Reparations (Rat Patrol zine)
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Reparations |
| Publisher: | Neon Rainbow Press |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | Bobbie Williams |
| Cover Artist(s): | |
| Illustrator(s): | |
| Date(s): | 2001 |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Rat Patrol |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Reparations is a 97-page gen Rat Patrol novel by Bobbie Williams.
Descriptions
Summary from the publisher:
For Captain Dietrich the war is over, and he is waiting out the hostilities at a Canadian POW camp. But a brutal attack on a fellow prisoner has him looking for the men responsible, while he comes to terms with his own feelings about what the true face of courage really is.
From the zine:
I didn't know what to expect when I wrote this story. I knew who the main characters were going to be, and I knew the plot, but I didn't know how it would affect me... at least I didn't expert it to affect me quite the way it did.
I try to be historically correct when I write and usually do a fair amount of research before and while I'm writing. Researching the treatment of gays in Nazi Germany was one of the most disturbing endeavors I have ever undertaken.
A half-million homosexuals were killed under the Nazi regime an estimated 50,000 died in concentration camps. Under the hands of the SS, they were given the most physically demanding jobs, were beaten, tortured, sexually abused, some were used as live subjects for target practice. Those who lived survived by becoming concubines of the camp kapos. If they were lucky enough to survived the concentration camps, they were still considered criminals under Paragraph 175 of the Bavarian Code. The criminal code remained in effect in Germany until 1969. Therefore, when liberated by the Allies, homosexuals were then sent to prison as criminals.
Many homosexuals joined the German armed forces simply because they preferred the companionship of other men. However, the persecution of homosexuals became so great, that by 1942, an order was issued that any soldier found to be gay was to be immediately shot.
Reparations revolves around a gay character and Dietrich's developing relationship with him within the confines of a Canadian POW camp.
This is, however, not a piece of slash fiction. There are no sex scenes (same sex or otherwise) and the violence is only implied, though the aftermath is described. However, it's not a story for the squeamish. It is a story for those who believe in compassion, caring and the human capacity for change. It's also about hatred, bigotry and man's inhumanity to man. It's about knowing when to ask 'why' and when to say 'no.' It's about acknowledging the humanity within everyone.