Why Daniel Kalla is brought to tears every time he reads The Winds of War by Herman Wouk

Daniel Kalla isan emergency room doctor based in Vancouver, B.C. and the international bestselling author of 10 books. His latest,We All Fall Down,is a thriller about the Black Death.

The Winds of War,the 1971 historical novelby Herman Woukis a book that Kallarecommends as something to read and re-read. Wouk died on May 17, 2019 at the age of 103.

"A book that I have returned to at least three times is The Winds of War by Herman Wouk. What I absolutely love about this book is that it takes one of the biggest historical events, the beginning of the Second World War, andputs things in this great historical and human context. It does thatby showing a family and how they're all tragically drawn into this war.

"It portrays every aspect of the war, from what was going on in North America, to what was going on in the Far East at the time. It always reminds me of how brittle society and peace can be and how devastating political events and war will always be. I cry pretty much every time I read the book."

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Daniel Kalla's comments have been edited for length and clarity.