Asian Books

Samurai is Saburo Sakai's own story of his times as a naval aviator for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Mr. Sakai tells us about his past (yes, his ancestors were samurai's), his time spent learning to be a naval aviator, the pre-war (meaning hostilities prior to those with the US), and yes, his time fighting US pilots.

Things that I personally found very interesting in his telling:

What Japanese Naval personnel (aviators and non-aviators) went thru in basic training. Very brutal treatment. Mr. Sakai tells about Petty Officers beating trainees, ordering them to do physical things that bordered on the impossible. Aviation training was better, but only from the perspective of beating not occuring due to minor infractions. However, the standards they were held to... Obviously, the training was not run by kinder, passionette people.

Mistakes in combat. Mr. Sakai remembered his mistakes so well. The simple fact of failing to arm the guns, over shooting a target, or worse yet, failing to properly identify the target (Mr. Sakai mistook a unit of TBM/TBF Avengers for F6F Hellcats).

His respect for his opponent. Most of Mr. Sakai's combat time was spent in New Guinea flying against US units that were flying P-39's and P-40's. Both of these planes were outclassed by the A6M Zero in almost every category except diving (note, since neither the P-39 or P-40 were supercharged at this timeperiod of the war, their performance went from bad below 15,000 feet, to terrible if they went above 15,000, thereby denying them altitude to dive for an extended period). When this is merged with the fact that the Japanese pilots were combat seasoned veterans, while the Americans were green, it makes for a bad time for those flying the P-39's and P-40's. In remembering these engagements, Mr. Sakai spoke very well of how the US pilots tried to engage the Japanese pilots.

Mr. Sakai's writing style if very readable. It's direct, to the point, without great flurishes or breast beating. This does not mean that it's unemotional, but rather that when he uses emotion, it's very memorable. For rating purposes, I have to give this 4 out of 5 stars (Amazon rating system). I don't know how he could have made it better (writing style?) but I can definatly say that it's a very good read!

Samurai! documents the wartime exploits of Saburo Sakai, the greatest Japanese fighter pilot to survive World War 11, in which he was credited with downing 64 enemy aircraft. Sakai, who died in September 2000 of a heart attack became a legend in his own lifetime. This book explains why.
Samurai! takes us from early victories over the Chinese airforce to the later dogfights with the Dutch, the Australians and, finally, the unstoppable Americans. Sakai, in describing his journey from a rookie pilot to the final surrender, also chronicles the rise and fall of the Japanese Imperial Naval Air Force as seen from one of the most spectacular cogs in its vast apparatus.
Saka, who was never decorated for his actions, was a truly amazing fighter who was held in adulation by his mechanics and wingmen. Indeed, of all Japan's aces, Saburo Sakai was the only one who never lost a wingman in combat. This is an astounding record for a man who engaged in over two hundred aerial melees. But then again, Saburo Sakai's story is an astounding one.
His retreat from Guadalcanal is evidence enough of that. Having suffered paralyzing wounds in his left leg and left arm and having being permanently blinded in his left eye and temporarily blinded in his right eye, with jagged pieces of metal in his back and chest and with the heavy fragments of two 5-caliber machinegun bullets imbedded in his skull, he managed to fly his crippled Zero all the way back to New Guinea. That is the stuff of Hollywood legends.
So too is his dogfight against 15 Hellcats over Iwo Jima. Although he only had sight in one eye, Sakai managed to out manouver the Hellcat fighters and land safely back on the besieged island. His escape from Iwo Jima is also the stuff of Hollywood legends.
Hollywood bases its stories on legendary warriors. And Sakai and his comrades quickly became legends as their honed skills and Mitsubishi Zeros allowed them to cut a swathe through their Chinese, Dutch and Australian enemies. Sakai's accounts of those earlier battles are like reading th accounts of Cochise, Crazy Horse or Geronimo. Sakai and the other Japanese warriors of the air went out and did what they felt they had to do. Their Zeros were as precious to them as the finest steeds were to the warriors of old. They were the cream of the crop.
Unfortunately for them, their numbers were whittled down as the war dragged on. Midway accounted for over 300 of Japan's best pilots.The Americans, meanwhile, came relentlessly at them with their Wildcat and Hellcat fighters, which were purposely designed to outpace the Zero. Time and again, Sakai stresses that it was only the Americans' lack of combat experience that saved him.
They didn't save the others. As the war dragged on, the standard of the average Japanese pilot plummeted.
This book is not a glorification If this book glorifies anything, it is the futility and blaspehemy of war. Sakai describes how business went on as usuall in China even in the middle of combat zones. He describes watching Australian pilots being eaten by sharks. His account of how his superior skills saved him at Iwo Jima reflect the skills he noted in the Dutch and Chinese pilots of the earlier chapters. The Japanese, who had been the confident hunters I nthe earlier chapters, were now the prey. Usually, they were sitting ducks, powerless to do anything but volunteer for a kamikaze mission or to train the young novices who made the bult of the kamikazes.
Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, another top air ace who was later shot out of the air in an unarmed transport plane, was one of these. Sakai describes him as bing "unpredictable in the air, a genius, a poet who seemed to make his fighter respond obediently to his gentle, sure touch at the controls." Sakai constantly uses similar imagery to decribe his love for the Zero. This book has been reissued on countless occasions. Read it and find out why.

Sakai gives us insight into the progression of the war from the Japanese perspective, revealing the mindsets of those on the other side, without meandering into the chronological army list minutiae that many others succumb to. Action and emotion, quandaries of conscience and honour are always the subjects discussed.

Very good book. Highly recommended - very pleasureable read.

Also of increased value to those of us who play WWII combat flight simulators (grin).

I read this book while I was in high school. It gripped me from begining to end. Saburo was a proud and disciplined flyer. His combat prowess seems almost super-human, but as he is quick to remind us knowing the aircraft's capabilities and the tendencies of your enemy is half the battle. His description of the unsuccessful surgery to repair his face and eye after shrapnel is really painful to read. Amazingly, despite the lack of vision in one eye he continued to fly for the Empire, though with a severe handicap. This book is excellent. Anyone interested in learning about Japanese WWII aviation needs to read this book, you will not be dissappointed.

This book shows that combat warriors on both sides have the same thoughts and concerns. They worry about their families and complain about their leadership.

I bought the Classics of Naval Literature volume after reading a library copy. That's how much the book impressed me. The top-surviving Zero naval ace of WWII, Sakai had realistic and controversial opinions of Japan's role in the war. He did much to build postwar friendships with the United States, even at risk to his own life.

Little did I realize when I bought the book that I would someday meet him. I visited him in his Tokyo home and hosted his visit to Naval Air Facility Atsugi. My book is now autographed.

Dr. Roux is an authoriry in the field. He lived for several years in the Middle East (Syria, Lebanon and Iraq). Although he is a medical doctor, his interest in ancient history, and the many years he spent in the Middle East provided the learned author with a pragmatic experience and first hand access to documents and valuable raw material. He used them in this book. His original research in Southern Mesopotamia and more precisely his SUMER series of articles that appeared in la Revue D'Assyriologie won him admission to restricted circles of privileged archeologists and Assyriologists. ANCIENT IRAQ is one of the best and most authoritative books ever written about the ancient civilization and culture of Iraq.

The ultimate reference and final word on the vanished civilization of Iraq. It encompass all the aspects from economy and culture to history and religion. It s a universal mini-encylopedia in all its splendors!

Georges Roux has published a very easy and accessible history if Iraq, a country of endless fascination. The book is about the inhabitants of Iraq from the Stone Age, some conclusions about the unwritten period when the region was coming into it's own, the Sumerians, Mesopotamians, Assyrians, and the Babylonians; just to name a few of the cultures. You may think that knowing the Iraqis past may not be of importance, but it goes a long way to explaining why they are so fiercely proud of their history and culture, even before the Muslim faith swept the area. Roux combines archeology with accepted history, their myths and religions, and makes the past truly come alive. You have a pretty good sense of the wars, the faith, and the attitude of the man on the street (sometimes) from this book. Sure, maybe it's a little out dated, but it is not about Iraq's recent history. Now, while the general public may not like it, those with an interest in Middle Eastern history probably will.

I echo the previous reviewers -- this is a great book. One volume contains a clear discussion of the rise of urban life and all the peoples who participated in it.

William McNeill in Plagues and Peoples reminds us that cities are population sinks. They require a hinterland to supply necessities including regular infusions of people. But the plains of Mesopotamia are a fairly hostile environment; the best land is located in the hills where timber, game and clean water are available. The logical conclusion is that the flatlanders were forced there, expelled from the hills, and that they grouped in cities for defensive purposes. This grouping behavior is universal among prey species. McNeill: "Man is to man as predator is to prey."

It was organization that allowed the ancient cities to prevail. Strong central governments arose, backed by a robust religious establishment, sustained and protected by their military.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? America's military absorbs a lot of our treasure and our religious establishment is a central element in our strong central government -- our presidents swear their oath on a bible.

After 5000 years we can still relate to the peoples of ancient Iraq and appreciate their problems. We're living them today.

How this story came to light is itself another great story, the history of archeology in the area. All this is nicely summarized by the author. My The Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East (Cultural Atlas of) complemented my library text of the 1964 edition which had arcane marginalia and maps razored out.

I try not to think of tank battles out in the desert, using the ancient mounds as defilade against armor-piercing rounds. Who knows what has already been pulverized and lost forever?

This extensive study gives an overview of Mesopotamia from pre-historic times till Christian era. The main focus is on political history sidestepping into architecture, culture and socio-economics. So be prepared for an endless succession of Sumerian, Akkadian, Kassite, Assyrian, Chaldaean alpha-males waging war to expand empires, defending their turf, erecting buildings and statues to celebrate their grandeur and fragile little egos. To me at times it was a bit too much and too tedious. No problem, I just skipped a few centuries or so!
Georges Roux deserves a 5-star rating for his work but I only give the book 4 stars because the publisher and editor should have done a better job balancing out the material. Cutting some of the political material, and expanding on art, literature, science etc. (It would have been a good idea to include more translations of original texts). They also could have provided better graphic and photographic material and organized it in a better way. If they would have done that this would have been a breathtaking classic.
Having said that the book gives a thorough account of some 8000 years of history in Iraq. I especially was impressed by the scope of vision and depth Mr. Roux possesses. He is able to provide ample insight in the developments from pre-historic hunter-gatherers to the first empires and their inner workings. Showing an extensive knowledge and control over the material. So read this book, but you are going to want to have books like Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series) and S.N. Kramer History begins at Sumer and others lying next to it.

This gorgeously written debut novel is comprised of brief chapters written with beautiful precision, stirring imagery, emotional depth and a sense of imminent tragedy (opens with the main character in a burn ward, both parents dead). Isa has a remote mathematical father, beautiful and expressive--although critical--mother, a tragic younger brother, a hippie family as friends, and an albino boyfriend who makes her feel less "other." Her story charts the silences in a death-quieted household, and the resulting isolation of the family members. I had trouble believing that a 16-17 year old girl would engage in such extroverted raucous sex (parents and teachers take note: graphic descriptions of sex); the albinism aspect felt somewhat contrived to me; and events revealed at the end also seemed somewhat unbelievable, as if it was created to fit characterization and fulfill a psychological plot device, rather than being a realistic act that would reveal character. Impressive first novel.

Secondhand World
Katherine Min

Katherine Min beckons us to accompany Isadora Myung Hee Sohn on her search for identity, her journey of teenage discovery as a Korean American. We stride, we stumble on a trail beset with family tension and cultural clash set in a mosaic of shifting relationships, of friendships done and undone, of a father's hidden quest for meaning in life.

Isa's father, entangled in his adherence to the accuracy of scientific proof, is unable to appreciate his daughter's and wife's appreciation for poetry. "Poetry," he said. "No substance. Anybody can write a poem. It's just words."

But words in the hands of a gifted writer do have substance. So magnificently evident in the volume before us.

The author's detailed phrases, allegories, and contemplative passages form the tone and substance that distinguish extraordinary writing. Her words vibrate as they pass into our memory bank.

Ms. Min's feeling for words may be best described in Isa's own explanation of why she enjoyed reading the dictionary: The words "...seemed to float in my brain, words - lovely and sinuous, devious and clever - surprising me with their specificity, their shadings, and their oddness."

As readers, we grudgingly reach journey's end, exhausted in a way, yet exhilarated in having had this opportunity to experience the debut of a gifted writer.

Glen W. Swanson and Annagreta Swanson, Peterborough, NH

Here's a case where the words "haunting debut" really do ring true. "Secondhand World" is genuinely moving, and the ache that you'll feel while reading it (and after) is the result of an immensely skillful writer using language to evoke a whole world of feeling. What a fine balance Katherine Min strikes in getting us to recognize the longing and isolation her characters feel. It's never heavy-handed. The book's insights are so precisely rendered they feel like real discoveries. Isadora and her struggle for acceptance may be front and foremost in many readers' minds (it may just be the most universal and therefore accessible aspect of the novel to talk about), but behind her lurks the story of her parents and their struggle is more harrowing, sadder, wiser. I won't forget them or this terrific book.

Secondhand World opens with a quote from the Orpheus Variations: "Of all the tricks of memory, the cruelest / Is accuracy." This sentiment is, I believe, the key to appreciating the savage beauty of this novel. The world that Isadora Myung Hee Sohn inhabits during her senior year in high school pulsates with an energy that is just beyond our capacity to understand. The minutiae of what is seen and felt every day becomes ominous not because of what happens, but because of what is observed.

There is no sepia-toned sentimentality. Isa's sloppy sexual awakening, her righteousness about her parents' flaws, the distance that grows between her and her closest friends from sharing too great a level of intimacy---the narrator bridges the gaps in our selective memories, reminding us of how painful and wondrous life at that age truly is.

The seemingly simple, layered narrative; the fires that bookend the pregnant silences in Isa's household; the irreversible consequences of being human----a person could reflect endlessly on the images, the language, and the emotional depth of this novel. How is it that we survivors (all of us) can fail to see or fail to understand even those closest to us? How can the fleeting and mundane make life sublime? This is not a plot-driven novel, yet it is almost impossible to put down.

Seattle was recently pummeled by 70 mph winds that brought down trees and power lines. Our lights went out at midnight, when I still had twenty pages left to go. I scrambled around for the flashlight so that I could finish the novel, ignoring the howling wind, the flapping of a neighbor's roof, and a passing emergency vehicle until I was done. Then I lay awake thinking not about the dipping temperature but about the story.

Secondhand World is a remarkable novel. I highly recommend it.

Read it for the flawless sentences or the unexpected turns: a coming-of-age novel in which loss is more than the vanity of innocence, a familial and cultural clash whose darker side inexorably turns into the light and the reader's full view, a first-person point-of-view that conveys the stuff of a world as well as an individual consciousness, a look at how American life is so richly imagined and so blankly played out, including wonderful coming-of-sexual age road trip that combines Henry Millerian exuberance with Nabokovian irony. The four main characters - the teenage Korean-American heroine, her immigrant parents, and her not-quite-blind boyfriend - deepen and come more alive on the page the more pages you turn. This is a deftly put-together novel that makes good on its promise and then some.

There was not one moment during this book that I wasn't totally captivated. The author puts a human face on the struggle of those in Iraq who lived under Saddam Hussein. And throughout, you are constantly reminded that she was among the "fortunate" by comparison. I found it to be an excellent education in the history of the country and the evolution of it in recent decades as well. I read this book on a recent camping trip in New England when I should have been mesmerized by my surroundings. Instead, I found I could not put this book down.

Short and sweet.. This is an awesome book. You see so many sides of Suddam. His dark side certainly made him a candidate for his execution!

it took a while to get here, but it was in good condition when it did.

Zainab Salbi's life seems idyllic, but even as a child she senses the tension felt by her wealthy parents as they entertain and are entertained by Saddam. Salbi's story shows two sides of Saddam: the cruel and abusive despot and the genial manipulator. In spite of the web Saddam spins around her family, Salbi experiences adolescent rebellion, ignorant of the danger her parents see threatening her, just as it threatened her mother and eventually ruins her parents' marriage. Salbi's story is a fascinating portrayal of a family living in luxury under tyranny and the dangers faced whether the choice is to endure or to escape.

Wow! This book knocked me out. I could NOT put it down. It really helped me understand some of the conflict within Iraq, but more importantly, the author and tone of this book is just very human, real, and accessible. As a youngster, and for all of her formative years, Saddam Hussein is in the background as a family "friend". Though her parents resisted his friendship, they found it more and more dangerous not to be his friend. It's like living with the devil! However, the author eventually gets out of Iraq and away from Saddam Hussien, due to an arranged marriage. I won't say how that goes as I don't want to ruin the ending.

I do feel that this is one of the absolute BEST memoires I ever read and it was written with a lof of grace and humility. For me, it was an important book, and I highly recommend you read it. I think it will become a classic memoire.

After reading this book I was left with a pretty vivid conception of Middle Eastern politics and society. The author does a good job connecting various events and figures together, which makes conceptualizing a holistic picture much easier than treating them as distinct.

Organizationally, the book was easily navigable by region/chronology. This also contributed to the coherence of the text as I never felt the author was jumping around, but rather moving in a progression.

I also enjoyed the simplicity of the author's language, it was concise and precise. At the same time, the author avoided dry writing, and never managed to lose my interest.

The only thing I felt was missing from this text was the inclusion of more North African countries, which although may not be geographically the "Middle East" still has strong connections to Middle Eastern culture and politics

Given that it's only around 480 pages, this is about all the author could possibly cover. Excellent book, and not biased IMO.

for the amount of history that is compacted into this work it still admazes me at how little is left out. the meat is left, and even though the fat gives the taste, it is the meat that we need to live off. for all it is a must read on what the middle east is and why. i require it for all my soldiers who want to make rank. this is a work from the highest of scholary men.

Cleveland's history of the Middle East is a superb summary of events that span the time between the formations of the Ottoman Empire and the Gulf War while weaving in the influence of Islam and the challenges of capitalism and imperialism. Cleveland brings his skill as a writer and analysis to bear on explaining the historical basis for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, and a dozen other conflicts in this volatile region.

Cleveland's presentation of Middle East history is a 5-star work of art and analysis.

This is one of the best overviews of the Middle East I have found. IT is distinguished in that it manages to keep to its topic of the Middle East instead of losing focus and revolving everything aruond the state of Israel. While it includes this in the history there is a lot more that has taken shape here and continues to take shape. All in all a very good overview.

I must say that the author did an excellent job if he intended this book to be a record of the day to day action on all theaters of engagement between the French and the Viet Minh.

Because of the excessive level of detail, the book is very diffcult to read and appreciate. It is a mind numbing experience.

Read this only if you wish to know in detail the horrible sufferings that that combatants on either side faced in a senseless war. Otherwise you will be better off with just a summary.

The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu And the French Defeat in Vietnam

Apparently the best account ever written on Dien Bien Phu. Just two brief remarks:
1. History is shaped by strong personalities, and there was an abundance of them in Dien Bien Phu. Despite the book's large volume, there would be welcome a chapter sketching portraits of key protagonists (Bigeard, Langlais, de Castries etc), at the expense of details on arms specifications.
2.The author is favorably predisposed to French military leaders, and I tend to sustain his argument about injustices inflicted to the French army by politicians. Nevertheless, he is inclined to offer unnecessary excuses to the former, as well as to soothe down quarrels. Why not state bluntly that Cogny and Langlais could not tolerate Navarre and de Castries respectively? Even though the outcome might not be different, leadership exercised by de Castries was apparently inadequate. During this epic battle, besides heroism, mistakes had been made also on the French part, which the author appears quite eager to justify, out of respect to this unique effort.

T. E. Lawrence wrote that amateurs do something because they love to, and professionals because they must. We can thank the muses that Martin Windrow is a self-described amateur, because this work bears all the hallmarks of serious and loving craftsmanship. He places both the war, and the battle in context, he casts a glaring light upon some of its myths, and he gives serious attention to the technical aspects of the battle that the great majority of military professionals would otherwise miss, such as the state of Viet Minh artillery tactics and doctrine. Were Fall still alive and writing, Windrow would still have outclassed him. Anything and everything you want or need to know about the battle for Dien Bien Phu is here. The very best military history I've read in English in a very long time. Bravo!

the book just kind of grabbed me, twice.
first when i saw it on the library shelf, i read "hell in a very small place" many years ago and have a continuing interest in vietnam and america's involvement there.
the second time is when i started reading it, it reads like an excellent detective story, i sat and sat and finished it at one sitting, not a small feat considering it is over 700 pages long. This style is the first very notable characteristic.

not only is the writing excellent, but the author is one of those people who you can imagine talking to. he appears to a military historian from his amazon authors page. writing since the 1970's with an accent on french and the foreign legion. But this book looks like a long term research project and literally a work of love. the detail and interest he displays puts it in a class almost by itself. the only other military history that i've been this impressed by is the boer war by pakenham. The research and simply put love that went into this book is evident thoughout and is a second notable item.

there is something else that makes it outstanding, several places he shows some very unique and well thought out ideas. they are just snatches of his worldview: some pages about the wounds caused by military bullets, a couple of places where he talks about the relationships between politicians and military leaders, and his discussion about how men fight for their buddies next to them, not geopolitical big things. There are just a few of these rather tantilizing glimpses, enough to make me look for more of his books. This disclosure of the man behind the work and his ideas developed from a lifetime of study in history is remarkable and the 3rd item i wish to point out.

I'd not a fan of military histories, nor an i particularly interested in the genre. But i do like his writing. I find the careful analysis of what happened, what lead up to it, how people responded fascinating and as yesterday proved, somewhat addictive. There is an overwhelming number of names, who went where and fought whom, etc, those datum that make up military history, but it is not so bad that it bores or obscures the ideas. He is a very careful documenter of the facts, desirous of completeness and setting the historical record straight. All elements which appear strongly in the book.

There is another thing remarkable about the book and it's author, a desire to look at the facts and the events and truly learn from them. To see this part of our world, a somewhat dark one, filled with the dead and lost, and remember them not just for their sacrifices but what these things have to teach us about ourselves and the societies we find ourselves in. and the first place to find the meaning of events is to get them right, to be factual and see what happened and propose why. something that this book does in a uniquely interesting and useful way.

i sure wish the militaries of the world had more thoughtful people like this author, either in their general staffs or in their officer universities. perhaps a significant dose of reality and history is what more of our military leaders need before embarking on disastrous campaigns.

This is a superb and well constructed book and is by far one of the best accounts of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu that has been written. The author gives the reader a great insight to the formation of the Viet Minh and their rise to become a formidable fighting force whose journey to power led to the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu.

The book is well balanced and very readable. It gives a well presented account of the battle and how it unfolded and also shows how, although the French were defeated, at some stages of the fighting, victory could have gone either way with the staggering battle casualties suffered by the Viet Minh.

He also deals with the communist purges in the north after the French had been defeated and the division of the country into North and South Vietnam.

This fine book would not be out of place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the military campaigns of Vietnam.

I have been a vegetarian for many years, and I eat mainly Asian style food. My cooking skill are about average. I don't normally cook from a book or follow exact recipes. However, I fell in love with this book at first glance. I had no difficulties with any of the recipes (and I have tried them all). All the recipes are well-written and clear, most are easy to follow even for beginners, and the results will please even non-vegetarians because they taste so good. If you are a beginner, the lists of ingredients and shopping advice will be very helpful, and not complicated or overwhelming. A great user-friendly introduction to a world of delightful vegetarian cooking.

I bought this book many years ago to place with the other vegetarian cookbooks that I had collected. Many of the other books have been lost or given away, but this one stays. Madhur Jaffrey's explanations and techniques are simple and the outcomes are delicious. I haven't made anything from this book that I haven't liked. As I have gradually become more vegan in my cooking (not completely), I will often substitute firm tofu for the panir, and olive oil for the ghee, but the taste is still great.

The instructions are pretty clear and correct. But in following them, I don't think I've ever made anything which didn't leave the stove wanting spices, salt, garlic, or hot pepper. I'd recommend anything by Book Publishing Company or Moosewood over Jaffrey's tempting, consistently diverse but bland offerings.

There hasn't been one recipe from this book that I haven't loved. I found in my public library and started copying the first few recipes onto cards. After my third time of checking this book out, I realized that I would be copying the whole book if I continued. My personal favorites are the Very Spicy Chickpeas, Her recipe for Paranthas, tofu and Broccoli.
All I can say is don't be intimidated by the spice lists. It makes the ingrediants and recipe look twice as long and complicated as it really is.
I also love the artwork! It is beautiful and elegant to me.

the first time I tried a recipe from this book was thanks to a friend who owned the first edition from the eighties. since then, the book was on my wish list for a long time, it took me a while to find another copy again (it was out of print).
the qualities of the book can be summarized as follow. first, the recipes are simple to reproduce: even the most elaborate Persian treats are easy to make. second, their variety is incredibly rich, from Korean kim-chi to the most elaborate Indian curry.
as a lover of international vegetarian cuisine and definitely an experimenter, I find this one of the most comprehensive, unpretentious complete book I could have on my kitchen shelf.
the only flaw: every time I cook a new recipe I have to increase a bit the amount of spices suggested. definitely not a book for those who expect to produce very hot dishes.

I too was a forward air controller. The col. relives alot for me. The Ho Chi Ming trail was pure hell. 57mm rounds leave a lasting impression on one who has experienced war. The book deserves 20 stars.

This is an entertaining and honest read. I really enjoyed the writing style. This book focusses more on the life of a FAC than the actual flying of the missions. Fans of DaNang Diary and A Lonely Kind of War might be disappointed to find much less in the way of the white knuckle accounts of hostile engagements, but anyone interested in the people who fought the war can't fail but to be impressed with this book.

I initially ordered this book because I didn't think it could live up to its reviews and I was going to give it less than five stars. After reading it, I would give it six stars if that was possible. This is a top drawer example of a really well constructed, well written and well drawn picture of a man and his impressions and experiences in combat. Te story telling is brilliant, a real "page turner." I have read numerous volumes of war stories, many were excellent but none were able to catch and hold me like this one. Mike Jacksin has done a large favor for Vietnam veterans by showing just how normal they really were.

The emotions and the attitudes and the laughter, Jackson and his co-writer hit the nail on the head with this book. I read it in one sitting, which is not at all like me. In fact, I began reading it again just to catch everything I missed on the first run through. The writing is flawless and is obviously the product of two very talented and interconnected minds. I don't remember when I enjoyed a book more. I cannot really add much to what the other reviews have said except to present the appreciation and approval of someone who was over there too and had a pretty good time except for all the killing and dying. This greatful Marine sends his thanks to both authors for writing a book that will last and improve with age.

What a special book this is. It traces Mr. Jackson's experiences as a young man growing up in Ohio and follows him into air force training, pilot training and, finally, into combat. It does an excellent job of showing civilians what it is like to train for and experience war. I think it gives a more personal and even funny view of Vietnam than other books I have read of that era. It is also a timely book with solders once again marching off to war. Mike Jackson has my respect and appreciation.

This is one of the best combat depictions of the Viet Nam War that I have ever read. I highly recommend it for former military readers.

My friend Beetle was there. Lee Burns was there. Others were there. Nolan writes almost as if HE were there. It happened before I got in-country, but it was a legendary fight by legendary Marines and Nolan tells the story so very well. I am proud to have helped carry these Marines in my helicopters and supported them in every way possible. They are heroes in the truest sense of that so misused word. This book is an EXCELLENT read!

Keith Nolan has managed to capture the absolute confusion and fear associated with modern combat in Operation Buffalo. I started this book in 1997 or there abouts and was unable to finish it. As a former Marine who was in boot camp in San Diego when this operation took place I had a difficult time with the content. Lose an entire company of Marines to a sly enemy? Impossible. And then to read about the loss of additional Marines in trying to recover the dead and wounded (something that is very important by the way) that had fallen the day before....difficult. I just couldn't finish the book.

Well, I picked it up again, after ten years, and read it completely. In a very belated way I have to compliment Mr. Nolan on not only his ability to tell a difficult story, but to tell it in a way that makes sense and then manages to touch the heart. As another reviewer stated, Operation Buffalo hurts the heart of the reader and this reflects the sensitivity that the author weaved into his tale.

The doctrine at the time was that the Marines divided an area in to map grids. The Marines would sweep a grid with a company, clear it, and then move on. The NVA would wait for the Marines to leave and then move into that grid knowing that they were probably safe for a while. The battle that took place in July of 1967 is the result of the Marines out smarting themselves. They decided to sweep the same map grid twice, trying to catch the NVA off guard. It worked. But a single company was no match for what the Marines stepped into.

The American fighting man has been depicted in less than a glowing manner in Viet Nam. Brutal, drug crazed killers. I think while some of that may be deserved, the bulk of that criticism is undeserved and is served up by people who have never humped a pack or shared water out of a canteen. Nolan does a huge service for the Viet Nam vets by explaining the sheer meaness of the NVA in how our wounded were treated. Well done.

Operation Buffalo isn't a book for the weak of heart or for those who don't really want to be informed. It is a book that speaks well to the commitment of American fighting men in general and of U. S. Marines in particular.

Semper Fi.

This is as terrifying an account of the Vietnam war as I've ever read. Forget the melodrama and sensationalism that characterized much of Vietnam war literature in the early and mid-eighties: Nolan's sparse style and clear representation of what took place on the DMZ in the summer of 1967 will give you nightmares. Don't look to find refuge here in a simple war story: Nolan tenaciously presents history as it unfolds.

This is a must have book for your library. After over 30 years you forget why you hated Vietnam until you read a book that brings back all the memories. This is such a book. I served with 1/1 and 3/1 after these battles and am amazed that keith Nolan is able to bring to life what it meant to serve in a Marine Corps Infantry Bn in Vietnam. I got angry, I laughed and I cried as I read this book. At times I felt like I could reach out and touch some of the people, the writing was so vivid. Everyone should read this book and remember what the Marines paid in blood for that war. THANK YOU USMC for what you gave me and THANK YOU Marines all over the world protecting us now.

An engrossing, fast moving story of a 1st CAV warrant officers experiences mid 1967-1968. Tom does a great job of explaining the elements of helicopter flight and flying tactics. The year he experienced had a high degree of combat, frequently against NVA, rather than VC. He writes well, has a story to tell, and tells it well.

I've read some other helicopter pilot's stories who served in the same III Corps AO I did in 1967 (with an assault helicopter unit, but not as an air crewman). The intensity level written about here is yet another level above what we were experiencing pre-Tet.

Like all the warrants I remember, he saw himself as a pilot rather than an officer, and measured others by their piloting skills rather than their rank. We enlisted men loved them for that. Officers with real skills (not surprisingly, the minimum AFTQ score - equivalent to an IQ score - for a WOC was higher than for an officer candidate).

I think you'll find this book a real page turner.

For me as a Combat vet, Vietnam 1966-68 101st Airborne grunt. I thought the book was great. I don't often read books about Nam, but this looked like a must. It brought back a lot good memories and not so good as well.Only Vietnam vets will have a true understand of this fine book.The UH-1H (AKA) HUEY was the best Helicpter ever built and I we all loved to see Charlie model UH-1C and the AH-1G Gun Ships too. Frank Allen

I bought 'To The Limit' a few months ago and have now read it from cover to cover three times. I've read a lot of Viet Nam aviation books over the years and I always considered Robert Mason's 'Chickenhawk' the standard for the helicopter community. Tom has now raised the bar. 'To The Limit' has got to be the most laid-back, lucid and sensitive book I have read on the subject.
He has a down-to-earth style (must be the Georgia upbringing!)which doesn't need profanity (as another reviewer pointed out), an obvious concern for the aircraft, his crew and his 'customers, and a very honest appraisal of his inner feelings under what can only be described as the highest possible levels of combat-induced stress.
Definitely a five star book - if there where more available, he'd get them.

I'm a civilian helicopter instructor with about 1100 hours. I learned that the guys who flew in Vietnam did things on an almost daily basis that we could consider suicidal. This book will open your eyes to what is possible when lives are at stake, nobody cares about wrecking an expensive turbine-powered machine, and the crew are willing to get themselves killed to bail out some troops on the ground. That said, I don't think I am going to see if a Robinson R44 can chop down a stand of bamboo...

It is really incredible what soldiers were asked to do - every day. The author writes a very readable description of his experiences as a combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam. Even more amazing is that his story is clearly not unique.

I think that even people who are not war story history buff readers will enjoy this book as well as the aformentioned.