2 comments about Safe Passage.

1. I found this book detailed with what was most important to these two girls/women prior to the war, which was their great interest in opera and coming to America to see great opera stars preform. Which then lead to their assisting others in order to save them from the holocaust. They were both very determined ladies.



2. Cook's language and turns of phrases are generous and succinct at once. She creates vivid images. I am savoring this book.

5 comments about Alexander the Great: The Brief Life and Towering Exploits of History's Greatest Conqueror--As Told By His Original Biographers.

1. The idea is to cut-and-paste segments from classical biographers into a relatively cohesive narrative of Alexander's life and exploits. Over all, the project comes off fairly well. It reads quickly, hitting all the expected the highlights. A nice sampling of the "original" sources; a short book that would serve well as an introduction to the topic.



2. Alexander the Great, by Arrian, is the modern English translation of "The Anabasis of Alexander" by Lucius Flavius Arrianus (Arrian), written in the second century A.D. There are no surviving "first hand" accounts of Alexander; however, Arrian informs us that his work is an abridgement of many other writers, some of whom accompanied Alexander on his conquest of the Persian Empire. In particular, Arrian relies most heavily on Ptolemy (an outstanding General in Alexander's army who later founded the Ptolemeic dynasty,in Egypt, ending with Cleopatra) and Aristobulus (probably a military engineer or civilian who accompanied Alexander on his campaign). Arrian is a Roman historian who lived 85 AD to 146 AD, and had multiple reasons for writing about the career of Alexander the Great. Arrian, himself, was a military leader over an entire Roman legion. No doubt, he had reason to admire Alexander for his brilliance as a leader and tactician. Also, although Arrian was a Roman citizen he was also ethnically Greek, born in the Greek town of Nicomedia. I can't help but feel that a sense of nationalism and pride may have played a role in Arrian's selection of 'Alexander of Macedon' as the subject for his books.
   
   This is the third audio book about Alexander the Great, in a row, that I have listened to. It is, as far as I am concerned, the gold standard by which to compare any other audio book on this subject. I discovered, while listening to the other two books that both authors quoted Arrian, either directly or indirectly, frequently. I decided, therefore, to go right to the source, itself, and listen to what Arrian had to say about Alexander; and I am glad that I did. I had some initial aprehension about listening to an audio book that was written (probably in 'Attic') in the second century AD; though my fears were unfounded. The translation is completely modern. I am not qualified to comment on the accuracy of the translation, either in word translation or in style; however, I can say that there are no anachronisms as a result of the translation.
   
   In addition to the main body of the translated work, comprising a total of 7 books (with only one of the original pages missing, and the narrater tells you where this occurs), there is: a brief introduction by Edwin Robert Bevin, an epilogue by William W. Tarn and a "copa to the epilogue" by Mary Renault. There are 26 mp3 tracts lasting 12 hours, in total. The Anabasis is narrated by the extremely talented Charlton Griffin. Unlike today's authors, Arrian does not spend a great deal of time discussing Alexander's family history, birth or formative years. This book focuses it's content primarily on Alexander's twelve years of conquest in Asia and India. Arrian gives a remarkably detailed account of Alexander's travels, with great attention to detail paid to both major and minor battles. For instance, Arrian will tell you how many foot soldiers, cavalry, archers and elephants each side possesed: how they arranged their troops and what the terrain and weather conditions were like at the time of battle. We learn the juicy details about who initiated the battle (usually Alexander), how the battle progresses and the ultimate outcome for each battle, with (often probably exaggerated) numbers given for the dead and wounded, on each side. We learn, not only the strategy and tactics that Alexander employed and how quickly he was capable of modifying them but also, according to General Ptolemy, the reasons why Alexander chose his specific strategies and tactics, and the reasons why he occasionally abandoned his usual methods.
   
   Arrian does treat us to some the personal stories, outside of battle, which illuminate Alexander's character. I was amazed to learn how deeply religious Alexander was, making sure to offer sacrifices to the appropriate God's even when he was ill and it was all that he could do to perform the ceremonies. Religion was not a frivolous thing to these soldiers; they took it very seriously. I caution the listener NOT to judge Alexander by modern day standards. Alexander's time, cultural values, religious beliefs and mores were completely different from our own. Selling the wives and children of a defeated people into slavery was NOT considered wrong or immoral in Alexander's time; it was the norm. Arrian, fortunately, points out copious instances where Alexander defied tradition and raised himself and his troops to a higher moral standard than any other king of the same time period. He also points out that Alexander was human (even though Alexander considered himself a living God) and subject to the same temptations of the flesh that all men are subject to. Yet, in spite of this, Alexander proved himself capable of remarkable compassion, forgiveness and restraint for a king with unlimited power.
   
   Arrian's style of writing is rather straightforward, with the occassional editorializing. Today's historians place great emphasis on accuracy of details, but the ancient historians (the Greeks, especially) focused more on the moral and meaning of the story. I find Arrian a pleasant balance between the two (though, admittedly, I prefer greater historical accuracy). I loved this book and look forward to future listenings. I give credit to Arrian for the labor he put into these seven books, before the advent of the printing press, computers or even the pen. I am also grateful that these seven books have survived the ages, that we may know Alexander of Macedon, better. The introduction and epilogues are short, but good (especially Mary Renault's). However, my greatest praise goes to the Narrater, Charlton Griffin. All I can say is...Wow. He made me feel like Arrian was speaking directly to me. Griffin brought Lucius Flavius Arrianus to life and Arrian helped make Alexander "real," to me.
   
   Other books, which give more detail of Alexander's early life, and tutelage under Aristotle, may complement this book but I doubt any other book will replace it.



3. Pupil of Aristotle, ruler at 16, commander at 20 of armies when modern men are only just legally eligible to drink in America, and conqueror of half of the entire known world by age 26 .... the historical accounts of Alexander the Great's imperial military campaigns ... and its enduring legacy centuries later. A man who truly belongs to history.
   
   Not even Napoleon, Douglas MacArthur, or General Patton could match the military legacy of Alexander the Great. Both Alexander's youth and his zeal created a legend that is unrivaled.



4. As with all history, one never knows all, one can only assume, because, one was never there, or so we think.



5. Alexander the Great, was born on or around July 20, 356 B.C.E., and is my favorite personality to read about in history. To me he is the whole package general, statesman, conqueror, and philosopher. The smartest man who ever lived, Aristotle, tutored him. Alexander conquered more of the known world than any other figure in history, accomplishing all this before he dies at the ripe old age of 33. Some people called him conqueror and violent overlord. Some other called him civilizer and even God! All of them yet, called him "The Great". He was the first man in modern history that took this name, "The Great"! Even as a young boy, he shows great promise.
   
   Curtius' work is the oldest extant work available and based on eyewitness accounts. He does a better job than most in explaining the battle scenes, and seems to be more balanced in his admiration and criticism of Alexander then any of the other early biographers. I love his Bucephalus Story, and I recount it here so you get a flavor of the promise this young Alexander shows.
   
   The legend begins with Philoneicus, a Thessalian, bringing a wild horse to Philip for him to buy. None of the hands was able to handle it, and Philip grew upset at Philoneicus for bringing such an unstable horse to him. Alexander, however, publicly defied his father and claimed that he could handle the horse. The bet between Philip and Alexander was that if Alexander could ride the horse, Philip would buy it, if not, Alexander would have to pay the price of the horse, which was 13 talents, an enormous sum for a boy of Alexander's age to have.
   
   Alexander apparently noticed that the horse had been shying away from its own shadow, and so he led it gently into the sun, so that its shadow was behind it, all the while stroking it gently and whispering into its ear, (Alexander seems to be the original horse whisperer). Eventually the horse let Alexander mount him, and Alexander was able to show his equestrian skill to his father and all who were watching. The incident so impressed Alexander's father, King Philip that he told the boy "Look thee out a kingdom equal to and worthy of you, for Macedonia is too little for thee". He named the horse Bucephalus, which means Ox head, and rode it across Asia, founding a city in its honor in India after its death. This story gives you an inkling about the man.
   
   This book is a must read for students of Alexander, I also recommend Plutarch's and Arrian's work. Contemporary writers, J.F. C. Fuller and Tarn. Most of Alexander's greatest military traits are in the area of military logistics and to understand his genius in this area I highly recommend reading, "Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army," by Donald W. Engels.
   
   As a retired U. S. Army Major, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in ancient warfare, and history.

5 comments about With Honor: Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics.

1. I loved this book! It helped me finally find a piece of history that was missing for me. I was born in 1962 and while I was living during the time period in which most of the events in this book unfolded, I did not have any recollection of them or their significance. I feel like I have a better understanding of my own time period. The book is well written and chocked full of important information. My hat goes off to Dale Van Atta for all of the hard work and effort that must have transpired in order to complete this comprehensive volume.



2. For every Joe McCarthy, there was a Joseph Welch; for every Nixon a Woodward/Bernstein team; etc. We all know about those guys. However, the real story of our nation's history cannot be understood without a record of the decent, hononorable and wise persons who have been present throughout our history, and who have prevented the country from veering so far off course that it can't get righted. (I hope there are at least a few such people left in 2008 to get us back on course now!) My father was a life-long, Democrat who voted for Mel Laird in every one of his elections, because Laird was such an individual, and I wish my parents were around to read this book.



3. I grew up in the late 60s and early 70s thinking of bullet-headed Melvin R. Laird as a warmonger who helped perpetuate America's anguish in Vietnam. I was astonished to discover just how wrong I (and many of my friends, as well as much of the press at the time) really were. Though the account is fascinating of how Laird, despite resistance from both Nixon and Kissinger, was actually working hard but finally successfully to get us out of Vietnam, I found the book more valuable for a different reason.
   
   Anyone who objectively reads "With Honor" will learn at least one thing: That it is (or at least once was) possible for Republicans and Democrats to work together and actually realize important goals for our nation and the world. What they accomplished through their efforts, with the integral help of Laird's talent for behind-the-scenes leadership, is nothing short of inspiring. It is a shame that Laird and his Republican allies, together with the Democrats they befriended, aren't working together again, just as this book shows they once did, to salve and solve some of the wounds our nation has endured of late.
   
   But "With Honor" is not just a history lesson that shows us "what could have been," had we true leaders like Melvin Laird and his friends working together again today. Finely written and easily accessible, "With Honor" accomplishes something political biographies often fail at: It manages at once to be a smooth, pleasurable, and entertaining read, yet at the same time sacrifices none of the details, facts, and stories that make this account so rich. And, as the best biographies usually are, the book is chock full of never-before-told anecdotes and facts -- some scandalous, some uplifting, but all interesting. Surprisingly, there is even quite a lot of humor (The story of the smoldering cigar in Laird's suit pocket at the Vatican is worth the purchase price alone!)
   
   Even people not normally interested in politics will find this book both entertaining and compelling -- not to mention hugely educational in the way of showing just how dicey was the birthing of many of the most important institutions of 20th Century America -- hinging as they did on a few key people with their hearts in the right place, working together for the good of all. There are real lessons today's politicians could learn from Mel Laird. Recommend they read it today!



4. This biography of Melvin Laird was written in a style that makes one not want to put the book down. For anyone who lived through the turbulent 1960's and or are veterans of the Vietnam War, this book is a must read to clearly understand the politics and actions of our government during that period. For others, the story of Melvin Laird is an inspiring history lesson of a dedicated and influential elected official and Secretary of Defense that gives the reader insight into the Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon presidential policies and decisions. Having read most of the self serving memoirs of the top players of the 1960's, I thought this book was the most balanced view of the major political and military decisions of that time in our history.



5. WITH HONOR...MELVIN LAIRD IN WAR, PEACE, AND POLITICS...Dale Van Atta
   There are three story lines in this authorized biography. The most prominent and both best and least known is getting out of Vietnam. It is surprisingly timely as Laird's warning to Bush Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld--"It's a helluva lot easier to get into a war than it is to get out one"--plays out in 2008 headlines. The almost eerie coincidence is that the Laird book was released the week that the generals were telling Congress that they needed more troops and more time. According to this book Laird [who removed General Westmoreland who asked him to "send me 500,000 more men" as Vietnam commander] would have (a) done the testifying himself and (b) would have asked "Did you expect the military to ask for fewer troops and less time? "
   During his entire four years as Nixon's Secretary of Defense Laird was if not the sole the most prominent advocate of what came to be known as "Vietnamization," his plan to disengage from that ill conceived and unfortunate military adventure. Everyone else in the administration was either opposed to or ambivalent about "getting the hell out" in Laird's words. President Nixon was alternatively both of the above, and Henry Kissinger, his main adviser on foreign policy wanted a peace treaty first, which put him more in the Nixon camp than on the Laird bandwagon.
   One of the most cogent quotes from the book was Laird's advice to the military, the White House, and anyone else who would listen that "time has run out."
   When President Bush invited all the living ex-secretaries of defense to a show and tell session at the White House it quickly became obvious that his administration which had unanimously been, in Laird's view, "bent on war" was really looking for affirmation not advice.
   One of the questions the book answers is how Laird got away with something verging on insubordination that no other Secretary of Defense has even attempted. Forty years later it is easy to say "because he was right," but that wasn't evident then and there are some who will argue the point even now. The real reason is that Nixon needed Laird more than Laird needed Nixon. This was obvious at the outset when Nixon gave him a free hand [in writing, on a napkin] to make all the "presidential" appointments in the Pentagon to convince him to abandon the Congress, which he loved, for the most unpopular and difficult job in the government. It was confirmed continuously over the four years Laird served as Laird won every vote from the Congress that he asked for Defense and the administration.
   The second story in the book is the gossipy one about Laird's relations with Nixon and with Kissinger which will attract the attention of the gossip addicted. The non-stop one-upmanship encounters on matters large and small with Henry Kissinger are given extensive play in the book. What is underplayed is that the two remain great friends and mutual admirers. Their struggles were a kind of gamesmanship it seems even though they involved a very high stakes game.
   What will titillate is what the book has to say about Laird's relations with Nixon starting with the quote: "...sometimes orders that came at night were not good orders to follow" and the fact that Nixon lied to him about Watergate to get him to come to the White House and try to salvage a crumbling administration.
   
   He also told Nixon that he would get along with the Congress better if he didn't make them feel he was smarter than they were. "You can't get a vote if you start on a pedestal," he told him.
   What is most admirable about the book is the third story, the often too short descriptions of his accomplishments over an extraordinarily wide range and the very high regard in which he was held in many important places. What he really wanted was something he never got and something he gave up when he took the job at Defense. He wanted to be Speaker of the House of Representatives. His name did show up on several short lists for jobs he neither sought nor wanted. He was regarded as a possible candidate for president or vice president. He might have been commissioner of baseball, and could have been chief executive of a large assortment of large, important corporations. The author does not say why he didn't pursue any of these. He was 50 when he left the Defense Department in 1972. My own observation was that he had aged 20 years in the time he was in that job. I was told that will happen when for 4 years every time the phone rings, it's bad news.
   The dichotomy is that when you consider what he did before, during, and after his stint in Defense, perhaps we lost more than we gained because of this important and perhaps indispensable diversion. We could, after all, be almost halfway to our 100 years in Vietnam but for Mel Laird.
   But still.
   Laird and his great friend and ally Rhode Island's Democratic Representative John Fogarty on the Health subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee can single-or double-handedly be credited for making the National Institutes of Health and Center for Disease Control into major institutions. They were also responsible for creating 13 "Lairdettes" on campuses across the country including the McArdle Center at UW-Madison to do cancer research. They did all of this over the dead bodies of notable fiscal conservatives in the Congress and the White House including President Eisenhower.
   Eisenhower, as well as his two immediate successors John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, named Laird the US representative to the annual conferences of the World Health Organization.
   His unprecedented base closing record while at Defense, incidentally, indicates he didn't abandon his own fiscally conservative roots altogether.
   He introduced Nixon to the Wisconsin concept of revenue sharing whose initiatives gave that idea a short and not so sweet run at the federal level.
   Talent was at the head of his criterion list when recruiting for the Defense Department. Of the 68 top jobs there, a little over half were filled by Republicans, the rest by Democrats, Independents, and a few "unknowns" which may have been "unasked." This worthy idea was discarded by the Reagan administration and hasn't surfaced since.
   He put his most trusted recruit Bob Froehlke in charge of a reorganization of the several intelligence agencies whose reports he always regarded with something approaching suspicion. The project improved inter-agency communication and reduced costs, which was either hoped for was what they got.
   He was always open with the press and the public and told his staff that the way to deal with bad news is to expose it. When he left the Pentagon, the Washington press corps presented him with a football inscribed Laird 194 Press 0.
   He is responsible for the military's medical school which has supplied most of the doctors needed by our forces in times of trouble.
   He and Bob Froehlke took the lead on designing and promoting a post-Vietnam amnesty program for young people who eluded the draft.
   He ended the draft.
   New York's Democratic Governor Hugh Carey gave him credit for saving New York City from bankruptcy.
   He orchestrated the appointment of Gerald Ford to the vice presidency fully aware that Ford would soon be president, because Laird knew that Nixon had lied about his involvement in Watergate and could not survive the ensuing ongoing cover-up.
   The book doesn't make the claim, but it is hard not to believe that he also got President Ford to name Nelson Rockefeller to the vice presidency. So at one time in our country's history, the man from Marshfield had a major role in filling the two top jobs in the country.
   He and Senator Adlai Stevenson crafted a presidential nominating plan that would limit the number of primaries to 16 and give a more important role to something now known as "super delegates" which is further proof that the law of unintended consequences cannot be repealed.
   He and fellow Wisconsin Congressman John Byrnes worked with the National Football League to preserve their monopoly, distribute their soon to be riches democratically and evenly, and, not so incidentally, save the Green Bay Packers.
   His dogged demands for diversity were rewarded with the unprecedented promotions of large numbers of minorities and women to flag officer status in all branches of the military.
   What we will never know is where else Mel Laird would have gone or what else he would have done if events and pressing national needs had not altered his own best laid plans. What we do know is that he did what he did with, as the book's title claims, honor.
   

5 comments about Xin Loi, Viet Nam: Thirty-one Months of War: A Soldier's Memoir.

1. I'm only 27 so I don't really know that much about the Viet Nam war. This is the 9th or 10th book I've read and I have to say that it is easily one of the best. Al Sever does a great job explaining in detail the highs and lows of the war and also the day to day operations of what it was like to be a machine gunner on a gun ship.



2. I've read a number of books by warrant and commissioned officer helicopter pilots, but this is the first by an enlisted crew chief. Since Al served with a company I knew, it had been part of the 11th Combat Aviation Battalion (with which I served in 1967) and flew in a III Corp AO I knew, I gave it a whirl. I wasn't disappointed
   
   Not only is the tale he has to tell worth reading, I was struck by the fact that he was more reflective and was quicker to grasp that the way we were fighting, and our isolation from the Vietnamese, was diminishing the chances for any success, than were most of the pilot-authors I've read. Perhaps the multi-tasking required to keep a helicopter in the air left little time for reflection. Or maybe Al is just more perceptive than most. (We EM's thought many officers made a point of ignoring this.)
   
   Whatever the reason, this book is worth the read.



3. The author, a true American hero who did more than his job since a reenlisted for a second tour, gives the reader thrilling accounts of how dangerous the job was. Being a lateral gun shooter in a Huey was certainly not a comfortable and no-risk involvement. I rank this book as one of the very good ones written on the Vietnam war. The comments posted by ex-soldiers who knew the author in action are nice and totally relevant. They know what it was then. Have a nice reading.
   
   I invite you to read also "Firebirds: The Best First Person Account of Helicopter Combat in Vietnam Ever Written" by Chuck Carlock.



4. I honestly don't like giving my fellow Vietnam warriors five stars. We've all had so many rose petals and awards placed in our paths throughout the years, I worry about overdoing it. Still, Al Sever gets five from me simply because he's a Vietnam veteran who has somehow given up drugs and killing babies long enough to write a book, a good book. Hell, I flew some 1100 hours in the war and I didn't know that, "It's a lot easier hitting small targets if the AC watches the target through the chin bubble at his feet and gives the command to drop the grenade. Leaning out the door to the left while moving forward makes it difficult to be accurate when you throw the grenade." If I ever get my hands on a helicopter and a buddy to drop the grenade, I'll remember this when we get to Washington. Sever's book, "Xin LOI, Viet Nam" is what I call an energetic, entertaining, and crisply written book. I'm Bob Miller, author of "Kill Me If You Can, You SOB" (hint).



5. Al Sever is a unique individual. In his book, he credits me by name for training him as a crewchief. He writes as if my training intensity was somehow special or above the call of duty. I didn't think of it that way. I thought of it as doing what I could to survive, and to help my brothers survive. It was frankly comforting to me to know that the crewchief in the gunship behind me knew what he was doing when he covered our tail. And he did. The only thing that he did wrong was to volunteer for a second tour in Viet Nam. And that brings me to his uniqueness. Al survived his second tour both physically and for the most part, psychologically. Most of the men who re-upped for a second tour didn't get back in one piece. I'm glad he did because he wrote a helluva book with an incredible memory for details. I honor him for his service and for his insights into the politics and sadness of that war.
   
   Every detail is true for the period we served together in '68 and '69 flying out of Cu Chi.
   
   Xin Loi, Viet Nam is loaded with ironies and the title carries the most. Read the book.

5 comments about Honor Denied: The Combat Memoirs of SS Radio Operator Karl Metzger.

1. I purchased and read this book based solely on the product description.
   
   Within a few pages, I was having doubts about its veracity. By a few chapters in, I was 100% sure it was fiction. I read the rest because it's like a train wreck - horrible, but I couldn't look away.
   
   To cite the Low Countries campaign only: The teenage SS radio operator is assigned as Rommel's personal signalman. No other staff of Rommel (a division commander!) are ever mentioned, nor other radiomen. Rommel gives "Metzger" personal orders about where to go, what vehicle to ride in, how to behave, etc. Also, "Metzger" is the sole channel to higher command (including direct to Berlin!) that Rommel has. He is the one man division signal unit for Rommel's unit! Rommel also assigns him to select unit deployment positions and issue appropriate orders. He is also the artillery and Luftwaffe liason. He also calls up supply, medical and MP units when needed.
   
   The German military in WWII was organized along modern lines with various staff functions to handle different areas. A division commander utilized all of these. I was in a US Army Infantry Battalion headquarters in the 1990's and even at that level (Battalions make up regiments or brigades, which make up divisions) there are staff officers and enlisted personnel to support the CO.
   
   Oh and also, at various times between all this when Rommel doesn't need him, Metzger also participates in close assaults and house clearing and kills three French soldiers. He's wounded by shrapnel in three places, is operated on, and returns to action immediately.
   
   I won't even get into all the equipment and weapon mistakes. Well - the one where the Belgians are using old guns from Napoleonic era (really, muzzle loading smoothbore cannons?!) is too good to pass up.
   
   Did I mention he understands at least 4 languages, which were taught to him by a rail signalman that he befriended as a child, since the signalman needed to know these languages to communicate with "foreign trains"? Including English?
   
   The rest of the book is full of stuff like this.
   
   DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS.



2. Ill keep this short & to the point.
   This book is fiction & nothing more.



3. A revisionist book, full of inaccuracies. He, the author states he is using a panzerfaust in 1940 during the invasion of France! Sorry, the Panzerfaust did not come into production until 1942, and really not even fielded until 1943. If he had been there, he would have known, without any doubts, that he could not even harm Soviet tanks in the 1941 scenarios he plays out using a panzerfaust. 37mm doorknockers is what he would have had available and many other improvised tank killers like tellar mines and hand grenade bundles. He acknowledges being an SS trooper (pre-1940) and denies any anti-semetic feelings or teachings. Rommel had a whole staff to take care of combined arms work, not just some young trooper. I have not finished the book, because he is like Sajer, full of inaccuracies, including where he was during Barbarossa. Wiking was in Army Group North, not south.



4. This so-called 'combat memoirs' would have made a better comic book than anything to be taken as history. The American author, Paul K. Harker and his publisher Outskirts Press obviously tried out several different 'story lines' on paper, then instead of editing the fiction to make the fakery seem more real, they just published the whole thing, stubs, flubs and all. Chummy supposed 'interactions'with Rommel by the low-ranking enlisted SS Man Metzer are stated mid-book as having ended forever, but then Rommel reappears at the end of the book like some ghost and tells Metzger to take care of himself. A Field Marshall hanging out with an enlisted man? Right......
   Many, many impossible-to-believe details, and numerous contradictions throughout, such as Metzger declaring himself over and over in the book to be a working-class peasant, then signing the book von Metzger. WTF???
   A complete waste of money.



5. As far as German memoirs go, this is the best I've read. It shows you that SS soldiers were human beings with families, careers and feelings instead of the mindless killing-machines we've been led to believe.
   
   This book contains things that only a real front line soldier could know and the way he expresses it with his words is incredible. There are passages that talk about National Socialism and its hold over Germany and Europe, and Metzger discusses it frankly. He doesn't pull any punches within his text. He tells his story in a way that makes you a fellow soldier in his unit. A very good book that deserves to be read by others.
   
   It's shameful that some detractors from the Axis History Forum and Feldgrau are on a campaign to muddy and tarnish not only this book, but Directive 19 and the authors and compiler. Read the comments under their reviews. You will see for yourself that these detractors, especially Axis History Forum's Michael D. Miller, thinks nothing about using foul language, slurs against a respected Rabbi, slurs against women and jokes about the handicapped in order to try to convince you not to read this book.
   
   Read this book. You deserve to.

5 comments about Simon Bolivar (Simon Bolivar): A Life.

1. I haven't finished the book yet but I love it so far. I doesn't get stucked in irrelevant details but it does give a good picture of the environment of Venezuela at independence times. I hardly think there was a man as Bolivar with such deliverance, driving force, genius and love for his country and all the slaved americas.



2. Most of the time, when Hugo Chavez gives his long, boring, brainwashing and finger pointing speeches on National TV, behind of him there is a painting of Simon Bolivar. One thing is sure, it is not Bolivar's fault to be misused and distorted that way and you can realize that by reading these pages, perhaps a dense book, well researched biography of the Liberator. I was not familiar with the story of the Liberation of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the invention of Bolivia, but despite the high quantity of information, I consider this book a good reading, especially the last paragraph of the book. It was not an easy task, considering that before fighting the Spaniards, the New Granadians fought each other in a civil war -- this is like a joke, but it was mainly because of the composition of the population, several races like whites, pardos, indians, mulattos and blacks, each one with resentments againts each other. Bolivar was undoubdetly a great figure in Latin America History, he was loved but also hated, he was able to Liberate Countries from the Spaniards but he couldn't find the right political structure for this difficult Latin America, and you can see that even today, especially in Venezuela and Bolivia.



3. I am a Japanese writer and a English-Japanese translator. I was reading
   J.J. Rousseau in 1970s in Tokyo University. I read then Peter Gay's " The Enlightennent" series, and afterwards D.B.Davis's trology of American
   History. In my thought, there is always common standerds of humanity. What
   are thoses? Which are those? Can the language system of Human rights and
   Discriminations recover the Humanity as a whole?
   I am in a deep sorrow now. You must not fight in other countries.



4. It is applaudable that Lynch has written the first major English biography of Bolivar in five decades, and it is evident that Lynch knows, and greatly admires, Simon Bolivar. Lynch's extensive research into the life of Latin America's greatest Liberator provides a wealth of information that one is hard pressed to find anywhere else.
   
   However, unlike Gabriel Garcia Marquez's, "The General in His Labyrinth," John Lynch writes a biography that is stilted and reads like a textbook: names, dates, places, events, etc. Never does Lynch help you understand the power of Bolivar's dynamic and engaging personality. Unlike Gabriel Garcia Marquez, whose writing breaths life into the dead hero, Lynch preforms an post-mortem examination, identifying part and problems but never resurrecting the great man.
   
   All students of South America should read John Lynch's biography, but also, follow up this textbook with the masterful "The General in His Labyrinth". Conditionally Recommended.



5. A thorough, scholarly review of the life of Bolivar. A little detailed for the light reader, but it is doubtful that much is missing from the story of the life of this patriot.

5 comments about Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary.

1. This book is a must for anyone tring to decipher the insanity and environment of Hitler during his regime. It provides a look at this monster as he tried to live something of a normal life while at the same time destroying the life of all but those he considered to be the "priviliged" race.



2. Of course Adolf Hitler's personal secretary's personal memoirs will be of immediate importance and fascination to historians, WWII buffs, and scholars who appreciate personal testimonials.
   
   This English translation shows a young woman of Bavarian heritage caught up in the whirlwind of the Second World War as Hitler's personal secretary. From this vantage point we see a woman whose adolescence and early adulthood were permeated with the isolation of Germany, propaganda, and an unquestioning optimism and girlish naivete--even as she marries an SS officer in 1943, she has yet to realize the horrors of war, insulated as she is from the "realities" of the two-front war.
   
   In this excellent translation from the German, she gives a riveting account of her seemingly benign, at times hypochondriacal and paranoid employer, who spends his spare time seeking to breed his German Shepherd "Blondi" and receives daily injections to maintain his "up" mood and seemingly infinite energy. Only some time after the assassination attempt of July 20, 1944 does he temporarily become bedridden with a seemingly melancholic depression.
   
   The banality of everyday life in the Headquarters of the Fuehrer is astonishing, given the conflagration surrounding the Greater German Reich from 1939 to 1945. Daily teas, hesitations by top officers and Hitler to tell her of her husband's death, all bespeak of an odd "normalcy" in the eye of the hurricane that will ultimately swamp Berlin. Ms. Junge's account is also devoid of much affect (as are the interviews shortly before her death)--one wonders how she escaped much attention following the war given her position; yet, she has little to say about the evil aims spelled out in "Mein Kampf" and executed efficiently following the Wannssee Conference in suburban Berlin in late January, 1942.
   
   While many books lose immediacy in the translation, this excellent translation from the German is edited well and will serve as the definitive memoir in English translation. Comprehension will be helped by familiarity with the characters involved in Hitler's everyday life--from Fegelein to Frau Christian, from his personal cook (Frau Manziarty, who must provide his vegetarian sustenance) to the highests General staff--Keitel, Bormann, Goebbels, Canaris, Doenitz, and the like.
   
   Most highly recommended!



3. First of all I would like to correct a statement made elsewhere that this book was previously published in 1989 under the title Voices From The Bunker. That volume, reviewed elsewhere under its title, was co-written by Pierre Galante, author of The Berlin Wall, Operation Valkyrie, The General, and Malraux, as well as being a writer for Paris Match, and Eugene Silianoff, a one-time Bulgarian diplomat who was working in Switzerland during WW II and who has also contributed to Paris Match.
   
   In their volume they do refer often to Traudl Humps who, at age 22, still dreamed of becoming a prima ballerina, right up to the day in 1942 when she got a job as one of Adolf Hitler's private secretaries.
   
   But this book is HER account of those days, culled from her journal which she began writing in 1947 following exhaustive questioning by the Western Allies and the Soviets, and was co-written with Melissa Muller who provides the background. The name Junge was the result of her brief marriage to one of Hitler's valets, Hans Junge of the Liebstandarte SS, who was killed in action in the year following their wedding.
   
   To the time of her own death at age 81 on February 10, 2002, shortly after the book's launch under its original title of To The Last Hour, she claimed that her appreciation of the momentous and horrendous events going on around her never really struck home until the years immediately following the war. When she started jotting down her thoughts in 1947 she did so from the perspective of one who had no choice but to acknowledge her naivety and who now realized she would have to live the rest of her life with the guilt of actually having been fond of "the greatest criminal ever to have lived."
   
   When she worked for Hitler she'd found him to be a "pleasant older man and a good employer" - was naturally fascinated by this charismatic character - but recalls her duties as being mostly the taking of shorthand and then the typing of non-controversial material, and at times helping to make tea.
   
   There are many who scoff at her oft-stated ignorance of the holocaust and other monumental war crimes during her days as a secretary but, whether or not you choose to believe her claims, her book detailing that part of her life offers a fascinating insight into the day to day functions, and the slow but steady mental and physical deterioration, of one of history's most evil men. It certainly will be the last first-hand account by a member of his inner circle.
   
   In addition to touching upon the powerful people around him, and relating daily routine, she describes in chilling detail the events of April 28, 1945. With Russian artillery shells pounding the outer portion of the bunker in Berlin, ironically being defended by the Charlemagne SS Division made up primarily of Frenchmen, Hitler called her in to dictate his last will and testament. He told her to "make three copies and then come in ... I wrote as fast as I could ... my fingers worked mechanically and I was surprised that I hardly made any typing mistakes."
   
   This is typical of the information imparted in her book and, as such, it's a great companion to Voices In The Bunker. But it's not the same book.



4. Trauld Junge was a very clever and strong woman but obviously she never indulged herself in asking many questions about the Nazis during her lifetime as secretary of Hitler. Such blindness is confusing but it explains very well why the Nazis succeeded so well in enthralling millions of Germans like Frau Junge. Having said that her "Memoirs" are full of interesting details about how was life close to the Führer. And to tell the truth it was not bad at all although a bit boring notably in the social life at the Berghof. This book makes Hitler almost sympathetic to the reader. It is only at the end that Frau Jung realized what sort of monster Hitler and his henchmen were. This late consciousness of a harsh reality will haunt her for the rest of her life and it will prevent her to be ever again a happy woman. But for the curious reader, this book offers tons of juicy and well observed details and anecodtes and gives a very credible painting of the life within the heart of the Nazi establishment. Fascisnating.



5. Traudl Junge's recollection of her services to Adolf Hitler as one of his personal secretaries from 1942-45 proves to be relatively honest and entertaining. While I have read some of her views on Hitler scattered around in many books on Hitler and his inner circle, this volume was the first time all of her perception can be found. It pretty clear by Junge's recollection that Hitler had two totally different personality types. One personality type can be classically called the "Fuhrer" personality and the other one can be regarded as a more "private man" personality. It pretty obviously that Junge mainly dealt with the "private man" instead of the manaical Fuhrer.
   
   The author and the her editor appears to go out of their way to paint Junge as a naive and clueless young woman. Many of the reviewers also painted her in the same light. But it seem like this train of thought lies in the perception of hindsight and afterthought. Its appears very clearly that Junge, like so many of her fellow Germans (military and civilian alike) spent much the war with blinders on. Its hard to condemned some one like Junge for working for Hitler. Whether we like it or not, Hitler was the legitimate head of the German government and even if Hitler turned out to be the greatest war criminal of all times, I don't think Junge was in the position to judge Hitler or even second guess him during the time of her employment.
   
   From her narrative, it pretty easy to see Junge as a woman who was charmed by Hitler's softer side and her desire to do a good job for a good boss and at the same time, trying to fit into the world she ended up in. Since all this was written back in 1947 while her memories remains fresh and her feeling haven't been compromise by the collective German guilt complex, I would say that what she wrote proves to be a rather honest, true to her conviction of her services to Hitler. Her views on Hitler does show a side of Hitler that should probably frighten any sane historian. A man appears to be truly human in Junge's eyes when most of the world see him as some sort of inhuman monster of alien cruelty.
   
   If there was any weakness to the book, I think Junge didn't go far enough in her recollections regarding many members of Hitler's inner circle. Her descriptions appears too generic. It would have been nice if she could have gotten into bit more detail about her Soviet captivity.
   
   I believe that this should be a mandatory reading material for any one interested in Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. It paints an unusual portrait of Hitler in full account and even if you have read some of Junge's recollections in other books, this book put it all into a singular focus.

5 comments about Zigzag: The Incredible Wartime Exploits of Double Agent Eddie Chapman.

1. The book is a great read and that's hard to find. The big thing about Eddie Chapman's story is it shows one of the millions or billions of instances in which a potentially solid fate sours when confronted with downturns, constrained opportunity, hormones, etc. Today,
   such a de-railed character ends up with our growing population behind walls and barbed wire at Marion, Sing-Sing, or Leavenworth. Chapman's cleverness and sheer luck of circumstance let him turn his lemon of a livelihood into lemonade (a kind of career-skill, eh?). The portrayal of his Nazi handlers and their treatment of him has a twinge of Hogan's Heroes. Pick up the book. I am anxious read further to get others' take on the Eddie Chapman story....



2. I just wanted to say that I read this after trying to read "Agent Zigzag" and finding it rather impenetrable, for what it's worth, this one seemed much better written.
   
   It's funny, too.



3. A fascinating read that had me turning pages deep into the night. And, the most amazing thing is that it's a true story! Good reading for anyone with a Walter Mitty complex or who just enjoys a good yarn.



4. Perhaps my one-sentence summary is a tad harsh. But this book could really use a good editor. The general style is fine - nothing wrong with colloquial turns-of-phrase dominating such books, to my mind. And it does, in places, flow well and the overall style does at times complement the story itself.
   
   But Booth's prose is peppered with errors and slips. His sentences often read as if they have been written quickly and only reviewed in a cursory manner. Booth often falls into the trap of replacing colloquial with cliche, can be repetitive - whether with word shadows or with events - and occasionally uses phrases whose meaning is the exact opposite of what he's trying to convey. For example, when asserting that one of Chapman's British interrogators was perhaps warming to him slightly, he writes "He soon became aware that his tormentor was unbending slightly." Forgive me if I'm wrong here, but "unbending" is another word for inflexible or stubborn, no?
   
   And for what it's worth his use of, and translation from, German is at times atrocious - though that probably marks me out for the pedant I am!
   
   Beyond that, the only big flaw is that Booth is too willing to give Chapman and his wife the benefit of the doubt - when a wife who has been continuously cheated on says it wasn't the man's fault that women came after him, that's not grounds for dismissing Chapman's reputation as a Lothario. It's more like someone trying to deceive herself.
   
   BUT, it is a cracking story, and Booth has researched the subject well - though I tend to agree that Chapman's actual effectiveness is somewhat overblown. So despite the flaws, I still enjoyed it - I like the subject matter, and the structure Booth puts into the story works well. The writing, though, drops it to a two star from three or even possibly four stars.



5. This biography was entertaining and informative.
   
   Anyone desiring to know more about the secret war of deception waged against Nazi Germany will find this book worthy of their time.
   
   Eddie's his good luck, audacity, and courage will also appeal to readers whose primary interest is in just learning more about this guy.

5 comments about Prisoner without a Name, Cell without a Number (The Americas).

1. I read this book, here in Brazil, about 20 years ago.This book was writen by an argetinian and jew, about thirty years ago.This book is against Argetina's government, in late 1970 decade.This book isn't a communist's book, but a book against torture and other bad things.The main problem of this book is that we aren't in 1970 decade.Argentina's processo is over since 1983 and we must remember that in Argentina, there was less than 0.05% of murders that were did in "socialists paradises" such as China or former USSR.



2. I used this book in my introduction to Latin America course as a supplementary text. The writing is moving and heartfelt while being historically and politically relevant. Most students read this book in one sitting finding it impossible to put down.



3. One of the most harrowing books I've ever read. An amazing entreaty against violence of both the left and the right, and a heartbreaking analysis of contemporary anti-Semitism. Comparable at some points perhaps to Koestler's Darkness at Noon, except that it deals with torture in a more direct (and horrifying, since it's nonfiction) way. I wish this were requiring reading in schools.



4. I won't give a synopsis of the book b/c everyone else has already done that for you. What I can say about this book is that it is an impetus. After you read it, you'll most likely be hungry for more information about this brutal time in a seemingly well-developed country. Questions to consider: Why the silence of the press, with the exception of Timerman's newspaper 'La Opinion' and the 'B.A. Herald?' How could someone treated so horribly come out of it okay? Why did this happen after Pinochet's regime and the Nazi regime? This is post WWII, so why? Where was the rest of the world? The book is splendid, the first chapter gut-wrenching and beautiful. You will love it as much as Elie Wiesel's 'Night.'



5. Este libro es un resumen de un pais de tristeza. Anarchia, luchas, gobiernos coruptos, y la militaria- es lo mismo ahora en este pais bella y riqueza. Los maleducados hay un nivel de estupidez - ellos solo quieren el pavo, el dinero - la renta sin pensar de la gente.

   Tienes que leer este libro!

5 comments about Heart of a Soldier.

1. This book is what our current life is really about in the Post 911 era. We visit two soldiers who live life together in Africa and then in Vietnam. It (at the end of the book) debunks our police frame work and the cover-ups of the Bush and Clinton Administrations. These two soldiers warn us of the impending Air Strikes against the Twin Towers years in advance. There can be no second guessing the correct warning they gave the NYPD,The FBI, and others. This book should be made into a film. Give this book a buy and pass it around to all you know and care for. And yes I was there on top of the towers in 1989 and felt the tremor of impending doom awaiting us in the future. Every American should be proud of these soldiers and applaud them.



2. this book chronicle's one man journey through the 20th century. His journey spans two devastating periods in America's history and is narrated through the eyes of the everyday man.



3. I had finished We Were Soldiers Once...and Young, and I was very interested in knowing more about Cyril 'Rick' Rescorla, one of the soldiers who had been in the Ia Drang valley. I googled his name and was thrilled that this book had been written about him. After everything he survived in Vietnam to die while making sure others got to safety on 9/11, I was stunned. I have read many books about Vietnam and this is by far the best. Wow what a story. I will keep this book forever, and when I need a refresher on humanity, I will reread this magnificent story. The book is a very riveting war story, so well written I couldn't put it down. Even my friends who aren't interested in wars of the past are reading it.



4. I just finished this book a few days ago and cannot believe he was a real person-he truly was a Kipling or Hemingway type of character. To be brave so many times in your life, and just trying to do the right thing is refresing to see, and we need to see more of it. His friendship with Dan is very close, and not always seen among men due to homophobia. What was most uncanny was how they knew 9/11 was coming and tried their best to prevent it. Unfortunatly it ends badly when Rick does one more heroic act, but he was a good example how to be a good, if somewhat flawed person. Needs to be made into a movie.



5. From childhood in the 1940s to 2001 two men's military experiences in colonial battles in Africa, Vietnam, and events leading to 9/11 provide a chronical of military temperment and commitment. This chronology includes their training, fears, heroics, loves , and being drawn into the mechanisms of terrorism before a terroristic event sets the stage for a final act of heroism demonstrated by one of these men.