5 comments about The Red Hat Society: Fun and Friendship After Fifty.

1. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Light hearted good fun with lots of ideas for Red Hat Ladies.
   Loved the section on the names.



2. I have heard of this 'movement' for several years, and finally started my own chapter...but I guess its going to be slow-going cause no one has joined me yet...but I will continue to wear my purple, plus my red hats...and maybe those I invited will loosen up for some nice fun times...thanks for this book...it was a source of encouragement; gave me the guts to go for it...so give my Chapter a gander...join the Rockin' n Rollin' Reds in Arvada, CO. Way to go, Queen Sue Ellen!



3. This is a wonderful book for those ladies approaching the dramatic age of "50". It's uplifting, funny and positively great for boosting morale. Almost like turning 21 again! We have a new look on life and plan to strut with our Red Hats often. Already my friends and I have chartered our membership and have officially named ourselves the "Fabulous Diva D'Lites". An article was printed recently in our local newspaper with a photo of our Queen Mum and all the Divas! So far, we've had a ball! I highly recommend this book...



4. This book is full of typos; what happened to proofreading...is that a lost art/job?
   
   This book is also a good example of what Andy Rooney spoke of; authors making thousands on the backs of others. Nothing is original by the author in this book; it is merely a compliation of the works of others. You would think at least, since the author did have to compose anything, she could have at least proofread it.



5. As a 50-year-old guy, I'm not in the typical demographic for this book. Nevertheless, I found it to be a real hoot.
   
   The Red Hat Society started in 1996 as a sort of joke between frieds. Sue Allen Cooper had read Jenny Joseph's poem, "Warning" which threatened all sorts of self-indulgent and unladylike behavior -- including wearing purple clothes and red hats -- when she grew old enough to get away with it. Cooper started giving red hats to her friends as they turned 50. The silliness and liberation that this unleashed quickly became contagious. In a few months, the idea of forming rule-less girls-only clubs had spread across the country and around the world. The joy, release and sisterhood that these women have found is very inspiring and fun to watch. Rather than making middle- and old age a thing to dread, these women have found joy and camaraderie in their later years.
   
   The book tells of the story of the group and divulges the homemade rituals and customs of this fabulous "disorganization" It gives helpful tips on how to form a group of one's own, and of all things that go along with being a Red Hatter - the regal wave, the motto, the song, the vows and regalia.
   
   I truly enjoyed the freewheeling wackiness that has been a hallmark of the group from the beginning. The group names are a riot - "The Scarlett O'Hattas," "The Red Hat Tamales," and the "Ladies of the Purple Sage" are just a few of the whimsical names that the women have given themselves. Not to mention the personal titles! Women are bestowing upon themselves titles from Lady to Queen and everything in between. "Countess Can't-be-bothered" and "Lady Lie-about" were two of my favorites.
   
   The Red Hat Society is a breath of fresh air and sisterhood to what can bee a depressing and lonely stage in a woman's life. The Red Hatters are giving themselves permission to get old, permission to age gracefully and permission to bring joy into their own lives.
   
   You go, Highnesses!

No comments about Battle Tales from Burma (Isis Nonfiction).

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5 comments about I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story.

1. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Boring. Whoop-de-do. Soldier deploys, soldier captured early in war, soldier part of fake PR rescue mission, soldier turns "selfless-servce" into big bucks book rights. Being a speedily written book based only on information supplied by Jessica Lynch, army PAOs, and whatever was available from the wire services, there is no delving into the deeper stories, like "Why was a supposedly combat ready unit of combat service support personnel lost and so easily attacked?" (hint-because it was a combat service support unit) or "What is the truth about the alleged compromising barracks photos?" or "Why was this 'rescue' videotaped and then the videotape released to the news media?" No, this book delves into none of these, rather taking the route of cashing in on some quick bucks before the the American public forgets who she is. There is nothing of substance here, only a made for TV movie.



2. When I first heard about the Jessica Lynch incident, i thought like most other soldiers at the time we thought she was a hero. THat was untill the facts came out. I served with the rangers when the jessica lynch incident happened, and most of us had already heard about the mishap. When the facts finally came out most of us were angry. Ive read the ghost written book, and seen the ghost written movie. For those of you who dont know what ghost writter mean its a book about a person or biography that written bye another person without much or any input from the actual person. However the actual interviews and personal statments of lynch are mostly diffrent. After the stories of the other people involved in the incident came out i knew she was no hero and that the real heroes would never heard from.
   
   The resons for Lynches hero status are for 3 reasons in this order.
   Pretty face
   A Women
   Politics
   
   For those of you who still believe shes worthy of a bronz star i will explain why she not. Most of these facts came from her interview with times and other television media (though i hate times i will use them anyway.) All these facts here down are by Lynches own admission.
   
   1. Didnt fire her weapon. Most will say her m16 malfunctioned and it did, though the trouble it had was the most common malfunction and easily fixed, a bullet got stuck in the chamber. This problem is easily fixed and usually caused by dirt (aka) sand or not enough lube. (why they didnt maintian their weapons is another good question) Every person in the armed forces from navy army air force to marines is taught sports (slap pull observe release tap squeeze) in basic no matter what their mos. Its one of the most important facet of military basic training. If she wanted to fix it all she had to do was pull the chargiing handle back, but nope she paniced.
   
   2. She tried to get another soldier in the humvee to fix it in panic but when they didnt (because they were to busy shooting) she threw down her weapon.
   
   3. She then curled up in a ball and started crying
   
   4. She had atleast 45 minutes to get over her sulking and atleast hand out ammo, reload weapons or even fix her own m16. (i might be wrong on time frame of ambush)
   
   5. she countinued to sulk as each of her fellow soldiers died around her.
   
   6. she surrenedered. Though i cant hold it against her for surrenedering.
   
   7. she came back home proclaims herself a hero with help of media and makes million dollar book and movie deals off of her dead friend, which wouldnt bother me so much if she actually did something heroic. And do give me the bull she want to be left alone, got to here website aka shrine to herself and look at the opening picture.
   
   Some of you might say well she never experinnced combat before and just broke down, while that may be true its not deserving of a heros status let alone a bronz star. She broke all of the core army values and then some.
   What makes me mad is that she was made out to be a hero, though there were several others people during that incident that did way more then she did and are deserving of silver and other medals.
   
   THe real heroes
   The soldiers in her humvee that protected her and shot at the bad guys while she sulked.
   Pfc Miller who was in a humvee few trucks behind her who deserves a silver star for taking out a mortar position with a "cough" malfunctioned rifle that he fixed.
   the other soldiers who died fighing.
   The rangers and seals who rescued her
   If you can trust the story, the doctors who protected her.
   
   The double standard
   
   Though i cant remeber her name off hand, the black female pow and 2 other soldier who were captured while fighing long before Lynches story. They didnt get bronz stars or a heroes welcome, why because their not a pretty face.
   
   And for those bush basher out there, no i dont think this was a propoganda thing to flm the rescue inbed reporters asked to come along with the rescue unit and they did. The hype over the incident was mostly the media doing, aka fox and cnn. The pentagon didnt put out the same number of release for the previous POWs.
   
   If you want the truth about the incident read her interviews right after the incident aka times and walter i think was the other one. The book itself is a sham.



3. This book is just what it claims to be, The Jessica Lynch Story. And she IS a soldier. All the reviewers who have chosen this format to start spouting political agendas based on their own theories are in the wrong place. People read reviews to decide if they want to buy a book, if they want to hear a bunch of media spin and MIS-information, then they can watch TV or read the New York Times.
   If Jessica had been a man and been rescued, that soldier would still have been given media attention, and probably a book deal. The battle that was fought during the time of her capture was one of the bloodiest and most deadly for our troops. Whether or not she actually fired her gun does not matter to me.
   Any solder serving in our military is already a hero. Anyone brave enough to sign up and go to war for our freedom, including the rights to speak about whatever we want, are my heroes.
   The people who sit home in front of their computers and televisions, spouting off arm-chair politics without knowing the truth are not educated enough in the facts to declare who is a soldier and who is a hero.
   So while I got off track in trying to compensate for the political reviews, suffice it to say that this book is an easy read. Well told from a young girls' perspective and something I would have never wanted to endure as a 20 year old girl; Rick Bragg has the perfect style to compliment the story.
   
   Soldier: 1.a person who serves in an army; a person engaged in military service.2.an enlisted man or woman
   Hero: a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal.



4. At first I didn't want to read this story. This woman was subjected to some great cruelity, and there is not much pleasure in reading about that. Lynch was a young West Virginian teenager when she enrolled in the U.S. Army. Her recruiter told her she could see a little of the world and earn some college money. Fast forward two years, and Jessica is in the battle of her life. Her humvee in racing away after an ambush and then an RPG slams into it causing her best friend to die and her to be critically injured. She is then subjected to three hours of cruelity by Saddam's Fedyeen. The Iraqi doctors at the hospital try to save her and then she is "rescued" by U.S. Special Forces. The rest of the story is about her homecoming.
   
   Jessie's story shows the cruel nature of war. Some of her fellow soldiers were executed in front of her eyes. She was abused for three hours by the Fedyeen. Jessie wishes this war was never fought because she lost her best friend. It also shows the friendship and sympathy she gained nationwide and especially in West Virginia. A nice story about the difficulties of the Iraq War.



5. I just saw on the news that she said this was fabricated. While I think what she went through was horrible, and she did survive it. There are a few issues. First of all she was out of it most of the time according to her. She did not fire a single shot. There were several real herose in the book who endured torture and stuff like that. It was dumb luck and she made money because of it.

5 comments about No Greater Glory: The Four Immortal Chaplains and the Sinking of the Dorchester in World War II.

1. If you ever feel that your fellow man has no regard for you, pick up this book and don't put it down untill you have finished it. What an inspiring story of four 'Men of God' and their dedication to that God, each other, and all those fortunate enough to have crossed their paths. You will be stunned by the character of each of these great men.



2. With a sickening thump, an explosion wracked the troop transport S.S. Dorchester - a German torpedo had found its mark. It was shortly after midnight, February 3, 1942, and the ship was about to sink into the deadly cold waters off of Greenland. As men panicked and struggled to find a way to save their own lives, four men walked amongst them spreading calm and encouragement. Helping everyone they could find, even giving away their own precious lifejackets, the four chaplains - Rev. George Lansing Fox (Methodist), Rabbi Alex Goode, Rev. Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed) and Fr. John Washington (Catholic) - sought to serve their God and the fellow men. And when the end came, survivors saw the four chaplains, locked arm in arm, praying on the upside-down hull of the ship, just before it dove beneath the waves.
   
   This book tells the remarkable true story of four men who joined the American military as chaplains, their experiences at their Massachusetts training camp, and their final tragic mission. It is a story that is bound to bring a tear to your eye, but it is also a great story of faith and truly living the life of godly sacrifice. Overall, I think that this is a great book, on that I highly recommend to everyone.



3. Everyone who's already reviewed this book has said so much about it that it's hard to find anything more to say about how well it's written, what a great gripping true story it is, and the amazing heroism of the four chaplains. This book is so well-written and has such a compelling and involving story that I read it in like two days, and wished there had been even more. Additionally, this heroic tale from WWII has special meaning to many of the people in my area (New York State's Capital District) because Rev. Clark Poling's church was in nearby Schenectady, providing a local connection.
   
   The book itself follows a somewhat nonlinear format, going back and forth between the pre-war lives of the four chaplains and their lives during the war, particularly after they boarded the Dorchester and arrived in Greenland for a very brief stay before going back on the ill-fated ship. After this point, the narrative switches entirely to a linear format, discussing the ship's final night before being torpedoed by a German U-boat and the chaos, heroism, and tragedy that ensued. Not many people could honestly say that they would give up their lifejackets if their ship went down in freezing waters in the middle of the night (Rabbi Alex Goode even gave up his gloves) or remain calm in the midst of such frantic circumstances and such a life-and-death situation. Many people back then also weren't so forward-thinking about interfaith relations, with a Reform rabbi, a Catholic priest, and two reverends from different Protestant denominations being such close friends and reaching out equally to everyone on the ship, largely being nonsectarian apart from when they did things like conduct services. This was still an era in which many Protestants and Catholics didn't associate with one another, to say nothing of the rampant institutionalised prejudice against Jews, and, in a number of areas, against Catholics as well. They set a moving and heroic example for all time, not just in the area of interfaith relations, but also in the area of selfless sacrifice. It was interesting to read in the Afterword about some of the people who have since been awarded the Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity Award, such as the Japanese Righteous Gentile Chiune Sugihara, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Omri Abdel-Halim al-Jadah, a Palestinian Muslim who died while saving a young Israeli Jewish boy from drowning. The Afterword also provided information on what happened to the survivors of the Dorchester sinking and the near and dear ones of the chaplains.
   
   As we find out all throughout the book, this tragedy could have been prevented (it was kind of like a smaller-scale Titanic) if only the Dorchester had been inspected more closely or refurbished, or if there had been enough lifejackets and safety instructions provided, and even after disaster struck, the casualties could have been reduced if the nearby American ships had begun searching for survivors and bringing them onto their ships right away instead of thinking nothing serious had happened or going after the attacking U-boat first, but even in the midst of such bungling and such a chaotic disaster, the amazing heroism of the chaplains shone through as well as it would have in calmer circumstances.



4. I ordered this book for my father, whose brother died in WWII. The family was given almost no information at the time, but by piecing together details, my mother determined that he was almost certainly on a particular boat when it was sunk by the enemy. That fact was confirmed by this book, and it offered a lot of information that is offered only sketchily in other areas. We appreciate the author and the information he was able to provide families, as well as the story of the wonderful chaplains. My mother, an avid reader (particularly about WWII), said this was one of the best written histories on WWII that she has read.



5. This is a touching book about the four chaplains who gave their lives for our soldiers. You will read a biographical background on each chaplain. Their love for each other and the love for the soldiers reached beyond the line of denominations. They gave their lives so that others may life. You can see their beautiful pictures in the stained-glass window at Washington's Cathedral. I had the privileged to visit several years ago.

3 comments about "Rommel (Isis (Hardcover Large Print)).

1. This book written by a comedy genius was both marvellously funny and desperately sad at times. I thoroughly enjoyed the bit about the gun going over the edge



2. A very quick and surprisingly engrossing book. ROMMEL is just as good if not better than its predecessor, Adolf hitler: My Part in His downfall. Milligan does a fantastic job of juggling the humor and the tragedy without overwhelming the reader with the events of the times. His sad nostalgia isn't as pronounced as it is in DOWNFALL, but it is there, as he does take time out from reminiscing to hammer out a paragraph about how he longs for the old days. His writing makes those who never experienced it long for it as well.



3. Milligan can't help himself: he'd be making goony jokes while being eaten by a lion. Here, in the second volume of his war memoirs, he's typically rumbustious and full of bad puns and silliness right in the middle of fighting the war in Northern Africa. He explains the dreadful boredom of waiting for battle and the utterly unreal experience of battle itself: being strafed and bombed and shelled, with loved friends dying a few feet away. He never dwells on the tragedy of war, but you can tell that, thirty or forty years later, he still feels the devastation and loss amidst the japes and jibes.
   
   This is a great war memoir. You really feel what he felt-- the confusion and misery and sometimes the giddy exhilaration of living when others died. You'll laugh out loud at his antics, and you'll see the simple bravery of the British Tommies in WWII. Recommended.

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