1 comments about Douglas Bader (Airlife Classics).

1. A well written history of one of the RAF's most famous flyers.The story of Britains legless ace is indeed a fascinating one,and this book tells the story very well indeed.Well worth the read for aviation enthusiasts and general readers alike.

1 comments about Tragedy To Triumph: A Terrorist Attack Survivor Story.

1. May this serve as solace..& encouragement for those caught in terrorist attacks on NYC,Pentagon...Hopefully, this tale of courage, perserverance will help maintain morale & faith,may Peace prevail...amen

No comments about For Comrade and Country: Oral Histories of World War II Veterans.

No comments about Flight Deck: A Pictorial Essay of a Day in the Life of an Airdale (Part 1).

5 comments about Marshal Zhukov.

1. A facinating subject for a biography, I bought it with enthusiasm and dived straight in the day it arrived. Sadly this book was a considerable disappointment. Thin and lacking in detail, but surely most surprisingly discussion of Zukovs greatest battles and tactics are almost completely absent.
   For example the 'chapter' dedicated to the tank battle at Kursk, the most important tank battle of WWII, totals a mere 7 pages, five discuss the set up for the battle, and two discuss the aftermath. Details about the actual battle are completely ommitted. The battles for Stalingrad and Berlin are likewise passed over in cursory fashion. The author Axell may argue that his book is a biography not a military history, but Zhukov was a general, if his actions and decisions on the battlefield aren't relevant then what is?
   
   I would have loved this to be a great book, regretably it is a very poor attempt.



2. i do not agree with the views of dermot doyle . the interpretation is amateurish and somewhat infantile. the book gives a fairly good idea of a man who played a very very critical role in holding of the nazis in the period before america entered the war .the impact of zhukov on world war 2. ,the world and the general fate of mankind .



3. The book brings very little new information about one of the best known Soviet general. It lacks archival research and impartiality in evaluating interview materials on which it largely based.
   Also, criticism of an excellent Anthony Beevor's book "The Fall of Berlin 1945" is unjustified. Indeed, Beevor's book is what Axell's is not: a well researched historical study.



4. Disjointed, incoherent, rarely deals with the subject at hand; namely Marshall Zhukov himself. This book lacks any sense of structure or direction. In short, one of the worst biographies that I have ever read.



5. I purchased this title, full of enthusiasm to learn about the great Russian general of World War 2. Unfortunately I found Axell's treatment of the subject to be poorly researched, poorly written, poorly laid out and worst of all, partisan.

   Regarding the author's groundwork the evidence relied on in the book is awful. He quotes liberally from Zhukov's own memoires, often in lieu of any other material, and when he doesn't he instead produces the most flimsy support for his arguments from his conversations with other academics and Zhukov's daughters. In both cases the reader usually hears nothing other than opinion, generally given by a supporter of Zhukov and often on a topic which they couldn't have known about (for example Zhukov's daughters speaking about the military tactics formulated and used when they were children). Although there are primary sources referred to, the spartan list of footnotes at the end of each chapter is the clearest display of research bordering on amateur.

   Axell also makes repeated attacks on arguments made by Anthony Beevor in his book 'The Road to Berlin', where Beevor claims that the Red Army was responsible for a huge number of rapes and other atrocities on German territory. Axell attempts to refute Beevor's claims, but instead of countering with primary source evidence to the contrary he presents yet again the 'opinions' of Russian academics with a few anecdotal examples of Zhukov's meetings with Berliners. Whether Zhukov could have prevented the wrong doings alleged by Beevor is debateable, however not only does Axell fail to point this out, he contents himself with a simplistic mantra that boils down to the following: 'No matter what the Russians did they were never as evil as the Germans because the Germans had concentration camps and the Russians didn't'.

   Worst of all, a good proportion of the book is wasted on topics that either had little to do with Zhukov or are so widely known that only a first-time reader of history could be intrigued by the details. Examples include the location of Hitler's corpse, and the fate of Beria (in which Zhukov, not being a politician, had only an incidental role).

   Axell's writing style is inexcusably bad, and the book could have been improved with some elementary editing. Worse than that, Axell is repititive, constantly bringing up either the same jarring phrases or the same details in new chapters. Armies taking 'big losses' is perhaps the most irritating, and the most frequent.

   Even the layout of the book is a travesty. When Axell concludes the chronological span of Zhukov's life, which he does two-thirds of the way through the book, he introduces topical chapters whose contents are only a rehash of what has gone before. Zhukov and Stalin, Zhukov and Eisenhower, Wifes and Daughters etc. Even whole dialogues are repeated, including an exchange between Zhukov and Stalin where the General offered to step down, given full length in two seperate chapters.

   In short this is the worst biography that I have ever read. The only thing I have taken from it is the urge to purchase a copy of Zhukov's own autobiography and rid myself of the confusion of Axell's attempt.

No comments about When Life Hands You a Gold Star: A Mother's Journey From Vietnam Through Depression to Victory.

2 comments about A Glimpse of Hell: The World War II Years: The True Memories of James "Jim" E. Brooks.

1. I've known James for years and can guarantee every word is true. A witness to the history that overtook many men, James illuminates the day-to-day world that annealed character and brought out the strength of mind to carry on in spite of danger and hardship.



2. I have one word to describe James Brooks. Hero. This book is an excellant portrayal of what our soldiers went through in the second World War. The words on the page are gripping and they can't even start to tell us what these men went through. It is amazing to see the bonds these men had for one another. Throughout the book, I pictured myself right beside Mr. Brooks. There is no other person that I would rather be next to if I was in this situation. He is an American Hero!

3 comments about A Civilian in Green Clothes.

1. Being born in 1977, my view of the Viet Nam war is very much limited to the stories of my dad, uncle, and movies I have seen on the subject. I enjoy reading about military history and found Capt. Doherty's book to be an outstanding portrayal of not only the war, but the incrededible sacrifices that were made in the name of freedom and democracy.
   
   The book starts with a very succint history lesson explaining the events of the era leading to the war's very first battles. It progresses into how Jerry got thrust into the position as a young Lieutenant heading to eastern Asia to partake in what will be cosidered one of America's costliest and most confusing war.
   
   Jerry's story telling ability walks the line of in-your-face and pure modesty. He captures the feeling that he truly loved the men he served with and the friends he lost.
   
   He ends the book with a stark realization that the media would be afraid to publish, only because of the pure truth he places on the pages paralleling the conflict he was part of and the events of today's war in Iraq.
   
   This book is a must read for anyone who considers themselves a patriot or an American.
   
   Captain US Army 99-06



2. The author did a fabulous job not only of conveying his personal experience in Viet Nam, but of putting Viet Nam in the larger context of what was happening in the U.S. at the time. It is a book that will give you a better understanding of the day-to-day reality that our troops faced in Viet Nam and, indirectly, what they face today in Iraq. While the author simply tells one man's story of fighting a war, it's a story that will add context to every news report that you see about Iraq.
   
   After I finished the book, I bought copies for my children -- all born after the end of the Viet Nam war. They'll learn more about the history of Viet Nam war from this book than they learned in high school or college history classes.



3. Economy of language allows the reader to create mind pictures of an experience so many, thankfully, can not ever know. I'm a woman of that era who has never heard a man speak of his Viet Nam war experiences. Either they did not go and have nothing to say, or they went and don't feel they can burden others with the circumstances. I greatly appreciate knowing Doherty's daily routines and seeing the larger picture develop under his careful and caring observations. We have not lived past this experience and are hungry still for information to help us cope and understand. I still miss the ones I've lost there and feel closer to those still with me. Thank you for this gift.

3 comments about 24 MAU: 1983: A Marine Looks Back at the Peacekeeping Mission to Beirut, Lebanon.

1. I will never forget the smell of bodies everywhere and the smoke and carnage, yes i can identify with 9-11, i was about 19 then and i remember for the first 3 months living in fear for my life then slipping into a routine of knowing each day could be my last.
   i was just a young pfc unsure as to why we were there. serving also as net control taking and authenticating calls for fire from an entire fleet battle group which included the uss new jersey, i used to think what if they new i was just 19



2. This is the story of the United States Marine Corps barracks in Beirut that was destroyed by a suicide truck-bomb. It is not a history; it is a memoir. It is the recollections of the author with respect to what he saw, heard, felt and otherwise sensed during the course of this horrific event. The author was a junior officer in the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit, the second in command of the communications section. He was well situated to observe the operations of his battalion. This memoir humanizes the members of the 24th MAU.
   
   The reader gets to know many of the Marines, their likes and dislikes. We feel the oppressive heat and humidity. We sense the danger in the armed militia organizations that are ravaging Beirut and the surrounding area. We get to know the challenges of dealing with senior officers and senior staff NCOs. And we get some small sense of what it was like when a five-ton bomb detonated at daybreak and destroyed the Marine barracks, killing 241 of its occupants. The before-and-after photos of the building provide a dramatic contrast.
   
   It is a powerful reminiscence that will appeal to anyone who has spent time in the military, particularly the Marine Corps.
   
   Like any memoir, the scope of this work is limited by the limitations experienced by the author. A junior officer was not privy to the considerations and objectives of presidents, diplomats or even his own commanding officer. His was but to do and die; but that applies to all of us. His story is his story -- and it is well worth reading.
   
   There are little things in this book that tend to become annoying. For example, the author repeatedly dismisses embarrassing and offensive incidents provoked by senior officers, and calls them "lessons in leadership." Bullshit!
   
   One questionable aspect of the book is in the last chapter and its unfounded reliance on a decision of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia as the final authority for facts that place responsibility for the bombing on Iran. The court case was one in which victims of the bombing, including the author, sought money damages from Iran as compensation for their injuries. The case was not contested and the testimony of FBI personnel and other "expert" witnesses was not subject to the scrutiny of cross-examination. By the way, the term "expert witness" does not mean a person who is highly qualified; it means one who is minimally qualified. Interestingly, the author makes no mention of the fact that he is one of the claimants in that case.



3. As an American Studies and Education major at Rowan University, I am often required to read books on pivotal events in the history of our country. I find most of them to be tedious and written in such a language that they are difficult to follow. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE BOOKS! Mr. Dolphin, you've written an insightful and poignant recall of the events that occurred during your time in Beirut. I was a teenager when these events occurred and knew only what I remember seeing on the news. Your first hand account brought me a new found clarity on the lives of Marines stationed outside of the U.S. borders. My nephew is a Lance Corporal and is presently stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC. He recently returned from Iraq, so I will be sending him this book before he returns to Iraq in September. I feel blessed to have gotten an autographed copy here on [...] and I will treasure it always...
   Penny Kowalski, Williamstown, New Jersey

No comments about Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte (Memoirs of Napolean Bonaparte).