5 comments about Art of War.

1. Somewhat flimsy but you can't beat the price. Basic as it gets, I understand it is a good translation. If you are buying for a devout Tzu fan, spend more.



2. I have saw Art of War for the first time in my firends house, it was a coniderably big book and the accounts in it were told by stories.
   This book is more like a manual, i just has bullet points of wisdom, not the rich content of storytelling and parables..
   That is not to say it isnt good, it like it.
   
   So if you are looking for a nice short version and are looking simply for the heart of the matter, this is your book.



3. So Far, This is my favorite translation of the Art of War by Sun Tzu. A great read - with deep implications for strategy in everyday life.



4. Very good price, fast shipping, book was in great condition. I have read excerpts from this book through the years and a I am excited to finally read it in its entirety.



5. I'd heard all about this book throughout the years. Some people have sworn by it, some people had written it off as 'over-rated'. I personally find this book inspiring, as like many others, I try and apply 'The Art of War' to my every day life. Is it some sort of spiritual or mental awakening? No, not at all. Do I plan on leading my life on by the words of Sun Tzu? Of course not. However, I will say that many of the sayings/verses within this book are very inspiring to me; through the words of a man who lived centuries ago on another continent, I can take his broad view of life and see my own more clearly.
   
   A solid, inspirational read, but if you're a collector, go with the hard copy.

5 comments about The Last Train from Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back (John MacRae Books).

1. My father was at the launch of the Enola Gay. I bought "The Last Train from Hiroshima" to research the history that surrounds this historic and tragic event. Now that it has been revealed that the book contains inaccuracies to the point of being a work of fiction, I would encourage any one considering the purchase of this book to resist the temptation. If you want an account of the impact of the bomb on the victims of Hiroshima, read John Hersey's "Hiroshima." It has stood the test of time and is factual. It is a classic.



2. I love military history - everything from the Revolution through Vietnam. So, needless to say I was looking forward to reading this one. Being a Barnes & Noble member, imagine my surprise to find that I could not purchase the book at my local store. However, I was told that "Amazon is still selling it". Of course that piece of good news quickly went sour when I read the most recent reviews and actual media reports.
   
   And the author's attempts to explain away the errors ("I used pseudonyms to protect them") only serves to compound his credibility problem. Clearly he is back-pedaling as quickly as possible.
   
   And now my desire to read this book is trumped by my disgust at being misled, or at least an attempt to mislead. So, I'll pass, thanks just the same.



3. Pellegrino's "The Last Train From Hiroshima" tells the personal stories of many Japanese citizens directly affected by our A-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Among those stories are some of the 165 who survived the first A-bomb (8/6/1945 at Hiroshima), traveled to Nagasaki (173 miles away) - many on the last train from Hiroshima, and were subjected to a second A-bomb just three days later. One of those 'doubly-bombed' was Mitsubishi oil-tanker designer Tsutomu Yamaguchi. Ironically, at the time of the Nagasaki bombing Yamaguchi was trying to convince his boss and co-workers in Nagasaki of how powerful the Hiroshima bomb had been. After WWII ended, Mr. Yamaguchi became a carpenter and helped rebuild schools, then a school-teacher, and finally was asked by the Japanese government to speak to the U.N. in 2006, where he pleaded for mutual cooperation and assistance, as well as the abolition of nuclear weapons. Mr. Yamaguchi lived lived to be 93, dying in early 2010 of stomach cancer just before the book was released.
   
   Pellegrino's book has generated controversy due to his often quoting an American flight engineer, Joseph Fuoco, who claimed to be aboard 'Bock's Car' when it bombed Nagasaki, and substantiated that claim to Pellegrino with a number of documents and photos. Feedback and photos from early readers and other sources indicate that Fuoco was not on that flight. Regardless, since the focus of Pellegrino's book is on the experiences of Japanese citizens near 'Ground Zero,' the veracity of Fuoco's claims don't make much, if any overall difference. More troubling, perhaps, is the fact that the book's publisher (Henry Holt) has stopped printing because of questions over the revocation of Pellegrino's PhD. degree in 1984, and the true identity of a Japanese priest identified with only a pseudonym.
   
   Only 1.2 lbs (two teaspoons) of 83% enriched material actually fissioned, and that required only one-hundred-millionth of a second. People directly below were vaporized. Surviving either of the blasts was largely a matter of luck - how close one was to the epicenter (85% were killed within a mile at Hiroshima), whether there was any substantive shelter between the individual and the blast (a bomb-shelter tunnel, in the basement of a bank; the Nagasaki area was hillier than Hiroshima), whether one was facing the blast at initial detonation (likely blinded, and face severely charred/burned), and whether one was wearing light, long-sleeved clothes and hat (black clothing almost guaranteed immediate death for those close-in). Those knowledgeable enough to not turn and look at the blast and instead immediately leap to the ground (preferably within a ditch) had much higher odds of survival - especially if they were not subsequently directly exposed to the subsequent radioactive black rain that followed.
   
   Many survived the initial blast, only to quickly fall ill and die from radiation sickness. About half the fatalities occurred on the first day; Hiroshima officials estimated about 60% of these were due to burns. (Many Japanese said the burning flesh smelled like squid grilled over hot coals.) Others lived for 1-2 years or even as long as a decade, then died of leukemia; still others died later at an early age of various cancers. A very few benefited - the blast reshaped their eyeballs and eliminated the need for glasses; one physician was reportedly dying of intestinal cancer, then went into remission after the blast and survived - supposedly because of the 'radiation treatment.'
   
   Pellegrino explicitly avoids addressing the question of whether the U.S. should have dropped either or both bombs, though he does reveal that the pilots involved were quite worried that more would be needed. The Japanese cabinet met with Emperor Hirohito for two hours after Nagasaki before he decided to surrender. Even then, some military leaders plotted to isolate the Emperor to prevent his declaring an end to fighting. They guessed, correctly, that the U.S. had no more A-bombs, but also grossly overestimated how long it would take to make more - only 1-2 months in actuality. Regardless, their plot melted away when some of the leaders learned that the American armada was already closing in on Tokyo. Japan surrendered on 8/15/1945.
   
   Pellegrino also tells us that prior to the Hiroshima bombing, local school-children were carving wooden bullets for fighting at close range (metal was scarce), sharpening bamboo spears, and constructing two-shot wooden handguns for distribution to children and their mothers. Near Ground Zero, a military physician was teaching new soldiers, some only 14-15, new procedures for strapping bombs to their bodies and throwing themselves under vehicles. Any invasion of Japan was bound to create enormous casualties on both sides. Some estimate that about one million American casualties and several million Japanese would have resulted, vs. the 150,000 - 250,000 that died in the A-blasts. Prior to dropping the A-bombs, U.S. fire-bombing had already resulted in great destruction of 67 Japanese cities and as many as 500,000 deaths - without deterring Japanese determination.
   
   Pellegrino does a good job telling the stories of the Japanese in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Unfortunately, conveying the destruction requires more than words, and he includes zero pictures - a major deficit. "The Effects of Nuclear Weapons," published by the Atomic Energy Commission in 1962, provides a number of photos from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Presumably James Cameron will also fill that void - he has optioned the book for a movie.)
   
   Bottom-Line: "Little Boy" (Hiroshima) had a yield of about 15 KT, "Fat Man" (Nagasaki) was larger - 21 KT. Both are quite small by today's standards. The most powerful American (thermonuclear) bomb exploded was 15 MT; the Russians countered with 50 MT - about 3,000 times more powerful. One estimate (Answerbag.com) is that if an 'only' 200 KT thermonuclear bomb had instead been been dropped on Nagasaki, 690,000 would have been killed. That's still 250 times smaller than the largest Russian bomb, and it was only half-loaded with nuclear fuel (bilderberg.org). Regardless, thousands of these monstrous bombs are now held by both the U.S. and Russia. Some are presumably hidden underwater just off our coasts reading for launch at the push of a button - with impact only minutes later. It really doesn't matter whether Fuoco was on Bock's Car over Nagasaki or not, who the priest was or if he even existed, or why Pellegrino's PhD. was revoked. The 'real' issue is whether "The Last Train From Hiroshima" describes our future.



4. I went through Hiroshima in 1959 and saw the devastation. I also wrote a book on WWII Pacific POWs that included a great deal of research on Nagasaki. The book is a thorough study of the results of the atomic bomb damage and the lasting and continuing results. The writing is a vivid picture of the death and suffering but does not relate the horrors of fire bombing elsewhere in Japan although fire bombing didn't have the long term effects. The author also missed the Japanese exploding their own atomic bomb three days after the bombing of Nagasaki. A great book.



5. I just finished reading this book today after being on a wait list at the library for some time. I was aware of some of the controversy regarding the author's sources but I didn't realize the extent of his inaccuracies and seeming fraud until I went to write a somewhat positive review here. The most glaring thing I learned from reading reviews here and checking the NYT's article is that the most parts of the book I found most significant are those most in question by the publisher. I was shocked to learn Joseph Fuoco, who is mentioned and quoted repeatedly, never was a part of the Hiroshima bombing. On top of that, the shocking revelation that the Hiroshima bomb was considered a "dud" by scientists due to an accidental reaction on Tinian that supposedly killed a scientist, is simply not true. It never happened. I had never read anywhere of such an incident and believed it to be a stunning, unknown fact that the author had uncovered through research. It surprised me so much I shared the information with friends and my wife. My wife was smart enough to question the story. I did not and that alone causes me to feel I wasted my time reading this book and very glad I didn't purchase it. But as someone commented, the shame of this is that the book will sit on library shelves and be read by people who never heard of this controversy. In fact, it's not a controversy at all because it is clear that the incident never took place and everything Fuoco told the author was untrue. These are significant sections of the book. Now I know also that another powerful part of the book, the suicide of a Jesuit priest, never happened and the priest never even existed. These are not minor errors. They are parts of the book that have a tremendous impact on the reader. As a result, everything in Pellegrino's book is called into question and nothing can be relied on as true. Simply correcting sections of the text resolves very little when the basic veracity of the author is questionable. While writing the book, did not Pellegino himself wonder why some of his "facts" seemed so shocking and never before heard of? It's all pretty astonishing and insulting to historians who devote a lot of hard work to verifying what they write. It is also an insult to the reader and especially to those who bought this book. However, all blame isn't Pellegrino's as the publisher is to be faulted for putting this mess into print.

5 comments about Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.

1. Surely, you the know the background of his story, but hearing about the physical and mental extremes he went through during this historical fight from the lone survivor makes it a must read. SF soldiers have a never back down, never quit, always succeed mentality and he makes their very clear in his book. Remember, this is the guy to got in a high speed chase after two thugs killed his dog.



2. Lone survivor is an awesome book. I like the audio version and played it back and forth to work. What a story. God bless the Navy Seals. They are true heroes. Marcus Lutrell is THE MAN!



3. I have read several military books, all of which I have enjoyed (Shooter, Inside the Crosshairs, House to House, Marine Sniper, just to name a few). But this was by far the most interesting war book I have ever read, and I read the entire book within two days (not bad for a college student with multiple tests that week). The book was just captivating and simply hard to put down.
   
   The first half of the book is somewhat a review for anyone familiar with SEAL training and Hell Week, but the writers found a way to make it very personal and interesting, tracing Mr. Luttrell's journey through BUD's. The writers take the reader on a first hand account of Class 226 and 228's training.
   
   Slightly before midway through the book is when the writers begin the narration of Operation Red Wing, and I can honestly say I read the remaining 200+ pages nonstop. The account of that dreadful operation is simply amazing, and Mr. Luttrell's story got my heart racing at times, and had me tearing up in others. Just an amazing account of what happened and the men involved.
   
   I can understand some reviews that say Mr. Luttrell uses the book as his soap-box against the "liberal media", and quite frankly the reviewers are correct. Although I agree with Mr. Luttrell to an extent on the issue, I did at times get a little frustrated hearing about the topic repeatedly.
   
   But to be honest, this is such a minor detail in the book, and does not take away enough away from the books main purpose of telling the story of the brave men involved in Operation Red Wing and their heroics. Anyone who would give this book a one star rating for the political message in the book is out of their mind, and I truly believe that, because it is such a minor part of the book. Furthermore, anyone who claims the book is boring or written poorly, well I would love to hear some recommendations from you all, because it would have to be ONE HELL of an exciting book!
   
   If you are interested in a story of modern warfare and the men who risk all conducting it, this is the book for you, I highly recommend it!



4. Excellent story of Navy Seal training, patriotism, modern warfare and the men who risk all conducting it. Very readable and intelligent. I highly recommend it!



5. I really enjoy reading these military accounts which take you behind the lines and make you feel like you're right there with the military members who are living these incredible events. I thought it was a great story of his life and training and preparation and the very heroic battle that these brave warriors fought to protect and defend all of us who are so lucky to live in this great country. It makes me appreciate our military more after reading this book. It was a great read.

2 comments about Holy Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades.

1. Someone has finally written a history of the Crusades that is easily understood and appreciated, from the causes, the reasons to the personalites involved.
   
   And it also shows how those long ago holy battles continue to have a profound impact on our world today, from the World Trade Center to the latest jihad.
   
   A book that all who seek to understand the religious conflicts of our day--and tomorrow--should read.
   
   It may well be critical to our full and complete understanding of where we came from and how we got where we are today, as a world, as people of faith(s), and as people not afraid of, even eager, to go to war. The spilling for blood for a cause is not unusual. This book is is the story of those causes, of the men who caused the blood to be spilled in defense of God as they knew him to be.
   
   Quite gripping and at times a disturbing story,but a story critical to our understanding of today's world. And in words,thoughts and concepts we can understand and relate to.



2. Trying to examine two centuries of war, on two continents, and across five theatres in a single volume requires audacity. And Jonathan Phillips's "Holy Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades" is certainly audacious in its scope, covering not only the several medieval efforts to reclaim and maintain a presence in the Holy Land, but for good measure throwing in the reconquering of Spain, the blood-drenched suppression of the Albigensians in southern France, and the so-called "Northern Crusades." Needless to say, in just over 400 pages, it is a shallow consideration at best.
   
   Though exploring none of these conflicts in sufficient depth, Philips does succeed on other, more intellectual levels. Most importantly, he demonstrates that the contradiction moderns imagine between piousness and brutal violence is anachronistic. The Christian knights who massacred their way through Jerusalem until covered with "blood from head to foot" and fell to their knees weeping at the burial place of the Prince of Peace, saw no conflict between the two. Yet wishing to paint as many of the crusaders as possible with a broad and forgiving brush, he can go too far; few scholars would agree that Venice's Dodge Dandolo, whose manipulations led to the sacking of Constantinople, was a mere victim of circumstances.
   
   Even if shallow on each Crusade (the Cathars alone merit volumes, here receiving a scant 20 pages), Philips still delivers a gripping read, populated with fascinating characters, known (Saladin, Richard The Lionheart, Dandolo) and more obscure (Queen Melisende of Jerusalem, The Leper King Baldwin IV, Louis IX). In examining the Crusades through their Muslim opponents' eyes, Philips offers a fascinating perspective. If lacking sufficient depth, it successfully demonstrates how the crusading spirit casts a long shadow into our present day, one which we ignore at our own peril.

5 comments about Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan, 1942-1945.

1. This book, like Barrett Tillman's other excellent book, the Clash of Carriers, provides the personal experiences of the men who were involved in bombing Japan. However, it also provides the strategic context for these events. Of course, the personal experiences are what makes this book. We are coming to the point where these men will no longer be with us, and sharing their experiences in print is priceless.
   
   Here are a couple of examples to whet your appetite for this book. (1) There is the story of the gunner who was blown out of a B-29 at 29,000 feet and thanks to a make shift chord connecting him to the plane was dragged outside of the plane until a number of the crew could pull him in. (2) There is the story of the individual who accidentally fired off a flare in the plane. If the flare was not thrown out the window, it would burn through the plane's floor and detonate the bombs. Although he was blinded by the accident, he picked up the flare and threw it out the window. He received the Medal of Honor for his action.
   
   Like his previous book, the author shares some insight on how things were accomplished in this period. For example, he shares how a bombadier made a Norden bombsight work, how a landing officer on a carrier helped a plane land on a bouncing deck, and the experiences of a P-51 fighter pilot who flew from Iwo Jima to Japan in a cramped uncomfortable space for 7 hours.
   
   These are just some examples. He also shares the experiences of the men who were on the planes that dropped the first two atomic bombs, the experiences of the crews who fire bombed Tokyo in March, 1945, the carrier pilots who flew over Japan and had dog fights over their cities in the last few months, and the crews of bombers other than the B-29, e.g. the B-25 and B-24, who bombed Japan at the end of the war.
   
   This is an excellent book and recommended for all individuals who are interested in reading about WWII in the Pacific.



2. The story of the B29 campaign against Japan is a microcosm of how the USA did its part to win World War II. Whirlwind tells the remarkable stories of:
   
   1. The stupendous achievement in engineering technology and industrial production that went into the design, production, and deployment of the plane. The B29 was a gigantic plane, two of which would placed wing-to-wing would cover an entire football field. It was highly advanced with fire control by analog computing and remote-control of multiple gun turrets by a single crewman. The USA was able to produce thousands of these planes and create in the remote areas of China and the Pacific Islands the almost inconceivable infrastructure required to keep them flying.
   
   2. The astounding degree of cooperation among engineers, production workers, and the branches of the armed forces to get this weapon into the war. A remarkably short time passed between the conception of this plane, its production, and its deployment. This was one aspect of America's wartime spirit of intensively hard work to win the war.
   
   3. The huge amount of resources the USA committed to the effort. The first B29's were flown from bases deep inside Japanese-occupied China (I did not know this). The logistics of setting up these remote bases and keeping them stocked with fuel was a war within a war. Then the B29s were rebased to the Pacific islands and the effort scaled up a 100 fold.
   
   4. The amount of effort required to work the "gremlins" out of the highly complex plane and to make it effective. Nearly 20% of the planes aborted due to mechanical failures on the early missions. Most of the planes that did get airborne missed their targets due to bad weather and poor bombing control. Careers of many famous Army Air Corps men were ended while others were advanced in the course of dealing with these problems and turning the planes from a liability into a weapon of terrible effectiveness.
   
   5. The human stories of the men who flew the planes, the generals who conceived of the air campaign, and of the Japanese pilots who tried to defend against them. The story is vividly told through their perspectives and made to come to life. The reader will experience these events so vividly as to feel that he took part in them.
   
   Whirlwind is a well-written, easy-to-read book that provides a detail of information and color that will provide fresh insights even of those who have intensively studied the B29 campaign in other books.



3. Barrett Tillman scores again, with this comprehensive work on the battles in the skies over Japan. From the opening chapter, where he establishes the basic concept of air power as seen through the eyes of Mitchell, Trenchard, and Douhet, thru the creation, teething pains, and eventual deployment of Boeing's massive B-29 Superfortress, Tillman socks one out of the park. Not merely a treatise on 'Victory Through Airpower', he covers all the bases. Each chapter transitions nicely--from the AAC's precision bombing campaign, thru the fast carrier strikes of Mitscher and McCain, and back to the employment of the long-legged P-51 Mustang, finishing finally with the climactic use of 'Fat Man' and 'Little Boy', and their legacy. Much of what I learned by reading this book was new to me...such as the enormous amount of labor involved in setting up those island airfields, the back story on napalm and incindiaries, and most especially, the woeful lack of adequate fire-fighting ablity and equipment in the Japanese cities. Most of the works out there concern the 'getting there' part of the war with Japan. This one covers the 'are there' part.



4. Barrett Tillman is arguably America's finest aviation historian, having produced 30-something well-received military aviation titles over the years. WHIRLWIND, THE AIR WAR AGAINST JAPAN, 1942-1945 is his latest book. A comprehensive account of the American bombing campaign against the Japanese homeland, it brings together a wide range of events, personalities, policies and weapons and synthesizes them into one easy-to-understand, insightful whole. A valuable book for air war buffs, WHIRLWIND is a masterful performance by an author at the top of his form.
   
   After detailing the April 1942 Doolittle Raid on Japan, Tillman backtracks and discusses the early development of strategic air warfare and latter day proponents such as Mitchell and Arnold, the USAAF's creation of strategic warfare doctrine and development of bombers such as the B-17, B-24 and B-29 to implement that doctrine. Early American schemes to bomb Japan died aborning and it wasn't until the - premature - deployment of the B-29 to Chinese bases in 1944 that effective strikes could be mounted. It took the capture of Pacific islands such as Saipan, Guam and Tinian and the arrival of Curtis LeMay to turn the B-29 effort into a war-winning endeavor.
   
   As stated, WHIRLWIND, perhaps for the first time in a book, brings together all the pieces of the puzzle, lays them out in easy-to-understand terminology and relates how and why they played a part in the American air campaign against Japan. Further, Tillman's narrative looks at both sides of the equation, noting military developments in America and Japan and how they impacted events. Mistakes were made on both sides and Tillman evenhandedly chronicles these as well. Likewise, he transitions seamlessly from top-level policy matters to B-29 design developments to in-the-cockpit air battle descriptions.
   
   In short, Tillman manages to cram an incredible amount of information and insight into the book's 316 - not 336! - pages. Whatever the page length, WHIRLWIND may well be THE definitive account of the American air campaign against Japan. Highly recommended.



5. As a review, in a nut shell, Barrett Tillman is the finest aviation author out there and WHIRLWIND is the definitive book of the air war against Japan in WWII. It is will done and well researched and yet easy to read. This is a must for any WWII buff, aviation buff, or even a casual reader. It is very very good. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

5 comments about Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour.

1. Outstanding Research and presentation. Facts that l had never heard before, and presented in page turner fashion.



2. There are plenty of books that focus on WWII, but Citizens Of London is one of the few I've read that aims to look at the subject from a fresh vantage point: the book looks at the impact of a few high-powered Americans in Britain during the war, but before American involvement in it. The men include the well-known crusading journalist Ed Murrow, the wealthy and politically talented Averell Harriman, and the most obscure of the group, John Winant, the U.S. Ambassador. Later chapters focus on Eisenhower, who performed some similar tasks once the U.S. had entered the war. In essence, Winant, Harriman and Murrow were on the scene in Britain before America entered the war, trying to build relationships both with elites as well as with the British public by educating them, by educating the Americans about their plight, and by advocating on their behalf during the darkest days of the war. These men were famous men in England at the time--they were practically rock stars, mobbed by adoring fans--and they were instrumental in establishing relations between the two peoples. Lynne Olson does an excellent job of letting us know what these men were about and making them seem like real people--even though they had some similarities (such as having affairs with female members of the Churchill family!), the three men were very different people. I rather liked the book's treatment of Winant, an unsung figure in this chapter of history, and I was able to relate to him on many levels.
   
   So, if this book is so great, why not five stars? Well, I do feel that it could have been a bit shorter. Some of the latter chapters ignore the concept of the book entirely and mostly give general history on the latter stages of WWII, which I already knew. So, that brings it down just a bit for me. All in all, though, I would highly recommend the book to my fellow students of history. These men helped save the world. Honor their memories, and get this book!



3. Citizens of London is another fine work of World War II history by Lynne Olson. The book primarily focusses on three Americans who lived in London during the war: US Ambassador John Gilbert Winant, diplomat Averell Harriman, and broadcaster Ed Murrow. I knew quite a bit about Harriman and Murrow but little or nothing about Winant. All three men were influential in helping to form and nurture the "special relationship" between the US and Great Britain that eventually led to the Allied victory. The three had numerous personal interconnections, including liaisons with members of the Churchill family, Harriman and Murrow with the Prime Minister's daughter-in-law Pamela and Winant with his daughter Sarah.
   
   The most important parts of Citizens of London deal with the events of World War II. There can never be too many retellings of the hammering the British withstood during the war, and Olson's is one of the best. But even more important is the new information (at least its new to me) about the innumerable stresses and strains of the alliance between the US and Britain. As an ardently Anglophile American, I take great pride in the "special relationship", and it was eyeopening, to say the least, to read Olson's descriptions of the arguments and debates that took place between the British and American leadership during and after the war. The Americans felt the British looked down on them, while the British feared that US policy aimed to permanently weaken them. Beyond the chronicles of the lives of the three main characters are the stories of many others, both British and American, who played important roles during the war years. I remember Eric Sevareid and Charles Collingwood as elderly newsmen, so it was fascinating to read about their younger years. I was also touched to read about the many interactions between British civilians and American servicemen and the friendships that resulted. I almost cried when I read about English villagers offering strawberries and cream to Americans on the way to the D-Day landings or US soldiers in Normandy who were anxiously questioning Eisenhower about the fates of English towns which had been hit by Nazi V-1 bombs, or of the many letters sent by Americans at the front back to their friends in Britain.
   
   Citizens of London is an excellent recapitulation of an heroic time. If the story turns out to be darker and more convoluted than the legend would have it, it does not obscure the fact that two nations facing a common foe came to be partners and friends.



4. Citizens of London is well written. It gives the reader a totally different perspective on what it was like to live in London before World War II. I was intrigued by people like Gil Winant, our ambassador who replaced Joe Kennedy in London, as well as Edward R. Murrow and his dedication to reporting the "real stories" of life in London during the Blitz and how Americans were perceived during that time.



5. All I can say is I wish I had history books this interesting back when I was in college. This book as you may know cover the contributions of three important American figures in Britain during the early years of World War II before the U.S. had declared war. The people examined are John Gilbert Winant the American Ambassador to Britain after Joe Kennedy was recalled home; Edward R. Murrow the head of CBS news in Europe at the time, and Averell Harriman a businessman who developed the lend-lease program that would provide weapons, technology and materials to the British during the early years of WWII.
   
   Olsen explores through stories and anecdotes the lives of these men during this trying time for the England and how they made significant contributions to the war effort in England and hwo they were responsible for forging those early bonds that tied England and USA together in the battle against the Axis.
   
   Olsen is a journalist not a history professor, so she tend to mix in a bit of opinion and makes some claims without really justifying them, but that is easily overlooked for how fun and interesting of a read this book is. As a journalist the author crafts and tells great stories and you learn so much about how people you never knew existed had a great effect on WWII, and that includes many other people beyond the main subjects of Murrow, Winant and Harriman.
   
   If you are a fan of World War II history and politics I think you will enjoy this book like I did. It is not a military book by any means, but rather a book about political inner workings, creating public opinion and the economics of waging a war. If any of those things interest you, then I think you will find this book a great read.

5 comments about The Book Thief.

1. This book worked for me on several levels: simple yet captivating prose, memorable characters and scenes, a story that is at once grim, hopeful and oddly whimsical, and a truly unique narrator (Death). It conveys not only the well-known horrors of Nazi Germany but also the many levels of victimhood that dominate all parts of a society at war. The Book Thief should appeal to thoughtful teens as well as adults.



2. I read this as a bookclub pick and while the beginning feels a little slow it is well worth finishing. To quote a friend "It makes you feel".
   
   Kindle version - no editing/formating issues



3. This is a very moving book. The author is quite poetic, many beautiful phrases.
   An interesting concept in that the book is written by "death". But that is not a depressing concept in the way that it is presented.



4. -The Book Thief_ is my new favorite book to recommend, the best book I've read since Patchett's _Run_. I loved the two books-within-a-book, complete with illustrations. I also loved the way the narrator interrupts the narrative to comment and to foreshadow; thus we are prepared for many sad happenings and left with an overall positive view of the world, even in its most horrific times. Kindness conquers.
   
   The choice of narrator is a brilliant surprise, which expands as the book goes along. This author seems to be known as a write of fiction for young adults, but this book should move him into mainstream literature.



5. I had been told by a blogging friend that this book was amazing. It lingered on my TBR list for a while until my book club offered it as a choice for next month. As I wasn't thrilled with the other offerings, I was quite vocal in my desire that this be selected as our next book. I am so glad I spoke up so forcefully on the side of this book (seriously, the others were dull). This book is simply brilliant. It will move you in ways you never expected and surprise you in both good and bad ways. When I first started reading it, I was confused. The first few chapters were weird to me because they were unlike anything I had read in the past (which is part of the beauty of this book). The fact that Death is telling the story and can be quite funny at times (although often in unintentional ways), is sheer genius. Death has a way with words that draws you in and lulls you. The words become more than words. They paint a picture; comfort you; surprise you. You know early on what is going to happen to many of the characters, as Death is very straight up about these things, and you don't want to believe some of it, and in reading, you often forget. When you do remember, as Death likes to remind you of upcoming events, or read the actual events you are somehow surprised, saddened and angered. The characters are well fleshed out and you will fall in love with almost every one of them for different reasons. They show you the life of Germans during WWII. While Nazi's are obviously featured in the book, they are not the focus of it, other than how their actions affect the average citizen. These are not bad people, but people doing what they must to survive and maintain some sort of normalcy in a very un-normal time. These characters have depth is ways some writers can only dream of.
   I loved this book so much I ordered my own copy (the one I read came from the library) so I can read it again at my leisure and sent a copy to my dad as a gift. This will now be at the top of my gift giving list for readers. I hate that in the US it's marketed as YA because I'm afraid a lot of people will skip over it. I would certainly not consider this typical YA fare. Yes, high schoolers could (and should) read it, but the appeal of this book extends far beyond the teen years. Simply put, you MUST read this book. You will not regret it.

5 comments about With the Old Breed.

1. I would highly recommend this book about WWII in the Pacific. Sledge has a remarkable way of writing that makes you feel what he felt.



2. I've read a lot of books about WWII, particularly the Pacific theater. I deeply respect the fact that no one who hasn't experienced combat can really understand what it's like. If you're a veteran, my comments don't apply. But for a civilian like me, this book comes the closest to giving an idea of how awful it was. Just to think about what these men did, and what they endured to get it done, runs a shiver up my spine. An incredible story.



3. Stick your head up, you die. The descriptions here assault all your senses. The definitive story from a front line marine. It ain't pretty. It will shock some. But it is what happened.



4. I'm about half way through the Kindle edition of this book and have to say it is excellent. There are moments when you are brought into the battle so vividly you almost want to find a place to hide. The descriptions of the thirst Sledge and his fellow marines experienced are real and painful. The battle scenes are haunting. If you are interested in the Pacific Theater during WWII please read this book.



5. This is an incredible CHRONOLOGICAL account of the Pacific War,A CLASSIC, and Eugene is an INTELLECTUAL man of Great Modesty ...This Book is the "REAL DEAL " Sledge pulls no punches ...it's Brutal ...it's honest ...it's War like you've never read before ....MANS TOTAL ANIMALISTIC FEROCITY .....Only the AMERICAN MARINES could have fought and WON this War ...no other Country had the Primal Urge for Victory like the U.S.A....True the Eastern front was Savage ...but a Conventional Land Battle is no comparision to Seaborne Warriors Landing on Secured Beachheads and fighting for every grain of Sand inch by inch against an Enemy who had NEVER tasted Defeat in the whole History of there Country ......for the EMPEROR there GOD ....BUSHIDO....KAMIKAZE....BANZAI CHARGES ...it's all in this MASTERPIECE .

5 comments about Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific.

1. "Helmet for my Pillow" is a book written by writer who was from my hometown of Rutherford, NJ. He had a personal relationship with his family physician William Carlos Williams the great poet. They spent much time together and you do not know how much of William's descriptive poetry style rubbed off on Leckie. I found his vocabulary to be extensive. You must keep in mind that he is describing a terrible yet historical time in U.S. history and he is attempting to give his fellow comrades in the marines their fair due. He never names a person by their real name and I think that is masterful because it shows how you do not want to get too personal with your fellow marines, because, they will be may gone at some point soon. He wrote the book after seeing 'South Pacific" when he walked out half way through the play and said to his wife Vera "I am going to write a book to tell the true story of what took place in the South Pacific". He wanted to honor his friends who gave up so much whether they lived or died. The book is hard reading but not as hard as he had it. He was a wild guy who tells the truth. He doesn't mix word or actions. Yeah, they drank a lot. From basic training to the awful islands where they would steal Saki when they could. After a while you begin to wonder if all the marines drank that much. Yet you must remember that his generation started the cocktail hour and they lived by "Its 5 O'clock, Dear Lets have a drink!". To sum it up they are making a huge HBO show 10 parts series about it, so whether you like it or not it is a must read to appreciate the show. I read it, and, I will have a much better understanding of what those men went through. I would recommend this book. I never met Mr. Leckie as far back as I can recall. My mother and uncles were his very close friends at St. Mary's high school, in Rutherford. He was the youngest of 8 kids and it is quite exceptional that the baby in the family turned out to be such a success. He wrote over 40 books in his lifetime and he is a man with a high school education. The Sisters of St. Dominic must have done a greast job teachingb him when he wasn't playing hookie.



2. Not really a war memoir. The author describes more the times before and after the battles. The reader can experience the transition from untrained civilian to veteran. Mixed into the story are the surreal exploits of the marines in Australia after Guadacanal. Fine companion piece to the other books used as a basis for the HBO series.



3. I first learned of this book when I read that it was being used as one of the sources for HBO's new miniseries about the Pacific theater in the Second World War. Having enjoyed the other source material being used, E. B. Sledge's superb memoir, With the Old Breed, I decided to track down a copy of Leckie's account and read it for myself. Because of this, I found myself comparing the two works as I read it, which influenced my overall opinion of the book.
   
   In many ways, the experiences of the two men were similar. Both were civilians prior to the Second World War; Leckie enlisted in the Marines a month after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His account of basic training feels incredibly authentic, in part because of his attention to details. Leckie captures much of the mundane minutiae of learning how to be a Marine, from the bureaucratic experience of inoculation to the quest for a good time on leave. This sense of authenticity continues as he describes his deployment to Guadalcanal with the First Marine Division and his engagement with the war there. These experiences form the best part of the book, as his initial encounter with life as a Marine in both training and war reflect his interest in the novelty of it all.
   
   From Guadalcanal, Leckie's unit was returned to Australia for rest and refitting. This transformation into what he calls a "lotus-eater" also bears a real sense of verisimilitude, as unlike many memoirs of war he does not gloss over the search for release that often characterized breaks from the battles. It is here, though, that his account flags a little, and his return to combat in New Britain as part of Operation Cartwheel was perhaps the least interesting part of the book. The book improves with his subsequent experiences in the hospital in Banika and his final, abbreviated deployment to Peleliu, which ended with his injury and return to the States for the duration of the war.
   
   Reading this book, it is easy to see why it stands out as an account of the Second World War. Leckie's prose brings alive both the mundane routines of service and the violence of combat. It is when he is between the two that the book suffers, as his efforts at evocative prose about his surroundings in the jungle suffer from being a little overwrought, particularly in comparison to Sledge's plainer, more straightforward descriptions. Yet both need to be read for a fascinating portrait of what the war was like for the "new boots" who gave up their lives as civilians to fight in the humid jungles and barren islands of the Pacific.



4. This book was a disapointment. I had only read good reviews. Was expecting alot more.



5. I read this and "The Old Breed." Two different books but telling remarkable stories of bravery, loss and horror. I recommend that this one be read before Sledge's work. After reading them both I've come to appreciate both their different styles and focus. What struck me most was when I read passages that described the same event but from obviously different perspectives. It is sad that as I watch "The Pacific" miniseries it only scratches at the strength both of these books convey. Read these books to get at the story because the screenplay makes compromises along the way.

5 comments about The Pacific.

1. The 10 segment HBO mini-series will focus on the Pacific theater as seen through the eyes of Robert Leckie, John Basilone and Eugene Sledge. Based on the books "With the Old Breed" by Sledge and "Helmet for my Pillow" by Leckie as well as other first person accounts and interviews, the series includes battles in Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Okinawa as well as the marines return after VJ Day. The Pacific is the companion book to the series but differs in some ways. It also features the stories of Ensign "Mike" Micheel who got his first experience as a dive bomber at the Battle of Midway and that of Lieutenant Austin Shofner who was a POW in Manila after being part of the initial unsuccessful attempt to hold the Philippines.
   
   As in HBO's prior WW II series, The Pacific manages to personalize events which have been portrayed on more of an epic level in presentations such as Victory at Sea. In doing so, it succeeds in conveying the larger than life terror that citizen soldiers faced just a few months removed from their everyday lives in their hometowns. Micheel describes the "puckering" he feels while preparing to dive bomb an enemy aircraft carrier. A marine experiencing repeated bombing runs by Japanese airplanes writes in his journal: "We are all nervous wrecks." As Shofner struggles to survive the extremes of deprivation in an enemy POW camp, his friend tells him "Death isn't hard. Death is easy." It is at that point that Shofner knows his friend will not survive the camp.
   
   What is extraordinary is how the men surmount these challenges and fight in the face of fear, doubt, lack of food and water, sleep deprivation and the illness that can result from all of these factors. Seeing the War in the Pacific through the eyes of the men who fought it, the reader comes to understand that while military strategy initiates each battle, individual acts of teamwork, sacrifice and courage drive the results that follow. It is impossible not to constantly ask yourself if you would have measured up under similar circumstance. It becomes increasingly difficult to answer confidently in the affirmative.
   
   The Pacific also illustrates how little information each person at the battlefront has about the larger context in which he is operating. Due to the necessity to keep military strategy secret as well as the challenges in conveying information on the front, marines exist on a diet of rumor and speculation as to what will next occur. The book also does a good job of showing the incredible logistical challenges involved in providing food, water and other supplies every day to large numbers of field personnel scattered across a wide area under hostile conditions. Technical resources, battle strategy, national will and individual courage determine military success in The Pacific but the ability to keep men hydrated determines whether they will be able to fight at all.
   
   My favorite parts of the book are the descriptions of American dive bombers. Just reading about a pilot idling his engine to begin an 8,000 foot virtual free fall dive to drop a thousand pound bomb on an enemy ship causes some "puckering." If the pilot survives the dive, he hopes to have enough gasoline to find his own fleet on return and then ends by dropping his Dauntless onto the moving top of an aircraft carrier. When needed, Ensign Micheel volunteers for a second mission later the same day.
   
   My father was a gunner on a destroyer escort in the Pacific. At his knees as a small child, I sat through countless viewings of Victory at Sea. As I got older, I could never fully understand how much a part of him his service was. I now know more about the war in which he served but I'm not sure I am that much closer to understanding what he felt. Reading books like The Pacific gives me some idea for how an 18 year old kid from East Boston could spend 3 years on a ship at war, return home with one photo over his workbench, a knife and a set of tattoos and never once talk about his experiences with his son. I wish I could have known him better and, at the same time, hope that I could have served as resolutely if needed.



2. As a huge fan of Band of Brothers I couldn't wait for the series to start so I picked up Ambrose's The Pacific in order to fill the time and give me a back story for when the series starts. The Pacific certainly did that and more as I now want to read a lot more on the war against the "Japs". With The Pacific I think the subject being covered was what triggered this, as Ambrose's style of writing is both a hit and a miss.
   
   The pros are that I oftentimes wonder as I am reading other memoirs/bios of WWII veterans as to where and how they fit in with one another. With The Pacific the mini bios of the marines and naval pilots are all woven together in a linear timeline so you always know where they are and what they are doing in relation to one another. This is fascinating to me because it adds many levels of detail that help to create an overall richer account of The Pacific War. Add to this the different elements of who they are, i.e. officer, dive bomber and so on, and we are treated to a more in depth look at the structure of the US forces battlling the Japanese in the Pacific ocean.
   
   The cons, and I really only have one worth mentioning, is that Ambrose's style of writing can be rather dry and stiff at times, feeling as though we are getting a recitation of facts instead of a narrative that is weaving the facts together. Although this style can work I oftentimes found that the writing style was having troubles catching my interest and I had to draw myself back in order to continue my own narrative of what Ambrose was telling us.
   
   Overall the book is workable as a companion volume to the upcoming HBO series for not only illustrating the lives of some of the men being represented but in also layering more detail with the inclusion of other equally fascinating men, notably Shofner and Micheel, who were perhaps more fascinating to read about because of their experiences as a POW in a Japanese POW camp and as a dive bomber, respectively. I would certainly recommend to read the other more immensely readable WWII memoirs of the Pacific Theater, i.e. Helmet For My Pillow and With The Old Breed, in order to get a better feel for what will be depicted in the HBO series, and pick up The Pacific as a companion volume instead of a stand alone history of the Pacific War.
   
   3.5 stars.



3. One of the biggest detractors I've encountered (twice in the first few pages) is that "Marine" is not capitalized. The word "Marine", when referencing a current or former member, or unit of the US Marine Corps is considered a proper noun and should be capitalized. Examples: "He's a Marine." or "A company of Marines."
   
   For those of us who have earned the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor of the USMC and the title "Marine", it's a major error.
   
   The terms "Soldier", "Sailor", "Airman", and "Marine" are all proper nouns.
   
   Other than that.. so far, so good.



4. I just bought this book the other day. I've read a LOT of history on WW2, perhaps 200+ books.
   
   As the author explains in the Introduction, this book is meant not as a detailed military analysis of the battles that are covered within it, nor is it meant to be a biography, per se. The author claims to be striving for an "in the moment" veteran's-eye view, with all misconceptions, errors of fact, and rampant war rumors (which accompany any combat operation) left in tact, for affect. Direct quotes from the players...and related players...are intentionally lacking.
   
   So, if you can imagine a book that has minimal dialogue or quotes, erroneous historical facts sited often, and strives on purpose to have all the depth and breadth of a casual conversation, you end up with what seems to me like a book that HAD a lot of potential, but any time it got near any topic of interest, it did its best to get off the subject and move on to the next topic, as fast as possible. I want to know exactly what these guys were thinking, feeling and saying in these moments, in as much detail as the author could have rested from his subjects via extensive interviews and research. This book reads more like a field report, all to often just too brief and bound by short sentences, consisting of the barest-of-bones facts.
   
   In the end, it's VERY hard to read. Stilted, encumbered by its self-inflicted "style", it is a lost chance to really contribute to our history in the war...and it was done on purpose, all for the sake of conducting what I would call, a failed experiment in writing.
   
   I hope the mini-series is better. I'd skip this book, I don't think that you'll find it a page-turner. :-/



5. I was a founding member of the D-Day Museum (now National WWII Museum) in New Orleans when it opened, but I've had little to do with the museum since it opened because of how bloody horrible I saw Stephen Ambrose deal with WWII veterans. The folks that run the museum don't know anything about military history, they're just worried about running a pretty museum, but this isn't about the museum, it's about the book.
   
   Just as his father Stephen did with Band of Brothers and The Wild Blue, Hugh has taken several well-known veterans' biographies, spliced them together into a new book, and is being touted as a great authority on WWII by pinheads like Tom Hanks, who doesn't even understand why WWII was fought.
   
   "The Pacific" is nothing more than two classic autobiographies mashed together, with a lot of clumsy splicing work I might add. What you have here is "With the Old Breed" and "Helmet for my Pillow" mixed together and mashed up, with Hugh acting like he's the first person to ever discover these two iconic memoirs of combat in the Pacific during WWII. This book is a waste of time. Buy the original memoirs, they're much better written and stand quite well on their own without Ambrose's "scholarly" self-righteous commentary.