Roald Dahl Day

One of the books I picked up when I was at the booksale this weekend was Going Solo, Roald Dahl's account of his time flying with the RAF during World War II. Years ago, I had read his short story "A Piece of Cake" which talks about him being trapped in his burning plane after a crash and I wanted to hear the rest of the story. This is the sequel to his autobiography Boy and was a really interesting read. He starts the book talking about his time in Northern Africa working for the Shell Company. After war is declared he is sent out with a small band of African warriors and no military training to try to round up the hundreds of German citizens fleeing the country. After that he heads to Egypt to train as an RAF pilot. The training and his flying missions are the bulk of the book.

Shortly after his training, Dahl is sent to join his squadron in the desert. After he is given incorrect data, he is forced to crash land in the desert. That is where his short story came up. He is discovered by a scouting group and brought back to a hospital in Alexandria. There he spends the next 8 months recovering his sight, rebuilding his nose, and recovering from severe concussions. He is released from the hospital and sent to Greece to join the dying campaign there. He and his fellow pilots have the only dozen RAF planes in Greece. It is a lost cause but no one seems to be willing to accept that. The pilots are flying for hours a day and getting shot up on every trip. Dahl talks about the almost everyday deaths of pilots. After losing plane after plane until there is only five left, Dahl and the others are evacuated to Palestine and Syria. And after hours in the air he starts to develop headaches which ground him, a side effect from his earlier injuries. He is sent home and the book ends.

Roald Dahl has a special place in my heart. I grew up reading his books and have so far not read one that I didn't love. I vividly remember being read The BFG (Big Friendly Giant, for those of you who had other acronyms in mind) which I still consider one of the best books for young kids ever. Dahl is best known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but so many of his books are wonderful. His books have a dark sense of humor and are often considered gross or strange by most parents. But every child I know loves his work. My favorite of his books include The Twits, which is a terrible book about terrible people, getting their just rewards. It is delicious in its silliness and viciousness. I loved James and the Giant Peach, which its story of the young boy and his insects who find a way to cross the ocean in a gigantic peach. And for a more realistic book, there is Danny, the Champion of the World, a sweet story about poaching and fatherly love. It was interesting after reading so many of his books as a child, to read a bit more of his adult work. His stories from the war were enough to make this book interesting but to read it with the knowledge that he would become one of the most successful children's book authors ever, made it fascinating.

All that said, I was reading a bit more about Dahl online today and found out something very interesting. Dahl was born September 13th and I guess that day has been called Roald Dahl Day in some circles. I found it bizarre that I spent most of yesterday (his day) curled up on the couch reading his autobiography. I don't believe in coincidences but this one seems a bit odd. Roald Dahl type odd. So for all of you out there, wondering what strange and interesting tales to read your child, here is a suggestion. Find a nice quiet corner, turn your parent brain off, and get ready to be awed and revolted. And Happy Belated Roald Dahl Day!