Military Books

I really enjoyed reading it and how acurate it was.I even used it for my research paper.

In the Prologue, the authors state victorious war veterans have long vexed politicians noting that "Early in the Revolutionary war, the Continental Congress provided for both disabled veterans and the dependents of soldiers killed in battle" and that "The last surviving dependent of the Revolutionary war continued to receive benefits until 1911." The authors write "By1932, the amount paid to Civil War (Union) veterans and their survivors amounted to twice the cost of the war." After World War I, in 1924 Congress passed a law that granted the WWI veterans a bonus. However, payment of the bonus was constantly delayed. The end result was the WWI veterans formed a bonus army that marched to Washington D.C. in 1932 to lobby for the bonus. Historians have given only passing references to the bonus marches, however their significance was great and their influence continues to today.

The first half of the text gives an excellent account of the 1932 bonus march. They called themselves the Bonus Expeditionary Force (BEF), and they traveled in freight cars, state trucks, private autos, motorcycles and some even walked. They began arriving in June 1932, and upon arrival in Washington they were politically supported by the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars as well many members of Congress, principally Wright Patman. Fortunately, in 1932 the Washington Police Chief, Pelham Glassford, was a competent and fair chief who looked to the welfare of the bonus marchers. The BEF Commander-in-Chief was Walter Walters who was also competent, and was able to exercise control of the BEF that could have become a vicious mob. The major issue was by law the bonus couldn't be paid until 1945. However, by 1932 the nation was mired in the Great Depression, and many veterans desperately needed the bonus. However, the bonus exceeded the income of the government so both Presidents Hoover and Roosevelt vetoed early payment of the bonus.

The military erroneously thought the 1932 bonus veterans consisted of ex-criminals, radicals and non-servicemen and; were controlled by communists. However,Walter Waters bitterly opposed the communists. The BEF and splinter groups were encamped in Washington in vacant buildings plus 15,000 veterans and about 1,100 wives and children were camped in tents and shacks at Anacostia. Most interesting was the fact that at Anacostia and in the other camps, the color line didn't exist. The text contains several interesting personal stories. After the veterans made several attempts to secure payment of their bonus, Police Chief Glassford was told that beginning July 22 and completed by August 4, the bonus veterans had to be out of their camps; the Army now had control of the bonus armies. The army burned camp Anacostia and used tanks, bayonets and tear gas to expel the vets and their families from Washington. Two civilian casualties were attributed to Army eviction activities.

The text next covers two subsequent bonus marches on Washington in 1933 and 1934. In order to keep veterans from camping in Washington, the administration set up work camps for veterans in South Carolina and Florida. The hurricane that struck the Florida Keys on Labor Day 1935;was devastating and especially hard on the veterans in work camps on the Florida Keys. 259 veterans lost their lives. U.S. Government officials tried to cover-up the government's failure to take proper measurers to prevent lost of life maintaining it was due to "an act of God." Most interesting Ernest Hemmingway who lived on Key West wrote an excellent critique of the government's failure to take proper actions to evacuate the keys and avoid injuries and lost of life. The text provides an interesting account of this sad affair.

On January 27, 1936, Roosevelt's veto of a new bonus bill was overridden and the cash bonus finally became a reality. `The new bill differed from the earlier Patman bills in that this bill called for the issuing of bonds in $50 denominations.... that could be redeemed on June 15 or held at 3-percent interest to maturity in 1945."

With the United States entry into, World War II, Congress introduced legislation to provide benefits for the men and women in the military. By the end of 1943, 243 bills on veterans legislation were pending before Congress. Amazingly beginning on December 15, 1943, a special committee of the American Legion drafted a rough version of veteran's legislation laying the groundwork for what eventually became the GI Bill of Rights. The bill was signed by President Roosevelt on June 22, 1944 and provided six benefits: education and training; loan guaranty for a home, farm or business; unemployment pay of $29 a week for up to fifty-two weeks; job-finding assistance; top priority for building materials for VA hospitals; and military review of dishonorable discharges.

The text ends stating "Millions of Americans have since peacefully marched on Washington in support of various causes, their way paved by the veterans of 1932." This book is excellently researched, well written and hopefully will place the bonus march in its proper place in American history.

As a Vietnam combat vet I cannot be objective about this book. As I read it, I couldn't help comparing it to my own experiences of re-integrating into civilian life following my service. As I read The Bonus Army I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the sacrifices these men and their families made, not just in war, but in the aftermath.

Paul Dickson and Thomas B. Allen set out to chronicle an event, but wound up giving us a look at how politicians deal with the pesky problem of what to do with returning veterans. One of the most shocking aspects of The Bonus Army is how quickly the same men who cheered from the grandstands as these soldiers went off to war in 1918 now wanted them washed away and forgotten.

As an American war veteran I am grateful to Dickson and Allen for writing this book. It should be read by every returning Global War On Terror (GWOT) vet. Like freedom itself, when it comes to holding government to their promises after the trumpets fade, you only get what you are willing to fight for.

I knew little about the Bonus Army, other than Patton's role in breaking up their camp in Anacostia. Little, indeed. This book brings to life a rich period of U.S. history where the nation--or parts of the nation--came together in a period of economic desperation. There are a few villians, but far more unexpected heroes of high and low station determined to see fellow American treated with dignity and respect. This is truly a wonderful read that places the veterans in the Bonus Army in the same tradition as those who kept our republic alive at Valley Forge.

If you went to college or bought a house on the GI Bill you can thank the Bonus Army, a ragtag group of WW I vets who converged on Washington, DC in 1932 demanding payment of their dollar a day bonus promised to them after years of political wrangling. They were called communists, criminals and freeloaders by the president and members of congress during the worst years of the depression. President Hoover used US troops commanded by General Douglas MacArthur to drive them out of the city and the American voters were so outraged the incident helped carry FDR to the White House that fall. It would still be several years before the bonus was paid but the saga of the bonus army paved the way for the GI Bill of Rights and provided a model for every mass protest held in the capital since.
Dickson and Allen provide a stirring narrative with an all star cast that includes Herbert Hoover, George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, Andrew Mellon, Dwight Eisenhower and J Edgar Hoover.
The Bonus Army has faded from view over time and this worthy book brings an important era in or history back into focus.

This first half dragged a little bit. I thought that the book suffered a little bit of over-explanation. The second half was more interesting. Overall, a good commute book.

Everytime that I see a chimp, I will remember this book.

Engrossing story, likable heroin, written by a man in the viewpoint of a woman! setting on a beach in africa. Great, great read. Not all action either, addresses themes of morality, decadence of mankind, etc.

If someone had given me a basic description of what this novel was about, I probably would not have read it. I don't really have any interest in reading about the life of a scientist studying primates in Africa. But William Gibson is a masterful storyteller and I became enthralled with this book. It's truly moving and exciting and yes, even thrilling and hilarious sometimes. I read this book shortly after it was published and it's with me all these years later. They don't come much better than this.

Man vs chimpanzee: Boyd takes the wonderfully named Hope Clearwater's experience as a chimp-sanctuary research scientist in Africa and interleaves it with her crumbling marriage to a failed mathematical genius/lunatic, John.

Hope suffers from an unerring scientific passion to tell the truth about her empirical observations, a quality not always shared by her colleagues or bosses, whose agendas and motives grow darker as the book progresses.

Boyd jumps seamlessly across time and place to make this an easy one-day read and a very rewarding one. Brazzaville Beach blends a depth of detail, well-juxtaposed mathematical theories and the realisation that chimps can be just as brutal as human beings.

This is an intelligent, quality novel from an intelligent, world-class novelist.

I just read Boyd's latest, "Restless," and went back to re-read Brazzaville Beach which I first discovered 15 years ago. (Whoever recommended that, thanks!) Brazzaville still retains an intriguing set of themes, and somehow sets the scene to the troubles that west and central Africa have suffered in the past decade and today.
I won't go over the plot, but would suggest that Boyd's use of language is something that other reviewers have not stressed. It is very economical, and very rich; sometimes you have to read a sentence over to find the nuances of comedy, despair, cynicisms, and then go back to the purely narrative description that pulls his stories along.
Kudos to Boyd, and Brazzaville remains my favorite of the many novels of his that I've read. Will Hollywood wake up and make a film of this?

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson is about a young slave girl named Isabel who is in New York during the Revolutionary War. Then she gets a chance to spy on the loyalists...but will SHE ever get freedom? Or just the whites around her?
I really liked this book! Theres alot going on, all the time, it never got really boring and I always wanted to keep reading. I also really like historical fiction books and this is on the top of my list of historical fiction books I like, I like how the book combines both Revolutionary War AND slavery, its a good mix and I've never read any other books about slavery during the Revolution. I also learned alot from the book, not just basic Revolution/Slavery facts but specific facts to New York during this time period.
But if you don't like books that are part of a series or have sequels then don't read it because there will be a sequel...and I just can't wait to read it! :-)
But overall this book is great, if you like historical fiction then this is a must-read!

If only this book had been on the reading list when I first took American History back in junior high . . . Anderson brings her fine pacing and plot twists to the historical novel once again. It is fascinating to follow Isabel in the struggle to define herself set against the country's own struggle with its identity. The New York of the Revolutionary period comes to life through Isabel's daily journeys.

When I was a student, I never doubted that in the fight for American Independence that the Patriots were the clear-cut heroes, the ones worth fighting with and for. I always reasoned that if I had been alive at the time of the Revolution I would have undoubtedly joined the fight against King George and his tyrannous reign. Now, after reading Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson, I don't know if the choice would have been that easy.

As the story begins, two young slave girls are moved away from their life in the Rhode Island Colony to the tumultous New York Colony on the brink of America's war for independence. The girls' lives become one of trying to survive in this new territory through unspeakable events that threaten to break them. Young Isabel, the older of the two sisters, tells us her story as she struggles to protect her sister and seek the freedom for them both that should be rightly theirs.

At one point, Isabel questions the Americans' fight for freedom, and if it applies to her. She has to decide who she will be loyal to, her Tory master, her Patriot ideals, or herself. For Isabel, the question is "What will be the price of freedom and whose freedom is it really?"

This excellent read will open the eyes of any young person searching for different perspectives on America's past.

This newest book by teen author Laurie Halse Anderson equals her other outstanding historical novel, Fever 1793, in making young readers feel a strong connection to a distant historical period. This novel focuses on a young slave and her sister who live in New York during the American Revolution. I found it especially interesting to read a book about slavery that focuses on this earlier period and not the Civil War or the South. My only complaint was that the story seems to end in the middle, setting up the sequel that will follow.

I have never been so captivated by an historical fiction book since The Witch of Blackbird Pond. The author has done a superb job at intertwining history with a story of a slave girl that is sure to enter the reader's heart.

this source is the best of the best i agree it would have been nice if they included all other vehicles but never the less this source is the perfect tool for research.

i hope the publisher keeps publishing this book it would be a lost if it could not come out anymore i have had the 272 page book since's 2001 and is perfect for arguing points and debate points.

get this book while you still can trust me when i say very well worth every penny and i do mean every penny don't ever ever give it up to no one no matter how much they offer you for it.

With so many reviews detailing the contents of this book, I only add that it is worth the price new but still easy to find used. A must have in any Tank library. You will find so many vehicle's that you never even dreamed existed , that alone makes this book indispensable.Of course if you have heard of it it will be in here. Great pictures, so many that the authors ran out of space and crammed them in the front and back pages with footnotes.ENJOY! Great just for a leaf through for any odd hour or two.

I seen German tanks in this book I've never heard of. It is a definite addition to any WW2 historians collection .

This book remains one of the best sources of reference regarding German military vehicles during the Second World War. However, it should not be mistaken like some of the previous reviewers that this book is some sort of history book on the German forces. If anyone wishes to read how well the Panther or a Tiger did in combat, read else where. This book remains a data reference source. In this book, you will find all you ever want to find on the technical military data of all individual German military vehicles and their different model types. I found the information to be highly useful in almost every usage I get out of it, as a historian, wargamer, modeller and even as a film reviewer.

The book claims to be a definitive book on the German military vehicles and for once, this is not an over hype. It would be hard to find another book which hold this much information and data on all the individual German military vehicles as this. I would considered this book as one of the mandatory books in any World War II historian's library.

(In clarification, this book covered all the combat vehicles which served with the German military. It doesn't covered vehicles like Schwimmwagen or Kubelwagen or regular army truck.)

The book gives a great account of all AFV in the German inventory. The short comings of the book are evident in the lack of color photographs and information regarding how the unit was used/performed in battle.

This is the story of Vincent R. Capodanno, of Staten Island, New York. He was not the brightest kid on the block. He was not an athlete - he was more like Felix Unger of "The Odd Couple," a neat-freak. But he was imbued with his Italian-American religious tradition; and he entered the Maryknoll Seminary to become a missionary priest. After ordination, Vince was assigned to a small mission in Formosa (now Taiwan). He was dedicated but he had difficulty with the language. He requested a different assignment - he wanted to be with the United States Marines in Vietnam.

Service as a chaplain to the Marine Corps is a demanding task. Chaplain Capodanno was right at home with the challenge. From 1966 through September 1967, he served with the 7th Marines and the 5th Marines near Da Nang. Capodanno insisted on sharing the dangers of the "grunts" he served. As a result of his service, he was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumously), the Bronze Star and a Vietnam Silver Star; a ship was named in his honor; and he is presently a candidate for beatification and sainthood. The author of this book, a navy chaplain, is the postulator (proponent) of the canonization proceeding.

Perhaps the best aspect of the book is that it makes clear the role of a chaplain in the military. It is a concept that seems to have been overlooked in the past half-century. Also, it is a concept that should be revisited.

Although the story of Vince Capodanno is fascinating, the book has some difficulties. It is almost impossible to determine the thought processes of Chaplain Capodanno. Vince was a lone wolf. Apparently, he did not keep a diary. His letters home avoided any unpleasant details. He did not confide his thoughts; he was a "listener." The author is relegated to guessing at most of the chaplain's motivations and the story of his combat service is told through a series of short reminiscences submitted by Marines who served with him.

The religious aspects of Capodanno's life are well recognized by the author who is a navy chaplain and the son of a career navy officer. On the other hand, one wonders about the accuracy of the author's views of the influence of what he believed to be public opinion during the 1950s and 1960s. Similarly, the author seems to pander to the views of those opponents of the Vietnam War who demonized the members of the military who carried out their service to the country. Those extremist critics deserve no sympathy.

While there are some stylistic problems with the book, it is a fascinating story.

I served with father Capadano in Vietnam and did not know that he had died until just a few months ago. The Wall Street journal had an article about the book and the priest. The book is a good account of his life and his time in Vietnam. It depicks him as I knew him and brought back to my mind the man that i knew for a year. It also mentioned other officers that i served with along side the priest. it made the book even more relevent to me

Books

The Grunt Padre
By Father Daniel L. Mode
Reviewed by Cos Ferrara

When Vincent R. Capodanno, Jr. decided to become a Maryknoll priest, he expected to be bringing the word of Christ to foreign lands. But it is unlikely that he expected to be the Christ-bearer to American soldiers in Vietnam during one of the deadliest of wars. After spending seven years in Taiwan and Hong Kong, Father Vincent requested permission to become a U. S. Navy chaplain and serve Marines in the field of battle. And serve he did.
The Grunt Padre by Father Daniel L. Mode (CMJ Marian Publishers, Oak Lawn, IL, 2000), tells his story. The book is the result of painstaking research over a number of years into the life and death of a quietly heroic Catholic priest. Father Mode read every available account on Father Vincent. He spoke to Father Vincent's family, his fellow Marines, and military officials who investigated the priest's heroism before the appropriate medals and honors could be bestowed on him. Once word of his research spread, Marines from across the country sent their accounts of the grunt Padre to be included in the book.

The Grunt Padre
Father Vincent Capodanno arrived in Vietnam in April 1966, to begin his 12-month tour. The United States had 385,000 troops there, with an average of 40 US soldiers dying there every month. In speaking of Father Vincent's ministry, one Marine said: "He was not standing on any soapboxes. The only thing he asked of the grunt Marines was the honor to be with them, and that meant he had to become one of them." "Grunt Marine" is a term that by rights should only be used by enlisted infantry Marines. They use it to remind themselves of the seriousness of their training: sweat in peace saves lives in war.
Father Vincent lived as a grunt Marine. Another Marine said he "was not a religious leader who did his job and then returned to the comfort of his own circle. Wherever they went, he went. Whatever burdens they had to carry, he shared the load. No problem was too large or too small to take to Father Vincent. He was available to them day and night. In a short time, the grunt Marines recognized Father Vincent's determination to be with them and one of them. The men respectfully and affectionately dubbed him "The Grunt Padre."

Whatever It Takes
He heard confessions, instructed converts, and administered the sacraments. He also walked dangerous perimeters, accompanying Marines positioned in distant jungle outposts.
In his spare time, Father Vincent wrote letters of condolence and information to families of dead and wounded Marines. One family later wrote of such a letter they had received from Father Vincent: "It had been a week of terrible worry for us, and his letter was the most important thing in the world to us."
Asking to be assigned to the operations entailing the greatest risk, Father Vincent went on many dangerous operations. On November 25, 1966, during Operation Rio Blanco, Captain David L. Walker was wounded in an open, flat rice paddy. He lay hopelessly in pain and exposed to enemy fire. He could not move. He later said:

Father Capodanno was the first at my side, even though he had to run about 75 meters through heavy enemy small arms fire. After summoning a Corpsman, he then assisted in carrying me to a safe area where I was med-evaced. During this time he was constantly exposed to enemy fire.

With the Medical Battalion
After eight months working with field combat units, Father Capodanno was transferred to the 1st Medical Battalion. The wounded were carried by helicopter to the hospital 24 hours a day. During 1966, the Medical Corps there treated more than a million South Vietnamese civilians and nearly 6400 wounded Marines and sailors.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation was particularly important to the wounded who were fearful that they might die. In addition, Father administered the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, known then as Extreme Unction, to many about to die.
Lieutenant Joseph L. LaHood, a Navy doctor, commented on the gentle and effective way Father Vincent carried out his pastoral duties:

I am a doctor and after a year in Vietnam saw much. But never had I seen such dedication and selflessness, not as a sticky "piety" but as a "way." For the hundreds of cigarettes he held for the wounded, many of whom could no longer reach their hands to their lips, and for the hundreds of letters he wrote and helped to write for his men, the Marines will never forget that he is one of them. This priest of God is a hero.

Operation Swift
With three months left on his tour, Father Vincent asked for a six-month extension. On September 4, 1967, while people back home were celebrating Labor Day, Father Vincent was accompanying his Marines on Operation Swift. Lieutenant Joseph E. Pilon, M.D., gave this account:

On Labor Day our battalion ran into a world of trouble. When Father C. arrived at the scene it was 500 Marines against 2500 North Vietnamese Army regulars.....
Casualties were running high and Father C. had his work cut out for him. Early in the day, he was shot through the right hand, which all but shattered his hand--one corpsman patched him up and tried to med-evac him but Father C. declined, saying he had work to do.
A few hours later a mortar landed near him and left his right arm in shreds hanging from his side. Once again he was patched up and once again he refused evacuation. There he was, moving slowly from wounded to dead to wounded using his left arm to support his right as he gave absolution or last rights, when he suddenly spied a corpsman get knocked down by the burst of an automatic weapon.
The corpsman was shot in the leg and couldn't move and understandably panicked. Father C. ran out to him and positioned himself between the injured boy and the automatic weapon. Suddenly, the weapon opened up again and this time riddled Father C. from the back of his head to the base of his spine.

Father Vincent was one of 127 Marines who died in Operation Swift in the Que-Son Valley that day. He was awarded the Bronze Star of Valor, the Medal of Honor, the highest military award the United States can present. He also was given the Purple Heart. A United States Navy vessel was named in his honor--the USS Capodanno. Perhaps the tribute that would mean the most to Father Vincent is having his name inscribed on the Vietnam Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C., along with the other 58,181 dead and missing soldiers from the Vietnam War.

In May 2006, Father Capodanno was publicly declared Servant of God, the first step toward canonization as a saint in the Catholic Church.

A Painful but Uplifting Read

While this book is not for the feint of heart, it does tell a story of Christian sacrifice that should be heard.


1187 words

A lot of things come when you hear those words. Being a Veteran from the US Navy a Hospital Corpsman I know all to well what those words mean. I know the sacrifices that a Non Combatant goes through when he accepts that Torch of Freedom. Fr Vincent Capadano also understood what it meant to be a Non Combatant as well. He died coming to the aid of a Fellow Non Combatant a Mortally Wounded Corpsman. I read this book and I was forced to put it down several times to calm my nerves and tears. Never before has a book moved me like Grunt Padre.

A week ago I sat in the Stands of Parris Island watching my son graduate Basic Training as a brand new Marine. My thoughts returned to that book I read so many years ago. I bought the book and am giving it to my son as one of his Christmas Gifts. Every Marine should read this book. Every Catholic should Read this book.

This is a must read. I met Father Vincent while I was in a Chu Lai hospital where he was stationed. It was sometime in January 1967. I remember his first visit with me; he brought to me a small transistor radio and some cookies he had received in the mail. I was immediately awed by his presence. He raised my spirits and made me feel special in a place that was overwhelming and intimidating. For the brief time I was there I would visit him in the chapel and had some wonderful conversations with him. When I returned to my company (C 1/7) area I would occasionally see him. I recall we were on an operation and one Sunday he provided services right there out in the field (one of the pictures in the book). A number of us Marines (regardless of faith) would gather and he would lead the service. It exemplified the importance of faith and the unimportance of individual beliefs; we would all prey to the same God. I recall we were on a line sweep across a field and a Marine about three down from me had tripped a land mind. Two Marines were down. Father Vince ran at full speed past me and went in front of the line with no regard for himself. Within a matter of moments he was the first to arrive at the aid of the fallen Marines. I knew then that he would not survive in Vietnam; his dedication to us would be his sacrifice. It wasn't until after I ended my tour of duty and was home that I learned of his death. There is not a day goes by that I do not think about him. I have this book proudly displayed in my office and enjoy talking about him when anyone asks. Recently I published a book Life with an Angel and I'm working on a sequel which will be based on my experiences in Vietnam and will be dedicated to Father Capodanno. He has had a profound impact in my entire life. For that I will always be thankful that God allowed me to share a small part of Father Vincent's life. I hope that this book and his memory and inspiration will live forever.

This novel is an extraordinary blend of elements of fantasy, science fiction, and battles--not only between humans and aliens, but in terms of the heart-wrenching, life-changing decisions the characters must often make.

Reza Gard, a human orphan whose parents died in the war between humans and the alien race of Kreelans, is kidnapped by the Kreelans in an experiment to see if humans have souls. Forced to absorb the Kreelan culture and way of life, his internal struggle rages on as he matures into an adult, enhanced by the friends and enemies he makes along the way.

The rich descriptions of everything from the vast magenta skies to the powerful spiritual bond the Kreelans share with their empress made me feel like I was walking the surface of the Kreelan homeworld.

Mr. Hicks is an excellent storyteller. I simply could not put this book down, and I eagerly await the prequel he is working on!

This book grabs you by the throat right from the first page. You think you know who the bad guys are, but then as it turns out.....are they? Heart-stopping action, foreign lands rich in detail, thought-provoking moral issues, this book has it all. Buy it. You won't be sorry (except for the problem of staying up waaaaayyyy too late reading.)

Michael R. Hicks is a gifted story teller. His vivid imagination mixed with his strong knowledge of military tactics and his smooth writing style makes an utterly incredible science fiction tale almost believable.

Orphaned by blue skinned female warriors of the Kreelan Empire, young Reza Gard is captured and trained on the Kreelan home planet as an experiment to test human ability. After surviving and excelling within the warrior cult, a mature Reza must face the decision to war upon his own race or abandon those that he has learned to love. His decision and his methods become the focal point of the galaxy at war.

The pace of this book is so fast that the reader soon forgets how very big it is. The style is clear, uncluttered and powerful.

If it was shorter, this book could zoom to the top of many best seller lists, but I would hate to be the editor who had to decide the words to be deleted.

In Her Name is an excellent book.

I'm going to miss having this book in my laptop bag, sneaking chapters in during work-breaks, reading while in the doctor's waiting room (with pregnancy there's a lot of appointments), and just overall enjoying this book.

As previous reviewers have said, this is a book that covers just about everything. We're voyeurs to the lives of each of these characters--from adolescents to adult years for some, and descriptive memories of others. We know their secrets, their desires, their pain, and their strengths. We're shown comparisons of warriors of two different species, from training to combat, and the faith of different religions and spiritual growth. We are a part of unrequited love, star-crossed lovers, and life-long and devoted friends. On the dark side, we experience the wickedness of pure hatred, the mental sickness of villains and the paths of destruction left behind for the love of power.

Yes, all this in one book...and from a Independent Author at that!

An indie. Michael Hicks is a warrior, and his book a gem, against what people might think a Self-Published book is all about. Granted, there is a reason why many might think an indie book isn't worth it since it wasn't published by a big house name (or actually gave one or two a try and it was just completely awful), but if you look at it like the Independent film festivals and why these directors and film-makers chose to "do-it-yourself," it's the same reasoning. Sometimes you have to make a way when the door just won't open for your foot (hey, didn't Microsoft Windows start in a garage)?

I really enjoyed this book, and more so (being an indie author myself), because the art is left inside the covers. Sometimes big corporations take out all that's creative and what gives a book its heart. And there have been many famous authors out there who have re-published their books in the way they had "intended" it to read. And we see this with our wonderful DVDs where we can now experience the "director's cut" and "deleted scenes".

I'm also glad I got to experience the full story before the split of the books. Hey, I understand it's very big, but I'm one of those people who can't stand being interupted by commercials; therefore I don't have cable and I watch all my TV shows from streaming internet sites online, or order from Netflix. But that's just me. :)

So yes! If you love combat, romance, science fiction, alien worlds or good vs evil (or all of the above) you will really enjoy this book. A five-stars, most definitely.

As a lifelong reader of science-fiction, I really enjoyed this book! It was a very well written blend of space opera, military sci-fi and epic fantasy. It was as good as anything I have read by my favorite authors. Highly reccomended!

a very poignant story of a boy who 'escaped' from a concentration camp. His trip to where, he doesn't know, gives so much insight to what would be going through a child during this era of time. He doesn't know anything about the outside world. This is often times humorous and then sad at others. It is a powerful story that should be read by all. There aren't really any EXCITING parts but plenty of in depth story. Mrs. Holm brings a story to paper that will not be quickly forgotten.

Wow! What an awesome book. My 10-yr-old son had to pick a book of Historical Fiction for a book report for school. We chose this one because it seemed familiar to me, then came to realize that I read it when I was a kid under the title "I am David". We took turns reading the book aloud, my son was so into it. Every boy, actually every kid, should read this book, if only to appreciate freedom and opportunity and the love of family.

When freedom is near,all, young David has to think about is how to get away without being caught. I will encourage the young people to read this book because it is a really good and easy book. In this book you will find out what David had to go through in order to get his freedom, and what dangers he had to confront on the way.

This book is about a twelve-year old boy named David. For all his life he was in prison and did not know what the outside world looked like. When David finds a great opportunity to escape many problems occur and needs to find a way to be free and safe from his old life.The title of my book was North to Freedom by Anne Holm. This book will catch your attention and will end you up with a thought of children all over the world,
and how they are being abused and kept in prison.

Some good facts about this book were, how David had help
from the guards. " You must get away tonight", the man had told
him" (Holm 1). I liked the fact that David wasn't alone in prison that there were people that cared for him, this shows that not all men that keep children in prison are bad. In David's way to freedom, he found many honorable men that helped him reach his goal. " ...I'll give you a lifebelt, and you must try to drift ashore.." (Holm 25). Here David was found by and Italian man that was headin to Italy, but the kind man left
him on board and gave him a lifebelt were he could reach Italy without being caught.

There were also many bad sides to this book. Some facts I did not like were that it ended to fast and not to much detail was given. The end of the book was kind of "weird", I would have not expect it to end the way it did. There were some points of the book that I did not like, for example, when David was suffering on his way and the fact that he was scared of people. Also that David was a chicken in some parts of the book, he was scared to help other and was a little selfish.

In conclusion, the book was interesting to read. It had many ideas that shows the world about how little kids like David suffer because of mothers errors. I would give this book an eight, form a scale of 10. It is a really good book, I liked the way it was explained even though details were needed it was very good explained and there were a lot of interesting parts. I liked this book because it caught my attention and wasn't hard to read. I learned that David fought for his freedom and this story makes me think about the American dream, freedom.

This is an engaging historical fiction novel. Set in post World War II Europe, it is also published under the titles David, and I Am David. With the help of one of the prison gaurds, 12 year old David escapes from a communist labor camp in Bulgaria with no idea what to do other than go to Denmark. The story weaves in many important themes, such as freedom, beauty, truth, and love. There are many intriguing characters, like Johannes his fellow prisoner, the family of Maria, a Danish lady in Switzerland, and a dog named King. As David crosses countries and borders, his understanding of life, God, and the aforementioned themes grows as his journey progresses. Through it all he is determined to remain true to himself. Truly an engaging read, and a good study on physical and cultural geography for kids.

I have a copy of this book from the UK that is called I Am David. It starts with a man telling David, "You must get away tonight. Stay awake so that you're ready just before the guard is changed. When you see me strike a match, the current will be cut off and you can climb over -- you'll have half a minute, no more." This starts David's journey not just to freedom and home, but also to learning how to live as a regular kid after only living in a concentration camp. It's a serious book but one that should be read.

I laughed, I cried, I remembered. Great book written by someone who knows. I highly recommend this book. Yes, it tells stories about wartime, but it is written in such a way that the whole family could read it together.

Once I started reading Chuck Truitt's book, I found it very hard to put it down. He writes in a down to earth manner just like you were there with him.

The author and I were in Vietnam during approximately the same time period though in very different roles and locations. The book conveys a sense of immediacy and presence that evokes many memories of that unique conflict, and the story is told with genuine irony and humor unusual in books about Vietnam. The reader will find the book rewarding whether they are veterans of that war or not.

Charles Truitt is a gifted writer whose stories are a pleasure to read. Pop A Yellow Smoke is a refreshingly different outlook on life as a Marine during the Vietnam War. Never has a history lesson been so amusing. A pleasant combination of facts, explanations and real life experiences givers the reader a glimpse of the every day lives our men lived. A soldier of the cross, Charles Truitt is still a true Marine at heart and I would highly recommend this book to anybody!

A refreshing glimpse of reality in the "war zone". Very subtly forces you to reconsider your priorities. After over a year since reading the book, I still find myself reflecting on various episodes that brought back wonderful memories of my own experiences in the Corps and in everyday life. I wish the Commandant would make this required reading for all Leathernecks. Great job, Gunny!

Gary "Gunny" Johnson, USMCR '82-'93

This is by far, one of the most interesting books I've ever read about WWII. I took it with me to Jamaica to read on the plane & on the beach. It has amazing pictures, and some very informative text, however, I found it striking that, while the media & most teachers always portray Hitler & the Nazis as a bunch of buffoons, they took a country that had lost just about everything in WWI, were bullied by the Soviets, & the rest of Europe afterwards, had practically no resources or money, had been living in a brutal recession for years & somehow with the genius of its leaders, almost single handily took over the world. If it weren't for the Grace of God & the United States being in a depression itself & needing a war to get us back on track, German would probably be the worlds official language today. While no-one can justify the brutality of their mission & a lot of their tactics, the current leaders of the world can hardly be held up as examples of genuine behavior themselves. This book is a great read, just read between the lines, these guys also had great taste in art! And they gave us the Volkswagon Bug!

Excellent book with many historical pictures and historical comments of the war's effect on the art of many countries.

"Rescuing Da Vinci" by Robert M. Edsel.
Subtitled: Hitler And The Nazis Stole Europe's Great Art, America And Her Allies Recovered It". Laurel Publishing, LLV, Dallas, 2006.

After borrowing this book from the Plymouth Public Library, I was initially disappointed when I opened the book. It seemed that the book was all pictures and NO text! The book has some 300 pages and I would estimate that there are some 25 full pages of text, including the index and bibliography in the back of the book. Having said all this, it is my opinion, after having read the book that all those pictures were required to tell the complete story.

Page after page, photo after photo, I would find a painting or sculpture that I recalled from my art history classes, which was a long time ago. The book would show the 1940s picture on one page, with a person, perhaps in a period German uniform, "collecting" the item. And, then, on the facing page, often in full color, would be a present day view of the object. See, for example, pages 204 and 205, were Jan Vermeer's "The Artist's Studio, 1665-1666" is displayed on page 204 in black and white and in full color on page 205. This mixture of historical fact and present day view is carried out throughout the book.

The book begins with an explicit condemnation of the Nazi conquest. It is shown that the Nazi Germans prepared rather extensive documents identifying the art works of various nations and earmarking those works for transportation to the Third Reich. This is an amazing example of the arrogance of the Teutonic thoroughness of Hitler, Göring and the rest of the Nazi leadership. Speaking of Göring, it would seem that at the height of the war, his country "cabin, called "Carinhall", probably had more and better art than most museums in the western world. Page 45 records that Göring had a collection of approximately 1700 paintings. Sadly, there are too many pages in the book showing or identifying works of art that had been destroyed or had been lost. Page 285 shows, for example, Raphael's "Portrait Of A Young Man, 1516", which is still missing.

Still missing is the so-called "Amber Room" which was once located in the city of Königsberg in what was once Prussia. There are entire books, available on Amazon, dealing with the lost Amber Room. With the emphasis on the sins of the Third Reich, little notice is taken of the fact that the Soviets stole the entire city of Königsberg, which is now called Kaliningrad. In fact, Kaliningrad is a tiny piece of Russia, (the so-called Kaliningrad Oblast) stuck between Poland and Lithuania. In Kaliningrad, Russian is the official language and the postage stamps are Russian. Interesting.

And, of course, on a more mundane, but very telling level, there are the 5000+ bells that were stolen and the Dutch trolley cars being prepared for reparation to the Netherlands.

I have always been a museum addict. If the Metropolitan Museum of Art would let me place a cot somewhere, I would probably take up housekeeping. So, it was extremely rewarding to read this story of how so much of the stolen art from WW2 was found, protected, recovered and finally returned to rightful owners. These "Monuments Men" should all have received medals. The world owes much to them for making so many artistic marvels again available.

The illustrations are quite good. Many are available in other sources but so many, at least for me, were viewed here for the first time. The attempts to protect many objects - e.g., St. Marks in Venice - were also interesting. When I visited there a few years ago I was very appreciative.

Mr. Edsel is to be commended.

I was really surprised by this book. I thought it was going to contain more text but it's really all about the art and the people who rescued it. The result is a very impressive, easily readable 'coffee table' style book that's beautiful and informative. Teachers should grab this up for the classroom and it also would make a great gift for anyone interested in WWII and it's aftermath. I can't say enough about the photos and the story they tell. Bravo!

This is a biography of a man and his time, and especially of how this man shaped his time. William Lloyd Garrison was that rare human being--someone who was highly principled, and lived by those principles. He was not only "The Liberator" to America's slaves, but one of the earliest feminists. This book does an excellent job of showing how the abolitionist movement was the cause and milieu that gave rise to American feminism. The names of the women whose abolitionist activities are described by the author will be familiar to those aware of women's issues: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Abbey Kelly, Lucy Stone, and Susan Anthony.

There are many things that were exceptional about Mr. Garrison, but this book is no mere hagiography; the man's outstanding qualities are shown in the frame of a human being who had the grace to frequently recognize his own limitations--and to grow beyond them. An uncompromising goad to those who meant to soft-pedal slavery or to "go slow" in ridding the nation of this cancer, Garrison came over time to turn from eschewing politics to actively supporting President Lincoln's bid for a second term.

Also well described by the author is the abolitionist's warm family life; his heroic confrontation with a racist mob initially bent on violence against him; his voyages to England to coordinate activity with the anti-slavery movement there; and his influence upon clergy, commoners, politicians, and literary circles.

This is, all in all, a very informative and satisfying book. The issue of racism is still very much with us, both here in America and throughout the world: we need more William Lloyd Garrisons.

There are a number of excellent reviews here with great detail and insights on this remarkable story. But I had the fortunate timing to pick up and begin reading this book as the 2008 presidential campaign was coming to a close with the resulting election of Barack Obama.

William Lloyd Garrison's vision and insistence upon not only the immediate abolition of slavery but the granting of full and equal rights and the integration and recognition of blacks as fully fledged American citizens seems astonishing for his time. At one point he even speculates that a time will come when a black man will be able to become President. We may all take that vision for granted now and it is easy to consider ourselves enlightened today; but what if we had been living in his time? How many of us would have been capable of such moral clarity in the midst of a society that was at best fundamentally indifferent and at worst implacably opposed to the emancipation of the slaves let alone full and equal rights for blacks? Garrison's motivating force came from his Protestant and fundamentalist Christianity, he put no faith in established religion or politics and he was willing to tear up the Constitution and dismember the Union to achieve a just and moral society and nation. He was considered a crackpot in his time but it seems clear now that he was that rare person ahead of his time and on the right side of history. Not only that but he had the personal willpower and relentless drive to instigate a tremendous positive change in the nation.

I am struck by how difficult it is for any of us to see the truth in the times we happen to be living in. Garrison laid bare the unfulfilled promise of the constitution and some ugly truths about American society in his day; he was vilified relentlessly, called a traitor and worse for his efforts. I will try to be less dismissive of gadfly's in the future. Someone mentioned Michael Moore in one of these reviews as a modern day Garrisonian figure, that's funny because the same thing occurred to me as I read this book. I generally detest Moore for his slovenly appearance and boorish attitude and it makes it too easy to dismiss his message entirely. Could he be a man on the right side of history (dumbed down for our modern media and times of course)? That's a scary thought but worth some consideration after reading this story.

Alternating between the silly chatter and `issues' noise of the presidential campaign on TV and then returning to the fundamental truths presented by Garrison was a startling experience for me. The book was actually more exciting and certainly more enlightening than the election campaign itself; even as this historic election is perhaps the ultimate vindication of Garrison's life work. America, always imperfect but always wonderfully dynamic. Perhaps the slogan `change' really does sum us up best.

Bad

A. The narrative pace is just awful. I don't know what it is about this book I almost didn't make it past the first 40 pages because the begining moves so slowly.
B. The idiotic "conspiracy theory" idea regarding the Texas Revolution. Someday right minded people everywhere will be able to laugh conspiracy nuts right off the street.
Good

The book has a great deal of information regarding the beginnings of an organized abolitionist movement in this country. Garrison was the focal point for this when the movement started to move beyond isolated groups of idealists and Quakers and started to be taken seriously as a genuine force for social change.

Overall-Once you get into the book it is amazing, but you have to be in the right mood to do so.

Now a book that shows two sides of slavery that all white people were not all for slavery .Like Dr.martin luther king was saying that slavery was not about black against white ,but justice againt injustice.Because if all men and women are not free then we are all in chains.Books like this one has giving us a balance look at one of america darkest sides. But men like Garrison showed us that their were men and women that were a light of hope that all men are created equal . And being a black man I must say thank you to all the blackmen and women and white men and women of the past for fighting a fight that many of us still fight for today .And that is for an opportunity to live as we were when God created us in the beginnig as, a human being thank you.

William Lloyd Garrison was a man ahead of his time. Not by years or even decades, but centuries. In the 1830s he was an outspoken proponent of not just the abolition of slavery (many advocated various ways to deal with the South's "peculiar institution"), but called for the immediate abolition of slavery with complete and full civil rights for African-Americans. He dreamed of a time when a black woman might succeed a black man as Secretary of State a decade before the Supreme Court ruled that blacks were something less than human in the infamous Dredd Scott decision. He was also an early advocate of women's rights, labor reform, temperance and civil disobedience, as well as an outspoken critic of organized religion (Garrison was what we might today call a fundamentalist "born again Christian" who recognized no formal church other than Christ's teachings).

Given Garrison's role as founding father of the abolitionist movement, his passion for the cause, longevity in leadership and terminal impact on the greatest political issue of the nineteenth century it is puzzling that he has left such an obscure historical legacy. As author Herbert Mayer notes, Martin Luther King Jr. cited Gandhi, Thoreau and the Gospel as his inspiration and motivation in the Civil Rights movement with no reference to the man whose peaceful agitation did more to eradicate bondage than any other -- and who in turn may very well have been Thoreau's inspiration in writing "Civil Disobedience."

So why the obscurity? Mayer's biography does little to address this paradox. In fact, his book makes Garrison's general absence from the mainstream of American history all the more tenebrous. The man that emerges from the pages of "All on Fire" is a moral giant, a crusader in the purest and best sense of the word, who risked -- indeed, welcomed -- verbal and physical abuse, a life of indigence and scorn, all in pursuit of a truly noble cause. Garrison grew up in New England and never traveled further south than Baltimore until after the Civil War, yet he dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery with an intensity and zeal that surpassed dissident southern whites (such as the Grimke sisters) and even some blacks that had escaped from bondage themselves. Because of his central role in establishing and leading the cause, "All on Fire" is, as the full title suggests, as much a history of the entire abolitionist movement as it is a biography of its leading agitator.

However, a close reading of "All on Fire" also reveals a hidden side of William Lloyd Garrison that Mayer, unfortunately, never fully explores: a man of extreme ambition, vanity, and conceit. Garrison fought tenaciously to keep himself at the front-and-center of the moral movement he came to regard as his own. One senses that the fame and notoriety he gained by his agitation came to mean quite a lot to him. In this sense, Garrison reminds one of a contemporary political gadfly increasingly enamored of his high-profile image: Michael Moore. Perhaps Garrison's attraction to celebrity never fully outweighed his commitment to the ultimate prize of freeing three million humans from bondage, but it certainly meant more than the pious Christian in him would have liked to admit -- and certainly more than biographer Mayer is willing to concede. Again and again throughout the narrative Garrison experiences a painful and personal falling out with some of his closest friends and coadjutors: Frederick Douglas, Wendell Phillips, the Tappan brothers, etc. And time after time Mayer attributes the rift to simple misunderstandings or the result of the stress and pressure of the times. That Garrison might have been something less than the Galahad on ante-bellum America is left unexplored.

Nevertheless, for anyone with a desire to know more about America and especially to learn about a man that was once one of the most controversial and well-known figures of his century, only to sink to near anonymity, this National Book Award finalist can be highly recommended.