3 comments about "When Is Daddy Coming Home?": An American Family during World War II.

1. With stories of young men coming home from Iraq in coffins the timing on this book is perfect. Many books are written on the history of World War II, from big stories of the movement of great armies, to the tales of heroic acts. This is not such a tale but a simple story of a young boy in Wisconsin (but the same story took place in every state). The young boy, born in November of 1940, writes of life in America during the war. Living in a happy family he was four years old when the telegram arrived at his family's home informing them of his father's death.
   
   His father did not die the heroic death that you make movies about, it was an ordinary soldiers death. What makes it special is the writing in this book. At once historical, memories and poignant. It is an often heart-rending picture of life in wartime America.
   
   Don't attempt to read this book without a hankerchief at hand.



2. When Is Daddy Coming Home is a very well written and heart moving story about how WWII impacted the author, his family and his life. The author's father, drafted later on in the war, and sent to Europe after those in his classification were determined to be exempt from the draft, was killed on a mission that didn't need to take place, after the glider he was in was hit right before it landed. The theme of the story, however, is the relationship between the author, his mother, and father. This is what we read about throughout the book, and this is what makes this story such a sentimental one. The author also reminds us that for every soldier that went overseas, there was a family, or friend waiting at home, and, many times, these people were left to carry on after the soldier was killed. I thank the author for sharing his story with us. This is a great book and I highly recomend it.



3. An amazing tribute book to both his father and his family during a time of turmoil for many many people. As said before it is a story that had taken place in towns across the United Stated, but also shows the side of Americans at home. I have had the honor of having Dr. Haney teach me in two classes and his knowledge is amazing on numerous subjects. After reading his book I hold him in even higher regard than I had before. It is an outstanding book that I recommend everyone read.

5 comments about Foo : A Japanese-American Prisoner of the Rising Sun : The Secret Prison Diary of Frank 'Foo' Fujita (War and the Southwest Series, No 1).

1. I knew "Foo" (he died last year) and many of the other men (my father among them) who were taken prisoner with him. This is an excellent book about a little known page in American history. Although, in many ways, Foo's captivity was atypical of the treatment most of the "Lost Battalion" received, it is a fascinating, well written book which shouldn't be missed by anyone interested in the Pacific Theater of World War II.



2. Having known Foo since High School days and later being a sister-in-law, I read the original dairy and saw the pictures he drew of the atrocities experienced there in prison. This book is an excellent account of the way it was. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a factual story of what it was like to be in a POW Camp in Japan during World War II.



3. I met Foo in a restaurant in Abilene, TX, sitting in a booth next to him and two other gentlemen. His book was to be released the next day. My wife, after evedropping on their conversation, introduced her and myself. Foo sold us a copy of the book....and autographed it for us. This was several years ago. We have learned he has since died. He was very warm and personable with us. His story is facinating. (His reason for being in Abilene was that there was to be some sort of POW reunion the next day.)



4. Foo, A Japanese-American Prisoner Of The Rising Sun is the true and riveting account of Frank "Foo" Fujita's experiences of being a Japanese American combat soldier who was captured by the Japanese during the Pacific campaign of World War II during the defense of Java in early 1942. Based on his secret prison diary, we are provided a "window in time" regarding the daily life and experiences of a prisoner of war which vividly recounts the privations of the POWs and the living conditions in Japan. The text is illustrated with drawings, maps and photographs. What is surprising is the humor that was to be found -- even in the midst of the most severe circumstances. Foo, A Japanese-American Prisoner Of The Rising Sun is a unique contribution to the annals of World War II literature and highly recommended for academic, community, and personal library collections.



5. "Foo, A Japanese-American Prisoner Of The Rising Sun" by Frank "Foo" Fujita, with Stanley L. Falk. Subtitled: "The Secret Prison Dairy of Frank "Foo" Fujita". University of North Texas Press, 1993.
   
   This is an interesting book on many different levels. First, it is the story of a World War II Prisoner Of War. But not just any POW: Frank "Foo" Fujita was a Japanese-American, perhaps the only Japanese-American who was held as a POW in Japan. And, on the third level, "Foo" was a Texan and a member of the Texas National Guard. His unit was called up, to be sent to the south Pacific, and, after the sneak attack, on Pearl Harbor, they were diverted to Australia. The 2nd Battalion, 131st field Artillery was assigned to the defense of the Dutch island of Java, where they were overrun by the Japanese. Most of us have forgotten the American units that were part of the ABDA, American, British, Dutch and Australian forces in this theater, with, perhaps the major exception being the cruiser, the U.S. S. Houston. (See, for example, pages 345-346, where a contemporary "bird-colonel" does not believe that Fujita's unit was never in the Pacific.)
   
   To make the story even more interesting, Sergeant Fujita was an accomplished sketch artist, and he includes contemporary drawings of himself and of the Japanese mistreating POWs. So, on this level, he has enhanced his story visually. His entire diary was in a code of his own fabrication. His diary and his drawings were hidden in a wall of a building in his POW camp; the diary and drawings were recovered after the war. This recovered material makes this book a primary source for the history of Japanese-held POWs.
   
   Excellent primary source supported by explanatory notes supplied by Stanley L. Falk.

5 comments about The Long Road Home: The Autobiography of a Canadian Soldier in Italy in WWII.

1. The Long Road Home is the fascinating, if somewhat racy, account of Fred Cederberg's travels from his home in Canada to the war in Italy. Cederberg spares few details of the courage and the horror of war, and shows how love and lust often bloomed among the destroyed buildings and shattered souls. Cederberg's memoir is first-hand and first-rate, a must-read for anyone interested in seeing how our boys fared in the forgotten war in Italy.



2. This book ranks with the other great classic memoirs of World War II: The Forgotten Soldier, If You Survive, The Other Side of Time, The Road to Huertgen, and the greatest, Those Devils in Baggy Pants. Cederberg writes in a manner that vividly describes the force and horror of war, painting images in the mind that are not easily forgotten. An excellent read!



3. This book is not about warfare by the usual rules, of people being nice as seen in "Saving Private Ryan." It may even upset some folks. But, it is like the stories sometimes told by combat veterans in the Legion Halls after they've had a few beers, are feeling relaxed and are with someone they trust.

   It is a story about soldiers who were fiercely proud to be Canadians. Americans were fighting for grand ideas such as "saving the world for democracy" and the Four Freedoms of Norman Rockwell. Canadians were there to do a job. They did it, with kindness, compassion and brutality as the occasion required. Sgt. Cederberg never brags about being Canadian; it was tacitly assumed that if one had to ask, they couldn't understand even if it was explained to them.

   Read this, and you'll understand why Americans described Canadian soldiers "going about their job like hockey players."

   They are like the Australians and Israelis, known for having an incredible espirit de corps. Americans are great for show, such as Patton insisting that all American troops wear ties and show proper respect for officers. One American mucky-muck, appalled by the easy-going attitude, remarked to a Canadian officer, "Your troops don't seem to have much discipline, such as saluting officers." In reply he was told, "Well, when a salute is needed I wave at them, and they generally wave back." So much for formal procedures. But, when it came to fighting, they were unsurpassed.

   The US has a formal definition of a country, such as the Pledge of Allegiance, Salute to the Flag, and a national anthem which is played more than Coca Cola commercials. Canadians are less formal, but no less proud of their country. It's called pride.

   In another story, Cederberg tells of the Germans firing propaganda leaflets which showed a naked woman sitting on the edge of a bed, while a soldier without his pants is getting ready to take off his shirt. The message was that while British troops were in Italy, others were having fun in England. "That a Canadian?" one of the men asked Cederberg, who replied, "It can't be, the guy's wearing a tie."

   Don't ever mistake the Canadians for the British. As Cederberg writes, "I went out that afternoon with Albert and Alex-Joe, drank six pints of mild and bitters and threw up twice (once after punching out a Scottish corporal who had insisted we were a disgrace to British arms).

   "He had it coming," said Alex-Joe. "because we aren't even British, we're Canadians."

   Time and again, that spirit and typically Canadian humor shows through. So does the grim determination to get the job done. When stationed near an Italian town, they were warned that lone Allied soldiers were sometimes attacked by die-hard fascist youths. Sure enough, a Canadian was knifed in the neck. When his buddies couldn't find his attackers, they went back to camp.

   A few minutes later, the Canadians began a mortar barrage on the town. Officers tried to stop it, and were gently restrained. Once they learned the reason for the barrage, they joined the cover-up to protect their men. When the Italian police came to investigate, every weapon was spotless with no sign of recent use. They left, empty handed. The Italians buried their nine (or 34) dead (depending on whose version was accepted). There were no further assaults on Canadians.

   Wonderful book, wonderful story. Rest assured, Spielberg will never make a movie of it. It's too good, and too real.




4. The book is a novelization of Mr. Cederberg's experiances in Italy during the second World War. I couldn't put it down, I kept imagining myself there. A fantastic book. I hope this is not Mr. Cerderberg's last.



5. Mr.Cederberg brings his experiences to life as you read this book.A very vivid tale as Cederberg shares blood,sweat and tears,in the Italian theatre of World War Two.

No comments about A View from the Trenches: Memoirs of a CIA Case Officer.

1 comments about The Next Moon.

1. This is the amazing story of one French-British young man's work with the Maquis in Normandy right before the landing. It certainly rings true and provides a great companion to the historical accounts of the resistance. I was lucky enough to have it along as I drove around Normandy last year and couldn't wait to get back to my room and continue reading!

5 comments about Lucky Enough.

1. Eddie Beesley epitomizes being a Marine, revealing their stick-with-it trademark from cover to cover in this journey about service and commitment. His positive attitude remains through the most troubling or best of times, in relationships, and whether in battle or carrying the torch in a wheelchair at the Olympic Games. Leadership and love are apparent as you turn each page of "Lucky Enough."
   
   Eddie meets his wife Connie in recovery after his legs are blown off on his tour of duty in Vietnam. They have a magnetic attraction with the reader through their use of positive forces in character we all admire and should strive to use. Remarkable experiences of an unusually gifted but modest man are condensed in this memoir, and Eddie's stories keep rolling in like powerful storm waves and seem bigger than life at times. Duty, faith, loss, love, hope, family, recovery, and success are admirably addressed throughout this strikingly interesting adventure. Beginning as an Oklahoma farm boy - the eighteenth of twenty one children - Eddie guides through his eventful time as a teenage Marine and describes the everlasting effects of war. His story is a successful one, and it culminates with a decades delayed visit to the Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. Covering other issues such as disability discrimination and coming out on top in business and marriage, Eddie's faith will rub off on you. It is odd to imagine a Marine not putting on dress blues for thirty years; but such is the precarious life of Eddie Beesley. For many reasons including these, I felt lucky enough to read this book!



2. Most people think about sharecropping and poverty in historical terms. When I read Eddie Beesley's account of his childhood, as the 18th of 21 children, the first images that popped into my mind were James Agee's and Walker Evans' book 'Let Us Now Praise Famous Men.' Mr. Beesley's story is different. First of all, with the exception of the photo of his wife Connie, the photographs are not as good. To be fair to Mr. Beesley, Walker Evans was one of the most famous photographers of the past century, while Eddie Beesley is just a lucky enough Marine. Second, Agee and Evans tell a story of families living in historic poverty, but the story Mr. Beesley tells is his own, and while it begins in adversity it ends, considering all the circumstances, in personal triumph. And third, Mr. Beesley's book is better written. It's direct, open, gripping, and funny.
   
   Yes, funny. It's one thing to laugh out loud when you're reading a book, but when the writer is telling the story of how he enlisted in the Marines, got his legs blown off and his brother Marines were killed by a land mine, then finally overcame his feelings of guilt and tracked down the widow and orphan daughter of his lieutenant, and he can STILL get you to laugh out loud, well, I just think that takes a doggone good writer. And an unusual individual, too, to find the humor in the first place in a difficult life. It's not too much of a surprise that most people read Eddie Beesley's book straight through, even though it's a hundred pages long.
   
   Other reviewers here have said plenty about the Vietnam War Memorial aspect of 'Lucky Enough', which is quite moving. (You won't laugh at those parts.) I need not repeat what they said here. This book is a classic. But you're going to have to buy it yourself to read the funny parts, 'cause I ain't giving a single one of them away.



3. This book is written from the heart, and tells the story of an incredible Marine and his family. Don't start reading it late at night, you will keep reading until you finish it! Ed and Connie Beesley are wonderful people, and this book is a keeper.



4. Sometimes you follow someone's life in the media and you wonder if this guy is all what he seems to be. For those many veterans and handicapped people out there who have been helped because of the personal efforts of Eddie R. Beesley, then reading his short memoir will make you a believer, once again, in heroes. His book "Lucky Enough" is about a doing something positive regardless of what life deals you.
   
   Eddie tells his story of growing up poor on a farm and going on to become a U.S. Marine. He talks about his tour of duty in Vietnam and about the events that lead to his losing both legs to a land mine explosion. But this is not the main focus of his tale. Once you dig a little deeper into his book you find how he used what life has presented to him to help himself and others. He has become a champion for the handicapped in this nation. He fought for public awareness and accommodations for those in wheel chairs at a time when he was one of the few lone voices speaking out.
   
   His story is one of great physical and emotional pain. But he leaves you upbeat. He inspires you by his attitude to be of service to others. I was enthralled with his life story. My only regret was that it was not any longer as there were still things about Eddie that I would have liked to have learned about him.
   
   He writes it simple and straight forward to the point. His pains and suffering are understated and briefly exposed. He was not writing his story looking for pity or to win any symphony but as a proud man--no, make that a PROUD MARINE! He is a fine example of that special bread of veteran that wears the USMC uniform with honor!
   
   I think this book will give many additional insights into PTSD and related veteran issues. I highly recommend this book if you are looking to read something about war and want to become inspired. It will make you want to give Eddie both a hug and a salute. He is a true American Hero!
   
   This book gets the MWSA's top rating of FIVE STARS! It also receives my personal endorsement. Buy it and read it!



5. Awesome book.Very well written.Eddie is full of courage and spirit as a war hero with disabilities from his war injuries who continues on thru life with an uplifting and positive attitude into a very successful life he makes for himself and others.He touches our soul and makes us proud to thank him and all the others who give their all for our freedom and our country.
   D.Firth

No comments about The Life of Thomas, Lord Cochrane, Tenth Earl of Dundonald: Volume 1.

1 comments about Bad Time Stories.

1. This compilation of memories from a very dark era is extremely descriptive making every page a pleasure to read. Even the smallest of details are perfectly described in such a way that there is nothing left to imagine.
   
   Sophie Boehm was indeed a victim but not of the Holocaust or concentration camps often discussed in books of this nature. No shooting, violence, or threats from the SS yet very tragic.
   
   An internal perspective - powerful and refreshing. WOW!

5 comments about Iron Men, Iron Will: The Nineteenth Indiana Regiment of the Iron Brigade.

1. As an ardent student of history I found this book to be wonderfully documented and accurate. I have read all of the books about the 19th Indiana and the Iron Brigade and found this one to be the best by far. I was so intrigued with the book that I visited the critical archives and libraries cited in Mr. Dunn's book to verify their accuracy. Each entry which I checked was quoted exactly as I found them. I have heard through some Civil War circles that there has been an attempt to impugn this book in an attempt to increase sales of the other 19th Indiana books. If so, this is sad. I have recommended this book to all of my friends.



2. This book was simply a pleasure to read. While it was well documented, the documentation did not grind the book to a halt. I would consider this more as an anecdotal history rather than a military history. The author puts a human face on a serious topic. I have now read all of the books in print on the Iron Brigade and the Nineteenth Indiana Volunteers and this one is the best.



3. I've had this book for about 5 yrs. and just got around to reading it. Dunn's book is very readable and informative, he blends fact with a strong human element. I look forward to more of his work



4. What a great book on the Nineteenth Indiana Volunteers of the Iron Brigade. The book was maticulously researched and documented. The best part about the book was that the documentation did not detract from the enjoyable reading. The pictures and roster were very helpful. I have personally read over 200 Civil War regimental histories and this one was my favorite. I have read two other books on the Nineteenth Indiana and found them to be lacking in documentation and in ease of reading. This book is the best.



5. It is difficult finding books that cover single regiments with solid information that only pertains to the unit itself sometimes. Author Craig Dunn has put together a very comprehensive book that covers the birth of the 19th Indiana to final muster in 1865. I liked the fact that Dunn didn't dwell on only officers but brought the private soldier to life as short biographies and the details of their involvement were written about. Dunn covers early exhaustive marches, campaigns, camp life, politics and explains the many personalities within the 19th. Dunn backs his material up well with references and also many statistics are added that enhance this book tremendously. This book serves as a great resource tool in learning about the hard fighting 19th and I recommend it to many interested in learning about the tough regiment of the famous Iron Brigade.

No comments about Tom Paine (H Books).