National Book Award Winner

From Here to Eternity

by James Jones

Summary

Set on a Honolulu army base in the months before Pearl Harbor, the novel traces a circle of enlisted men and the women in their orbit as peacetime soldiering grinds against personal codes of honor. Jones drew on his own service to render barracks life with documentary precision and a frank treatment of sex, violence, and institutional cruelty. The book became a defining American war novel and was adapted into a celebrated Hollywood film.

Historical Context & Significance

The book was highly controversial at the time for its use of profanity and its realistic depiction of the brutality within the U.S. military ranks.