1 comments about Living the Dream: Sailing the South Pacific and Southeast Asia.

1. Hard work, sleepless nights, a little terror - then, you lose sight of shore. This book offers nuts and bolts (pun intended) reportage of the hard journey of retirees Vern & Connie from the U.S. Pacific Northwest to and through the South Pacific. Romantics and idealists be warned. Exactly how much work is involved in do-it-yourself sailing across the world? Read this and find out, but if you're interested only in star-gazing and spine-tingling adventure, this won't be the book for you. The clear descriptions of their route and obscure landing points - which now, thanks to Google Earth, can be tracked visually - provide a solid South Pacific geography lesson.
   
   The authors reveal what an amazing feat and test of courage it is to go that distance in a 35-foot sailboat. Just don't forget your screwdriver, engine manual, washers, fuses, and extra light bulbs.
   
   After reading it, you might wish you could sit down and chat with Vern and Connie. Your first question would probably be "Would you do it over, knowing what you know now?"

2 comments about Warrior Healers: The Untold Story of the Special Forces Medic.

1. A truly fascinating history of the origin, development, training and deployment of Green Beret medical sergeants are chronicled in the book "Warrior Healers: The Untold Story of the Special Forces Medic - Book 1: The Beginning". Author Leonard D. Blessing Jr delivers a manifesto of well researched information and actual comments from those who served in that capacity in the field. The book is loaded with everything you could possibly ever want to know about these men and their teams. The training alone shows what these men were and are made of. This is a profession of brave warriors who also have medical training to treat injuries, wounds and disease. They also can train others to deliver fundamental medical treatments and first aid. There is no other group like these enlisted men. They are not doctors but at times function in areas of the world where they are the only thing between life and death. They perform everything from amputations and operations to even dental work when called for.
   
   The author adds a rich element to his historical accounting by including quotes from actual Special Forces veterans. This gives each chapter a real world view on what it was like in the field. The stories are remarkable and showcase a dedicated group of men that have not been fully understood over the years. This book will do much to educate the public on the services that these men gave and continue to give. These are not some wild "Rambo" types out there carrying out random acts of needless violence against some enemy; but a highly disciplined, well educated and thoroughly organized self-sufficient group of men who are an integral part of the teams they are on. These men are part of a well oiled military machine. There are no better trained and motivated men in the world! The author pays them high tribute with his book and honors their fine traditions.
   
   There are photos, and personal comments from actual veterans that make this a more than just a cold history book. Blessing ties it altogether with a good use of narrative and makes the whole reading experience both entertaining as well as educational. The book contains a vast amount of information and one is amazed that there is much more to be told in the next volume in this series. This is Book number #1. But it reads like a complete accounting and you are not left hanging like some soap opera story. The author plans on taking the readers into later years of history but for now, this look at the past is basically focused on Southeast Asia. As good as "Volume One" is, I can only wonder how great the second installment will be. Suffice to say, this book is a great read all by itself. It is a product of meticulous research and interviews and it shows! I fully recommend this book for all history buffs or those interested in military's Special Forces.



2. I bought this book to learn some medical tips for myself before going to Iraq as a contractor medic. I'd read books before of recent 18D's as well as Navy Surgeons in combat but this book focused on Vietnam only. And more about the life in the day of a SF Medic then his actions in combat. It was an ok read but not what I was looking for.

No comments about Wolfram von Richthofen: Master of the German Air War (Modern War Studies).

5 comments about Just Another Soldier: A Year on the Ground in Iraq.

1. Iraq is a confusing place. Its a cloud of question marks. I wasn't sure how I would explain such a state to my friends and family back home. Jason Christopher Hartley figured it out. By sharing feelings on a day-to-day basis, a reader can get into the head of the average soldier in Iraq. It's brilliant! Anyone wanting to know what Iraq is about for the soldier's fighting there must read this no holds barred, raw, honest book.



2. For reasons to numerous to mention, many are detached from the war in Iraq. Where journalists may have failed, articulate veterans like Jason Christopher Hartley are documenting their experiences in books that should be required reading for every American.
   
   Hartley is a superb writer and balances his prose between the often-absurd events of the war and his finely tuned personal observations. From the pathos of describing the plight of an Iraqi chicken farmer, to the deep humor of his description of leave in the artificial paradise of Qatar, Hartley's wit and command of language results in a compelling narrative.
   
   I first read Hartley's blog (the precursor to the book) on the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of American) website and couldn't wait to read the final product. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the future writing of this talented writer.



3. Mr. Hartley has given us a book of our times. He is literally on the ground of the World Trade Center after the planes hit and goes into Iraq with the invasion. There is a certain lack of pretension in his style and I feel that the writing and the photos he gives us are as close to the reality of being there without being there.
   
   He is not afraid to present himself as a humanist who is in love with the Army, which I am afraid will be far too complex for many who cannot reconcile that idea. His foibles, screw-ups, less than flattering lights are all in there.
   
   He says he has not read books of other wars and I believe him. If he did, the style and degree of openess would be very different. Without trying to be poetic or profound, he testifies to the day-to-day grind of trying to make a difference in the occupation of a hostile land.
   
   This is as real as it gets.



4. Jason Christopher Hartley was raised in my own hometown of Murray, Utah. His story could have been mine, had I chosen to join the Army. What Hartley has is a sharp wit that transforms his work into something more than just a blog in book form. It is episodic, a mere compilation of his blog entries, but this helps recreate what it might feel like for a soldier. Battle is probably quite episodic itself.
   
   Hartley's blog posts are quite eloquently written, laced with a dark sense of humor that can only come from being raised as he was (similar to my upbringing--maybe I found his sense of humor so authentic because it falls in line with my own). His frank honesty, even that which may paint him in a negative light, is refreshing, a nice change of pace from the typical "see what a good person I am?" self-promoting attitudes that come from many autobiographies.
   
   I will say that this is the best of the books I've read from soldiers of the Iraq War. It has the most to say by saying very little at all. It's the simple day-to-day tasks that drive much of Hartley's writing. It amounts to anyone else's blog about their workplace, except Hartley is facing life-or-death on a nearly constant basis. I highly recommend this book if you want an honest portrayal of one infantryman's experiences. Be warned though: Hartley's attitude reflects much of the video-game-generation's detachment. He can view even the most serious of tragedies in a comedic light. For example, he affixed a "I Heart Dead Civilians" sticker to his laptop. He enjoys the thrill of the fight, maybe if just for a thrill. It's a common personality trait of his generation (and mine).
   
   Not to be missed if you can handle it. This is a must read for anyone wanting a peek at how soldiers are living out their tours in Iraq.



5. As a mother of a soldier in Iraq, I wanted to know all I could about what might be happening to my son, as he never told me Anything, as they are supposed to do. I read this book, & loved it. Also read Colby Buzzell's book, My War, Killing Time in Iraq, too. Also John Crawford's The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq. All of these books were wonderful, & really helped me a lot. The other reviews talking about how good these books are tell that part of it for me, & the reviewers that loved these books were right-on, in my opinion.

2 comments about Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire (Discoveries).

1. ... that's about all that this little book has to recommend it. (I'd actually give it more like 1&1/2 stars.) The other thing is the excerpts of source material at the end. It's basically a coffee table book, complete with glossy paper, in a paperback size. The text itself can't really be recommended. "Barbaric and uncultivated race"?! (pg. 17). It obviously wasn't edited by someone who knows Mongolia -- non-standard terms and spellings for names are used throughought. Some dates are wrong (the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Chinggis Khaan's birth was in 1962, not 1955). A few passages just don't make sense. "What may have played the biggest role in favor of the Mongols despite internal or foreign wars, conclusively marginal, was the establishment of peace and order" (pg. 66). Many assertions are wrong, or at best very misleading. You get the idea. And what history is okay is really too abbreviated to be of much use to anyone who knows anything about Mongolia, and for those that don't, there are much better sources to start with, such as David Morgan's The Mongols, or Ratchnevsky's biography of Chinggis .



2. While I am not enamored of the writing style of the author--and I imagine the translation into English was uneven--the little book makes up for it with very nice, colorful illustrations from Mongol and central Asian art, and with a helpful set of primary source readings at the end of the book. No, it's not going to be authoritative as a history, and some phrases are awkward (though mostly just old-fashioned), if you can find it at a used bookstore, it's worth picking up, and using for the things it does well. It works best as a historical art book interspersed with history.

1 comments about Mr. Jefferson's Hammer: William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy.

1. The three best things about this book are the extensive primary research, the author's clarity, and his unrelenting fairness to all his subjects. Every time Owens describes any peculiar behavior--whether by William Henry Harrison, other American politicians or by Native Americans leaders--he explains it in its context and then goes on to point out if it fits with the circumstances or if the actors are being inconsistent or hypocritical. While most historians work to understand the nuances and characters of their subjects, Owens is unique in explicitly laying these out along with the logic of his assertions. This helps the reader to really understand the motivations of these frontier people instead of just having to accept an author's implicit assumptions. To paraphrase a line from The Razor's Edge, Owens gives the reason and the intent--most historians just give the reason.
   
   Besides the historical quality and the impressive research, Mr. Jefferson's Hammer is just a highly enjoyable read. Owens writes very vividly and uses lots of colorful language. The last two chapters, which describe Harrison wheeling and dealing for land and build up to the death of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, have the pacing of a novel or at least a popular history. The author also has a snappy way of characterizing people and actions that make the book a lot of fun to read.
   
   One somewhat noteworthy omission is that the section entitled "Everyday Life in Early Indiana" hardly mentions farming (except a couple of lines in passing), which one would suspect would be the most sizeable component of everyday life. He discusses ideological and cultural issues that are more related to the narrative, but it just seems that he could have included more about farming in that part or renamed the section.
   
   That, however, is a small complaint about an issue that does nothing to detract from the author's intent to explore the rationale behind and the unfolding of U.S. and Indian relations on the frontier. I really love this book and think anyone interested in U.S. history would do much to clarify and add depth to their understanding of this period by reading it.

5 comments about Meditations from Iraq: A Chaplain's Ministry in the Middle East 2003-2004.

1. This book brings real life to the stories of faith and witness going on in Iraq. There were so many excellent touching stories about the people fighting for our country, it's hard to choose a favorite! The author does a great job depicting the realness of human feelings.



2. Meditations from Iraq is an opportunity for those of us at home to experience the country, the war, and our military men and women, all in the light of God's grace. Chaplain Lance Kittleson brings all this to his readers with a wonderful blending of the poignant and the humorous. You'll love his stories! You'll see the best of those who are serving us in this time of war, their fears and their triumphs. You will read about God at work in unexpected ways, and your faith will likely be strengthened in the process.



3. Due to the bully pulpit our press gives Hollywood movie "stars", such as Jake Gyllenhaal, every American should read this true account of life in Iraq from the perspective of the American soldier/chaplain. Making a movie on the Middle-East conflict such as Gyllenhaal did with the flick, "Jarhead" does not give any man proper insight into what these brave young men and women are doing on a daily basis. Kittleson, an Army Chaplain, paints a compelling picture of the hardships these heroes endure. Religious or not, political or not, please read this beautifully crafted book, particularly before speaking out as Gyllenhaal did.



4. Meditations From Iraq is a must for everyone. The author is humble and gives the reader an insight on situations a chaplin
   may experience in his line of duty, ministering to our military
   men and women far from home and family not in the comforts of a church. Chaplin Kittleson adds humor and gives us an understanding of faith at all times.Everyone should read this book before passing judgment on our brave men and women.
   This is a book you can't put down. Even those who do not read because they
   can't remember what they read will find this book worthwhile.



5. Kittleson brings a wealth of personal military experience to this work. Not only was he raised in the home of an American war hero, he has personally devoted himself to serving our country and its soldiers his entire adult life. He brings the perspective and experience of the unassuming soldier---a modest level 5 leader. It is a blend of a little cynicism about the Army its practices and procedures, personal glimpses of war that you will not see in any movie, and a deep sense of honor and devotion. Kittleson is a keen observer and gifted writer. His images combine stark and jarring reality with beautifully crafted language and simple but profound wisdom.
   This is not just a work for soldiers who have been there, or guys who wished they had been, though both will find this an engaging book. It is also for anyone who values real stories about real people, struggling and sometimes failing, sometimes triumphing over what they face.
   This is not a blood and guts saga, despite the fact that Chaplains probably have to deal with that horror more than the average soldier. This is the taste, the smell, the feel of war in a foreign and hot and hostile place. An example: "Here's a recipe that everyone can easily follow at home. Take a hair dryer outside on the hottest and driest day of the summer. Plug it in and be sure the setting is for `high heat.' Before pointing it at your face, add a large fan behind it and turn it on the highest setting. Next, add another ingredient: a winter heater turned on to the max. Now, bask your entire body in the stifling heat for a good twelve to fourteen hours, occasionally shifting from front to back and cheek to cheek to get an even roast. Just for added effect, turn on a bright light in your face as you bask. Before starting the broiling, take a six to eight-pound flower pot, turn it upside down and place it on your head fastened by a chinstrap. Be sure to leave enough room in the headband for sweat to trickle out and down your eyelids. Put on a heavy shirt and pants with boots geared to allow the minimum of air movement and then add a heavy winter coat or vest. Better yet, just for effect, put on a heavy corset and tighten. Throw in front of the large fan, turned on high, at periodic intervals, a good handful of powered sugar or flour so that it sticks to your body and clothes and on occasion throw a particularly large handful of powdery stuff so that it gets in your lungs and you can taste the grit between your teeth. If you aren't coughing up chunks of the stuff, you haven't thrown enough in front of the fan. After basking, broiling, roasting your body, and wearing holes in your gluteus maximus for the prescribed length of time, stop in an area covered in dirt with the churned up consistency of talcum power. Flop down on a cot under the full moon in the open and sleep the night away while trucks and Humvees hum around you all night long, throwing more and more talcum power in the air while some sort of bug bites your weary, roasted flesh."
   Kittleson puts you there. You are not a hero, you are a grunt. But just as you are at the breaking point he helps you see a greater or deeper reality. In the mundane grind of war he unveils truth, wisdom, and sometimes even beauty. The honeywagon becomes a strangely jarring image of the Holy Spirit carrying away your sin. And Jesus like a saper opens a way through spiritual razor wire. You sense the hand of God even in this horrid circumstance of war and come to realize the same hand of God extends into the horrid places in your own life. Kittleson's gift is the ability to show us the magic of grace in the midst of foreign war and so make it possible for us to see it in the midst of our stateside lives.

1 comments about Brotherhood of Warriors LP: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in One of the World's Most Elite Counterterrorism Units.

1. ...Mr Cohen's book. Devoured the book in two days. Fascinating perspective on Israel's military, particularly the training behind their elite forces. As an American, I was especially enlightened by Mr Cohen's analysis of our shortsightedness in combatting terrorism here in the states. The Israelis are trained to kill the terrorist. The average US police officer is trained to NOT shoot because of the bureaucratic mess he would encounter in discharging his weapon. Mr Cohen explains the Israeli emphasis on shooting thousands of rounds to become proficient and comfortable in using his firearm and in real world simulation whereas the US police force practices sporadically at a shooting range. He discounts the importance of aiming, but instead being instinctive in using one's weapon. Mr. Cohen's stories of encountering the enemy in numerous raids on terrorist hot spots make for a fascinating read. One mission describes his posing as a blonde US college journalist interviewing a leading terrorist organization leader. After making the target comfortable in two hours of interview time at a cafe, Mr. Cohen suddenly springs at his enemy, smashing him in the mouth, while his hidden comrades in arms take down the perp's two bodyguards. Great stuff. By way of background, I am a 52 year old southern California housewife and mother of two daughters and a son.

5 comments about Contractor Combatants: Tales of an Imbedded Capitalist.

1. Fired UP! If you ever get the chance to meet Carter Andress he will undoubtedly end his conversation with this phrase. Simply put, the man is "fired up" about life. Contractor Combatant tells the story of his real life account of living and working in the RED ZONE along side his Iraqi brothers (Sunni, Shiite, and Kurds alike) and reflects not only his passion for these people, but his deep desire to help them gain their freedom. Trying to start and run a successful business is challenging enough in a peaceful environment. Doing in the midst of the chaos and confusion that is Iraq presents a unique set of challenges that is not for everyone. It takes leadership, courage and lots of tenacity and determination. His company's success could not have been achieved without a willingness to open his heart and trust to the local people. If you are tired listening to the perspective of people that come into this country, spend two or three days in the Green Zone and return home as a subject matter experts, this book offers an entirely new and refreshing perspective that just might change the way you think about war. Get the story from someone who lived it on the front lines. From exposing fraud in the contracting system to feeding the Iraqi Army during the second battle for Falluja, Carter tells his story with passion, grit and honesty. The book is fast paced, entertaining, and well written. It also offers, in the last chapter, an interesting academic perspective on Iraq and US involvement. After reading it you might just feel "Fired UP" too.



2. First, I agree with that said by the first Reviewer, especially about Andress' perspective differing from the "2-3 day visits to Iraq" making those people experts! Andress has lived the Iraqi experience. His work and that of his company puts them in a unique position to KNOW how the majority of Iraquis fell about the US. His efforts make it possible for us to make the progress needed to make the Iraqui people self-sufficient.
   Only then should we think of leaving this country!
   
   Contrary to the media portrait being painted of Contractors in Iraq, i.e. Blackwater, these men are enabling our "experts" to accomplish their tasks without being killed! Obviously the insurgents will try to kill them at every opportunity! Kill the Guards and the Bad Guys will have their way with the people....and our troops!
   
   For a first-hand look at how Iraquis and Americans are working together read this book!



3. The liberal press has attempted to submarine progress in Iraq, just like it did in Vietnam. The Carter Andress book tells it like it is. Contractor's play a vital role in the security of the key players in fostering Iraqi democracy, and Andress see's the big picture in this book. This is a great read, but not for those lacking the determination to see this thing through.



4. I have just finished this great book written by a very courageous man that is the very epitome of what Americans used to be; big-hearted can-do men of adventure that seize the day and change the world for the better. It is a gripping account of this former US Army Ranger officer's experience running a logistics and security company in Iraq helping with the building and supply of bases for US and Iraqi forces, and the rebuilding of the Iraqi infrastructure. (He was an officer with the Army Rangers.) He lived outside the "Green Zone" with an ad hoc bunch of special forces guys from US Special Forces to Gurkas and Russian Spetnaz with a supporting cast of Iraqis willing to risk their lives and be real heros while most of the other contractors were hiding behind the US military. I just finished it and I have to say I'm most impressed.
   
   This is a first-hand account of what it is really like over there and not a bunch of second-hand stories from someone hiding in a hotel in the Green Zone, like the other books about Iraq. It is truly a must read for anyone who wants to know what is really going on over there, and the story of the brave men who are building a democratic future for Iraq. See his video on youtube by searching for his name.



5. This book is told from the first person perspective of a true American hero. It is action packed with gun battles on the streets of Iraq, in-fighting amongst the locals, and the struggle to run a profitable business while staying alive in the most dangerous place on Earth.
   
   Once I started reading, I could not put the book down. Andress provides incredible insight into the challenges that Americans and Iraqis face in the struggle for a free and democratic Iraq. It describes how Americans and Iraqis are risking their lives together in an effort to rebuild a free and safe Iraq.
   
   After reading this book, I have much clearer insight into the Iraq situation. This book should be mandatory reading for all military officers, politicians, and critics, and supporters of the Iraq war.

5 comments about My War.

1. Andy above and beyond potrayed his position in WW2 if anything played down. Yes he was a private that lucked out as many do in the service,but it seems he is able to tell the truth about it and feels no lesser for the facts. He tells of several heroes and some not so good officers. We have all known those. All in all I found the book very enjoyable and would highly reccomend it to all.



2. My grandfather was in the Army Air Corp during WWII and would tell wonderful stories about his time in the war (the good and the bad). I think he would have liked Andy Rooney.
   
   I found the book very interesting particularly his insights on Patton. I have an great uncle who served under Patton. His mind never was the same.



3. This is a great book. Andy Rooney, who I hate, is likable here in his stories about the GReat War. He tells stories, and jokes, and rubs elbows with all sorts of famous people, and, yet, doesn't seem to be bragging as much as telling. Also, his descriptions of tanks running over bodies and the air war are heart wrenching, beautiful, and terrifying. This book isn't my favorite overall, but it is the biggest surprise I've ever read. I really did love it.



4. This memoir by Andy Rooney of CBS of his army days during World War II mixes humor, cynicism, and tragedy. Rooney recounts how he was drafted into the artillery in 1941, and then transferred to the army newspaper STARS AND STRIPES. The author recounts his army experiences with a mixture of nostalgia, humor and sadness. The author admits his distaste for the military, and considers him self lucky to have drawn duty as a correspondent. Yet his service record was hardly risk-free. Rooney accompanied B-17 crews on raids over Nazi Germany, then infantrymen as they battled their way after D-Day. Rooney recounts much of the war's horrors and describes several friends and acquaintances that died in combat. The author's irreverent and at times cynical tone (particularly regarding General Patton) reflects both himself and many of the GI's that served in that deadly conflict. The book is generally very readable, although it does slow in a couple spots. Still, this moving 1995 memoir written half a century after Rooney's discharge is worth reading.



5. Lately I've been reading stories about war, an unfortunate constant of human history, I'm afraid. Tales about WWII, or "The Last Good War" (a book I read many years ago), as Studs Terkel called it, abound, but I especailly recommend this one. My War, by Andy Rooney (yep, the same bushy-eyebrowed old grump you see on 60 Minutes every week), is a true gem, full of his homespun self-deprecating bits of humor and wisdom, along with the expected grim and grisly stories about the carnage that is war. As to the importance of his wartime experience, Rooney says right up front, "My life was never the same again." As a young reporter (his army ID photo looks startlingly like Audie Murphy, who of course penned his own memoir, To Hell and Back) for The Stars and Stripes, Rooney got up close and personal with both the air and ground wars in Europe, and also traveled to India and China, rubbing shoulders with Ernie Pyle, Bill Mauldin and Walter Cronkite. One particular line from the book has stayed with me: "I laugh, bitterly, when I hear the phrase, 'He gave his life for his country.' No one gives his life. His life is taken." Rooney is a newspaperman and a reporter, but more than anything else he is a damn fine writer who simply tells it like he sees it. - Tim Bazzett, author of Soldier Boy and Love, War & Polio ([...])