Texas Books

This book caused me to think of people and places I hadn't thought of for the past 30 years. I served with Delta company Sept. 1970 till July 1, 1971. Keith Nolan told a story that should have been told long ago. After reading Sappers in the Wire I was upset with some of the things that were said about Delta. But I now realize that not everyone will recall events in the same light. It has a lot to do with where you are at in the chain of command. This book caused me to get in touch with quite a few of my wartime brothers. It has also help me to remember things that were in the back of my mind, THANKS Keith for telling at least part of The Professionals story of 1970- 1971. I will re-read this book over and over, because each time it helps me remember more.
SFC Joseph H. Wolfe, Jr. US Army (Ret)
Charleston, SC

AASIGNED TO COMPANY "D" 1/46, 196 INF, I KNOW MR. NOLAN HAS TONS IF INTERVIEWS AND DOCUMENTS ON THE SUBJECT, FSB MARY ANN, I BELIEVE THAT VOLUMES COULD AND SHOULD BE WRITTEN, AS WELL AS, PHOTOS, NOT TO STOP SHORT OF A FEATURE FILM.....

This book helped me remember how lucky I am to be here to read it. I was amazed at how much detail he found in his research, best one Ive read on viet nam and what it was really like. Thanks mr. Nolan

The war was winding down but for the men of the 196th LIB home was just a distant dream. As a member of Charlie Company, I can attest to the accuracy and fairness the author treats the grunts of LZ MaryAnn. I only pray that we will never see a war like VN again.

AASIGNED TO COMPANY "D" 1/46, 196 INF, I KNOW MR. NOLAN HAS TONS IF INTERVIEWS AND DOCUMENTS ON THE SUBJECT, FSB MARY ANN, I BELIEVE THAT VOLUMES COULD AND SHOULD BE WRITTEN AS WELL AS PHOTS, NOT TO STOP SHORT OF A FEATURE FILM.....

great lady. very honest in her book. i just love her and if you do too, you'll love all of her books.

Tammy Faye Messner is an inspirational lady and her book is a light along the shadowy path of the human condition. Tammy's mind is sharp and agile, and her voice of reason is soft with wisdom yet strong with courage. Every page has something positive to offer, and although the subject matter is mostly serious, Tammy manages to lighten the text with several amusing recollections. I particularly enjoyed pages 88 - 101, where Tammy mischievously recounts the famous 'Jim Bakker Roast' when the couple were at the height of their fame and influence. Following is a brief excerpt.

'Jim was excited but I had to say no because the roast was about to start. Jimmy Swaggart opened with a three-minute routine about the doghouse (he'd just been put there by his wife - again!), then Benny 'The Rug' Hinn told an off-colour joke about The Archbishop of Canterbury and a vacuum cleaner. Jim laughed so much he almost made MY mascara run! Joyce Meyer, never one to miss the spotlight, then asked Jerry Falwell to dance.
"Ballroom?" Joyce suggested.
"Honey," Jerry bellowed, "in these tight pants there ain't even room for loose change!"
I'd never heard Jim laugh so much, apart from the time he made a prank call to Oral Roberts pledging $5,000,000 on behalf of the Jehovah's Witnesses. I gotta tell you. These televangelists sure know how to put on a roast.'

If you haven't read Tammy's book, do yourself a favour.

What a life! Tammy certainly tells it her way! All of it! From growing up in International Falls, Minnesota to being the queen of the largest Christian television network to being the scorn of millions in and out of the Christian community. And all the steps inbetween. She candidly shares every detail (including some of her sex life!) of her rise and fall from power and her struggle to pick up the pieces of her life. Every struggle, every behind-the-scenes moment, every misconception and every mistake NOT widely known about!

Tammy definately had a life worth reading about. She sheds revealing backstage light on some of the biggest names in Christianity today - Paul and Jan Crouch, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, etc. etc. etc. All with a genuine spirit of forgiveness.

Tammy is definately a beautiful soul and a beautiful person who deserves to be heard. In the book she says, "I believe that truth is truth. What happened happened and is now history. I just want history to be told correctly for my children's sake and for the sake of my grandchildren and generations to come." I think that we all should hear the truth from this woman whose ENTIRE life was devoted to openly sharing with people.

Whether you agree with her religion or not (for the record I don't but I still enjoyed every word and think she's fabulous) her general love for everybody, including those that hurt and betrayed her in a colossal manner, shines!

Don't judge a book by it's cover or a televangelist by her makeup!!!

Sidestep the profiteers trying to make a fast buck from Tammy Faye's recent death by selling this book for up to $2,000. I recently ordered an AUTOGRAPHED copy of the book from Tammy Faye's website for $25 plus shipping.

I love Tammy Faye and thank God for not only who she is, but for her love for a lost world. I'm so glad and encouraged personally that she has the guts to not only be herself, but also how she chooses to look or wear her makeup. Whoever wrote or said for her to get rid of her makeup is an IDIOT. I can't stand people like that.

This is the first Kelton book I have read and the first fiction novel that I have read in decades. I felt like it was real to life and forgot it was fiction. I live there-West Texas, Panhandle. Surely there is a sequel. He left it open to finish out the lives of the major people involved, in at least one more book but ended this one as he should.

Great book! Kelton shows us Charlie Flagg's country. You'll like it

Elmer Kelton was rightfully honored with a number of awards for this thoughtful piece of work originally published in 1973. While it is about ranchers trying to survive in one of those long droughts that seem to come more and more frequent to the West and particularly the Southwest it is much more than a story of survival. The nearest community in the book is called Rio Seco and while it only exists in our mind's eye Kelton describes it well enough that it could be one of thousands such communities scattered across Texas and the West. What came to my mind as he described it is the movie from a number of years ago called, "The Last Picture Show". The book is a beautiful study of evolving and conflicting cultures on so many levels. Kelton does a fine job of laying out the past and showing the future of changes between Angelo and Hispanic to include the continuing question of undocumented immigrants. Another is the "old school" way of looking at things rather than the new way. One of the focal points of the book is the role that government aid plays in changing groups such as ranchers forever. The "hero" (and I'm sure he never considered himself a hero of any kind) of the book, Charlie Flagg refuses the aid and thereby creates tension for himself and others around him. What's amazing, and something to which I consider an honor, is that I was reared in a time and community to have known men just like Charlie Flagg. This book has been re-published several times and I can understand why. Really much of what you read in "The Time It Never Rained" is timeless while other parts provide a beautiful look to the middle of the last century in Texas. While it's considered a western it's far from a "shoot'em up". Other of his books go there but that's for another review.

This book is unlike any of Kelton's other works. The time setting is the 1950s and the seven-year drought we experienced during those years. The plot/theme is the end of the era of independence and freedom among cow men ... the time when they told themselves the drought forced them to sell themselves to the government to receive hay in return for their souls and their pasts.

I think of this book as a companion read to Abbey's, Brave Cowboy and McMurtry's, Hud (the book). All three writers were capturing a time and an attitude representing an end of an era when ranchers continued to curse the government out of habit while accepting welfare money as gracefully as the city poor they despised for doing so.

Kelton's book is as good as the other two, maybe better.

Being a Texan in Texas during the drought Elmer Kelton describes in The Time It Never Rained, he seems to write about it first hand. I remember the deluge that ended the drought, and it was the experience I remember. I worked at the San Angelo Standard-Times while Mr. Kelton did, and his day to day newspaper work was a preview to his books to come. He has West Texas nailed down to a T, and I love all his books. But this one especially strikes home.

THIS IS SUCH A GOOD BOOK. I first picked up when I was in middle school (a very long time ago) and I try my hardest to read it again every few years. The characters are delightful and the entire book is a such a beautiful story. Highly Recommend It.

Although I read this book like 5 months ago I can still remember what it was about!! I can't even describe this book it was so amazing! To all readers out there: read this book you will fall in love with it!

This is a great book. It shows wonderful examples of joy, pain, love, friendship, and sorrow. Roxanne comes into Jesse's life and they become best friends. Roxanne is kind of the outcast of Ida. With her bubbly personality, giant coat, wild red hair, and Liberty Bell tattoo, people look at her as a definate outcast. Roxanne teaches jesse the magic of life and they bond. This is a wonderful book for all ages. a must!!!

I give Under The Mermaid Angel two thumbs up.
It is a good book to read if you'r feeling really down and depressed and you just want a really good book to read to so totally boost up you'r spirit.

I read this book when I was twelve. It is still my favorite book. And when I read it, I finished it in 2 days! I couldn't put the book down. It is not tons of adventure on every page but it is soo interesting. I felt connected to Jesse. Well, Jesse feels kinda in a rut in a very boring town (Ida). But when roxanne moves in she changes Jesses life. They become best friends even though the big age difference. I think the climax of the book was when Roxanne wanted to touch Frankenstiens hand at the church and she didn't. I thought it was so sad that she sat next to him but never said or did anything. And he never knew. And that she came all the way to Ida and sat next to him and never told him. Very sad. At the end of the book. I wished that it would go on. I wish Martha Moore would make a sequel. Because I want to know if Frankenstien ever found out about his mother.

Excellent book. Have read and will reread this book again. My library contains science fiction to romance. All books I love and reread.

I love this book! Wonderful, yet heart wrenching re-telling of the Cherokee way of life and the hardships they withstood from being forced off their lands and moved to Oklahoma. Yes it was good about Sam Houston, but my interest was caught of the telling of the Cherokee life and the Trail of Tears. I could not put this book down. I have read it more than once. I bought this book 12 yrs ago. Still a great book!

Tiana is the most incredible characters I've ever read about. Reading this books made me feel like I was stepping back in time to the days when the Cherokee were free and powerful. Luicia St. Clair Robinson does a remarkable job in researching the people and their culture. In this book you learn about Sam Houston, the development of the Cherokee Syllubus, Tecumseh, and the strengh of a Cherokee Woman.

As she did in her superb novel, "Ride the Wind", Ms. Robson once again gives us a fascinating novel of real people and the events as they might well have been. Although "fictional" the story is true. Sam Houston did indeed have a Cherokee wife and their love story, although a scandal in its day, was indeed a true romance. Get a snack, curl up on the couch, and enjoy.

This was an excellent book, I read years ago. One that changed my life. Who Tiana Rogers was and the way she is portrayed in the book, gave me a role model to follow, in a time when I really needed one. This is a book that touched my soul, and I highly recommend it to anyone who's attention it called. It's a beatiful story and one that you'll never forget.

Like usual, my seventeen-year-old snatched Jenny's book before I could get my hands on it. That's when the torture began--hooting and guffawing erupting from the other room for hours while Her Royal Highness refused to tell me a single joke!
When my turn to read The Big Picture finally came, I laughed at Jenny's snarky humor till I cried. Katie Parker and her wacky foster grandma, Maxine, walked off the page and into my kitchen till I fed them pizza with the rest of the teen fixtures around here. When Jenny's next book comes out, I'm buying two copies--make that six--one for me, one for Her Royal Highness, and the rest for the kids who have pizza smudged my whole series.

This is the third in the Katie Parker Series, which is about a teenage girl in foster care because her mom is in prison for drug dealing. In this book Katie's mom wants to take her back, and Katie feels torn between her mom and her foster family and friends. How can Katie show her druggie mom the love of Jesus when her mom does not want to change?

I think this series is awesome! I don't like to read, but this story pulled me in right away and has showed me that reading can be fun. I like how the author mixed humor with sad situations. I found myself crying sometimes but I laughed a lot.

~~by Erin, age 14

Katie Parker is a riot! A realistic, relatable, sarcastic, hilarious girl on the verge of adulthood and all the issues that come with. The best part about Katie is EVERYONE gets her - young teens, college students, moms, middle-aged women, even grannies can relate to something in Katie's life. In fact, one of my favorite characters was Mad Maxine, Katie's crazy foster grandma who gets into more trouble than Katie herself.

I would recommend this series (please, go back and read them in order!) to any teen girl. They're fresh, fun, and full of inspiring themes that don't preach, but rather give subtle undertones of faith. Katie is real - it was hard to put this last book in the series down. I want to save them and let my daughter read them one day. (Okay, so she'll have to wait about 12 years, but hey!) =)

I really enjoyed reading the 3rd book in the Katie Parker series! I caught myself laughing out loud throughout the book. I'll never understand how authors can be this funny and come up with this stuff, it is pure talent! Katie Parker is a character that you continue to love throughout the series. She goes through REAL challenges and learns big lessons. The series would be a great present for teenage girls!

Once again, Jenny B. Jones proves she is one of today's top novelists. In The Big Picture, she brings Katie's story to a hopeful conclusion, leading readers through the story with her typical wit. It takes a skilled writer to weave her kind of wit with genuine depth so readers stay enthralled with the characters' world. Katie is so real that it's easy to imagine hanging out with her, yet her antics and humor are bigger than life at the same time. Jones also shows additional spiritual growth in Katie, guiding readers to search for more in their own relationships with God. Great read! May we see more from Jones for many years to come.

This is a great book just for bird lovers in Texas. Wonderful pictures included.

This is a very fine book with photographs taken in the field. Another reviewer suggested this book "if you're only going to have one bird book." My wife and I prefer another book, but this one contains excellent information to supplement the other which is more of a field guide. This book also describes the evolution of the bird classification system, and how the names and designations of some birds have changed with DNA evidence. The author is clearly an expert in his field. Some sources list a hardcover version, but when we tried to get it, it was out of print.

This the book to get if you want answers to the questions "what bird is that in my yard/in the park/at the beach?", and "what makes that bird special?". Even the best field guides give no answer to the second question, and their answers to the first question are often frustratingly complicated to the casual or beginning birdwatcher. Most people who call themselves birdwatchers (92% of them according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) can't even identify 40 species. You can use this to identify the easiest and most common 150-200 or so of Texas birds, and then go out and get a field guide to take you through the more difficult identifications.

However, you'll never find a field guide that will show you what makes each bird unique, and where each bird fits into the landscape. The descriptions are engaging, personal, and informative regarding behavior and location, and the photographs catch much about the lives of birds that can only be seen otherwise in the field. Tveten's pictures, including mockingbirds attacking raptors, songbirds calling from brush, and the activities of feeding and nesting birds, catch the essence of why people go out and look at them over, over, and over again.

This book will make you enjoy finding and looking for birds.

The photography in this book is superlative and the main reason to purchase it is to admire the lush color photos of Texas's birds. However, I also enjoy the book because it allows me, as a novice birder, to learn to correctly identify various species. This book is much superior to an Audubon guide or a National Geographic Filed Guild to birds because each photo is huge and shows the birds to their best advantage. The photos of the various migrating birds aresimply outstanding!

I recommend this book for anyone who has an appreciation of birds in the Lone Star state and wants to vicariously see them through this medium. It will definitely prompt every armchair birder to take to the field and spy these wondrous creatures in their natural habitat. There are several birds I saw in this book which captured my fancy immediately. By seeing these photos, it prompted me to go out and beat the trails and shorelines to see each of these birds up close and "in person." A great book!

This book has beautiful photographs of Texas birds. It describes their songs, how they eat, mate, nest, care for offspring, and all in an interesting manner. The way the author describes birds, you know he has a great love for these winged creatures. Cedar Wax-wings are "courteous", Loggerhead Shrikes have "the inclinations of a hawk", Grackles are "bullies", Carolina Chickadees are "acrobatic", Horned Larks have a "rakish, devilish air", etc.. Believe it or not, these descriptions actually help me remember what the birds look like and what they are called. Highly recommended.

The Burning Plain is about fifteen emotional stories. The stories give the reader a lot to think about. Many of these stories are short interesting stories that give the reader what to think about, action, sad parts, and contains nasty events when people are killed. We recommend the book to the readers because it is a very interesting book because the way many short stories are put into one book. The book will make the reader feel grossed out because in the ways some people are killed. All of these stories take place in a rural place. For, example Talpa takes place in a village as well as Luvina. In the story Macario the setting is in a house.

One regrettable consequence of Garcia Marquez's fame is that Latin American literature has come to be identified exclusively with "magical realism". Everything has to be extraordinary, epic, full of tropical lust, palms, jaguars, people having sex in every corner, flying to the sky with a pineapple on their heads. But Latin America is a vast continent producing artist of universal stature, even if the rest of the world decides (to their disadvantage) to ignore all but the folkloric.

Well, Juan Rulfo is a master of the highest sort and this book is NOT magical realism, but pure, hard realism. He only wrote two books, this one and "Pedro Paramo", another masterpiece which I also don't count as magical realism, although some do, as well as a few lesser works. He didn't need to write much. His is a literature worked and reworked restlessly, until reaching perfection. Every single word fits perfectly with the rest. There are no digressions, no philosophy, no theories or grand landscapes. All his tales develop in Southern Jalisco, in a poor, dry, vast, sunburned and sad land. The prose is also dry, precise, economical and to the point. The characters are ignorant, miserable, but conscious and courageous. The titles say much: "It's because we are so poor" is one of them. However, you will not find self-pity or corny sad tales. Only bits of human misery perfectly narrated. By the way, this is the first review I write for Amazon in which I use the word "perfect". Probably it won't happen again, with one or two exceptions.

The Burning Plains is a compilation of short stories that Juan Rulfo published on diferent publications at different times. it's also at the moment, besides his masterpiece Pedro Paramo, the only material available.
The shorts stories are chilling, incledibly well written. It's superb, and the english translation more than acceptable.
To me the highlights of the book are "Talpa" and "they have given us the land" (the opener on the spanish version, but some reason is not on this english edition)but the whole book is amazing.
I bought this book for my girfriend as an exorsism from jennifer Wiener's "Good in Bed" I was worried about the translation but it didn't dissapoint me.
the ideal way to read The Burning Plain is in spanish, but since this book is not that surreal as pedro paramo is, this tranlation works just fine.
I hope this brief note helps you to choose a good book.

Rulfo's style, like his stories, is sparse, quiet, and often harsh. He offers disturbing tales of miserable people in barren places; yet there is also a strange beauty to be found in his work. I can think of few, if any, examples of such perfect prose. The characters--though they suffer--seem close at hand and perfectly real, and he gives the most incredible descriptions of landscapes that I have ever read in my life. It is easy to see his connection to "magical realism"--it is largely in the way he sets the tone of the stories, and in those unbelievably vivid descriptions--but his work does not fall into that category. There is no escaping the terribly blunt reality he creates.

Whether you are interested in Latin American literature or not, if you are at all interested in prose, you should read this book.

ANGST. This is the best word to describe the human landscape that Rulfo has portrayed in this collection of short stories. A lanscape of extreme sorrow that blossoms over the arid plain, where poverty, opression and ignorance intermingle with faith to shape the tragedy of the post-revolutionary rural Mexico. A tragedy that has lived over 70 years and that may help explaining the nature of the mexican people, their doings and fears. But moreover its social meanings, Juan Rulfo, has created a masterpiece of storytelling, not only at the Latin-american level, but rather as an universal gift. This is not magic realism alà Garcia Marquez or Isabel Allende. This is bare boned reality, told with the beauty and the ease that just a master can reach, in which the words mix perfectly for creating short bursts of narrative, perfectly solved stories, that will fill the mind, the mouth and the eyes of the reader with the burnt sand of the plains, with the ashes of the dead, with the tears of the desperate. If you're ready to follow Tanilo's bloody footsteps toward Talpa, to hunt toads with Macario, or to fall under the spell of Niño Anacleto's preaching, or under the spell of misterious rural Mexico, dive into the pages of this collection of short stories, and compare it with any other you have already read, and you will understand why Rulfo never writed any further. Because he almost reached perfection.

In Dark Card, Rebecca Foust gives the reader a lesson in courage -- the courage of a mother raising a child with a disability, the courage to face the reality this forces upon her, the courage to probe the feelings deep within, and the courage to put those feelings into unforgettable words. This is the open heart of a mother, with all the pain and joy exposed. Read it with respect. It will move you.

Raw and beautiful, this collection captures the complexities of motherhood in a way few writers ever have. There isn't a mother alive who -- if she is honest -- won't recognize herself on these pages. The cover art, with its dark haunting outline, makes clear that the child inside this book is not just Foust's. He belongs to all of us.

Rebecca Foust's has written a stirring book of poetry describing the mixed blessings of raising a son with Aspergers Syndrome. Dark Card is a must read for all families dealing with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, and for those who seek a better understanding of what it is like to live with them.

Dark Card is a beautifully crafted and insightful book. It carries the reader to the deepest waters of the joys, fears and sorrows of motherhood. Rebecca Foust's poems touch the anquish of raising a son with Asperger's Syndrome with exquisite understanding. At the same time, she has written a collection of poems which resonate with all who have loved a child. One does not have to parent a special needs child to appreciate the beauty of these poems. They touch our loves, our fears, our hopes, our deepest yearnings. These poems herald the arrival in the world of poetry of a wise and unique voice.

This book is a must read for all parents. You can grow and learn through every written word while reading the poems in this book. When "mothering/parenting" gets you down, read one of these poems for the best "pick up" of your day. The poems and the real life experiences come alive as you read and re-read them. Each poem is thought provoking and will warm the deepest corners of your heart.

This was a very entertaining book but... The problem that it deals with is the actual combat that occurs as the US forces hit the beachheads.The author belittles the fact of the Japanese kamikaze on the US naval forces.The Japanese had over 12,000 airplanes available to attack US naval forces when they got into range. If only 10% got through and hit a target that over 1,200 ships hit. The staggering amount of casualties this would have cost to the US forces is unimaginable. The resistance of Japanese defenders is underrated. On Okinawa only 3 Japanese divisions were able to stop a US Army corps and produce over 50,000 casualties on an island way smaller than Kyhushu.This was also done with the US having complete control of the sea and air. This book is an optimistic view on the invasion and a apology for us dropping the atomic bomb. I think no apology is needed as the bomb shortned the war and saved many lives on both sides

In the alternate history genre, David Westheimer's "Death is Lighter than a Feather" is relatively obscure, which is a shame because it is among the most accurate, well-written offerings available. In detailing the events of an American invasion of Japan in the absence of the use of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Westheimer shows a firm grasp of strategy, tactics, weapons and geography. However, unlike many alternate histories that focus on the military to the exclusion of all else, Westheimer has simultaneously produced a rich novel full of fascinating characters that truly captures the fundamental essences of the Japanese and Americans, as well as war in general.

Westheimer begins with a prologue that deftly weaves actual events into a world in which nuclear bombs are never brought to bear. Written in the manner of a history text, it quite effectively conveys the events and players that dictated the course of events without bogging down the fiction reader in historical minutia. At the same time, the matter of fact transition from reality to fiction sets the stage quite nicely for the heart of the novel.

Rather than attempting to follow a primary cast of characters through the entirety of the novel, Westheimer has instead strung together snapshots of the lives of average people on both sides of the fighting; an American frogman, a Japanese colonel, a young Japanese girl, an American Marine, etc. The only link between chapters is the occasional return to the history book approach of the prologue in order to detail the larger course of events, and set the tone for the next chapter. In less capable hands, this approach could make for a disjointed reading experience but Westheimer effectively carries through common thematic elements that allow him to cover an array of experiences and concepts without destroying the flow of the novel.

First and foremost among these elements is Westheimer's focus on the common man or woman. By and large, the big power brokers are completely absent. Neither MacArthur nor the Emperor (nor any of his generals) makes an appearance after the prologue. Instead, Westheimer focuses on low ranking officers, and even more so, on enlisted personal. The overall effect of this approach is a ground level view of the fighting that compliments the big picture portions of the text. At the same time, this close-in approach allows Westheimer to consider issues that would be discordant with a book focused on grand strategy. For example, the author considers a Marine who becomes convinced that he is killing the same Japanese soldier over and over again. Westheimer forces the reader to consider whether this is due to shellshock, or if it is a way of rationalizing the horror of killing one's fellow man.

Which brings me to another fascinating element of this novel: Westheimer's intuitive understanding of the causes of war, and particularly, the mindset of the American soldier. His ability to capture what unremitting hatred does to the Japanese, and the consequences that it has on the American soldier is remarkable. His writing is made even more profound in the light of 9/11 and our recent war against Iraq as he eloquently captures the motivation for fanatical, even suicidal, resistance, and the conflict that resistance causes in American soldiers who are at heart disinclined to kill unless it is absolutely necessary.

That said, Westheimer doesn't limit himself to consideration of combatants. His chapter covering a day in the life of a chaplain's assistant perfectly illustrates the contradictory nature of war in general, and the almost perverse naiveté with which America sometimes goes to war. At the same time, his descriptions of ordinary Japanese citizens, particularly women, and the dichotomy of what they see versus what they are told is superbly handled. Westheimer considers what it would be like to live in a world where the "divine" word of the Emperor is at direct odds with what one sees in their everyday life.

Ultimately, Westheimer has produced in "Death is Lighter Than a Feather" the rare alternate history that is historically accurate even as it is good fiction. From his descriptions of the ferocity of hand-to-hand combat, to the serenity of two lovers in a bamboo grove, the author displays a talent that is rare in authors of any genre. At the same time, he successfully ties these fascinating snapshots into a larger picture. Westheimer writes with authority on the invasion that never was, but he also considers war in general, and given the world in which we live, where kamikaze attacks have once again become the norm, it is perhaps more pertinent today then ever.

Jake Mohlman

What if the Atomic Bombs were not ready in 1945? The simple answer is Operation Downfall. This novel is about this epic battle that never was.

I wont belabor what has already been said. The writing is excellent. The weaving of grand strategy and the fate of individual Americans and Japanese is flawless. The analysis is solid. Enough said.

Two things I really like about this book that people havent really touched on are the use of characters in an alternate history novel and the authors' angle on the invasion v. A-Bomb debate.

The characters in most AH stories I have read have the dimensions of my grade school stick figure drawings. Theyre basically just there to make the move that would change history the way the author desires. Westheimer's characters are very deep and thought provoking. You become intrigued by them and want to know more and more.

There are a few books on the market that discuss potential invasions of Japan. Those that are not hyper technical treatises tend to be critiques of Truman's decision to nuke Japan. The normal theme is that US conspired to overplay the costs of invading Japan as an excuse to use atomic weapons. Mr. Westheimer does make a compelling case for the invasion to be relatively low cost (once the main defenses are breached there's little left but militia units made up of old men and schoolgirls armed with knives and pitchforks). However, he stays away from the conspiracy issue. This enhances the book by keeping the focus on the invasion (and people caught up in it).

I strongly urge Alternate History fans to read this novel. It is by far the best AH book Ive come across.

A very compelling book that reads much like a series of interconnected short stories. The author sets up the "big picture" nicely then zooms down to describe the experiences of individual soldiers. Using this device, we see the invasion of Japan from both sides. The Japanese outlook is perhaps the most interesting as their belief in their eventual victory, despite the obvious evidence to the contrary, is alien to the Western mindset - as is their blind devotion to their superiors and their total dedication to a type of honor that requires death over surrender. Ironically, books such as this tends to make one think that atom bombs probably saved Japan as a nation for the death and destruction caused by an invasion would have killed millions of the Japanese population.

David Westheimer has written a superb, fact-based novel that covers the first six weeks of Operation "Olympic", the intended invasion of Kyushu in October 1945. Of course in actuality, the invasion did not occur because the atomic bomb raids precipitated a Japanese collapse. Westheimer invites the reader into a very-possible world where the atomic bombs have not been dropped either for political or technical reasons. Given the continuing debate over the morality of the a-bomb attacks, this alternate world is well worth examining. The book begins with a prologue (in earlier versions of the book, this was actually the epilogue) that provides the historical detail behind "Olympic". Eighteen chapters follow, each detailing the experiences of one or more Japanese or American characters in the invasion.

The title is taken from the Japanese expression that, "while duty is heavier than a mountain, death is lighter than a feather." The real strength of this novel lies in the depictions of combat from the Japanese point of view, which is atypical for American readers. Having lived and gone to college in Japan, I can attest that Westheimer strikes many a true note in these depictions. Characters include resolute warriors, including a veteran fighter pilot, a determined corporal in a bunker and a fanatical battalion commander, but also cover Japanese civilians as well. One Japanese sergeant complains about some of the new recruits called up to face the invasion: "in his own regiment there was a private who had been a teacher in the middle school but it was known that he entertained subversive ideas and was not to be trusted with authority. It was a measure of the Army's desperate need that he had been permitted to serve at all. His proper place was prison, with other traitors and weaklings."

The combat scenes are very well done and these scenes evoke a sense of hopeless futility at times. The writing style is rich and detailed, but without irrelevant diversions. Westheimer also has a knack for focusing on interesting characters and situations, which is particularly true of his American characters. There is the UDT (underwater demolition team) frogman who bets that he will be the first American on Japanese soil and a B-29 pilot who affects a heroic attitude while concealing his cowardice. There is even a Japanese-American college girl who was visiting relatives in Japan when the war broke out and desperately wants to be "liberated" by the invading GIs. My particular favorite is the combat-happy US marine who believes that the Japanese are "playing a game on him" and that every Japanese soldier he kills is the same one.

The main point of the novel is to flesh out what most people with common sense could anticipate: the Americans will win but at great cost. Again and again, the fanaticism of the Japanese defense astounds the Americans. The novel ends by anticipating a Japanese surrender in January 1946, after many thousands have died on both sides. This novel should be read by anyone interested in the Pacific War or the atomic bomb controversy.