A review by thevalkyriereader
Testament of Youth by Shirley Williams, Vera Brittain

5.0

This was an outstanding portrait of the psychological scars left on the generation that grew into adulthood surfing WWI. Not only that, but the disillusionment felt by many post-war. Yes, Vera Brittain had her fair share of losses on the front, but she became more than that. With the freedom earned by the horrors of war, she wasn't satisfied with going back into the archaic role of a domestic woman. She had wings, she had life experience. She was someone who fought for rights I now take for granted. Vera believed in peace. She believed in equality. And what she believed in, she tackled headfirst. This isn't just a book of war work and the gruesome unfairness if war. It is about centering oneself and finding a purpose, a purpose one would defend with a passion. Vera Brittain' s Testament of Youth is something that can be related to even in this day and age. Beyond the surface it's a personal piece about finishing yourself. And haven't we all been a little lost, looking for ourselves at some point or another?