5 comments about Alexander the Great: Journey to the End of the Earth.

1. 
   This is a great little history, and I hope the publishing industry gives us more of them.
   
   It's amazing how much of history was created by teens and twentysomethings. Alexander and his army were like a punk rock band gone wild. He drinks and debauches his way through half a continent. He must have had extraordinary health given the punishing environment and the many battle wounds. He is a master builder and does have a command of battle strategy (if not his army).
   
   I found the comparisons to Ceasar and the speculation of how Alexander would have done against the Roman army thought provoking. Not mentioned is that Ceasar earned the support of his army, Alexander just expected it and was unable to keep it.
   
   There is an interesting the analysis of his "greatness" at the end and a description of the other major biographical works.



2. This book is a gem, in large because the analysis of the "greatness" of Alexander in the fifth and closing chapter is designed to generate thought, debate and ideas for every student of history.
   
   "The impact of Alexander on the Mediterranean world has always been a subject for debate," Cantor notes, and proceeds to add provocatively to that debate. Alexander, like Achilles, Caesar, King Arthur, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, embodies the spirit of the times and the people of their eras. Alexander and Achilles were heroic; Caesar and Arthur were innovators; Lincoln and Churchill gave words to enhance the decency of great nations.
   
   Lincoln, to cite an example, did not invent democracy in America. However, when he defined democracy as government "of the people, by the people, for the people", he greatly sharpened and enhanced already existing attitudes. Alexander did the same in his time; he did not invent war, but he set an ideal seldom matched and thus established the warrior ideal for much of the Mediterannean. King Arthur does the same with his round table; Churchill gives credit to the British people for stopping Hitler.
   
   Now, consider George Bush with his Texas swagger and flight suit while strutting across the deck of an aircraft carrier to announce "Mission Accomplished" as if he were a warrior. Alexander, in contrast to the coddled and well-protected life of Bush, survived numerous serious wounds acquired while leading his troops from the front. Whether it's Bush or Clinton or Reagan, there's a vast difference between Alexander and the perspiration and spin of today's leaders. As Canton aptly shows, it's why "the Great" title is retired.
   
   Intended or not, there are numerous subtle parallels between ancient and modern events in the Near and Middle Easts. Alexander was successful because he responded immediately and brilliantly to local events rather than try to rule from afar; instead of being an ideologue, he worshipped every God he met along the route of his conquests.
   
   Because he was handicapped by "faulty intelligence," when he reached Afghanistan and India he realized it was time to listen to his troops, then "cut and run". Why? To quote Cantor, "One of the old soldiers, a man named Coenis . . . . gave the speech of his life, ending with these words: 'Sir, if there is one thing above all others a successful man should know, it is when to stop'. Instead of trying to stay the course, Cantor says "Alexander sulked for two days but then tried to find a way to make this defeat appear to be a victory."
   
   Cantor offers an intriguing psychological assessment of Alexander; not only was he "the supreme exemplar of that old pagan world" but he also knew how to sulk and then accept the will of his troops. Perhaps that is why there are no modern Alexanders; today we tend to look at his heroism, courage, strength and vision but overlook his ability to sulk.
   
   It's a masterful biography, not merely because of what it says about Alexander but also for what it teaches us about ourselves.



3. Is it possible to make the life one of the most compelling men who ever lived into an incredibly boring biography? Cantor does it somehow. I barely made it through half the book, it was so tediously written. Worse, much of the facts were oversimplified to the point of being wrong. It's not even smart enough to be a children's book, although it's written at that level of diction. Please don't make it your choice.



4. This is the worst book ever written on Alexander. There are historical inaccuracies on nearly every page. Heresay and universally discounted legend are presented uncritically alongside historically accepted fact.



5. I bought two copies of this book so that my grandson and I could read and discuss it. My two purposes were 1) teach him about Alexander the Great and 2) show him how scholarly history books, as opposed to history text books, are written.
   
   This book has served as a good example of a bad example.
   
   To be charitable, I see that the copyright belongs to the Estate of Norman Cantor and was published after his death. I will assume that his illness led to the low quality of this book. Otherwise, I must assume he was a piss-poor professor.
   
   For the sakes of New York University, Tel Aviv University, and the Rhodes and Fulbright organizations, besides Mr. Cantor's reputation, the Estate should never have published this book in its present form.
   
   I am very disinclined to read any other works of Mr. Cantor's.

1 comments about Stories of Service: Valley Veterans Remember World War II.

1. well done; well organized into war theatres, easy to follow; great "cast og characters" a "must have" addition to library of anyone interested in ww II history.

5 comments about I've Got Things To Do With My Life: Pat Tillman And The Making Of An American Hero.

1. The previous book review by that Calvert guy is totally bogus. What a jerk. I read Towle's book, and while it's not one of those long, comprehensive biographies that takes two years to write, it is very informative. It's also nicely balanced in that it presnets a thorough examination of both Tillman's Army life and his football career. Sure, there was some stuff in the book that has appeared in other sources, but Towle sourced and footnoted all those. I also noticed in his Acknowledgements section that he listed something like 40 people or so he spoke to firsthand for this book. That's pretty good considering that Tillman's family and friends have been so tight-lipped about Pat to this day. This is a story that needed to be written, whether or not family and friends are willing to open up, and I think Towle did a wonderful job.



2. Compelling real hero stuff to realize what hell at war is all about taking a life that was so vibrant!



3. I didn't like the book. First, I was suprised by how thin the book was when I got it.There were not many pages at all.The rough uneven edges of the pages made it appear as if they had all been torn out of some other book making it look very amateurish. The story content was as thin as the book itself. There was only general information on how he died; no detail at all.I was very disappointed with it and do not reccommend it to anyone.



4. This book needs to be updated with the sorry story of the abuse of a dead football player for propaganda purposes by an incompetent military and an administration bereft of any sense of decency or notion of ethical behaviour.



5. I'm confused! I re-ordered this book (returned the defective one)and received another defective book! The pages opposite the spine of the book are jagged and have a strange, uneven, torn look. This is the second time this has happened with the same book! I need to send this one back too. Thanks for prompting this response! Disappointed in Michigan

5 comments about When I Was a Soldier.

1. When I saw the "JUV" label on the spine of Valerie Zenatti's memoir I must confess I was quite a bit apprehensive about delving further into the book than its front and back covers. However, I must urge you not to make such a mistake; this book merits a read, not just a look.
   
   I was born and raised in New York, about half a world away from Israel: the notion of entering mandatory military service upon turning eighteen is so alien that I had to continually remind myself while reading that this work was not by Robert Heinlein but rather by Valerie Zenatti. Nonetheless the latter, serving as protagonist and narrator, does a wonderful job shepherding her reader through compulsory "peacetime" military service. This is hardly the demoralizing world of boot camp we have all seen 307 times in literature and film. Valerie isn't dressed-down by an evil drill sergeant, her head isn't shaved, and she doesn't lose her identity to become a faceless cog in the military machine.
   Valerie's story and rite of passage is much subtler. She drifts apart from her friends but only as much as can be expected. Her superiors are more often than not women a few years older than her. At the conclusion of the story she doesnt find herself in a pitched gun battle but instead in a routine surveillance op. The freshness of the tale never ceased to keep me involved.
   
   Politically the book is fairly neutral. Characters express both left and right-wing sides to Israel's questions, with the author actually falling more on the former. Though I am not someone intimately acquainted with the struggle between Israel and its neighbors, I beleive that this book would be acceptable to most audiences. First and foremost it is the story of an 18-year old girl; it rarely stops to comment on politics and certainly never preaches.
   "When I Was a Soldier" is an exceptionally quick read (indeed so much so as to be a detriment; though the book has a decent narrative structure I would have preferred more of Valerie's second year and a less abrupt ending) and a good one. It has not lost its wit, charm, or exigence in translation and I thoroughly reccomend it.



2. When I first saw this book, I thought I was in for a great war story. This book is more than that. Zenatti tells her fantastic story about how she managed to leave her friends and family, loose her boyfriend, and still work so hard in the Army that she earns to be in the Secret Service. Usually when you read biographies, you think of endless boring facts, but when you read this, it's like you are right there with Valerie. You feel what she does, and you just get right into the story. I recomend this to, well, everyone. If you do plan to get this book, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.



3. Book Review of When I Was A Soldier:
   When our grade was assigned to read a nonfiction book, I groaned. The class then went to the library to pick out, either a biography, an autobiography, or a memoir. I searched and searched for a book that didn't look too boring, but all were things like Jane Arre or something else without a plot. I was on the verge of despair, when I saw a book in the corner of the room that didn't have soft watercolor pictures of ladies in frilly hoop skirts and a scrawling title, but that had a picture of a young girl in an army uniform on it with the title When I Was A Soldier. Ever since I was little, I've always wondered what it would be like to be a soldier and for many years I had the dream of one day joining the army and being a hero that girls everywhere would look up to and say that girls could do anything. Now that I've grown out of that aspiration, the feminist part of me, and the interest in the army remains, so I picked up the book. The back cover had a passage form the book on it that mirrored perfectly my views; "Why should I hide the fact? I'm fascinated by my submachine gun. They're instruments of death and we're finding them easier and easier to handle. We don't think for a moment that we might that for real someday. But at the same time, it's the ultimate sign that we really are soldiers, on completely equal terms with the boys. And it makes me feel proud." It's perfect. I checked out the book and put it in my locker to take home, and eventually forgot about it. That night I remembered it and started reading. I couldn't stop.
   This book is a passage in Valerie Zenatti's life that illiterates the duties, drawbacks, and rewards of being in the Israeli army. She writes about the average soldier in a peaceful base far away from any fighting. You wouldn't expect this; I was expecting wondrous heroics and endless action. But I was wrong. Valerie describes her two years in the army with a sense that she is living through it at that very time, and not years later. She vividly describes the conditions at her bases and her tasks with the emotions of a growing teen-ager. She writes about her anger and sorrow on losing friends and lovers, and her wishes for the future on gaining new ones. I was very impressed by this book and how it was written. I highly recommend this to young adults and those who have a bad stereotype of nonfiction books. This will change how you look at the genre. I truly intend to read more nonfiction books in the future.



4. Being both informative and inspiring, When I Was a Soldier really lets you see the world through a girl soildier's eyes and get a glimpse into Jewish culture and history.
   This book is about a girl named Valerie who starts off as your average 17 year old. However, when she turns 18, she is forced to join the army, and her life turns upsidedown. As she juggles her friends, family, the army, and the despair of losing her boyfriend, she holds tight to her dream of one day writing a book.
   With determination, hop, persistence, and bravery, Valerie Zeratti shows shows the world what it truly means to be a girl soilder.



5. In the book, When I was a Soldier, in my opinion, this was a very good memoir. The author, Valerie Zenatti, did a great job about writing what its like to be in the military for Israel. I really felt a sense of connection with the characters in the book. She did a great job at writing about scenery, character building, and self-inquiry.
   This book did a good job writing about scenery. When I was reading her descriptions of the surrounding area, I really almost felt as if I was there and I was easily able to picture the spot she was talking about. When she was talking and describing Tel Aviv, I could picture what it looked like in my mind. Her character description was also very well done. When she described certain characters I could imagine what they looked like without much thought. The descriptions she used were very in depth, but easy enough for almost any one to understand.
   The book also did a great job at showing her self-inquiry, it almost made me think about myself. From the time she left her home, to the time she left the military, she changed a lot. She started to question about the ways she thought or acted. When I read this book I also thought about the way I thought about some things. She was once immature and more worried about what people thought about her, she cared more about some guy who would stand her up rather then being the stronger person. When she started to question that, she started to become stronger, and now she cares more about doing what is right for her and what is best for her, rather then worrying about what some other person thinks. This memoir made me think about that a little bit as well.
   The character development in this memoir was also done very well. Her character started as a co-dependent eighteen year old about to go off into the military and she only cared about her boyfriend and her friends and she needed them. By the time she got out of the military, she was independent and didn't need her friends to live but still loved to have them around. Her other characters that she was with in the military also built up a lot of their own personalities as the memoir progressed. A lot of the characters in the story, by the end, had their own personalities and contributed their own special part to this memoir. In my opinion, that is one of the things in this memoir that made it very good.
   (And theres my extra credit for critical lit)

5 comments about The Quiet Warrior: A Biography of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance (Classics of Naval Literature).

1. Buell is to be praised for this significant contribution the history of WWII. He is able to compare and contrast Spruance against the better know Halsey in a fashion that gives the reader a perception of how the men of the fifth and third fleet (one in the same) viewed Spruance. He was brilliant, but conservative. Regarded as timid at Midway and at the "Marianas Turkey Shoot" by the aviation community, this battleship admiral was thrown into the uncomfortable position of commanding of a carrier fleet and he acquitted himself admirably. Regarded by Admiral King as the only officer smarter then he, Spruance was widely recognized for his meticulous planning. This carried over into life after the Navy when he served as ambassador to the Phillipines. By itself this is a wonderful biography. Taken with Buell's biography of King, Potter's work on Nimitz, the books "Magnificant Mitcher", "Halsey" and "The Reluctant Admiral" one comes away in awe of the complexities Spruance dealt with so often and so well.



2. I am not quiet half way though the first reading of this great novel about the late great Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance. I have found myself unable to put it down in my leisure moments even to the point of missing "must see TV." I've found that I share a great many similarities with the Admiral. Thomas Buell does and outstanding job of bringing this larger than life man down to an understandable, intimate, personal, human level. His convictions, ambitions, fears, personal failures are all laid bare by the authors pen. Indeed I firmly believe that there is a little bit of Ray Spruance in all of us.



3. I was always interested in WWII in Pacific, and especially fascinating person for me was Admiral Raymond Spruance. He was almost a mystical figure, cold-blooded, closed genius. This book is first that gave me a bit more light to this person, and picture is a bit less fascinating.
   Anyway, this book leaves almost no open questions. Spruance was as he was, nothnig more, nothnig less, and Buell doesn't intend to change this.



4. Admiral Raymond Spruance was one of the major naval leaders in the Pacific Theater during World War II, ranking with Halsey in that regard. He was given command of the Fifth Fleet after having served some time as Admiral Chester Nimitz' chief of staff. He was happy to be released from that position and able to serve at sea once more.
   
   Spruance is perhaps best known for his role at the Battle of Midway. Halsey came down ill and Spruance was designated as his replacement--even though he had never commanded an aircraft carrier nor had any background in naval aviation. There is some controversy over his decision-making, but, overall, the volume represents him as a sound commander under a greatly ambiguous situation.
   
   Later, he also suffered some criticism for his decision making during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The author of the Introduction notes that (page ix): "Spruance was largely unfamiliar with the intricacies of naval aviation, and carrier operations in particular. Whether or not this lack of specialized experience was detrimental to his handling of a carrier task force in battle is debatable." Overall, the book examines Spruance fairly sympathetically, although Buell, the author, is willing to suggest where difficulties lay, too.
   
   The treatment of Spruance after the War is well done, including his stint as Ambassador to the Philippines and President of the Naval War College. All in all, a serviceable biography of one of the more important leaders in the Pacific Theater.



5. As a WWII history buff, I have noticed striking differences in emphasis between the services (Army and Navy) in how they recorded their respective histories. The Army created an agency to record its official history (the big green books if you have seen them), while the Navy created no official history (Samuel Eliot Morison wrote an unofficial, less exhaustive history albeit still useful). Similarly, there is a great amount of good biographies, histories, and studies in command of the Generals of WWII (think of Eisenhower, Marshall, MacArthur, and Patton), while similar works of Naval leadership are few and far between. Potter's "Nimitz" is the only biography of that great leader.
   
   Spruance also received short shrift in the way of bigraphies (in fairness, neither Nimitz or Spruance would consent to an "official" biography - and both were written after their deaths). Buell's work is the only one studying the leader of the Battle of Midway. Those desiring to advance their knowledge of WWII history will definitely get something out of "The Quiet Warrior," but the book is written primarily for the military professional by a military professional (Buell was a student at the Naval War College when he began "Warrior").
   
   As such, this book is strongest when it delves into the planning of campaigns that Spruance's Fifth Fleet conducted and weakest when it attempts to recount the making of the Admiral. I most enjoyed the chapters discussing Spruance as Chief of Staff for Nimitz, Planning and execution of the Gilberts and Marshalls operations, and that of the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
   
   I felt that Buell came up short in his examination of the Naval Academy years, his early shipboard life and lessons that he took from that time, and how he ran his ships. This information is most valuable to the Naval Officer. Also, I felt that "The Quiet Warrior" failed to capture Spruance's thoughts on events of significance in the Pacific Theater that did not directly affect the Admiral. An example is the Typhoon that battered Halsey's Third Fleet after the Battle of Leyte Gulf. We know from Potter's "Nimitz" that the CINC reprimanded Halsey for poor decisions that resulted in the loss of several ships during the Typhoon. Buell makes little mention of the event, that must have been a topic of discussion for Spruance and staff. In this instance, it appears that Buell opted for an incomplete history rather than the possibility of inciting a controversy. I wish that he had pulled the string a bit harder in this case.
   
   All told, "The Quiet Warrior" is a great read. It is expecially valuable as a lens for examining the U.S. Navy during the first half of the Twentieth Century and one that I recommend without reservation.

5 comments about Mark 947: A Life Shaped by God, Gender and Force of Will.

1. What blew me away upon reading this is how superlative this is compared to other TS autobiographies. Calpernia is a seriously gifted writer! She has written here possibly one of the best autobiographies I have ever read, TS or not. Her prose is beautiful, her memories flow logically for the reader, and the whole book is laced with humor. She conveys her feelings very clearly, without falling into cliche. She also does not attempt to whitewash her life. It is all here, even the parts that are clearly the most painful to her.

   If you decide you have to read one TS autobiography in your life, this is the one you should read! Calpernia has written a truly amazing literary journey! This book also stands up as great art. I mean that. I think that she should continue to write books. She is gifted, and could write great novels.




2. Calpernia's writing style is very eloquent. Her words paint vibrant pictures of thought and feeling seldom found in an autobiography. She made me smell the candles, feel the air, see the swirling leaves and feel the pounding of cold rain. Fortunately, she never made the leaves or the rain 'dance' anywhere (oh, just read the book and you'll know what I'm refering to). As if I were in her very skin, I could see, taste and smell the church food and festivities, the clubs, even Barry. I could easily recognize the voice of a woman's heart crying out for validation, for love... for justice.
   
   Despite her well-honed use of words and description, I felt that the story languished in the day-to-day world of her childhood without offering the clear contrast of the gender and sexual orientation sruggle going on inside of her. In many ways it seemed like any other novel about growing up in the south. Thereafter, the book takes us through snapshot moments of her life without clear relevance or continuity in the context of the whole story. The final "epilogue" chapter was more like just another chapter instead of an actual epilogue. I felt that the book was a bit herky-jerky: laborously long in some places and rushed in others and no real sense of tying some things together. It was much like getting out a photo album and talking about this moment and that moment over coffee. Thus, I gave it 4 stars.
   
   That said, I cannot impart upon the prospective reader enough what an important work this is and a worthy read. It will take you on an emotional journey that brings you to the center of your own heart, if you have one.



3. Calpernia Addams came to national attention when she was named as the transgender lover of Private Barry Winchell. Winchell, who suffered continuous harassment for his relationship with Calpernia, was brutally beaten to death by another soldier at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The excellent film "Soldier's Girl" is the story of their relationship. "Mark 947: A Life Shaped by God, Gender, and Force of Will" is Calpernia Addams' courageous memoir describing her childhood, her identification with the female sex, her decision to become female, and her relationship with Barry Winchell.
   
   Calpernia was born a male and named Scott--the eldest of three children born to a fundamentalist couple in rural Tennessee. A strict, barren upbringing was alleviated by a progressive high school--although Calpernia's parents, unfortunately, curtailed this. Unable to connect as a male, Scott drifted into the navy and served as a medic in the first Gulf War. Finally discovering the courage to live as a woman, Calpernia moved to Nashville, attended university, and became a nightclub entertainer.
   
   A large portion of the book concentrates on Calpernia's narrow, suffocating childhood. Raised to accept strict doctrine, somehow Calpernia was capable of independent thinking, and instead of sinking into her family's way of life, she reasoned her way through feelings of alienation and lack of identity as a male. Ironically Calpernia's strict upbringing allowed her to discover a niche in the Navy, as many of the restrictions placed upon her as a teenager covered her lack of machismo when attending boot camp. Calpernia states that her "religious upbringing had allowed me sanctuary" from engaging in raucous behaviour. She describes the agony of being surrounded by men, wanting their attention, and affection, but being afraid of saying the wrong thing. The memoir is quite detailed when discussing moments and pivotal events that influenced Calpernia's life. While the author is not a professional writer, the writing is good. In one passage, the description of a dead body manages to convey the incident's powerful impact on the author, and it's clear that this incident helped energise Calpernia into making the decision to become female--displacedhuman



4. A fantastic account of one woman's journey to find herself. Calpernia Addams shares her inner pain and strength, as she struggles with religious intolerance, sexuality, and gender conflict. Her childhood with a "fire and brimstone" church reminded me so much of my own childhood it was almost as if it were my story and not someone else's. I remember church camp....it was my story too.
   
   Great book from a talented author and actress.



5. I, like most of the other reviewers, loved the book, but like only one other reviewer, wanted more. The beginning of her life, up to where she joined the Navy was an awesome sketch of her life to that point. After she got out of the Navy, I wanted more detail about how she came about truly wanting change in her life and the steps she took to go about creating that change. I know that the subject matter has to be quite personal, sensitive and difficult to recount, but I wished that the end of the book had been more formed. I did enjoy her writing style, however, and look forward to anything else (a supplement for this book, maybe?) she may write.

2 comments about Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army.

1. The Canadian army is very small - many organizations claim to be like a "family" but the Canadian Army is a family. In the larger world there may be 6 degrees of separation but in the Canadian Army there may be only two. So every loss is a wound for all. Every loss is indeed the death of a brother.
   
   This remarkable book is a revelation of what it may mean to be part of a true Band of Brothers - a world where the most senior general lends a master corporal his own wedding ring so that he can ask his girl to marry him - a world where the entire platoon comes to the home of a fallen comrade and spends a week in the community celebrating his life - a world where a 40 plus year old widow enlists so that she can continue to be part of the family - a world where Colonels weep for their men.
   
   The book also causes the reader to think more deeply about war and soldiers. It is politically correct to feel that all war and everything about it is bad. But we discover, that for all its terror and for all the losses, for a soldier war is what he lives for. It is when he also discovers whether he is any good at his life's work. We discover how good our soldiers are. Surprisingly, for we always think the less of ourselves, in Afghanistan, we are considered the heavy weights who punch well above our weight.
   
   We discover that while war exhausts a person more than any other activity, it also makes him more alive.
   
   We discover that PTSD is much more prevalent in peacekeeping than in the kind of situation that we find in Afghanistan. In peacekeeping the kit was awful and the impotence high - imagine simply witnessing atrocity? But in Afghanistan our soldiers can take the initiative and they are very well equipped and have rules of engagement that make sense.
   
   We discover a new kind of woman soldier - who are at home in this strange world, as is of course the "Blatch", and who are no longer seen as odd.
   
   We discover how the families of our soldiers have been integrated into the mission and we see how the worst of all news is given and how the families are supported when what they all fear the most occurs.
   
   This is not the civil service in green that was the sadness of our forces for many years. Implicit throughout the book is that someone really knows that he is doing. I think that someone might be called Rick Hillier.
   
   We discover how great our local field leadership is too which also says something more about General Hillier -
   
   Brig- Genl Dave Fraser to LTC Ian Hope, in radio orders given at 11.30pm on July 17 "You need to recapture Nawa and Garmser by 1600 hours.
   
   Hope to Fraser: "Roger that. Recapture Nawa and Garmser by 1600 hours."
   
   Fraser: "Any questions?"
   
   Hope: "Just one: Where are Nawa and Garmser?'
   
   Not only do we routinely pull off tough missions, but the Cols take all the risks that their men do - they lead by example. They also tend to do the really terrible things like personally extract the burnt and mutilated bodies of their dead so that the buddies in the platoon would not have to remember their friend like that. There is all this bull in the public service about "Servant Leadership". Here you see it for real at all levels from the LTC down to the Master Corporal.
   
   We discover the central frustration of the mission. That we have to go back again and again and take the same ground because the ANP, the police, cannot hold it - we learn how complex this work is.
   
   But most of all, we learn how fortunate we are to have those wonderful people wearing our uniform.
   
   It is a mystery to me how, in a nation, so cut off from the reality of war, that we can once again have the kind of army that we had in 1917. A pathfinder Army.
   
   A small army that can think and adapt. A small army that is lead by men and women of an integrity and skill that put our business and public organizations to shame. A small army largely made up from men and women from small town Canada who have that can do attitude that used to be the hallmark of Canadians.
   
   Who else could tell this story but "Blatch"? A woman who acknowledges that she knows of only two soldiers who swear more than she. A woman who shares the hardships, the joys, the terrors, the losses and the fun. A woman who loves her boys and who is loved back.
   
   She writes with such a love and a passion - I could not put the book down except when my eyes were so full of tears that I could no longer see.
   
   It is exciting, it's very funny, it's very sad. But in the end it is heroic. Not in a little boy's view of heroic but in the most mythic sense of people who live for each other in undertaking a very hard task.
   
   At the end of the book, "Blatch" goes back to see everyone to see how they are.
   
   "Eight months later, Hope (LTC Ian Hope) answers my email form an airport lounge somewhere. I wrote back to tell him of one of the stories - bawdy and funny, loving and sad, always brutally honest - I'd heard from the troops.
   
   You must miss them so xxxxxx much," I said. " I can hardly bear to write about them sometimes. I find them so beautiful."
   
   "You understand what I miss," he wrote back. "I am Odysseus."
   
   This is a wonderful book about wonderful people written by a wonderful person - who has by the way a wonderful dog but that is another story.



2. Bob Patterson's review really captured a lot of what I was feeling. As a former member of the Canadian Army, I was not only able to see in my mind's eye the scenes that Christie was describing, I was able to see many of the soldiers, often because I actually knew those men. The Canadian Army is not big - and the Army of West is probably about 6,000 Regulars and a few more thousand reservists - that's not a very big town, and all of the larger than life characters tend to become known by all - men like Mars Janek, whom I had the honor to serve with back in 1995, and who features prominently in this book as the extraordinary soldier that he is. Canadians really have no idea how lucky they are that these bright young men and women are willing to put their lives on the line in the service of their country.
   
   Christie did a great job with this book, and clearly she wrote it her own way. My only real citicism is that I would have liked her to spend a bit more time of the achievements and field operations, and a little bit less on deaths, but I understand why she went the route that she did.

5 comments about Joan of Arc: A Spiritual Biography (Lives & Legacies).

1. I have read just about every book out there on Joan of Arc and this is by far the best, at least in terms of a book for the popular reader, and it's about time. Marshall's book is a succinct, intelligent, and lively read, mixed with a sharp wit and punchy sensibility. (This from an academic noless.)And if you're looking for an exhaustive and thoroughly academic study of Joan, then any of Pernoud's books you'll want to pick up. But if you're looking for a good and thorough book on Joan for the general reader, and one that cuts through all the ridiculous (but fascinating nonetheless) mythologizing and romanticizing of her, and which offers a fresh and realistic point of view, then you'll definitely want to buy this book. Marshall knows how to cut to the chase but without diminishing any of the excitment or extraordinariness of Joan's remarkable story and short life. A must read for anyone interested in Joan of Arc. And, unusually, I might add, a read that should be of interest not just to the general reader, but even those esoteric "highbrows."



2. A relatively short biography -"Joan of Arc: A Spiritual Biography" by Siobhan Nash-Marshall is a marvelous first book for someone wanting to read about Joan of Arc. It is not as intimidating as some of the larger tomes. While reverential, it is not, as the title might suggest, unquestioning in its acceptance of a divine origin of Joan's mission. It is intelligent, entertaining and easy to read.

   I am not a scholar but the book looks solidly researched and no errors jumped out at me. Ms. Nash-Marshall's theme is that Joan is a "questor". Her success was due to the extraordinarily intense focus she had on her mission to the exclusion of all else. Joan believed down to the very core of her being that her mission was from God and that her voices were of divine origin. The book is a good solid well-written account of what we know of Joan. The last chapter offers an intriguing premise I had not seen before. It first dealt with the question why it might be important to God for France to be a nation and to reinforce the divine origin of the French crown. This assumes Joan's mission was a success and God's plans for France and Europe generally came to pass.

   As we all know Joan was betrayed. Perhaps small shortsighted men thwarted God's real plans. I think the book offers another interpretation of what God's plan might have been. The Hundred Years war drained much of the energy of Western Christendom to aid Constantinople. The author states: "The Hundred Years' War ended in the very same year that Constantinople fell. In 1453, one nation was saved and one perished." What if a France under Joan's banner had been victorious and ended the war in France and against England. In the early 1440s, John VIII, emperor of Constantinople tried to bring about an end to the Great Schism. He went to Florence and at the end of a council there decreed that the Eastern Church give its oath of obedience to Rome. The author writes: "He had, he felt, done his part. The West would have to fight to protect its own kindred in faith. And what ensued is one of the most tragic episodes in our history. The West did virtually nothing." If The Hundred Years' war had ended between these two great powers of the West in the 1430s, could they not have saved Byzantium from the Turks, ended the Great Schism, resulting in an invigorated and more diverse Church? A stronger more diverse church might not have been so insecure and frightened of heretics and both the horrors of the Inquisition and the Christian civil wars of the Reformation might not have been. Nash-Marshall points out that two years before she died; Joan invited the English to participate in a crusade:

   "You, Duke of Bedford, the Maid begs and requires of you that you discontinue the destruction. If you grant her right, you may still come into her company where the French shall do the greatest feat of arms that was ever done for Christianity . . . "

   As if the tragedy for that young girl was not enough, Ms. Nash-Marshal implies that the implications to Christianity of what they did to that child of God in Rouen are enormous. Her mission had just begun . . . " . . . the French shall do the greatest feat of arms that was ever done for Christianity . . . "

   Read the book!

   leon




3. Finally,a story teller opf depth...one whose clarity and understanding are the equal of her poetry. Certainly the entertaiment value of Ms Nash Marshall's "Spiritual Biography" of Joan of Arc will have its place,and won't leave anything of the bitter after taste of one who spends his time passing his time... but the life and case of Maid Joan, as told here, brings us something lasting. The author reveasls the master hand of the historian as she tells of the times and situation of the pulcelle of Domremy. Her tale leaves us with an exquisite background to our own age... how much more easily is the utopianism of our days to be seen as the dismal failure that it is... as well as the catastrophic attempts of the collectivists, with their socialism and communism and whatever... in the light of the idea brought to us today by a 17 years old farmer girl who knew, similarly in an age of little faith, that her nation might have a sacred cause, if it would only accept it, and be able to live the human, the holy life by it.

   We live without the light of a maid who believed and was sure of the fact.

   Congratulations, and thank you, Ms. Nash-Marshall. Our world, we hope, will be a less vague and frightening place for your recalling the work of Joan.

   Sonia, Gaia & Sophie




4. Nash-Marshall offers a quickly read, introductory book on Joan of Arc in the same history-and-meditation format at Mary Gordon's for Penguin. Most of the meditation is in the last two chapters, some of it a bit weird. The author believes that the source of Joan's power must have been God, because if Joan had been the source of her own power she would have found a way to escape from prison in Rouen. Nash-Marshall's Joan is a "doer" and an "energetic warrior," in seeming disagreement with the Chapu marble Joan in repose on the book jacket (see p. 168). Typos ("Crepy" for the big battle at "Crecy") and curious sentences like the one in which Joan convinced soldiers to "live without the female attachments to which medieval armies were assuaged" suggest some of the difficulties with this book.



5. This book allowed you to connect with the essence of Joan of Arc where you could feel what was going on around her. It was informative and factual and at the same time gave you a glimpse into her spirituality and the forces that drove her.
   I enjoyed the book very much.

5 comments about The Bravest Man.

1. "It's a big ocean," Dick O'Kane once told me. "You don't have to find the enemy if you don't want to."

   O'Kane was 60 when we met. He was a compact man, straight as a ramrod, with a small smile and bushy eyebrows. He loved to talk, especially on technical matters, but he seldom spoke about what it was like to be a submariner in the Pacific, in a war that claimed the lives of 22% of the Americans who went to sea in the pig boats, as submarines were called. It was a pleasure to meet him again in "The Bravest Man" and to learn more about his remarkable accomplishments in World War II.

   That a submariner need not find the enemy was brought home to O'Kane in 1942 on his first patrol in Wahoo, under an older captain who had learned caution in the peacetime Navy. The cautious skipper was replaced by Dudley "Mush" Morton, who with O'Kane's support made Wahoo the deadliest American boat in the Pacific, sinking nine ships on one ferocious patrol through the Yellow Sea, between China and Korea. "You can't afford to flinch," Morton said; "you can't afford to give up. You must constantly keep 'rassling, and keep shooting till you destroy him."

   Wahoo was later lost with all hands, not including O'Kane, who by then -- the fall of 1943 -- had command of Tang. He soon proved that he too had a great desire to keep 'rassling and to sink Japanese ships, despite the second-rate torpedoes supplied to American submarines. On its first patrol, Tang sank five ships; on its second, it rescued 22 American airmen, shot down in the battle for Truk at the center of the Pacific's Caroline Islands. On its fourth patrol, it set a U.S. record by sending 10 enemy ships to the bottom, despite new torpedoes that were sometimes as balky as the old.

   As a skipper, Richard O'Kane was audacious, persistent and inventive. He was willing to go up against the shore, if that's where the enemy was to be found. Yet he always had an escape route in mind -- and he took care of his people. Sailors clamored to join Tang, despite its record of going in harm's way.

   Alas, having a good captain is never enough. On Tang's fifth patrol, the odds caught up with O'Kane, and he had the unhappy experience of watching his 24th and last torpedo circle back to explode on the boat's stern. The men on the bridge were thrown into the water, but their troubles were scarcely over. It was the middle of the night, and they had no flotation gear.

   When morning came, 9 of the 87 crewmen were still alive, including some who had made the first-ever escape from a submarine sunk in combat. They were picked up by a Japanese destroyer, whose captain treated them decently but delivered them to starvation, torture and slave labor at Yokohama. Like aviators, submariners were classified as "special prisoners of Japan," imprisoned in the foulest camps with their existence unreported to the International Red Cross. Again O'Kane survived the impossible, to be reunited with his family and to receive the Medal of Honor from the hand of President Harry Truman.

   The author of "The Bravest Man" is himself a U.S. Navy veteran, who in 1968 won the Pulitzer as a reporter in Vietnam. Mr. Tuohy takes a curious approach to his story, first writing about Wahoo, then O'Kane's earlier life, and finally Tang and later events, interrupted by chapters on what the rest of the American sub pack was doing. This can sometimes be confusing. And the line-editing in the book is sometimes careless. But "The Bravest Man" is well worth reading, especially in a year when the USS O'Kane is on watch in the Arabian Sea, carrying the bravest man's name and legacy into the 21st century.




2. At first look I was hoping this would be the book that would answer some questions...It did do that but being my appetite was whetted I wanted more. I found myself asking questions about Cmdr Morton, O'Kane and others. What was their life like before WW2. Some questions were answered but there are holes. As for Mr Tuohy's book it did give the reader a real look at this duo. These two men were feared and respected for their toughness. I would like to see more books like this that cover the different schools of thought in WW2 submarine warfare. It is a great book and it does shed light...I just want more, with the pasing of Forest Sterling, may he rest with his Wahoo comrades in peace, we are losing valuable pieces to a great puzzle of World War 2 and in Mush's memory and Rear Admiral O Kane
   Enjoy this book but be warned youll want to read more!



3. I have read the books on the Wahoo, and the Tang. I saw this book on Amazon.com, & knew I had to have it. This book is Great! There are things in this book that are not covered in the others. Not only was the exploits of O'Kane in submarines great, his leadership when he was a prisoner of the Japanese shows what kind of man he really was. I could not put this book down. The only reason it took 3 days to read was because I had to go to work during those days! The author does give you some timelines along with what O'Kane wss doing with his boats. You can follow along during the war for the whole book. This is a must read book if you read about submarines PERIOD!



4. This book is at least aptly titled. Richard O'Kane was one of our country's greatest and most audacious naval heros. O'Kane also authored his own, brilliantly written and unsurpassed account of the wartime patrols of the USS Tang in "Clear The Bridge!" "The Bravest Man" unfortunately pales in comparison in terms of style, readability, and suspense. Most annoying to me were the author's frequent and interruptive digressions and flashbacks from O'Kane's incredible carreer aboard Wahoo and Tang, back and forth to the more general history of the U.S. pacific submarine force, the politics of the admirals and their inept tactical mandates, other famous and not-so-famous boats and crews, O'Kane's years as a midshipman at Annapolis, etc. Most of this just distracted me from the book's central portrayal of O'Kane as "the bravest man." I also noticed that some sentences were copied and sprinkled throughout the book, making the same point, as if the author didn't remember having made them before. This is definitely not Pulitzer Prize material, in my opinion. My recomendation is to put this submarine book at the bottom of your list, and instead buy O'Kane's own "Clear The Bridge!", in my opinion the best written, most authentic, most audacious, most suspenseful, can't-put-it-down submarine book I have ever read.



5. An excellent presentation by Mr. Tuohy on all aspects of the submarine war in the Pacific, focusing on Dick O'Kane. All the people involved were brought to life, their courage, fears and worries all on display. Many of the combat scenes were well written, showing how hunting Japanese ships could turn into an all-day affair, and the frusrtation at times when torpedoes miss or malfuction. You felt the fear and the jolts of depth charge attacks, always wondering if the next one would have your name on it. I also liked how Tuohy highlighted all the problems that plagued the sub service, from malfunctioning torpedoes to inept and vain commanders, to sub skippers having to be relieved because they crack under pressure.

   Dick O'Kane was not superman. He was just a dedicated guy who took his job seriously and did whatever it took to hurt the Japanese. It was also something to see how innovative O'Kane and his ilk were. When you're all alone in the middle of hostile territory, you gotta do what you can in order to survive.

   All in all, a great testament to the men who sacrificed so much so we can enjoy our freedom today.

5 comments about An Unorthodox Soldier.

1. Readers should be aware that more than a first person narative of events this book contains a point of view of Mr. Spicer towards PMC's (Private Military Company). I was expecting an action packed biography and instead found myself reading about a PMC named Sandline. Sandline is a company that no longer exists and Tim Spicer explains why it doesnt. He lays out all sorts of historical backgrounds and current facts in support of privatizing war. To be fair I enjoyed learning about the nature of military contractors and enlightened my position in support towards them. Someone interested in some action should probably stay away. If you are interested in a more political point of view towards mercenaries this is a great book for you.



2. The autobiography is interesting but what I found particularly thought provoking is the discussion of what the future holds for government armies and the new world of terrorism and insurgencies. What Col. Spicer predicted 7 years ago as a need for private security forces to be used by legitimate governments has come to pass. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand the complicated future of the modern military.



3. Gives a good overview of the early start of PMC's. The type is small and a bit hard to follow the story line. Good history lession of the Britsh Army and how it is formed.



4. I found the writing in this book to be spotty. The first few chapters provide a introduction to the world of the PMC (of which Tim Spicer has play a large role in). Although the book was published in 1999,previous to his founding of Aegis, I wish that he would have continued with his thoughts on PMCs. As a major player in the industry, Spicer's vision on the industry as a whole would be very interesting to read.



5. This is a brave book, free of the bitter blood and guts filling current works in the category. There's a lot more serotonin than testosterone here. The work isn't about bravery under fire; it's about the ideas a very professional man has about his occupation, Soldiering. And his industry, - War.
   In our present international state Spicer's Peace Making makes more sense than the U.N.'s Peace Keeping. In a world where our leaders run around like rock stars continually checking their popularity poles, Tim Spicer takes a hard look at the best way to save lives, civilian and military. He lays out how war actually works covering the necessary facts and not drowning the reader in details. There's no harping on the cold hard facts of being a soldier; he relates the conditions as if it's of no more importance than a weather report.
   While the world leaders are busy ranting and consoling, the man with the gun seems to be the only one thinking. Spicer's case for P.M.C's is well organized and placed in relevant areas within the story of his experiences as a soldier. It brings up important questions that eventually must be dealt with. The logic is irrefutable, men are a P.M.C.'s assets; companies don't waste assets the way governments have been known waste soldiers. The cold logic of his arguments is like the truths he reveals, a little hard to take at times.
   Far from being the unfeeling hard [nosed] commander, his anguish bleeds through when he tells the tale of how badly two of his men were treated in Ireland and his frustrated anger is clear when dealing with several government double crosses. He seems to find these more insulting than frightening because they are so hopelessly flawed. It's almost as if he were saying, "And these are the guys running things?"
   Throughout it all there is humor, passion and suspense and not all questions are answered. I find myself still wondering where the knife, compass and money was? Spicer doesn't tell us or the enemy everything.
   All said, though this might not be considered a woman's book, I found Spicer's work strangely comforting, even hopeful.