No comments about In The Shadow Of Fame - A Memoir By the Daughter of Erik H. Erikson.

5 comments about Platoon Leader.

1. "Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat," by James R. McDonough, chronicles the author's experiences as an officer in the Vietnam War from 1970-71. His platoon is charged with manning an outpost next to the village of Truong Lam.
   
   This is a fascinating, well-written account. McDonough fills his narrative with vivid details that really made his story come alive in my mind. He doesn't flinch at describing the goriest and most horrific images of war. There are also moments of irony and bitter humor. Also noteworthy is the informative material about tactics used in Vietnam. And the author humanizes the story by touching on such "down-and-dirty" issues as the latrine his platoon used.
   
   McDonough's story is populated with a compelling cast of characters. Particularly intriguing is his exploration of relationships among the various groups he encountered in the war zone--U.S. enlisted men, his fellow Army officers, Vietnamese military allies, enemy forces, and the many civilians caught up in the conflict.
   
   While rich in scenes of combat, "Platoon Leader" goes beyond being just an action-packed war yarn. The book explores the ethics and morals of war. McDonough deals directly with the danger a soldier faces in becoming dehumanized by the brutality of war. He vividly portrays the struggle of a leader to remain wise and humane, yet also tough and resolute, under the most trying of circumstances. This book is both a profound meditation on wartime leadership and a powerful work of American literature.



2. James McDonough provides an in-depth look at infantry platoon operations in Vietnam. This is a must read for anyone who intends to pursue a military career. The book is very graphic, but also very succint and to the point. McDonough doesn't waste time with superfluous details, every word is well chosen and critical to the telling of the story. Once you begin reading, you will not want to stop. It is a quick read, and well worth the time it takes.



3. As a junior officer I have an entire list of professional reading that I am trudging my way through, but so far McDonough has been by far the most enjoyable and has made the biggest impact on my own leadership style. Both Platoon Leader and Defense of Hill 781 are great books, but Platoon Leader is so far the best military memoir I have read. It has been over a year since I read this book, but the three things that have stuck with me are:
   1. Do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.
   2. Death in a combat zone is more about just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sooner or later your luck runs out, but you have the duty to your fellow soldiers to do everything in your power to protect them.
   3. The stealing of a bottle of soda from a grandmother leads slowly but inevitable to the rape of her granddaughter. If you let your soldiers steal at all you are setting the stage for what atrocities they will commit later. You must always be vigilant in your discipline.
   
   While I do not have combat experience, I am currently serving in Iraq and know second handedly that these concepts still hold true.
   
   Other than the leadership aspect of the book, Mcdonough is just a great story teller and is able to make the book engaging and addicting.



4. Platoon Leader was an excellent read, and one I would recommend for all those enjoy military reading. I would especially suggest it to all junior military leaders. Entertaining and well written, the author discusses at length his role as a leader, and what he views as good and bad leaders. The aspect of the book I enjoyed the most was it allowed the reader to see leadership, on a small-unit level, working in real-world combat conditions. Unlike many books leaders read for professional development, it shows how leadership works when employed and doesn't just philosophize about leadership principles.



5. In 1991, I had the privilege of being a student at the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth under the direction of then Col James McDonough. A man of deep reflection, he was also passionate about soldiers and ensured that everything we did as students in teh study of warfare and campaign design kept them in mind.
   
   Now I am a university professor offering courses in US military history. Part of what I do is to expose my students to leadership and battle at the small unit level. There is no better book for that purpose concerning Vietnam than McDonough.
   
   Every student takes something different away from this book because, unlike many assigned books, they read it. The book captures you right from the beginning. You really can't put it down. And, it contains more lessons about life and leadership than I can express here.
   
   Knowing the author personally in 1991-1992 is special, for I saw in him then the character that had developed from his time in Vietnam. He tells it like it is, he means what he says, and he stands by his word. His book is more than just a memoir, it is therapy for a man who must live with the past, both for better and for worse.

5 comments about The Summer of My Greek Taverna.

1. Save your money and read "Extra Virgin" instead.

   In a book about someone opening a greek restaurant, it takes the author half the pages to even begin cooking his first meal. Much of the book is given to the author's whining about money, unfair deals and his struggles.

   And to Tom (the author), thanks for reminding us that you sleep in the nude. That added so much to the book.

   No laugh out loud moments here and the recipes are just really filler to pad the book.




2. As a Greek-American who was born, and lives in the US, but also lived in Greece for 12 years, I am always very interested in reading the experiences of expatriates, especially those from the US. I took some time to read through the other reviews here, especially focusing on the ones with negative things to say. I must say this, because I like to keep my reviews brief: Tom Stone did not produce the perfect book here, nor do I think we should expect that from him---what he did do was absolutely capture both the Greek mentality and spirit, the beauty of the land and its culture, and the very difficult divide in which foreigners who live in Greece full-time find themselves. I highly recommend this book not just for Greek diaspora who want to wax nostalgic of the mother country, but for ANY American heading over for a visit, if not a longer stay. I recently recommended this book to two proteges of mine who were headed to Greece for a short stay, and a semester abroad respectively, and both told me upon their returns that it was a priceless learning tool which enhanced their visits, as well as a very enjoyable read. I cant think of any higher recommendation than that of didacticism and real world, in-country experience. Well done, Mr Stone!



3. Reading these little expat memoirs used to be a pleasure, but now there are so many self-congratulatory accounts that they've long since begun to pall. Greek Taverna is a welcome exception. Stone manages to convey the essence of Greek island life, geography, and ambience without attempting to convince the reader that life in those parts is idyllic and carefree. Indeed, Tom and his family encounter as many problems and stumbling blocks as they might have in NYC, as well as enjoying the beauty and simplicity (all is relative). Reading his experiences is as refreshing as a dip in the Aegean. Bravo to Tom Stone for his honesty, sense of humor, and willingness to remain in Greece despite the bursting of the bubble of his dream.



4. You laugh and then you cry when you read this bittersweet memoir. The Summer of my Greek Taverna is a funny, poignant saga of a naive American, whose Greek friend, Theologos, offers him a "summer partnership" in The Beautiful Helen Taverna, located on the small Aegean Island of Patmos. Although his wife and Greek friends caution him to be aware of "Greeks bearing gifts," Stone jumps at the offer. His life is never the same, arriving home at night, at three or four in the morning, completely spent, with no time for sex or even a cuddle, and up at dawn to start another day at the restaurant, only to have his partner swindle him of the profits.
   Stone captures the essense of the Greek people and writes lovingly of them, the good ones and the not-so-good ones. My Taverna is reminiscent of many excellent books of American expatriates living in foreign countries, all with their own unique experiences. Memoirs of an American Housewife in Japan is one of many. In spite of his trials and tribulations, Tom Stone survives his ordeal and returns to the states. He opens his own successful restaurant in Southern California. At the end the book, Stone lists "The Menu of the Beautiful Helen," with 20 recipes of his favorite Greek dishes in full detail. If the story doesn't stimulate you, the recipes will. A good read, bon appetit. Yassou.



5. The writer has a very straightforward style that I truly enjoyed. The fact that this was a true story kept my interest and made me put the Greek Isles high on the list of places to visit in the next few years.
   The author's sense of adventure and risk taking appeals to me.
   At the end of this book, I felt that i had acquired a good bit of knowledge of the physical aspects of the islands and even more so about the culture.

No comments about Over the Hills & Far Away.

5 comments about Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia.

1. Carmen Bin Laben's book is an insightful look at life for women in Saudi Arabia. The book provides an insider's view of life in this Arab nation beyond what the news media or other reports might disclose. Carmen narrates just how much in conflict the thoughts, traditions, and religious life of Saudi Arabia are with those held in Europe or the United States. As a male reader, the book was slow in parts because of the ongoing references to her motherhood and attachment to her children. The book also enticed the reader with a glimpse of her infamous brother-in-law, Osama, but never fully delivered any insights beyond what might be gleaned from other writing about him. Overall, a worthwhile read for understanding the life of women in this Arab nation. The reader will find Bin Laden's book of more value if they have read an Introduction to Islam prior to undertaking her story.



2. In this book, Osama Bin Laden's sister-in-law Carmen Bin Laden gets a final word in edgewise, and it is quite a word indeed. It exposes what she describes as the crude opulence, emotionally shallow, debauched, harsh and often ignorance, overly rich Saudi royal family. According to her description, the desert kingdom drips in waste, gaudiness, opaqueness, mean-spiritedness, internecine snipping and betrayal, and is grounded in utter and base religious hypocrisy. In short, Saudi Arabia, like the Taliban, is a cult-like religiously based state -- only richer.
   
   The book is about the author's plight to save her three daughters from a life of a slow "death by religious constriction." She succeeds in painting a graphic picture of a society that values appearances over its own pious beliefs, one still rooted in the nomadic desert tribal mentalities and still driven by primordial desert tribal fears.
   
   As one would expect, there is very little here about Osama that we did not already know: For instance, that he is a very tall, not particularly intelligent, but very pious, a very wealthy religious warrior and the "nth" son of one of the richest and most powerful construction company magnates in Saudi Arabia. During the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, the U.S supported him and his cause, and a large majority of Saudis still support his extremist views. Even in the post-911 world, he remains an iconic, a very much revered and protected religious hero in a nation where being a successful religious warrior amounts to a lot.
   
   The book shows that Osama Bin Laden and those like him do not spring, fully formed, from the desert sand. But that they are carefully nurtured by the workings of an opaque and intolerant medieval society, that, until this day remains very much closed to the outside world.
   
   In its essential outline it is not unlike Harsi Ali's "The Caged Virgin," for it too is as much an exposé on how religion becomes a self-enforcing form of mental enslavement on women, even as it is used as the foundation for a decadent, oppressive and a rigidly inhuman social order. Saudi women never become legal adults in Saudi society. They have few meaningful legal rights. The Bin Laden women were kept shut in their homes like pets kept by their husbands. The certainty of their inferiority and subservient status is bred into their bones as it is done to blacks in America.
   
   The intelligence and energy of women in Saudi Arabia can only be expressed through religion. They live only through, and for, their faith, which as it turns out is also the primary instrument of their oppression. Yet, most lack the courage or the will to resist the oppressive social order religion imposes upon them. The result is that their personalities are completely annihilated. They become dependent for their survival on their ability to manipulate their husbands. A disobedient woman dishonors her family and can be killed legally. Yet, because Islam is their way of life, these women do not chafe at the restrictions they live under: They embrace them. It is a willing form of self-enslavement. While there is little new here, it does come with a personal touch and much passion. Four stars
   
   Four Stars



3. I was drawn to Carmen Bin Laden's memoir, Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia when I was doing research about the country of Saudi Arabia. I was pleased to find a fascinating story of a woman trying to protect her children from the fall-out after the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and raise them to be educated free-thinkers instead of grooming them to become chattel in a severe culture.
   
   Young and deeply in love, this half-Swiss and half-Persian girl married into the vast Bin Laden family. With her European upbringing, she was not prepared for her several years of married life in the male-dominated Muslim world, where "women are no more than house pets." The harsh treatment of Saudi women seems almost criminal, and Carmen doesn't hide the fact that money, status, and location all play an important role in determining how a woman is treated treated. In Saudi Arabia, sequestered Muslim wives are oppressed and treated like second class citizens. It's not only the men who expect women to stay "under wraps," uneducated, and out of the public eye; the older Saudi women often force young women to adopt codes of behavior that turn them into pieces of property. Money, on the other hand, can buy a woman a temporary reprieve, a trip to Europe and America, where an almost unfettered life can be led, but when she returns behind the veil, life becomes frightening.
   
   Not wanting her three young children to be subjected to this upbringing, Carmen fights her way out of a painful marriage and makes a life for her family in Europe and America. Just when things seem to be leveling out, the horror of 9/11 occurs and Carmen has to fight the stigma attached to her married name of Bin Laden.
   
   This painful memoir will be quick to read and difficult to put down, but you may find yourself returning to read again about life Inside the Kingdom.
   
   by Rhonda Esakov
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



4. Incredible! A women's first hand account of the life in the Saudi Kingdom. Sometimes here in the West we just seem so far removed from these issues portrayed in this book and need to realize our culture could change just as rapidly. [9/11 our example]
   
   My personal stance has always been as a Christian believer, LORD never send me to Saudi Arabia. I still hold firm to this and also have a heart for the women of Saudi Arabia, that have not experienced 'Freedom' as we know it today in the West.
   
   Thank you Carmen for taking us on a journey to the uttermost parts of the earth and giving us a birds eye view of this ancient, closed, religious culture. Your bravery in writing your memoirs are exceptional.



5. I read this with interest and, while not exactly perfectly written, it wasn't real bad, and I hold that to the professional editors anyway, especially when written by a foreigner, even one partially educated in the US. Some may argue that it was a ploy to earn money, again: so what? Her husband totally deserted his children and she was left with three to raise on her own. The thing I take most from this sad story is her concern more for the welfare of her children and with what poor future was in store for them if she remained in a hostile environment. I still wonder if her being so outspoken about Saudi Arabia is that great for her and her children's welfare. The only thing I can say concerning how bad the countries in general are, especially against the western world, is that extremist/ elitists are no better just because they have a different name, be it Christian or any other organized man-made religion. With the history of the United States concerning what they did to the Natives that lived here, slavery, televangilism, and a few other things we politely don't think or talk about, it makes me shudder every time I hear someone speak about how this "nation" was founded on Christian principles. Brother, if that is Christianity, I do not care to have anything to do with that!

No comments about Stories (Voices: A Treasury of Regional American Fiction, Bk. 5).

No comments about Perfect Pitch.

5 comments about Reflections: Life After the White House.

1. I love old Babs but this work shows her to be shallow and with a dim little view of the big world she's privileged to be on. I know she's smarter than this. But sarcasm, snottiness, and lots of terrible grammar and endless, useless petty lists of people (she should fund an effort to teach herself some literacy) make this a waste of time. C'mon Babs give us yoour best - like the first book.



2. This is a thrilling book -- I especially enjoyed the early sections which deal with the Bush's business activities in Medellin and Cartagena. Imagine a Jimmy Buffett song as it might have been filmed by Quentin Tarentino and you have the general idea.



3. I found this book to be slow reading. The best parts of the book is when Barbara Bush talks about the over seas trips they take. I usually read a book in a decent amount of time. This book took me at least a month to read. I would pick it up and read a few pages then put it down. If you give up easy on reading a book do not buy this one.



4. I collect books about the Presidential Families of the U.S. I am especially interested in the period of 1900-Present. I enjoy reading trivia about the White House, the political process and what makes our Presidents, their advisors, and our Congress human.

   I am very impressed by the narratives our current first ladies have left us. As I write this I reflect on Jackie Kennedy's memorial (she died this day 10 years ago). Because of zelous secrecy on the part of her family -- the country does not have one good narrative by or about her. This is a shame. Our first ladies have all seen and done lots to help their husbands and their countries.

   Barbara Bush wrote an excellent book about her time as First Lady. It is refreshing, seemingly honest, and well written. This second book does not measure up to her first effort. I think I agree with the other reviewers that the book contains lots of trivia regarding her speeches and fundraising efforts. She also does come across as sarcastic and elitist, but at least she is honest.

   It is because of her honesty that I feel this book has a place in collections of first ladies. It does give the reader a feel for life on the speech-giving/spin-meistering/fund-raising circuit. I think she held back on lots of opinions and events because her son in now in office and was/is up for re-election at the time she wrote the book. Even though I didn't like all of her opinions, at least I got to know them, and that is very valuable.

   Mrs. Bush has the ability to write well. I hope that after her son's presidency is over, and God willing she is in good health; she will offer us another book. Perhaps the book she really wanted to write in the first place. I am hoping she keeps a journal with the intent that it be published; because of her age. None of us get to live forever, so journals are important as well as permiting her personal papers to be printed at her descretion. She is a lively, feisty lady.

   By all means by the book for it's historical place. There are gems between the lines.




5. I confess I didn't enjoy this book as much as her first one, Barbara Bush: A Memoir. Reflections was mainly a detailed activity of Mrs. Bush's life after they left the White House, i.e, I was invited to speak at such-and-such engagement and met such-and-such people, or such-and-such person spent the summer with us at Walker's Point. It was not as lively and a bit exhausting because you sometimes had to plow through seemingly endless pages of dinners, engagements, speaking engagements, etc., without a single interesting paragraph to hold your attention.
   
   Some bright spots in the book are numerous witty stories sprinkled here and there and the chapter covering the events surrounding 9/11. She said loyalty is a treasured quality in her family and it's something that's evident in the book: She tried to steer clear of controversies involving members of her family and never discussed issues that would put them in a bad light.
   
   Something else that's interesting is that she rarely says anything negative about anyone, even the Clintons. Not even with the books that she's read, and there were some you could tell that she didn't particularly enjoy, did she criticize the author, the writing or the storyline. It's perhaps her choice as she says in her book that this is her life as she sees it and it is very biased.

No comments about Martin Johnson Autobiography.

5 comments about Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life.

1. What a wonderful book. A short read - one sitting should do it, but a must read for parents and managers alike. I've bought over a dozen copies for friends and employees. A great story to express the change in attitudes of parents towards self esteem and how it is affecting our youth.



2. This is a book that I will have parents read.



3. This short read on the high school athletic student is a must for all parents of athletes. You'll find out how the attitudes of student athletes are changing the face of high school sports.



4. I bought this book for my husband. It was so very impressed with the story he finished it in a day. He really enjoys Michael Lewis' style of writing and has read several of his books. I would recommend it as a Christmas stuffer for any coaches, parents or baseball fans.



5. For everyone who has ever had a coach, a good one, in athletics, in a career field, or in any area of life...
   
   For everyone who has ever been a coach, in athletics, in a career fielld, in any area of life. For coaches who cared, genuinely cared...
   
   Those who know will understand and this book will bring a tear to their eye and warmth to their heart and soul...
   
   Those who don't understand should be so blessed....