5 comments about Hospital Sketches.

1. This book is a classic. Wirten by Louisa May Alcott, yes the one that would later write the chlidrens classic "Little Women", tells the story of her service during the Civil War through the eyes of Nurse Tribulation Periwinkle. Although it is a short work, this edition is only 55 pages it brings to focus war and its cost and who pays the bill.
   
   Nurse Periwinkle will have two assigments before she, her self becomes a victum of the war (Typhiod) and must leave. The first is what we would call today an Evecuation Hospital where the wounded are brought from the battle field.
   
   We hear about a un-named soldier who asks only for a sip of wat and Nurse periwinkle has to go to a water can in another building and when she returns the soldier is dead. We hear about the long death of John, of the little Sergent who manages to survive and the Prussian who goes back to fight again.
   
   Nurse periwinkle's final assigment is to the Armory Hospital and to "K" Ward. K Ward is Military talk for where they send those who have run out of medical options and who's fate is in some other power, a large percentage of those on K Ward, will die on K Ward. All Wars have K Wards, I was in the K Ward at letterman Army Medical center for several months during the Vietnam War. Her brief discription is perhaps the best in literature of what hopelessness is.
   
   This book should be read by all and have a place next to Stephen Crains "Red Badge of Courage" in High School American Lit. Class.



2. This little book tells what is was like to work in a Civil War hospital. It is autobiographical, although the author changes her name in the narrative, which was considered proper in women's writing at the time.
   
   Louisa May Alcott had an ability to tolerate chaos and laugh at herself, which lends a charm to her writing, even though it is the sometimes wordy prose that was common in the 1860's. I found the book quick to read and enjoyable.
   
   The book would have been enhanced with a brief biography of the author, perhaps on the back cover. She is, of course, best known for her books for young people, but she had other accomplishments which are remarkable considering that she was afflicted with mercury poisoning, a result of medication given for typhoid, which she contracted in the hospital. In this book, she describes the bout with typhoid from the point of view of her becoming a patient in her room, and how kind the staff was to her. She tells that she lost her hair as an effect of the medication. Eventually her father shows up and she goes back to Massachusetts with him.
   
   Alcott based the book on letters she wrote home while serving in the hospital. Some were hastily written and she did not edit them strenuously because she did not want to lose the immediacy of the writing. In a few places, I longed for more clarity. Also, she makes references to literary characters of the time and most of these were lost on me. Still, there is much of value in this book and it is worth reading.



3. What aroused my interest in this book? No snazzy title. No enticing aroma of mystery or intrigue about it at all. But am I glad that I did read it? Unquestionably! From start to finish this book never falters, never flags in evoking the times, the place, and the human experience. Louisa's style may require some adjustments and patience from modern readers, and it probably will appeal to a more mature audience. (I don't see young people dropping Harry Potter for the tale Louisa tells.) As another reviewer eloquently noted, the book tears at the heart and makes you smile and laugh. Would that I could write half as good.The truth of the book cannot be denied. Read it and decide for yourself.



4. As I write this, there is currently a controversy swirling in Washington DC, about the shabby treatment of some wounded American veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Making the cover of Newsweek, and with the general of a veterans' hospital and the Secretary of the Army being forced to resign.
   
   Alcott's writings take on a very contemporary tinge, under these circumstances. Of course, she wrote of a far bloodier struggle, on American soil. Her descriptions of the Union hospitals do bring forth the primitive treatments then available, and the sacrifices of the thousands injured. Her book is a reminder of the cost of wars. Though the Civil War was necessary to end slavery, while some current readers might reasonably wonder whether entering Iraq was worth it.



5. This book was in great condition. The shipping was very quick just like promised.

5 comments about Father, Soldier, Son: Memoir of a Platoon Leader In Vietnam.

1. This book seemed to be more something the author's shrink told him to do to help solve his personal issues with his father as well as his experiences in the Vietnam war. I don't mean to belittle either of those things; I am not a Vietnam veteran and I had a good father. But in terms of the book, it makes for an odd juxtaposition of war narrative followed suddenly, even with the same paragraph, with something about his crazy dad back home. The overall story--is it about Nam, or his distant father?
   
   On the plus side I liked the honesty, even if it pissed me off at times. On numerous occasions he doesn't open fire on sitting duck VC or NVA, for various reasons. And he's honest about that. At the same time, you get the feeling that it was guys like this who lost us the war or cost us casualties later. Still, it takes guts to admit these things. He also talks openly about using prostitutes, drug use (he himself did very little) and even just lollygagging around on some firebase somewhere, hanging out with his Chinese buddy Tu and trying to keep the war away from himself for as long as possible.
   
   I can only give it 2 stars because there is WAY too much stuff about dealing with his crazy dad. Either make it a book about Vietnam, or about your dad--don't mix it. I read the book for Nam stories, not a familial therapy session.



2. I'm just finishing up a second reading of this book, after having read it five years ago. I also was in the Big Red One, in B/2-16, the year after Tripp was there. Tripp writes with great insight and the humility of a man who experienced and understood the reality (the reality for one American infantryman, it must be granted) of the Vietnam War. This book also tells you how many of us were changed by this war.



3. I can't make any claims to the validity or non-validity of the book's subject matter, but I found the whole book engrossing from beginning to end. The man's private motivations and trials may not belong to everyone, but I think they are deep and true enough so that anyone can understand them. They are mixed in with commentary about the war from the author's viewpoint then as a young man and at the time of writing, and is also filled with the nerve wracking, often spooky action of that period in that place, which creates its own atmosphere along the lines of Dispatches by Herr. This book is not to be missed.



4. Like most historical events and first person accounts of that history, there is more than one perspective that must be considered. Mr. Tripp's book although excellent and compelling, gives the reader 'his' experience. Sometimes this effort comes at the expense of objectivity. So, in reading this book be aware of other realities that share his Vietnam world.

   I was with the 9th Infantry Division approximately the same time. In fact, I know many of the same places Mr. Tripp refers to in his book. Who knows, maybe he and I shared C-rations at some point. I also know that Mr. Tripp's description of the 9th Division and the Division Snipers in particular, although written from his perspective and with literary license, and meant to be compelling, is also unfair and plays into the hands of those who called us 'baby killers' and 'killing machines'.

   We were young men, 18 years old and in combat for the first time. For most of us, it was not about proving one's self, or fighting the internal war with families and other bagage. It was about getting through the day without getting killed. Mr. Tripp has provided us with some gutsy descriptions of that emotion, I only wish it was not at the expense of other GI's who shared the same battleground, we were not all automatons nor were we without our own feelings of guilt, regardless of origin.




5. Like most historical events and first person accounts of that history, there is more than one perspective that must be considered. Mr. Tripp's book although excellent and compelling, gives the reader 'his' experience. Sometimes this effort comes at the expense of objectivity. So, in reading this book be aware of other realities that share his Vietnam world.

   I was with the 9th Infantry Division approximately the same time. In fact, I know many of the same places Mr. Tripp refers to in his book. Who knows, maybe he and I shared C-rations at some point. I also know that Mr. Tripp's description of the 9th Division and the Division Snipers in particular, although written from his perspective and with literary license, and meant to be compelling, is also unfair and plays into the hands of those who called us 'baby killers' and 'killing machines'.

   We were young men, 18 years old and in combat for the first time. For most of us, it was not about proving one's self, or fighting the internal war with families and other bagage. It was about getting through the day without getting killed. Mr. Tripp has provided us with some gutsy descriptions of that emotion, I only wish it was not at the expense of other GI's who shared the same battleground, we were not all automatons nor were we without our own feelings of guilt, regardless of origin.

5 comments about Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders.

1. Its a good bok to look what a general and a brigadier officers life and military duty.So I recommended this book to all fans of the Civil War.



2. I agree with the other reviewers who say that Ezra Warner's Generals in Blue is an essential resource for Civil War buffs. Whether you're in need of the basic biography of familiar generals, or want some quick and convenient background on an unfamiliar name, Generals in Blue is the place to go. I use it so often that I don't even bother reshelving it anymore.
   
   But the volume is more than just a reference book. It's also an existential document that evokes a lot of pathos from the reader. By far the greater number of generals discussed weren't regular army officers. Like their troops, they were volunteers--civilians suddenly wrested from the normal course of life and thrown into battle with, frequently, very little training and no experience. Many of them were wounded; some were killed; some were so incompetent that they got lots of foot soldiers killed; some were heroes; some rogues; a very few were pretty old, but many were little more than boys (Custer, for example, was generaled at the age of 25); some were shattered by their experiences in the war; some coarsened. Reading their biographies and contemplating their photographs go a long way towards putting faces to anonymous battle descriptions.
   
   Too bad there aren't similar compilations of ordinary soldiers.



3. and yet also surprisingly entertaining. I find it rather compelling actually. A few years ago this was my preferred reading on nights when I couldn't sleep...the individual bios were gripping and informative, but not too much to bite off. Warner's perspective is kinda old-school; I am a bit leery of his dismissal of the contributions of some of these officers to Reconstruction in the South. But mostly he is fair if a bit acerbic in his assessments. The pictures are entertaining in themselves, as well. The facial hair in that era! Comparing and contrasting the mustaches and beards of Ambrose Burnside, George McClellan, Ulysses Grant, and Egbert G. Brown might require a book in itself, but Warner does an invaluable job bringing so much material together.



4. Like Generals in Gray, I have often referred to Generals in Blue as an excellent reference over the years.

   Warner presents a brief biography of each general usually including the following information:

   1. Birthplace and birthdate.
   2. Prewar career.
   3. Battles served in, promotions, wounding and death (if applicable).
   4. Postwar career.
   5. Relationships with other generals and officers.
   6. Death and place of burial.
   7. Mention of the officer's competency (or lack thereof).

   Whether you are a serious student of the Civil War or a novice, I highly recommend the book as an excellent reference!




5. Like it's companion, Generals in Gray, Ezra has done an excellent job in giving short biographies on all the Union generals, with a picture of each general included. An excellent reference guide for your Civil War library.

2 comments about One Man Great Enough: Abraham Lincoln's Road to Civil War.

1. A basic history of Abraham Lincoln's political journey from Illinois to Washington, D.C. Nothing in this book will be a surprise to dedicated readers on the Civil War era.
   
   The author writes in a folksy style, sourcing quotes from local press accounts of the time, memoirs, and early Lincoln biographies. Mr. Waugh uses the Little Giant, Senator Douglas, and his long-time and somewhat unusual relationship to the up-and-coming Lincoln as a common thread throughout his book.
   
   Not broad or deep scholarship, but worth reading for one in need of an introduction to, or reminder of, the greatness embodied in the one who finally ended slavery within our land.



2. There are a raft of Lincoln books published seemingly every year. Each author has a slightly different take on the Great Emancipator, seeing him in a slightly different light. Most think him as great as the name implies, nad I tend to agree. So does the author of this current book, who takes a look at Lincoln's political philosophy, especially as it relates to the issue of slavery. Author Waugh spends only a little time dealing with incidents in Lincoln's life: his marriage, the death of his son, and so forth are all dealt with very cursorily. His father's death is only mentioned in passing, when the author is recounting something that happened a decade later. The majority of the space in this book follows Lincoln's transformation from a Whig who had only vague opposition to the institution of slavery into an abolitionist of sorts who had very definite views about pretty much every aspect of the issue.
   
   I've never read a book by John C. Waugh before. On one or two occasions, people have recommended books by him to me, and I think I have a copy of one of his books floating around here somewhere, but I never did get to it. This book crossed my path, and the time was right so I read it. I have to say I think I'm going to have to find that other book, because this volume is very well-written and interesting. I really enjoyed it.

No comments about General Sherman and the Georgia Belles: Tales from Women Left Behind.

2 comments about The Code of Love: An Astonishing True Tale of Secrets, Love, and War.

1. This is simply the best book I have read in a long time.

   Andro Linklater writes clearly and eloquently about the love affair between Pamela Kirrage and Donald Hill at the eve of World War II. He brings to life the great excitement of their budding romance and the long, difficult years they spent apart, Pamela doing her part to support England's war efforts at home and Donald languishing in a Japanese concentration camp.

   The atrocities that Donald experienced are described in a matter of fact manner that does not take away from the sheer horror of what he must have endured. He was determined to document what happened in the camp at the risk of his own life and eventually coded his diary to ensure that it would not be discovered. Through it all, his promise to return to Pamela gave him the will to survive.

   Years later after Donald's death, Pamela resolved to know the contents of his diary so she could understand what had happened to him, what had happened to them. I found the efforts to decode his diary just as fascinating as the turbulent relationship between Pamela and Donald.

   This is an intelligent and articulate account of two passionate people caught up in the throes of war and their struggle to regain their lives and relationship once reunited. It is a romance, a war history, and a mystery all rolled into one.

   I am recommending it to everyone I know. Read it!





2. Pamela Kirrage and Donald Hill were very much in love and living in England right before the outbreak of World War II. Donald was sent overseas and spent three and a half years in a Japanese prison camp. He was never the same after the war, but tried to live a normal life with Pamela and their children.

   David kept a diary during his imprisonment, but no one could crack the code until years after Donald's death, when Pamela found a mathematician who solved the mystery.

   This book tells Donald and Pamela's sad, but moving story of true love, the horrors of war and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit.

2 comments about A Marine Corps Boot: In Cold-War Parris Island.

1. This book brings back several memories of my boot camp days at Parris Island. It has some interesting reading. It does include most of the training we went through but it has more liberties included that we did not have privilege to. There is a lot of truth to it but I would have to call it fiction reading. I can't believe the training had changed that much. We didn't go to the PX or movies or snack bar during training. I'm sure anyone who went through Parris Island will enjoy reading it.



2. As famous ex-Marine Art Art Buchwald stated: "You cannot make up anything anymore. The world itself is a satire. All you are doing is recording it." Indeed, Parris Island was (is?) a hell-hole, and author Chris Madeira, Jr. records that fact. Other books by authors like Zell Miller focus on how marines gain human values at boot camp, but Madeira records the reality of the follies that have occured there. I think this is a "must read" for any leatherneck, parents whose children are contemplating a tour of duty in the Corps, and for the rest of us to develop an understanding of what being a U. S. Marine really means.

3 comments about Kate Chase and William Sprague: Politics and Gender in a Civil War Marriage.

1. An excellent book! The author really knows her subject and makes this history book as readable as a romance novel. An amazing amount of history that a lot of us might have skipped over in another book. Once I started this book I couldn't put it down.



2. I've read every biography on Kate Chase Sprague that's around today, and this one, by far, is the best. Peg Lamphier combines the historical background with the characters of Kate and William, and masterfully brings both of them to life in a way I have yet to see in other books. I was so impressed that I've read this book more than once, and each time I find something that makes me remember, Kate was a real person, and a "glorious girl", and what happened to her could happen to anyone.
   
   Kate's life is one that makes me want to go back in time and shake her, but then, we all have to live our lives and do the best that we can with our choices and paths we take.
   
   This biography is well-written, well-researched, and extremely interesting. The author comes across as being much more sympathetic towards Kate than some I've read do, but that's okay. It fits in this book. This is definitely not a novel and not easy reading at times, but I highly recommend it for any serious student of Kate Chase, her marriage to William Sprague, and for those curious about gender and gender differences during the Victorian Era.
   
   Cindy Obermier



3. This is at least the 5th biography of the Civil War Northern Belle, Kate Chase (daughter of Lincoln's Treasury Secretary), and it takes good advantage of material not available to prior researchers. It continues the revisionist trend from the last bio ("Kate Chase for the Defense", by Sokoloff) of trying to humanize this ambitious woman and portrary her in a more sympathetic light than the first several books. The author makes as good a case as one can for her point of view, and candidly admits to favoritism (she announces in the prologue that she will ever be a Kate supporter, and discloses an unmitigated hatred of Kate's husband William Sprague). But the gender politics angle grows tiresome after a while and detracts from the story. One wishes the book were told in a more dramatic manner; there is certainly more than enough raw material for that.

   The best new stuff here concerns the hitherto unknown extent to which the Roscoe Conkling-Kate Chase relationship continued well after the famous "shotgun" incident in which the cuckolded Sprague threatened to blow Conkling's head off, setting off a national scandal. I was particularly intrigued by materials indicating that Kate continued to press the case for Conkling to President Chester Alan Arthur, urging Arthur to give her lover a high-level position in his administration at a time when it should have been obvious that this was not in the cards. Indeed, much of the new research material merely bolsters the picture of Kate Chase as a ceaselessly calculating individual, almost oblivious to what others thought of her. The author is not averse to calling her subject on a number of things, particularly her public prevarication following the shotgun incident, but the sense is that Kate is let off a bit too lightly on this and other matters. And the effort to explain much of Kate's behavior as stemming from a serious, substantive concern for liberal Republican values is not terribly convincing; there is little hard evidence that Kate's political activity was based on anything other than a desire to see her and her loved ones (her father, Conkling, even Sprague) attain positions of personal and political power. That is how virtually all of her contemporaries who knew her saw her (even friends such as John Hay), and the modern biographer bears a heavy burden in trying to impeach that conventional view. (the one vignette I wish the author had included is Hay's diary account of how Kate virtually pleaded with him to dine with her and Conkling a few years after the scandal; Hay made up an excuse for declining).

   While early biographers went too far in painting Kate Chase as a cold, ambitious, cutthroat personality, this book tilts a bit too far in the other direction. We could now use a full-bodied, objective bio of this fascinating woman which makes use of the wealth of new material that seems to keep turning up and does not lose sight of the powerful drama that attended her life and times.

2 comments about The Fighting Pattons.

1. I served in the 2nd Armored Division during MG Patton's tenure. He was an inspiration to many of us. The stories are true and very accurate. I am sure there are a few more that are not in the book! BB



2. The Generals Patton, father and son, served their country for 79 years, altogether, in careers unsurpassed by any other American military family. General George S. Patton Jr's life, in particular, has been examined microscopically, but the section of this work which recounts his career is enhanced by comments, for the first time, by his son and daughter.
   That alone would make the book worthwhile, but the bulk of the work tells the story of Major General George S. Patton (1923 - ), himself a fine fighting general and one of the best trained officers ever to wear the uniform. Like his father, he was a scholar of his trade who understood that skillful audacity accomplishes the mission with minimal casualties.
   Very readable, with invaluable comments by Major General Patton interspersed; photos, bibliography, and index. Highly recommended.

   (The numerical rating above is a default setting within Amazon's format. This recviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

2 comments about Winning My Wings: A Woman Airforce Service Pilot in World War II.

1. This was a wonderful book. I belong to a book club and I like to choose books about women. I was visiting the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington several months ago and came across this book. It looked so interesting that I decided to choose it for my book club to read. Everyone LOVED the book and we plan to read more books about the WASPs. You will thoroughly enjoy this book --- I love how a lot of the book is written through letters that Marion Stegeman Hodgson actually wrote to her mother and a man friend, whom she eventually married. The only thing I wish is that the book was LONGER!!! It was one of those books that you can't wait to pick up again!! ENJOY!!



2. Marion has written an excellent insight into the experience of flying. As a fellow pilot, I greatly enjoyed reading about the experiences of Marion and the other women pilots during WWII. The story is filled with joy and tragedy splashed across her story of becoming a military pilot. Just as important as the flying, she relates how she came to marry her husband of over 50 years, Ned Hodgson. This is a wonderful book that anyone interested in flying and the romance of the air should read.