Despite my initial reservations towards this story about a black orphan navigating life in WWII-era Germany, penned by a white author from the 1950s, this actually turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Granted, I was expecting the overt racism to show up in spades but Vonnegut does a good job of building sympathy for the young black protagonist living in a small German village currently occupied by Americans. As the only black kid in the orphanage, he is picked on by the other kids because of his skin color. Even the local townsfolk make light-hearted racist comments when they see him, preferring to call him Joe Louis, like the famous boxer. Experiencing a sense of alienation and a profound yearning to discover his true family, Joe serendipitously stumbles upon a group of American soldiers conducting reconnaissance near the woods surrounding the orphanage. Among them is an African-American soldier who captivates Joe's attention, igniting a compelling belief within him—that this soldier might, in fact, be his long-lost father.
Subsequent to this encounter, unfolds a poignant and unexpectedly heartfelt interaction between Joe and the soldiers, a delicate interplay that deftly sidesteps the potential for undue sentimentality. While the symbolism of the sparrow with the broken leg may lean toward the explicit, it is a forgivable nuance that doesn't detract too much from the story.
Similar to Vonnegut's other story titled "Adam", the choice of the title "D.P." eludes my comprehension.
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