Ben's favorite, for Eliza's daughter: Poems
Eliza Perash (Rona-Lee Shimon) · Book stall, Budapest
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Eliza opens with Yeats. Ben counters with Wilfred Owen's Poems, which he calls his favorite book, as a send-off for her daughter Noa, who is about to start her army service. Asked if he actually reads poetry, Ben says he fits some in between surf sessions. Eliza reads the preface, the part about the pity of war. A SEAL whose favorite book is anti-war poetry, handing it to a kid about to put on a uniform, is either giving good advice or making a confession, and Ben isn't saying which.
Paused Tuesdays
One still, one stack, every Tuesday morning.
The book
Poems
Owen was killed in France a week before the Armistice in 1918, and this collection came out two years later. His own preface says "My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity." It's the anti-recruiting poster of English literature, and Ben hands it to a new soldier.
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Sleuthed by @shelfsleuth · 2026-10-26
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Paused Tuesdays
One still, one stack, every Tuesday morning.
Reece's third try with Ben: Once an Eagle
Ben's Frankfurt pitch: Struwwelpeter
Eliza's first pick for Noa: Selected Poems
Quoted: Atlas Shrugged