June 1940 was the summer of defeat for the French soldiers, deserted by their of
ficers, utterly demoralized, awaiting the Armistice. Day by day, hour by hour, "
Iron in the Soul" unfolds what men thought and felt and did as France fell. Men
who shrugged, men who ran, men who fought and tragic men like Mathieu, who had d
edicated his life to finding personal freedom, now overwhelmed by remorse and bi
tterness, who must learn to kill.
"Iron in the Soul", the third volume of Sar
tre's "Roads to Freedom Trilogy", is a harrowing depiction of war and what it me
ans to lose.
