No comments about Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Secret Life of a Great Canadian Writer (An Amazing Stories Book) (Amazing Stories).

5 comments about Fearsome Battle: With The Canadian Army In World War II Europe.

1. This author tell his story in third person in order to keep the haunting reality of war at a manageable distance, yet he takes the reader into battle with his poignant tellng of it. Told in vignettes, the reader is not fettered by the minutia of a soldiers life, but feels it, tastes it, smells it nonetheless. Rogge exposes the poetic, celestial soul of humanity in the mundane savagery of war through the experiences of one weary, intrepid man who understands that the horrific and the sublime are complementary.



2. Fearsome Battle: With The Canadian Army In World War II Europe is the gripping true memoir of Robert Rogge, a 22-year-old American volunteer who served with the Canadian Army during the perilous era of the second world war. Robert personally participated in the assault on Normandy on D-Day, and survived eleven months in the thick of battle until the war's end. Vividly graphic (almost to the point of disturbing) in portraying hand-to-hand combat, artillery bombardment, and the sad, sometimes gruesome job of picking up the dead after the fighting settled, Fearsome Battle is a candid and informative picture of the horrors the Greatest Generation endured to protect the world against Nazi ambitions and fascist intentions. Highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to the growing library of World War II memoirs and autobiographies.



3. Using his considerable skills as a writer, Rogge drops the reader into the cage of war and unleashes its terrors and hardships on us. This book is the real deal. Its images linger and affect me still. I read it with horrible fascination and a growing appreciation for what these men endured to win the war.



4. A realistic and grabbing account of war in the European Theater. As the Editor of the newsletter of the National Museum of the Pacific War, I read many accounts of combat on both the European and Pacific fronts. This extremely well written book gives an unflinching view into the shattering of boyhood ideals and the horrors and sacrifices of war. The book is notable because it gives the unique view of an American volunteer serving with the Canadian Army in Europe; in addition, the author's use of the third person allows him to talk about things that otherwise might have been too painful to share openly with others. I highly recommend this narrative which goes a long way to dispell any of the so-called glories and glamour associated with the waging of war.



5.      "Fearsome Battle tells the story of a young American who enlisted in the Canadian Army before America went to war. The writing of Mr. Robert Rogge unceremoniously grabs the reader from the onset. An unusual aspect of Fearsome Battle is that this account has been written in the third person. Mr. Rogge had considerable difficulty writing of the horrors of war he had experienced first hand, from the first person or as seen through his eyes. However, he manages to capture the mind and attention of the reader by describing each account in the short memoir as if from a disinterested bystander reporting the chilling events as they unfolded.
   
        This World War II personal account narrates small snippets of horrific battlefield action as witnessed firsthand by Mr. Rogge. It delivers a masterful portrayal of a young man's innocent entry into combat and the fulfillment of his coming to age as a seasoned veteran. The war finally ends with his felling a German soldier just prior to hearing that the war has finally ended. The soldier was but a boy, maybe fourteen years of age, but one who would have killed his adversary had he been given the chance.
   
        Fearsome Battle keeps the reader on the edge of anticipation from the first page to the last.
   
        I highly recommend this book for any person interested in reading what is in the mind of a combat soldier who fully expects that the next moment in time will be his last.
   
        Mr. Rogge, Thank You, for an excellent observer's narrative of the brutality of war."
   
        Joe Richard, web master, World War II Stories -- In Their Own Words.

4 comments about Sailor on Snowshoes: Tracking Jack London's Northern Trail.

1. Dick North is a veteran Jack London researcher and a fine former newspaperman in the U.S. and Yukon Territory. This new book is an excellent companion volume to Franklin Walker's Jack London in the Klondike (1966).
   
   The subtitle is actually Tracking Jack London's Northern Trail.



2. 2006 is the 100th anniversary of the publication of Jack London's White Fang, but few may realize many of his masterpieces about the gold rush stemmed from a pioneer who envisioned making his own fortune in the Klondike in 1897. SAILOR ON SNOWSHOES: TRACKING JACK LONDON'S NORTHERN TRAIL is indispensable for any who would understand London's world: it surveys his gold rush experiences, his search for riches, and also chronicles a search for the Yukon bush cabin where London lived. Northern historian and journalist Dick North retraces London's footsteps and adds plenty of historical background and literary reference to bring his times to life.



3. This is a great book... author Dick North actually trod the same trails as the immortal Jack London, found Jack's old cabin in the Far North, and introuces us to many of the men who actually worked and suffered with London. Complete with many stunning pictures, this is a remarkable story of one of the world's greatest writers (who, incredibly, lived only to age 40). Thank the Lord that author North has lived a bit longer than that! Long enough to bring us this intimate review of London and his works...



4. I probably wouldn't have purchased this book if I didn't know the author. That would have been my loss. This is an enjoyable book for anyone who likes adventure, is interested in Jack London, Alaska, the Yukon and its gold rush history. The book is well researched and the author's enthusiasm for Jack London and Alaska and his search for London's cabin in the Yukon makes for a very enjoyable read. Dick's style reminds me of another participatory journalist, George Plimpton.

1 comments about Alex Colville: The Observer Observed.

1. I had hoped there would be more photographs of Colville's work in this book. I also would have liked to see the paintings that were referenced next to the text written about them. I found myself flipping back and forth through pages to find the photograph of a painting I had just read about.

   I got the impression that the author was afraid of being critical at all and relied on criticism written by others. I also learned what an important man Alex Colville is to Canada (both from his point-of-veiw, taken from interviews, and the authors glowing praise.) I found his personal insights and beliefs about art refreshing and a little intimidating. I enjoyed the different sections in the book that examined the influences literature, art history, and location have on his paintings. I think this book is a fairly good overview of the man, but not of his work.

No comments about Undiplomatic Diaries: 1937-1971.

No comments about Margaret Laurence: A Gift of Grace: A Spiritual Biography (Women Who Rock).

No comments about Born In The Breezes: The Voyages Of Joshua Slocum.

5 comments about A Cruel Paradise: Journals of an International Relief Worker.

1. A Cruel Paradise is one of the most moving books that I've ever read. A book that should be read by everyone who lives in a safe world, without war, without hunger and without despair. Leanne Olson takes you by the hand and leads you to places we only see on tv in documentaries and newsitems. But unlike the documentaries, Leanne Olsons story stays with you. The book is fast paced, reads like a dream and manages to give you a deep insight in what it is that doctors, nurses and logisticians do in these troubled wartorn countries and why they are doing it. Why she herself chose this path. And why we should support them. Always. Apart from that, this book is also a moving story about the authors personal growth, her coming to terms with things no one of us should ever have to see, let alone experience. Still, it is a story about hope and the sheer strength of people. And finally this book is a love story. About how she met (during the war in Bosnia), fell in love with and married the logistician that she worked with and has been working with ever since. This book made me evaluate my own life and very grateful that I live in a peaceful country. It also made me say a prayer every night for the reliefworkers who are out there, and yes, taking risks, because the work is getting more and more dangerous. Please Oprah, if you pick a book for your selection, pick this one.



2. A Cruel Paradise records Leanne Olson's time with two humanitarian aid agencies ... Doctors Without Borders (Nobel Peace Prize 1999) and MERLIN. This book has three distinct styles: diary entries, letters home to a friend and her own bare narrative. This pushes the author into three voices. Her brief attempts to describe local political situations are simple but do set the context of the conflicts within each country. Much more interesting is the daily, moral battle to remain professionally neutral despite the obvious excesses of one side, or the other the next day. Olson focuses on the frustrations of deals with corruption, warlords and petty bureaucrats, while trying to deliver aid to innocent human beings in immediate need. She describes short holidays away from the crowds and intense pressures. It's not surprising that the destination is always a remote island with isolated, beautiful beaches.

   The most revealing scene takes place within the safety of the Nairobi airport. Weeks after witnessing the aftermath of a brutal massacre of civilians at a Trappist monastery in Zaire, alone she finally breaks down waiting for her connection to Amsterdam and is comforted by a complete stranger. The nurse is nursed. The irony is overwhelming. For years I've watched aid workers on TV standing in their T-shirts in those inevitable circles of refugees, but only after reading this book, did I finally begin to understand.

   Olson freely admits she didn't have a clue what she was getting into on that first assignment. She is also honest enough not to sugar-coat what she considers occasional, poor operational decisions by Doctors Without Borders head office and country managers. From a recruit too shy to squat beside her first rural African bus to a woman implementing diverse programs for an entire country three years later, she writes a remarkable history of growth.

   Shortly after reading the Canadian edition of this book, I also read Anthony Loyd's My War Gone By, I Miss It So. The two authors' times in Bosnia overlap. Although working under different ethnic controls, armies, random militiae and ballistics, they share the same war. As Olson and her team are evacuated when conditions become too dangerous, Loyd inches ever closer to the front-line. He watches the wound open. She tries to fix it. Perspectives differ but together they ride the exact excitement of being "on the edge", realizing the gradual, hard estrangement of family and friends at home who can't understand these new, formed worlds and motives. They share the grit and grime and blood-flows of violence. And the grace of a single humanity.

   Although later brief chapters are snapshots of evaluations of possible projects in a number of countries (Albania, Angola), the earlier chapters are fully-formed portraits of specific missions (Liberia, Bosnia, Burundi, and Zaire after the trauma of Rwanda). Not one minute is easy or safe here.

   The publisher should consider rudimentary maps in future editions.




3. A cruel paradise does a very good job presenting a day to day picture of the lives and activities of humanitarian aid workers. The picture the author paints is not trying to make her life more spectacular than it is, nor does it try to present humanitarian aid work as anything overly romantic or adventurous. What it does do is give an insight in the reasons and motivations, the problems and difficulties, as well as the joy, happiness, saddness and tears of humanitarian aid workers who with a healthy dose of idealism and enthusiasm, as well as professionalism and realism, try to contribute to improving the world that we live in.



4. I will be forever amazed at the bravery of this young nursing professional. Leanne previously lived and worked in a prosperous, secure, Canadian city and hospital before deciding that she wanted to dedicate a portion of her life and nursing expertise to residents in devastatingly war torn nations, most of them developing African nations. I am a registered nurse who encounters the day to day nuisances of working in a big city hospital; having to wait short periods of time for back ordered supplies, waiting minutes!!!! for a delivery from pharmamcy for life saving intravenous meds., working "short" because of call-outs or because of unplanned admissions and so on. BUT.... never could I imagine needing to be equipped with a bullet proof vest, traveling 3 hours to a nutrition center (one way)to get to work, crossing a raging river alone in a Save the Children loaner raft to get to that work destination, and traveling home again the very same way at day's end. Leanne had essentially NO medical supplies, no IV fluids, no anibiotics, no dressing care supplies, few vaccinations, and rarely physicians. (at times she didn't have food for herself) Everyday she was stopped at road blocks and was harassed by rebels, soilders, etc.. She was routinely placed in harms way in nations that most of us can't find on a map. She put her life on the line everyday. She fell in love with the nationals, she gave so much, but she writes of receiving so much in return. I will never complain about running out of supplies again or having to walk a couple of blocks to get to work. Leanne has easily earned my respect and admiration. She is undoubtedly one of the bravest women I have read of. The book doesn't provide a lot of detail regarding clinical care and practice, diseases, or treatment modalities, but is a must read for any nurse!!!!! or anyone wanting to know the true nuts and bolts of international relief work. Much of the book is in journal, diary format!!!! GO GIRL!!!!! YOU ARE ONE IN A MILLION!



5. I was excited to read this book as it promised a real look at the world of international humanitarian relief. In that aspect, I was not disappointed. Having spent time in the field, this is one of the most honest accounts of what life is actually like working in a conflict zone. It discusses the frustrations as well as the rewards, and touches on aspects that often go overlooked such as the relationships between aid workers. Olson's non-chalance in describing security situations reflects someone who has spent an extended time in war environments, and her tone will be familiar for those who have experienced the same. If you are new to aid work, the book may be slightly overwhelming, however don't be discouraged (you'll likely relate to it after a few years). For something that really shows what life in relief work is like, this is a great book.
   
   On the downside, calling the writing awful is being kind. Starting from the very beginning spelling problems and awkward punctuation (an excess of exclamation marks especially), make it nearly impossible to read. Because the book is centered on the author's work with Doctors without Borders (more commonly known as Medecins sans Frontieres), I had expected her to at least get the acronym for it right. On the very first page she writes "MFS" instead of "MSF," and continues to do so periodically throughout the book. I am not one who is normally distracted by silly grammar issues, however I was amazed that this even made it by an editor. I was ready to put it away after the first 20 pages, but the topic managed to keep me engaged.
   
   If you are bothered by bad writing, don't read this. If, however, you want to know what life in relief work is really like, this is a very accurate account.

1 comments about Winged Warfare - In World War I.

1. Even for a measly dollar, I expect a properly-formatted document. The title of this work reads, on my Kindle, "Winged Warfare & # 4 5 ; in World War I". And, every second or third line of text is only a word or two long. On a device like the Kindle, the reader would have to turn the page every 2-3 seconds due to all the wasted space. This is too awkward for me to even make the attempt.
   
   If the publishers ever reformat this book to the point where it can actually be read without unreasonable inconvenience, I very much look forward to discovering what the great Mr. Bishop has to say about aerial war. As things are, the work is simply not in a digestible form.

1 comments about Labrador Doctor: My Life with the Grenfell Mission (Goodread Biographies).

1. stunning stoty of Life on the Labrador by one of the finest Doctors ever in Labrador History.