Setting & Timeline
World War I—1914-1918
 
WAR IN THE WASTELAND
By Douglas Bond
 
The Official Study Guide © (sample below)
bondbooks.net
 
 
“War in the Wasteland is proof positive of what I have known for many years now: Douglas Bond is a great storyteller. Indeed, this novel combines all the attributes of a can’t-put-it-down thriller with the intellectual tensions of a historical drama: taut plotting, strong characters, and soaring backdrop. Put this one on the top of your must-read list.” George Grant, author, teacher, pastor at Parish Presbyterian Church
 
“War in the Wasteland is a gripping, informative, adrenalin-producing picture of World War I. The awful moments of fear and the reflective conversations of men who don't know if they'll survive the day, are captured on every page of this book.” Douglas E. Lee, Brigadier General, USA (Ret), President, Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty 
 
“Douglas Bond is one of my family’s favorite authors. A new Bond book produces a thrill of anticipation around our table. His latest, War in the Wasteland, lives up to this reputation. Through the eyes of his protagonists we see the horrors of the First World War and the spiritual struggle of young C. S. Lewis. Weaving in ideas from Lewis’ own writings, Bond gives us a glimpse of what it might have been like to listen to Lewis as he opposed the faith and then slowly began to be drawn to Jesus Christ, all within a compelling, emotive story which illuminates the reality of life in World War I. You won’t want to miss this one.” Ray Van Neste, Chair of Biblical Studies, Union University
 
The WITW Study Guide (39 pages of curriculum) includes reading questions at escalating cognative levels per chapter, with more comprehensive essay questions for most chapters.
Samlpe study guide
Chapter One Birthday Conscription:
	
What were Nigel’s initial thoughts and aspirations about the war? Contrast them with his father’s opinion of the war. Though he saw little benefit to the war, what did his father say it might do for Nigel if he joined up?
	
What else do you know about Nigel that might suggest an unrealistic outlook on himself in the world?
	
What famous English poet wrote poetry in support of the war? What did he tell his son the war would do for young men? What would eventually happen to his son?
	
Who was prime minister in Britain when war was declared? Who was the king? Who was the Secretary of State for War; what public role did he play in promoting the war, and what happened to him? 
	
Why had Nigel’s initial feelings about the war undergone a degree of change? Site specific statistics that contributed to the change. 
	
How would you feel if it was your eighteenth birthday and you were living between 1914 and 1918 and hearing the mounting casualty reports?  
	
“It seemed that the war had outdone itself.” In what ways was this observation true in World War I?
	
ESSAY: Look up the word “propaganda” in the dictionary and write down a concise definition. What various ways was propaganda used in Britain to rally popular support for World War I? How do other governments use propaganda to emotionally manipulate the populace to support or not support a war or jihad? In times of national security is it justifiable to use propaganda? Give support for your position. How were the young men of Britain affected by the propaganda in the initial phase of World War I? Give several specific examples of facts that began to erode the propaganda and change many people’s attitudes toward the war.