| Title | : | Twelve O'Clock Haiku |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1953665101 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781953665102 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 133 |
| Publication | : | Published September 18, 2022 |
In a cheeky critique of the classic American airpower narrative “Twelve O’Clock High,” award-winning soldier-poet, essayist, and humorist Randy Brown explores what it means to be a leader or follower at war—morally, physically, and psychologically. The book is packed full of insights into military life, as viewed through the lenses of war movies, history, and the author’s personal experiences as a one-time U.S. Army-trained “lessons-learned analyst.”
“I started out to write 12 haiku poems about a favorite old war movie,” says the author, “but my ‘whimsical experiment in minimalist war poetry’ mutated into a ‘maximum effort’ mix of memory, media, and military culture!” TWELVE O’CLOCK HAIKU: Leadership Lessons from Old War Movies & New Poems now comprises a salvo of provocative poetry, a companion essay about the film, and resources for enthusiasts of World War II aircraft, history, and movies.
Brown first encountered the 1949 movie when on temporary duty as a U.S. Army citizen-soldier. Whether as a novel, film, or late-1960s television series, the “Twelve O’Clock High” franchise continues to be a key tool in 21st century Professional Military Education (PME) and business-class discussions. A great conversation-starter about transformative leadership, management techniques, organizational learning, and ethics!
In addition to other accolades, Brown is a three-time poetry finalist in the Col. Darron L. Wright Memorial Awards, administered annually by the Chicago-based literary journal Line of Advance. His 2015 collection, Welcome to FOB Haiku: War Poems from Inside the Wire, was awarded a gold medal distinction from the Military Writers Society of America. His chapbook So Frag & So Bold: Short Poems, Aphorisms & Other Wartime Fun was published in 2021.
In 2010, Brown was preparing to deploy as the sole “knowledge manager” for a deploying U.S. Army National Guard brigade. After a paperwork SNAFU dropped him off the list, he retired with 20 years of military service and a previous overseas deployment. He then went to Afghanistan anyway, embedding with his former colleagues as a civilian journalist.
He is the co-editor of two non-fiction books: 2015’s Reporting for Duty: Citizen-Soldier Journalism from the Afghan Surge, 2010-2011; and 2019’s Why We Write: Craft Essays on Writing War.
Twelve O'Clock Haiku Reviews
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MWSA Review
In this short work, the author gives readers a 53-page analysis of the movie, Twelve O’Clock High, and includes twelve haiku poems. His discussion ranges from “lessons learned” and “maximum effort” to comparing day and night bombing in the first years of World War II. A good presentation, but little poetry. The poems themselves are thought provoking and in places disturbing, which is what you would expect given the subject matter.
The author is a talented writer and his self-described obsession with the movie, Twelve O’Clock High, comes through in the musings and essays about military lessons learned in the first half of this work. His passion for the subject is evident. However, readers thinking this is a book of poetry may be disappointed. Readers with little familiarity with Twelve O’Clock High can be at a loss, unable to fully grasp much of what the author is attempting to convey.
Review by George J. Bryjak (March 2023) -
So much fun! Randy Brown never fails to make me laugh out loud and think deeply at the same time.
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An unusual book
I enjoyed this book about Twelve O'clock High and the lessons learned from the movie. The haiku were brilliant! Highly recommended.
