5 comments about Once a Marine: An Iraq War Tank Commander's Inspirational Memoir of Combat, Courage, and Recovery.

1. Only a few books leap off the shelves and demand to be read - and "Once a Marine" is one of those few.
   
   This is the story of Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch, U.S. Marine Corps. It's important to add "USMC" after his name, because in Popaditch's story, being a Marine is integral to his survival following a grievous head wound and the subsequent rehab problems afterwards.
   
   In true "Gunny" fashion, this is an aggressive book. "Gy Pop", as he's known, came into his own as a young Marine, saw combat in Desert Storm, and became a drill instructor afterwards. He's as OOH-RAH and Semper Fi motivated as they come, and his energy and enthusiasm for all things Marine comes through loud and clear in this well-written book.
   
   Gy's life continues on a positive roll when he's photographed in Baghdad in 2003, cigar-in-hand, in front of the statute of Saddam. Now known to the world as the `cigar Marine', Gy Pop returns home to his loving wife April, and sons. But true to being a Marine, he volunteers for another tour in Iraq, where he's shot in the head with an RPG in Fallujah, loses one eye, much of his sight in the other, and is medically retired from his beloved Marine Corps. A typical macho Marine story, one might think, but it's Gy Pop who makes "Once a Marine" such a compelling story in the midst of such frustration of his life's seeming unraveling.
   
   "Once a Marine" is a spellbinding and story. From the stories of his Desert Storm days, to storming Baghdad in 2003, to the horrific story of being shot in the head by an PRG to the personal friction between him and his wife as he contemplates the premature end of his career in his beloved Marine Corps, this is the type of book that the reader will devour in an evening.
   
   What grabs the reader aren't the battle sequences; those who have fought tend to downplay their role in combat, and Gy Pop is no exception.
   Instead, his focus is on Marine Corps ethos and work ethic, his Marines, and how they all came together to assist him in his time of need. Needing assistance is unusual for Gy Pop, and he writes honestly and movingly of his struggle to accept help from his wife and sons, his Marines, and even the medical team at the "Blind Hospital."
   
   For a rough & tough Marine Gunnery Sergeant, Popaditch has written a brutally honest, yet incredibly moving story of his life as a Marine, and how the Marine Corps has prepared him for life afterwards.
   
   Recommended? Absolutely! ...and well done, and good luck to you, Gy...



2. Excellent book,couldn't put it down, a great read. Mr Popaditch humbly and honestly details his:
   experiences in the USMC,
   participation in conflicts overseas,
   injury and partial recovery,
   problems and frustrations in dealing with red tape before and after his release from the USMC.
   
   I highly recommend this book.



3. The story of Gunny Pop is a gritty and real version of one man's firsthand accounts in the Corps. I gave this book on Veterans Day to a family member and Marine whose enlistment is complete, although currently hospitalized for PTSD due to his own war wounds from Iraq. Even though every service member has his or her own story to tell, I hope Popaditch's memoir can help the healing process of not only my Marine, but other soldiers and warriors who have served and suffered physical and emotional wounds.



4. Once A Marine is first rate in every respect. Regardless of your politics or opinions on the war, Gunny Pop's story will make you proud of our military. His accounts put this old tanker back in the turret and his attitude, faith, humor and determination during his journey back from his horrific injuries is nothing short of inspirational. I cannot recommend Once A Marine highly enough. Thank you Nick for both your service to our Nation and for a superb book.



5. As a former Marine and the father of a deployed Marine I might be a bit biased but this is one book I can strongly recommend. I read it in one day. I laughed and I cried. This is not some talking head reporting his views from the safety of the Green Zone or a journalist writing second-hand accounts about the actions of others. This is the story of a warrior and his mission, told by that warrior. Even more it is the story of a man who maintained his faith in God, his family, and his nation. We should be truly grateful for men like Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch and the Corps he so proudly represents. Honor, courage, and commitment, those Marine Corps ideals come through on every page of this well-paced book. Thank you, Nick, for your service and for a very well written book. Semper Fi...Bob Hamer

5 comments about Faith in the Fog of War: Stories of Triumph and Tragedy in the Midst of War.

1. I had seen Chris on a local Atlanta Christian TV program promoting this book. Since I have a military ministry helping wounded Marine Families,and am interested in the spiritual treatment of PTSD, this man and his book interested me. It gave me more insight of our military's war experiences and
   how those who believe in God were able to face the daily grind of war with more strength. I liked his parallel comparisons of war experiences and Bible
   verses to help him cope with what he was doing in Iraq.
   I recommend the book we all need to understand what war is and how it effects our military (all volunteer)men and women and their families.



2. One of the most eye opening situations one can be in is on the battlefield, with one's mortality at stake. "Faith in the Fog of War: A Soldier's Stories of Triumph and Tragedy in the Midst of Battle" is the memoir of a U.S. Soldier who served in the Iraq war, and his reflections on his faith. His experiences are poignant and enlightening. "Faith in the Fog of War" is especially recommended for Christians and anyone concerned about the Iraq war.



3. This book changed my view of the war in Iraq, what is happening over there and what it means to me. Chris brought truth into my life through his stories and the applications he draws. The sheer honesty he exudes is inspiring and refreshig.



4. This book is a literal testimony of God's power and love. Chris' straightforward account of just about everything that happened in the front lines will enable one to be transported to Iraq and experience battle in God's presence without dodging the impact of war - from the distinct sound of bullets flying over his head to the honest human emotions that stirred in his heart will make you laugh and cry. Chris has vividly narrated how God carried him through it all. It's absolutely encouraging and inspirational and it would not take long for one to realize that God really authored this book. Chris was just a mere instrument so that we can see and feel His love and power in all and every given moment. We will be doing ourselves a favor for reading this book especially if we want to recognize God's presence in our lives...whether you're a believer or yet to be one.



5. A book and devotional written with the raw point of view that is War, barest of human condition coupled with the life of a Christian's walk of faith. Chris brings new perspective to the many faces of war and the perspective observation through the "Christian len" looking at our own individual lives. His writings allow each of us to apply that view to our own lives with the soul searching questions he includes in each chapter and we find ourselves asking at many points in our lives. Reading his writing had me stopping and taking into account many areas of my own walk of faith and what it means to me. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a devotional with the meat of what we need to be asking ourselves in our daily lives as Christians. A must read. A Must HAVE for those Christians serving our country.

5 comments about Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills.

1. Just amazing, This one of those books that you read and it plays like a movie in your head, you will find it hard to put down. If you like the role snipers play in war, this book is a must read. This is not just a first hand account of just some sniper, he was the best sniper in vietnam. Pick up this book today, you will be glad you did.



2. I wanted to read about Carlos Hathcock and was pleased to be able to do so. The book was very informative and enjoyable. I have lent the book to others to read.



3. This has to the story of one of the bravest and most dedicated soldiers of all time. This book tells of the dedication to an art form that is need these days more than we care to realize. Not only the story of a soldiers efforts, but also of his struggle with illness and his own actions on the field of battle.



4. This is probably the best book about snipers I have ever read. I loved it. The writing is excellent, and nicely discriptive. A great book if you want to know some things about snipers and what it means to be a sniper.



5. I was in the Marine Corp in the late 60s but was fortunate not to make a tour in Nam. Lost quite a few good friends over there.
   
   Saw this book mentioned on the web and couldn't wait to get it. A great moving story of someone we should be grateful to. Many men and women sacrificed their lives for us back here. Just hope people appreciate it.
   
   Couldn't put it down. Well written and enlightening.
   
   Wally

5 comments about Operation Hotel California: The Clandestine War Inside Iraq.

1. Its always amazing to me when an author who knows his subject well takes a fascinating subject and produces such a mediocre book.



2. I wish I had read the reviews here before I bought this book. A few pages into the book, I began to notice the word and idea repetition. Annoyed, I continued on, hoping that things would smooth out and the real story would begin. Unfortunately, it only got worse and by the time I got through the first chapter, I could take no more. Like another reviewer noted, I'll be selling my copy to a used book store. This book should have been edited by a competent editor before it was published. It was not and now I feel taken for $17.



3. A testament to the remarkable skills and patriotism of the CIA team in Iraq prior to the war. The accomplishments of this team are only overshadowed by what could have been if not for the ignorance and incompetence of so many others involved in the Iraq conflict. A very interesting story and I highly recommend the book just for that reason. The reason I did not rate it at 5 stars is that writing is pretty dry and the author relies too much on long quotes from Charles Faddis, an extremely capable CIO operative (now retired).



4. Rambling and repetitive, with an endorsement for Al Gore and pointless jazz references thrown in for good measure. Its point could have been made in a pamphlet- the Kurds are good fighters.



5. Hotel California is a poorly written, worthless book. Don't waste your money. I am taking it to the used bookstore after only reading maybe half of it. I considered throwing it into the trash. I have read maybe 20 or so books about OIF and this is, by far, the worst.

5 comments about A Rumor of War.

1. Caputo's account as a combat officer is the best book on direct experience in Nam. It ranks up there with Normen Mailer's The Naked and fhe Dead and Audie Murphy's WW2 account of his combat experience in To Hell and Back superbley written--gripping. Maurice



2. I thought this book was the best book on Vietnam that I have ever read. Its a facinating look into life as a line officer in a front line Marine Infantry batallion during the early part of the war. Caputo holds nothing back when it comes to describing life on the front line and what goes through the minds of these young, too young Marines who fought on the front line. An excellent read and I highly reccomend it.



3. Its a page turner from start to finish. A very unique view of the war.



4. Caputo wasn't much of a marine. He started complaining about Vietnam before he arrived. Every page is filled with criticism, cynicism, griping, complaining, and self-serving tripe. He wanted to be a hero, but he didn't have what it took to be anything but a whining wimp. Certainly he writes well. But writing well and living well are entirely different. He doesn't understand honor or duty. Sure the war was politicized, but so is every war. Sure the rules of engagement were stupid, but a soldier serves. Caputo did not serve; rather he whined. Many of us who served in Vietnam believed there were many things that made no sense. But we didn't turn tail and run. We served. For those who want to understand what is was like to be a soldier in Vietnam, read "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young" or "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts". If you want to know what is was like to be useless in Vietnam, read this book.



5. I assigned this book to my college students for a closer glimpse of the Vietnam Conflict. I had not read it before, but had done research and study on the subject. I found Caputo's book to be insightful, controversial and thought provoking. He doesn't glamorize the war but explains how it effected soldiers and one of the many reasons it was such a mess. Throughout the book, Caputo shows how the conditions changed the average American teenager into a robotic killer and how their experiences stayed with them. In the end, he speaks against the war, but not in the normal Jane Fonda version of bashing the military and labeling them rapists and baby killer. Caputo talks about how the government was at fault and created the situations that lead to PTSD and other issues for returning soldiers.
   
   A must read to understand the war and its effects on our soldiers.

5 comments about Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy Seal.

1. A crisp and informative account of one SEAL's career. Authentic and written by a (now) professional writer and screenplay author. So much written about the SpecOps community has been pumped up, selfserving ego tripping (Rogue Warrior et al) that it is refreshing to read an interesting and factual (I believe) account of SEAL operations and training. This book is more than sensational glorification of a violent and dangerous profession; it emphasizes the dedication and self discipline needed to endure physical and mental hardships almost beyond belief. The Kindle edition was well formatted with only a few minor hyphenation mistakes and the included photographs were pretty good. One thing that comes across loud and clear in this account is that SEAL operators are usually intelligent and resourceful, not just tough. We are blessed as Americans to have such men standing between us and evil.



2. Overall, I was pleased with Chuck Pfarrer's autobiography. I felt this is a good book which focused on the man rather than a high profile SEAL. Chuck takes us through his childhood to his combat tour at Beirut and the tragic bombing of the Marines barrack to his short time at Team Six. I felt he explained everything quite well.
   
   I felt some parts were left blank. For example, he cheated on his wife several times, and even more so I wonder why Chuck did what he did. He explained several times how bad he felt about his cheating, but I didn't felt like he explained it well enough. Also, the part with Sam (I don't think I got that name right) in Beirut and how scared Sam was and how Chuck called him a chicken and how no one liked him. I was surprised by this and even more so, later on after the bombing, Sam actually volunteered to go on the mission to spot for the French fighters who bombed the terrorist's bases. Why did Chuck left out many of the details on him?
   
   I recommend this book to anyone interested in just Military stuff, not only SEAL stuff. I think the book is well written enough so that you understand the person behind the SEAL, instead of just the SEAL.
   
   On a side note, about the cover, I thought I recognized it from somewhere and I think I found it. It was the cover used for a early 1990s computer game called SEAL Teams. I felt that was kind of cool and I believe the front cover is a man during the Vietnam era.



3. Although this book provides a glimpse inside the Navy Seals from an team leader's perspective, it was generally dry and drawn out ,spending a lot of time on Beruit and providing a lot of background information and editorials on the politics etc of that event that I am not interested in. This guy is a stud- no doubt, but I found myself skipping through the pages to find something interesting.



4. Seriously, this was an AWESOME BOOK. Reading the stories I was amazed at what kind of sh.. Mr. Pfarrer got himself into. From BUD/S to Beirut to Banana Republics to Cancer.. he's been at the front row of many key world events, as well as personal ones. (And I'm sure there's a few more that haven't been reported)
   
   The book was very compelling. And he did a great job writing. I really had a tough time putting it down. I always wanted to read "just one more story".
   
   I also enjoyed how it didn't glamorize, but also wasn't falsely modest. Chuck seems like a solid human being--and certainly went above and beyond in his service and in life. And he shares much of his experiences through the book.
   
   Anyhow, thank you Mr. Pfarrer!
   
   ps: and remember, it's "air-BORNE!!"



5. An excellent account of SEAL training and operations. Chuck Pfarrer is a veteran of the Beirut war and a witness to the car bombing called the first act of terrorism by our current enemies. He is a combat veteran and a former Naval officer. His Navy experience is important because he recalls the beginning of the war on terror , namely the situation in Beirut. This is an important book.

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

1. The author Aaron Cohen grew up in Hollywood, California to a wealthy family. Yet he knew that something was missing in his life.So at the age of eighteen, he travels to Israel where he works and lives on a kibbutz.Later, he joins the IDF.
   But he is not satisfied with just any unit but works hard and is accepted into a Top Secret Israeli Special Forces unit that takes the war to the terrorists.I really enjoyed his details of his training but was a bit disappointed that there was not a bit more information on his combat missions (that was due to security reasons).I would recommend this book to anyone who has aspirations on joining the IDF.



2. Brotherhood of Warriors is a disturbing look at life in one of the Israeli Special Forces, the Sayeret Duvdevan. The Sayeret Duvdevan is a counterterrorism force that works in the West Bank conducting secret operations against Palestinian militants. They undergo a year and a half of intensive and dangerous training which would surely be illegal in the U.S., followed by less than a year of active duty in the West Bank.
   
   The stress and emotional toll taken by the soldiers is startling, as are the differences between life in the U.S. and Israel. The author's background in the U.S., as well as his lack of knowledge about Israeli life in the beginning of the book help American readers connects to the story. The steady change he undergoes throughout his life in Israel is the most compelling part of the book; it shows the damage to humanity from being in an unending war.
   
   This book is a real eye-opener for any American wondering what life on the front lines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is like. I had never heard of the Sayeret Duvdevan before reading this book, and I will be looking for more good books on the Sayeret Duvdevan and their fellow IDF Special Forces, the Sayeret Matkal, and the Sayeret S-13.



3. My very brief review: Well written, engaging, humorous at times, inspiring, educational and most importantly a testament to those that put the safety and well being of their countrymen above their own.



4. I got this book about 20 days ago and I just finished. If I can use one word to describe this book it will be "introspection". The author spends about 50% of his narrative on his Jewishness and his desire to be in touch with it entirely. A lot of the introspection is about his childhood and upbringing; moving to Israel; life in Israel; and his feelings/reactions to special operations in the IDF special forces (Duvdevan). The other 50% is very unrevealing in the way of military operations. Very little is conveyed in the way of tradecraft and what is revealed is very basic. He does provide a glimpse into IDF special mission units, but just a glimpse. Of course, he is protecting operational security and methods, but it leaves a lot to be desired of a book with such a title. It seems like the story glosses over missions and operations and then he abruptly ends the book with his exit from the Israeli Defense Forces. It then becomes a little preachy on the lack of American resolve post-9/11. Otherwise, a good book with something to be desired. I came away feeling like he could have written more.



5. A good read and a fascinating story, Cohen becomes a man in the IDF and makes it to a special unit. The story brought me back to my days in the IDF. Some details are a bit exaggerated for effect or inaccurate but it doesn't take from the quality of the story.

5 comments about Black Edelweiss: A Memoir of Combat and Conscience by a Soldier of the Waffen-SS.

1. Most of us of a "certain age" have read at least a few major histories of World War II or about the Third Reich that would more properly be considered overviews. I have certainly read my share and more. Black Edelweiss is a more personal tale which takes the reader into the author's Waffen-SS unit and is written in such a way that one can imagine himself part of the scene.
   Black Edelweiss is a gripping tale of obscure battles fought both in the remote backwaters of Finland and Karelia but also on the Western Front as Allied forces overwhelmed Germany. It is a tale of courage, idealism, loyalty, betrayal, and often super-human endurance. It is also the tale of one man's journey from being an idealistic recruit in the elite forces of his homeland to POW status where he is confronted with the reality of the enormity of his country's crimes.
   Author Johann Voss intersperses stories of his service and his subsequent captivity with more personal stories of his family and his social milieu in such a way so that anyone who has ever served his country can identify with him on a basic human level. As for his membership in the SS, most fair-minded people understand that most members of that organization joined for the prestige of serving their country in an elite unit, not to commit war crimes.
   Those hungry for the gritty details of history will be most satisfied after reading Black Edelweiss. It is an important addition to the edifice of our knowledge about World War II.



2. The withdrawal of German SS troops from Finland to Denmark, when the Finns ended their resistance to Soviet pressure, is fairly well known. The impossibly short timetable the Germans were given to withdraw, Finnish attacks on withdrawing German forces, and the long retreat to northern Norway are not so well known. The author describes "his" campaign from the viewpoint of a well-trained, highly-motivated, teenage soldier who walked and fought all the way as a member of an SS mountain division. Later, as a prisoner of war, he was never identified as a member of, and so escaped the harsh treatment reserved for, the Waffen SS. Surprisingly, he became a clerk for an American war crimes tribunal member at Nuremberg. The author examines in this book the question of Waffen-SS war-crimes guilt, and so, justifiably from his position of relative innocence, joins an emerging genre that seems to attempt to rehabilitate the Waffen SS. Interestingly, he pursued a career at law, post war. This book suggests a separate legal and moral niche for the Waffen SS who were indeed "just soldiers, too", which, at Nuremberg, was judged not to be the case.



3. The author tells a rather disappointing story abouth when he was a humble and simplistic soldier, proud of the "good branch of SS", despite hiding it during captivity for obvious reasons and ignoring his father's advice not to join the SS for the "things they are doing here". Another German soldier that "didn't know anything"... Impressive is that the author insisted that war was "Europe fighting against bolshevism", ignoring all the nations invaded by Germany and validating that thought with the fact that non-Germans from invaded countries were joining SS for obscure reasons...



4. This book is the memoir of a young German who in 1943 at the age of seventeen volunteered for the "Waffen-SS" (the military SS which was distinct from the political SS that ran the concentration camps) and subsequently served in the SS Mountain Infantry Regiment 11. He saw combat first at the Karelian front in Northern Finland against Soviet Russia and later at the Western front against the Americans and their allies. The memoir is the honest and accurate account of a brave soldier who sincerely albeit erroneously believed that he was fighting for a just and noble cause. It deals as much with the struggle between opposing armies which took place on the battle field as with the struggle between supposed duty and nagging doubt which took place in the author's mind.
   
   I can attest to the honesty and accuracy of the author's account because I too was a German soldier and had similar experiences which I reported in my book "A Mind in Prison" (Potomac Books, Washington D.C., 2000). I also fought in Finland though not in Karelia but north of it directly at the Arctic Ocean. Having been equally inexperienced and idealistic as the author of "Black Edelweiss," I volunteered for military service in 1939 at the age of eighteen and went through the same struggle of the mind between supposed duty and doubt.
   
   While reading "Black Edelweiss" I sometimes had the feeling that the author described my own experience. It was the same enemy, the same fight, the same landscape, the same cold, the same makeshift bunkers, the same insufficient rations, the same exhaustion, the same endless winter-night, and the same northern lights. Maybe the author experienced even harder fighting than I did, because the Waffen-SS was an elite corps which was always deployed where the fighting was the hardest. Nevertheless, I know how it was, and I have no doubt that the author is telling the truth.
   
   When Finland surrendered in September 1944, the German troops in Finland began a long retreat to Norway, avoiding neutral Sweden. The author's SS-unit marched from the area East of Rovaniemy (the capital of Lapland) to the area of Tromsoe in Northern Norway and from there to a sea-port where they could embark on a troop transporter to Germany where they were urgently needed. My military unit took the northernmost route from Kirkenes to Hammerfest where we embarked on a troop transporter which took us to Narvik. Both operations
   were exceedingly exhausting marches through the Artic night.
   
   Whereas my unit remained in Narvik till the end of the war, the author's unit was moved to the Western front which in early 1945 was already within Germany's borders. There they offered the last resistance to an enemy which was far superior in terms of numbers and material. They fought as bravely as usual but after heavy losses finally surrendered, landing the author in an American prisoner of war camp.
   
   The book is well written and documented with rare photos from the war in the Arctic. Since the author wrote his book immediately after the war while still being a prisoner of war, while I wrote my book more than fifty years later, the author does not completely come to terms with his fight for a criminal regime and with the hardships of a prisoner of war stemming from the collective accusations against the SS as a whole, whereas I had the advantage of having gained a soothing distance from the tragedy of WWII. But this difference diminishes neither his book nor mine. Each in its own way is a testimony before the court of history about brave young men who thought that they were doing their patriotic duty while in reality they were serving evil. The reader be the judge.



5. This book is excellent and far better than The Forgotten Soldier. The account is believable and in great detail, written sooner by the author than most memoirs are.

5 comments about Fate is the Hunter.

1. This book reads about as exiting as the monotone drone of a window box fan on a hot sweaty summer night. Gann's style seems didactic to say the least. Muddling through the first chapter I fell asleep and woke up just in time to learn of a near miss in the plane Gann was flying. However in all fairness, most books are written like this, full of details and tangents before coming to the point. Who can get through Moby Dick or Les Miserables without wondering where the authors are going? One should only read books like these if he has a bad case of insomia.
   
   If one is looking for the plot to the movie: Fate Is The Hunter, forget it. This book has almost nothing in common with the excellent screenplay written by Harold Maud except for the title and some flashbacks. Of course it is always a disappointment when the movies don't follow the books, which are usually better than the movies; this case being one of the exceptions.
   
   The paperback book is not an abridged version of the hardcover. So don't try searching for a used copy as I did. It's just a waste of time and money. Quite frankly, I'm sorry I bought the book.



2. Flight possesses a seductive mystique and "Fate is the Hunter" is one of the few books that has ever really truly captured flight's essence.
   
   It is not only pilots that look skyward at the sound of an aircraft or slow down a little as they drive past an airfield. Similarly, Gann captures what is almost intangible and presents it to the reader with an immaculate style that will engross all who read it.
   
   Gann carefully blends the worlds of the philosophical and aeronautical. In this mix, the reader looks out from the cockpit to at times see better within themselves.
   
   A true classic.
   
   Owen Zupp. Author: "Down to Earth"
   
   www.owenzupp.com
   DOWN TO EARTH: A Fighter Pilot's Experiences of Surviving Dunkirk, The Battle of Britain, Dieppe and D-Day



3. This is the memoir of one of the first 300 airline pilots in America. It tells the story of the development of the airline industry and the Air Transport Command during World War II. It is well-written with wit and pathos. I enjoyed the read.



4. This is one of those books that has a sneak ending - best appreciated by reading through at a steady rate (which only makes sense once the climax of the book is revealed). The stories, anecdotes and tales seem almost trite and mundane - but build to the showdown, for me a life lesson. Flying is revealed for the joy it is, for its wonder, the thrill of a good landing when one has fought the good fight aloft in peril of ending badly. Gann wrote the thing with a purpose - and it wasn't to entertain you. He is like a grandfather with good advice, and he hits you with a zinger to make the point. You will be grateful, either gender, any station, rich or poor.



5. One will see why this was and remains one of the best works of fiction in any genre, but especially aviation. A great book that every pilot has in the bookcase. I also highly recommend, Flying North South East and West,
   a non-fiction book that I think is destined to become an aviation classic.
   Flying North South East and West: Arctic to the Sahara,

5 comments about Patton: A Genius for War.

1. I've been facinated by history since grade school and just fell in love with this book. Patton was an amazing character and one of those rare individuals that only comes along every hundred years or so.
   
   This book is very long, but gives as complete a biographical picture of Gen Patton as possible. It details his entire life, from childhood through WW1 and WW2 all the way until his untimely death. Sadly his career was constantly derailed by lesser gifted generals like Ike or Bradley. If you are a history buff or Patton fan, then this book is for you.



2. I had never read anything regarding General Patton, but after having watched the movie "Patton" again, I went to find the best biography of Patton available. I read many of them, but BY FAR, this is the best available. A work of biographical art: reveals the humanity of Patton the warrior, and reviews his place in history without prejudice.
   
   Sincerely recommended to everyone who wishes to read an excellent biography of General George S. Patton.



3. This is by far the most comprehensive and enjoyable biography I've read on General Patton. Mr. D'Este has painstakingly recorded the entire life of one of the greatest battlefield commanders in history. As the New York Times Review states "...he neither damns nor beautifies his subject". There's no better way to sum up this work. It's brilliant and fair. I'm looking forward to the author's new book on Winston Churchill that should be arriving this year.



4. I for one, certainly do not agree with Alistair Horne's phrase,"Revisionism at best" with regards to this book.
   As mentioned by earlier reviewers, Carlos D'Estes book traces the Patton family history to soldiers in earlier times. That General Patton was influenced by these family heroes is without doubt. In fact, it explains a lot about the man's sense of destiny, responsibility, and continual need to excel at whatever he attempted.
   More than a quick sketch of a complex man, this is a biography worth reading and studying.
   Patton was one of his kind.
   An invaluable book to anyone seeking to understand Patton on and off the battlefield.
   Well written, I couldn't put it down.



5. Patton is often described as "controversial". To those who have never fought in war, or perhaps even just engaged in competitive sports, or who otherwise have only a sort of normal, everyday idea about how people ought to act, I suppose he is: Arrogant, sometimes outwardly cruel, demanding, competitive, a taskmaster, single-minded, agressive, angry, all the rest. I've never fought in war, but I've played my share of competitive sports (a paltry parallel, but the best I can do). In sports, everyone (if they're lucky) had a coach like this somewhere along the way, and they most likely took more lessons away from that man or woman than all the colorless middle-of-the-roaders combined. They most likely achieved things under that person's direction that they didn't know they had the capacity to do. They most likely recall details about that person many years later, after they've forgotten most of the others. When the old team-mates get together, that's who most of the stories are about (many told as being funny, now - not so at the time).
   
   To me, that's Patton: An American original who just barely escaped being a bombastic buffoon. He avoided that fate and scaled the heights of history because he was a born leader of men - one who either broke them (rarely), or got the best out of them (much more often); because he knew his business inside-out; because he worked at it day and night; and most of all, because finally, he WON.
   
   I think that this intensely personal essence is what is most completely captured in this book. It fills in many of the overlooked or understated details from the well-known George C. Scott movie, and adds much new material besides. An excellent book, worthy not only as a war biography, but as a study of what it honestly takes to do REALLY well at any endeavor in life.