Division 1 Books

Few veterans describe themselves as "heroes." It's a painful word - filled with aspiration, horror and loss. Many veterans who write memoirs avoid the most devastating echoes of war - their own perceived culpabilities. It's understandable. Who wants to poke a finger into a festering wound?

Douglas Bergman is a brave man. Using a magnifying glass, he focuses a scorching sunbeam onto his own soul - allowing the reader to see his demons in great detail. It is unsettling in a world where few want to accept responsibility for their mistakes - where confessions are whispered litanies of shame washed away with a few penitential rosaries. My initial reaction was to look away but I soon found myself examining the author's broken heart like a curious onlooker drawn to a fiery car wreck.

This book is many things - a memoir, an adventure, a tribute, a confession and a sob. From the shiny hearse-white cover to the imagery-dense prose, Mr. Bergman's tale perplexes and intrigues. Vietnam was a conundrum for everyone. For the men who fought there, growing up was like peeling a scab off a half-healed wound. Boy soldiers drawn to the service to resolve other problems found new sorrows to occupy their nightmares. "Names I Can't Remember" is a close up view of a Vietnam Veteran's reaction to war - and a description of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that still torments many who were mere babies in the 1960s.

The author plunges into his story with profane vigor. He amuses and shocks with an almost adolescent glee - as though he has returned to his rebellious, angst-ridden youth and is set on taking the reader with him. He uses literary flourishes that complicate the read like a translucent veil draped over lovers laboring together for their love. You can see the movements, hear them moan - but their faces are dim behind the silken sheen of the fabric. Mr. Bergman peoples "Names I Can't Remember" with garish characters that touched his life but have now faded into ghostly symbols - a motherly whore, a man with a cat on his shoulder, a doofus unable to function in the jungle, an alcoholic CO who confuses courage and foolhardiness -- a nun and a Vietnamese child trying desperately to survive. Despite this distance - or perhaps because of it, this book is powerful and literate. I found myself lingering over the pictures the author created in my head - almost as if this was a novel. It was easier to appreciate this work on that level than to acknowledge the reality of Mr. Bergman's anguish.

The Vietnam War was not a Disney Movie -- neither is this book. However, if you are a student of psychology, a poet - or someone who wants to understand the warrior in your life, this is a wonderful read.

"Names I Can't Remember" is a tough, brilliant read of one man's journey into Dante's Inferno. All human foibles and flaws are put out for display. Mr. Bergman dares the reader to forgive him as he hasn't been able to forgive himself for thirty years. A piece de la triumph! 5 military gold stars - Lillian Cauldwell

"...there is something Keseyesque or Hunter Thompson - like about Bergman's prose: often profane and at the same time, image rich." - Daily News, Clem Richardson 7/8/05

This is not a book filled with words on a page, it is a capturing of a mans inner guts spewed upon pages from his tortured memory. We see the ramblings of a young boy yanked from the unsafe world of his home and the bottle, to be immersed into the world of drunking decisions, adult behavior expected from a still nursing infant. You need to digest every word and feel his feelings. Some of his experiences will fill you with disgust, horror, the need to nurture, but your diet will never be the same after you digest this meal of feelings.
Devour it...chew it... spit it out if you need to... But dont just sit there and read it........

"You'll be on an emotional roller coaster ride while reading this work. The author has given us a very raw look at a young life destroyed by a dysfunctional family drowning in alcoholism and how he carried that with him during his No Slack tour. Doug was in the same company as I was and we walked the same villages, but never met, the places he describes are familiar to me as they will be to others who read him. I wasn't ready for the constriction I felt in my chest as parts of this book made me wonder how he slipped through the cracks as he performed his duty as a platoon leader in an alcoholic fog. Read the book, it's a raw look at a personal battle with a life almost destroyed by abuse, mingled with war. Names I Can't Remember will shake your senses and make you ill but you will find that once you start reading it you can't put it down."
"Yankee Jim" Simchera - A Company 2/327th Infantry,101st Airborne Vietnam: 1969-70

This is the most gripping, facinating non-fiction book I have ever read. It shows the will to survive in the face of overwhelming odds. I wish every high school student would read this book and discover the meaning of a true hero. It is very different from what the movies portray. I recommend reading this book. You won't want to put it down.
O. Mastellos

An amazing story of survival behond enemy lines. Well written. The book was hard to put down as you were living the experience yourself. If you like nonfiction accounts of Survival it is a must read!

Rick Wilson
of Rick Wilson Plumbing in Gig Harbor WA

Facinating true story.

Escape From North Korea by Paul G Petredis

His book is superbly researched and a darn good read of the Forgotten War and the path which lead to it. His personal experience being a soldier in Korea and surviving the conflict gives great credit to him as a man, and his narrative about how he escaped from North Korea is almost beyond description, and should be a must read for anyone who enters the US Military Service. Hope to see future writings by Paul Petredis.

F.Petersen

WOW... war becomes real on these pages, almost too real, and from a soldier with his first-hand account. I found it to be a story of survival and determination, and a credit to the author and to our military. I suppose the most significant part of this story, is the insight into what our soldiers are facing everyday in the Middle East. It should be "must" reading for every person in our Armed Forces, as to what to expect, and how to overcome the impending obstacles, in battle and if captured. An excellent book and a credit to its author. Well done!

I found this book interesting & informative. It includes some great pictures & first hand information from a hero that was actually there defending our country.

God Bless the U.S.A.!

If you liked "Band of Brothers," you'll enjoy this book. It follows one member of Easy company from when he joined the Airborne until the end of the war. The book is filled with photos taken by Cpl. Guth during training, the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. There are also photos of the uniforms and equipment he carried. It's really a fascinating account of what this one man experienced during the war. Be sure to check out De Trez's other Airborne books. You won't be disappointed.

Amazing collection of photo's from a 101st member on D-Day. If you are a fan of the Band of Brothers series on HBO or enjoyed Ambrose's book you'll love these photos.
You will see up close photos of uniforms and equipment of the 101st Airborne Division as well as some German gear. This makes a perfect reference for WWII Re-enactors.
Also included are some great stories behind the photos. As a huge WWII buff and re-enactor I highly recommend this book for your collection.

Cpl. Forrest Guth, of Wilmington, Delaware, was one of the real "Band of Brothers" featured in Stephen Ambrose's book and the HBO movie series of the same name.

This book is written in English and French and chronicles the training, D-Day experiences and European service of Cpl. Guth (including the Battle of the Bulge) as he and other members of his 101st Airborne company liberated Europe from German control.

This is a coffee table type book with great pictures and long captions that tell the story of one man's duty in that great war. The pictures are terrific and are a good impression of the look, equipment and wear of a combat parachutist. A good companion book for fans of "Band of Brothers."

I have had the honor of meeting Cpl. Guth. He is a matter-of-fact man who did is duty honorably and is humble regarding the attention Mr. Ambrose's book has placed upon him. This book is a nice brief picture of a regular young man called to do big and dangerous things during wartime.

Mr. DeTrez does a fabulous job in telling Corporal Guth's story of his time in the Airborne. Tons of pictures, many with long, information-filled captions. The pictures are from Mr. Guth's private collection, and give a great perspective on his time in the 101st Airborne. It's almost like you're sitting in his house, looking at his personal photo albums.

I met Mr. Guth on one occasion, and correspond with him occasionally. He's a very nice man, polite, modest, and takes very little credit for the incredible job he performed in the military.
If you like the Band of Brothers Mini-series, you need to buy this book; it's a must!

     "Fearsome Battle tells the story of a young American who enlisted in the Canadian Army before America went to war. The writing of Mr. Robert Rogge unceremoniously grabs the reader from the onset. An unusual aspect of Fearsome Battle is that this account has been written in the third person. Mr. Rogge had considerable difficulty writing of the horrors of war he had experienced first hand, from the first person or as seen through his eyes. However, he manages to capture the mind and attention of the reader by describing each account in the short memoir as if from a disinterested bystander reporting the chilling events as they unfolded.

     This World War II personal account narrates small snippets of horrific battlefield action as witnessed firsthand by Mr. Rogge. It delivers a masterful portrayal of a young man's innocent entry into combat and the fulfillment of his coming to age as a seasoned veteran. The war finally ends with his felling a German soldier just prior to hearing that the war has finally ended. The soldier was but a boy, maybe fourteen years of age, but one who would have killed his adversary had he been given the chance.

     Fearsome Battle keeps the reader on the edge of anticipation from the first page to the last.

     I highly recommend this book for any person interested in reading what is in the mind of a combat soldier who fully expects that the next moment in time will be his last.

     Mr. Rogge, Thank You, for an excellent observer's narrative of the brutality of war."

     Joe Richard, web master, World War II Stories -- In Their Own Words.

Using his considerable skills as a writer, Rogge drops the reader into the cage of war and unleashes its terrors and hardships on us. This book is the real deal. Its images linger and affect me still. I read it with horrible fascination and a growing appreciation for what these men endured to win the war.

Fearsome Battle: With The Canadian Army In World War II Europe is the gripping true memoir of Robert Rogge, a 22-year-old American volunteer who served with the Canadian Army during the perilous era of the second world war. Robert personally participated in the assault on Normandy on D-Day, and survived eleven months in the thick of battle until the war's end. Vividly graphic (almost to the point of disturbing) in portraying hand-to-hand combat, artillery bombardment, and the sad, sometimes gruesome job of picking up the dead after the fighting settled, Fearsome Battle is a candid and informative picture of the horrors the Greatest Generation endured to protect the world against Nazi ambitions and fascist intentions. Highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to the growing library of World War II memoirs and autobiographies.

This author tell his story in third person in order to keep the haunting reality of war at a manageable distance, yet he takes the reader into battle with his poignant tellng of it. Told in vignettes, the reader is not fettered by the minutia of a soldiers life, but feels it, tastes it, smells it nonetheless. Rogge exposes the poetic, celestial soul of humanity in the mundane savagery of war through the experiences of one weary, intrepid man who understands that the horrific and the sublime are complementary.

A realistic and grabbing account of war in the European Theater. As the Editor of the newsletter of the National Museum of the Pacific War, I read many accounts of combat on both the European and Pacific fronts. This extremely well written book gives an unflinching view into the shattering of boyhood ideals and the horrors and sacrifices of war. The book is notable because it gives the unique view of an American volunteer serving with the Canadian Army in Europe; in addition, the author's use of the third person allows him to talk about things that otherwise might have been too painful to share openly with others. I highly recommend this narrative which goes a long way to dispell any of the so-called glories and glamour associated with the waging of war.

The 82nd Airborne Division Association, Winter issue 2003 has a full page book review on "Glide to Glory" Is consists of unedited stories of the 325 Glider Infantry Regiment from North Africa to Berlin and contains the list of honor by Father Thuring, Goesbeek, Holland as the last chapter in the book. Many never seen combat glider photo's. The web site for this book is . It is available for immediate shipment. It has been classified as one of the best books to come out of WWII and the author was a gliderman of Company D.

Glide to Glory is a great collection of stories
submitted by the people who lived them.Jerry has
put them together with pictures that can bring them
to life for all who read the book..

GLIDE TO GLORY is a fresh breeze in the Book Market. Written in the style of The Greatest Generation, this book fills a void with personal stories of courage, bravery and desparate situations told by the men who lived through them. Serving in the Glider Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division these men were on the front line of World War II. Their stories have never previously been told. With unpublished photos, this book is a treasure you will want to keep. Wayne Pierce

This is a big, impressive book,(coffee table size) written about an impressive war (WWII)and the exceptionally brave young men who had to fight it. The story relates a complete day-to-day account of each combat action for the 325 Glider Infantry Regiemnt of the 82nd Airborne Division. It details the actual experiences of an airborne regiment who landed in North Africa and subsequently fought in every major battle in Europe. This is the story by the men who fought those battles, and in their own unedited words and in GI vernacular, whether good or bad. It is truly their story right from the heart. Father Thuring of Groesbeek, Holland authors the final chapter which includes a memorial of those Airborne Glidermen killed in action (748) The book also contains many photographs out of the "Liberation Museum" Groesbeek, Holland.The book is loaded with photographs never before seen of some actual combat landings and the "Crosses Of Normandy" on how the soldiers killed in action were processed in the first burial. The book is loaded with all kinds of stories --- witty, homorous, gripping, and courageous,too. It's a story of young men at war, filled with bravery and high adventure. It's a story, too, of death in the afternoon. Here is another side of war as stressed in Glide to Glory - often brutal statistics of Death in the Afternoon, in particular, of the 325 Glider Infantry Regiment: 280 KIA, Normandy, June 1944, 217 KIA Holland, September 1944: 205 KIA, the Battle of the Bulge. Records indicate that out of 2500 in the regiment, 2,375 purple hearts were awarded. A minimum of 3,089 were either killed in actin or wounde. Much of their combat time was behind enemy lines for atotal of 190 combat days. This is just the bare stats for one airborne infantry regiment...the 325 GIR. Never Before, Never again will ring forever as combat gliders only were used from 1943 to 1946 by he U.S. Army Airborne. No other book is available on only Glidermen during WWII.

This book is no disappointment. It cuts no corners in its size and quality as well as the number of pages, 457 of them. The book details the experiences of the glider infantry soldiers, specifically the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. Never heard about gliders being used in WWII? Don't know what a glider infantry soldier is? Then this is the book for you. Imagine having to sit aboard a glider having wood wings, a wooden floor, a tubular steel fuselage and covered with fabric being towed behind a C-47 at 100 mph at low altitudes where ground fire and flak ripped through the wings, the floor, the canvas, and you. They were to low to bail out if your glider was hit, so no one had a parachute. Then if you survived the long flight, which could have been up to 4 hours, you hoped the skill of the trained glider pilot could bring you in onto a safe landing. But quite often, the glider pilots had to fly into postage stamp size fields where other gliders had already landed and crashes were inevitable into either another glider or the many hedgerows found along the fields. Then there were the trained German 88 crews just waiting for you to touch down so they could throw a round or two into the glider as you came to a rolling stop or the German troops who peppered the side of your glider as you sat inside watching the holes tear into the fabric hoping you would make it out as you waited for the glider to stop rolling. And if you survived the flight as well as the landing, now you had to unload your cargo of equipment and assemble into your company while being a moving target for German troops. Read about Glider Infantry Heros because that is what these guys were as told by them about them and those who didn't make it back. This book is their story and their history. You will find your emotions being tapped into as you read their personal stories and at times feel your eyes begin to well up. The glidermen played a key role in the war as did the use of the glider. Casualties and injuries were high for the C-47 crews, the glider pilots and glidermen BUT, they did what they had to do in preserving freedom. This book honors them with text, photos, maps, documents, and the names of all who died. You will not be disappointed, unless you don't have a copy of your own.

I was referred to this book by an American Artist whom had lived in Japan for almost 50 years. As a Chinese, I thought I know Chinese history, but after reading through JD's detail account of events with vivid description of the personalities, I can visualize the historical moments through the paper. It is so well written that I have to read very slowly to digest it. Combining this with other readings during the same period, including Ray Huang's lesser known Yellow River Blue Mountain (his autobiography), I am beginning to see history in perspective!

John Davies has crafted a superb tale of his years in Asia and Moscow. He was a classic Old China Hand, raised by missionary parents in China, a fluent speaker of the language, and a natural to serve in the State Department and as Army liaison during World War II. The book combines period documents with later reflections, dazzling readers with thrilling adventures and portentous encounters with the era's major figures: Generalissimo and Madame Chiang, Stilwell, Mao, Zhou Enlai, Roosevelt, Marshall. The 1948-9 Nationalist debacle sparked an anticommunist hunt for scapegoats blamed for "losing" China (it was never ours to lose), tragically depriving the US of wise counsel from Davies, John Service, Oliver Clubb, John Vincent and others. As J.K. Fairbank noted, neither before nor since has America had such gifted country experts to advise on foreign policy. Davies's view of a defense-minded Soviet Union again was more realistic than the official line which helped provoke the Cold War. His globetrotting is a little hard to follow, and fuller coverage of post-1945 events would be welcome, but these are quibbles. See L. Van Slyke ed, "The China White Paper." E. Sevareid, "Not so Wild a Dream" augments Davies's modest paragraph on their celebrated parachute jump and escape from Burma. E.J. Kahn, "The China Hands" details wartime conflicts and postwar persecutions, while J.S. Service, "Lost Chance in China" contains prophetic field reports by Davies's most astute colleague.

If you wish to understand Sino-American relations in the 20th Century, this book by our most brilliant (and persecuted) Political Officer in the State Department, must be your starting point. It is more than educational. His digressions - descriptions of the voyages of Cheng Ho during the Ming Dynasty; Mukden during the early years of the Japanese occupation of Manchuria; the celebration in Moscow after V-E day; etc., etc. - reveal a literary gift of the highest magnitude. Truly, one of the best books I have ever read. In fact, it irks me that so few people have read it.

While I had previously read Seagrave's Soong Dynasty and Tuchman's Stilwell, it was the bibliographical notes of Ambassador Lilley's China Hands that got me turned on to this book. I ordered it from an Amazon seller and I wasn't disappointed.

Mr. Davies offers vivid, evocative descriptions of events and people he encountered in China from his birth in Sichuan in 1908 until the Communist takeover in 1949. Apparently a religious record keeper, Davies is able to rely on his contemporaneous diary entries and letters to produce colorful details that would have been impossible to to recall 30 or 40 years after the fact. Davies does an exceptional job of mixing macroscopic historical events with his own microscopic personal narrative to create a flowing portrait of early 20th century China.

Though very much loyal member of Stilwell's China detail, Davies offers even-handed analysis of the events that eventually led to the fall of the Nationalist regime in China. Instead of putting the blame for the "loss" of China on any individual, Davies seems to point at the prevalence of sentimentalism over China in the minds of American foreign policy actors as leading to the mishandling of China during the 1940s.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in China, Asian studies, or WWII history.

As above, a wonderful description of Chinese history in the 20th century by someone who was there. From the manchu's through early revolution to Chiang and the Communist struggle; one insight follows another.

"Susan Ballard gets it right and Borrowed Time is a hoot and a half."
--Bob Boze Bell
Executive Editor, True West magazine

Borrowed Time, a novel by S.M. Ballard Reviewed by J.D. Harkleroad

Borrowed Time is S.M. Ballard's first in a trilogy about the life and times of John Henry "Doc" Holliday. Before I read this novel, my first thought was What more can be said about Doc Holliday than has already been said? Boy, was I wrong! Until now (with the notable exception of Val Kilmer's portrayal of Doc in the movie Tombstone), Holliday has only appeared as a shadowy appendage peripherally attached to Wyatt Earp's coat-tails. Ballard, however, brings Doc Holliday to life in his own right, fleshing the man out while revealing little-known layers of his life. The reader feels as if he is observing first-hand Holliday's transformation from his genteel, cultured background as Dr. John Henry Holliday to the hot-tempered gunman/alcoholic who came to be known as "Doc" Holliday.

Ballard has thoroughly researched her subject and it shows. The Tombstone Times, Arizona's History and Information Journal, has published numerous non-fiction articles by Ballard, many of them about Doc Holliday. The character so engrossed her that the concept for a Holliday trilogy was born.

Borrowed Time is not another "shoot-em-up-Tony." While action abounds in this novel, two other story-lines run parallel to the main plot. One illuminates Doc's interpersonal relationships: his abiding friendship with Wyatt Earp; his love/hate relationship with "Big Nose Kate" (Fisher) Elder who, by the way, did not have a big nose; his antagonistic relationships with both Bat Masterson and Wyatt's brother Virgil. The other story-line revolves around Holliday's struggle to live as normal a life as possible while dealing with an illness that, in that time period, proved fatal more often than not. The reader, however, gets so caught up in the Doc Holliday character that, even knowing how the trilogy will ultimately end (we all die sometime) is in no way a deterrent.

Borrowed Time is a great read that will appeal to both men and women, and I'm eagerly looking forward to Holliday in Tombstone, the second in Ballard's trilogy due out in 2008.

One of the best books I've read in ages! Most books I've read on the old west are generally written more about the Earp family and their story with John "Doc" Holliday as a side character. This book really focuses on Doc's life and humanizes him in a way I've never seen before. He was more than just a gunslinger and gambler. He was a man tormented by the fact that he had a deadly disease, and lived his life like everyday might be his last. The story is so well written that you find yourself engulfed in it and the characters. The friendship between Doc and Wyatt Earp is so real and so natural, it's almost like you know them personally. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone! A really fantastic read, I couldn't put it down! I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series!

Being a fan of all things Old West and in

particular "Doc" Holliday and the Earps, I decided

to pick up a copy of "Borrowed Time".



Almost instantly I found myself teleported back in

time to places rich in detail and atmosphere. From

the rolling plains to the bustling cowtowns, I could

clearly envision myself in these settings. The

descriptions were vivid as well as historically

accurate which as a student of the Old West I found

very satisfying. I could almost smell the smoke

filled saloons, or feel the cold wind blowing in

from the plains.



Doc Holliday, usually portrayed as a one

dimensional, almost abrasive character in books and

film was brought to life in Ballard's story as a

living, breathing, complicated man complete with

real emotions and a depth that's severely lacking in

most other characterizations. This not only applies

to Holliday but all of the other characters as well.

I particularly enjoyed the banter between Doc and

Wyatt, conversations that seemed as natural as any

you might have with a best friend. None of their

interactions seemed contrived or stiff.



The story telling, besides being richly

descriptive, also had an easy going style and a nice

flow, balanced nicely between dialog and action.



This was one of the few stories I've read, Western

or otherwise that I felt connected to the characters

and cared about them as well.



It was an engrossing novel I simply couldn't put

down. A winner for sure and honestly I can't wait to

read the second book in this series and anything

else that S.M. Ballard writes.



---J. Place

Winooski, Vermont

This is one of the few books that deal with the combat medic. For the most part the medics roll is just a foot note in other works but this writing is all about the medics of the 1st Division.

Sgt. Towne basically took his day reports and added his commentary to give a more complete picture of the day to day activities of Company B. It is not a polished historical read like you would expect form Ambrose, but I feel Sgt Towne's perspective (as a true to life, been there done that) gives him the view point that other historians could only wish they had.

This book was of particular interest to me; do to the fact that my father was as a platoon leader in Company B, from April to August 1944. His name was briefly mentioned when he was wounded on August 6th (my father was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his action on this day). I was able to locate the general movements of my father but disappointingly not specific actions. Many of Sgt. Towne's commentaries refer to other platoons but not by name; however I feel that I did gain a lot of information that is not located in any other writing.

I would recommend this book to all.

I thought this book captured the essence of the tumult of three years of combat. I was spellbound by the way relationships developed and deepened. The author raised the question of why men respond so differently to the trauma of combat and war. A well-written story.

My father served with the author and is in a few of the pictures and anecdotes. I have a greater understanding and appreciation of what war is all about. Dad did not want to talk about what he saw and experienced when he was alive. He shared his scrapbooks on a few occasions, dodging some questions that were too close to him.

When Dad died, I sent a letter to "the outfit" as he referred to the men with whom he served. I had some wonderful letters and calls from men who had shared a part of his life that I never knew. But, I now know better from reading this book, the courage and determination that these men showed just to survive the day to day part of the war. The horrors that these men shared needed to be buried until someone could put them into a context for the rest of us to truly understand and appreciate them. The author has done that in a vivid, yet compassionate manner. Everyone needs to read this book. Thank you, Mr. Towne for revealing this part of the war to the rest of us.

If you want to learn what it was really like fighting to save lives with the U.S. Medical Corps in World War II, give this newly released personal account by Allen N. Towne a try. Mr. Towne relates his five years'service as a frontline medic with the First Infantry Division in North Africa, Sicily, Omaha Beach, as well as France, Belgium, and Germany. He carries you along with him as a former college student who finds himself in the thick of some of the war's bloodiest battles. You will find it difficult not to read it straight through in one sitting.

This review refers to the original volume that I have sitting by my TV. In these days with cable and satellite available many vintage TV shows are aired all of the time. A quick thumb through the book not only gives excellent overall view of the show but the cross reference of stars and other shows is suburb.

I have used this book since I "found" a copy on book stand in NYC back in the 80s. Worth the purchase price.I use it all the time. The 1992 version should be better.

Used in conjunction with the Prime Time Stars book, this makes an excellent cross-reference of TV programs and stars for the period covered. My hopes are that the authors write a update for both the television shows and stars. The format is excellent showing all aspects of the shows including dates televised, stars and their roles, and interesting facts about the production.

I purchased this book when it was first published over a dozen years ago and still refer to it several times a week. Not only is it comprehensive but Tim Brooks often gives short biographies of the stars, listing other shows and related areas for which a particular actor or actress might have been known. I'm sorry that it is currently out of print because I would like to have an updated version of the book.

Kathy Park's illustrations pop off the pages of "The Student from Zombie Island and tickle your funny bone! While children laugh themselves silly at the book's original humor -- only a child author like Michael Moorehead can really relate to what makes his peers laugh -- adults love the subliminal message it teaches about not spreading false rumors.

Bust `em Up Bill is starting his first day at a new school in the middle of the school year, setting the stage for outrageous rumors to circulate about him before he even sets foot in the classroom. They say his breath is so bad, it will singe your face if you get too close, and if he burps near you, it might even set your hair on fire! Everyone knows he must be a frightening, horrible, rotten monster! Could it be true? With a name like his, why wouldn't it be? You'll have to read it to find out!


The "Student From Zombie Island" is the perfect book for gift-giving!

here's a new student coming to class and no one is looking forward to it. The kids have been told he's called Bust `Em Up Bill, but they aren't sure why. Rumors fly as they try to decide what Bust `Em Up Bill will be like.

Each student has their own idea of how Bill must have gotten his name. Suzy Frederick is sure he's six feet tall and set kids hair on fire with his horrible breath. Penny Jinx thinks he must torture kids on the playground and make them swing from the monkey bars - by the tails. T.J. McGravy says Bill doesn't exercise in gym class, but makes kids run around the track 5,000 times - sideways. Who to believe? How bad will Bust `Em Up Bill be?

The Student From Zombie Island was written by Michael J. Moorhead when he was just seven years old. The book teaches children the danger of believing rumors and reminds readers that rumors can easily grow out of control and be far from the truth. It's a funny book - well written and includes adorable illustrations by Kathy Parks.

I enjoyed this book, as did my children. My daughter will be starting kindergarten in the fall, so this book came at a perfect time. It helped open up discussion about rumors and how to treat new kids at school and is written in such a way that it made it a fun topic to talk about instead of feeling threatening.

Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 10) For Reader Views (1/08)

Have you ever had a new kid in your school? Do wonder what the person would be like? Sometimes your imagination can run away with you. Bust `em up Bill might have the same ideas as you? Some people might say this guy is.... troublemaker or a thief. Do you sometimes believe them? The book seems so realistic. Imagine bringing live bees to study spelling and putting whoopee cushions with chocolate pudding on other peoples' chairs! Most of the time, the kid isn't as bad as they say he is. Busting up your classmates can sometimes mean more than just beating up on their classmates.

Michael J. Moorehead has written a very entertaining book which will entertain children of all ages. This will be a delight to the kids who have a new kid in their class, or are a new kid in a class. Adjusting to being new in a school can sometimes be hard, but if you enter laughing and have a good attitude, there is nothing you can't do and you will soon find some new friends.

Jumping to conclusions without finding out the facts is never a good idea. The concept of "The Student from Zombie Island: Conquering the Rumor Monster" comes across in a smooth way and humorous pictures. I would love to read more books about the student from Zombie Island and his adventures at his new school!