller, a world-renowned nuclear physicist, the third main character, is trying to leave Poland in the early 1980s, when the Solidarity movement is rising to resist Soviet domination. Campbell, in his “small job” is to deliver airline bag containing money and passports to Kaluza, who in turn will help Keller escape from Poland into Britain. During the remaining third of the story, the mission becomes botched, Keller’s wife is killed, and possibly Kaluza’s brother has also been killed by the same enemies. Campbell’s “small job” has become a much larger adventure, and becomes a partner with Kaluza to help her mission succeed. Along the way he learns that his family ties to Poland go deeper than he originally thought. To say too much more would give away the story. I recommend that you read it for yourself. For more, go to www.bearanyburden.com, especially if you’re curious about the book becoming a movie. The author has a contest on site. Contact Stuart Nachbar at http://www.EducatedQuest.com , a blog on education politics, policy and technology or read about his first book, The Sex Ed Chronicle, a novel on education and politics in 1980 New Jersey, at http://www.SexEdChronicles.com .
Last Updated ( Thursday, 04 December 2008 )