5 comments about Falling Through the Earth: A Memoir.

1. This memoir is very well crafted. Danielle Trussoni uses the lens of her father's experiences in Viet Nam to tell her story. The Viet Nam experience not only affected him personally, but affacted the way he interacted with his wife and his children. The narrative overlay of the Viet Nam experience gives the story a cohesive structure. The story unfolds beautifully. Highly interesting. I'd recommend this book.



2. All throughout their childhood, Danielle Trussoni and her younger siblings knew one thing -- stay wary of Dad. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Dan Trussoni's duties included the exploration of claustrophobic tunnels, searching for guerrillas.
   
   By the time he made it home, something inside him changed. He had divorced his first wife and abandoned two young children; he drank excessively and was, at best, unreliable for Danielle, Kelly and Matt.
   
   Still, Danielle loved him, simply for being her dad. Wasn't she his namesake? Didn't their familial bond go beyond anything else in their lives? Even after her mother left and her father sunk deeper into alcoholism and one-night stands, Danielle continued with an almost incomprehensible loyalty.
   
   When she is a young woman, Danielle impulsively decides to embark on a group tour of Vietnam. Ignoring the surprise and protests of family and friends, Danielle is determined to see the place her father's life changed, anxious to try to understand him better in order to understand *herself* better.
   
   Trussoni goes from past to present in a highly effective and engrossing manner, combining pathos, history and bits of humor.



3. I read Trussoni's memoir and found it to be well-written, insightful, and subtlely compelling. It's not the kind of thing that you "can't put down," but it grabs you enough to want to pick the thing back up again once you have set it down.
   
   My only complaint, really, is that it felt like the whole thing was a build-up to something, but I never really saw what it was. And the epilogue confused any sense of what I had Thought the build-up was for.



4. Danielle Trussoni, author of Falling through the Earth, is as much a casualty of the Viet Nam war as was her father, Dan, who returned from that war as damaged goods, a man unable to show his wife and children that he loved them. Trussoni's benign neglect of his children forced them to grow up tough and able to solve their own problems because he was a firm follower of the old adage that "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Sadly, their situation shows clearly how the crippling aftereffects of combat can be so easily passed on from one generation to the next, making one wonder where the cycle finally ends.
   
   Dan Trussoni was a volunteer tunnel rat in Viet Nam, one of those incredibly brave men who went alone into the underground tunnel system that allowed Viet Cong soldiers to disappear at will and that provided them with a safe haven to recover from wounds and to hide food and weapons until they were needed. These young American soldiers, armed with little more than a pistol and a flashlight, had to crawl through booby traps and utter darkness never knowing what awaited them around the next corner as they tried to clean out the systems they discovered. It is little wonder that they came back with mental scars that never really heal.
   
   Danielle became aware at an early age of how her father's Viet Nam experience impacted his life. She found the pictures of dead bodies and the human skull that he brought home. She also found that she was largely going to have to raise herself after her parents split up and she decided to live with her father. Dan Trussoni's idea of a little quality time with his daughter was to bring her to his favorite neighborhood bar in which she spent so much time that she was considered to be one of the regulars.
   
   Life for the Trussoni kids was full of surprises, including the appearance of an illegitimate half-sister and a full sister who had been placed for adoption by their parents who felt too young and overwhelmed to keep her when she was born. Danielle was her father's daughter in every way, fearless, tough, brash and willing to take whatever life threw her way. That personality led her to Viet Nam, alone, where she saw for herself some of the same sights and experienced a little of the fear that her father felt while he was there, even forcing herself to "tour" one of the famous tunnel systems with a guide.
   
   Falling through the Earth, with chapters that alternate between views of growing up in the Trussoni family, Dan's Viet Nam war, and Danielle's own trip there, is a fascinating book, one that makes me wish that we would make absolutely certain that our wars are really necessary before we send our young men into them.



5. I was bored with this book but finished it because I wanted it to be better! I kept reading, hoping for something. Never found it!!!!

1 comments about Voices From the Battle Of The Bulge (Voices from the Battle of the Bulge).

1. Featuring a forward by Major General Michael Reynolds CB, Voices From The Battle Of The Bulge presents personal testimonies from Americans, British, and German soldiers and civilians who took part in one of the most historic and severe conflicts near the end of World War II. A slight scattering of black-and-white photographs illustrates the powerful, firsthand accounts, in this primary source of military history that is riveting and sometimes chilling. Voices From The Battle Of The Bulge is a welcome and highly recommended addition to academic and personal, academic, and community library military history collections, adding a unique touch to the recounting of a dramatic and world-shaping event in the European Theatre battlefields of World War II.

No comments about Lincoln's White House Secretary: The Adventurous Life of William O.Stoddard.

No comments about Shadow: A Cottontail Bomber Crew in World War II.

5 comments about Portraits of the Toughest Job in the Army: Voices and Faces of Modern Army Wives.

1. I enjoyed reading this book. As a military spouse I can relate to a lot of the stories.
   
   After reading the reviews, I was under the mistaken belief that this book was mostly photographs, and as an avid photographer I was really looking forward to some stunning images. The book is in fact mostly text, with only a few images. That's OK - the writing is good. I just would have liked more images and for them to be showcased better.
   
   I rate this 4 stars due to the quality of the printer. The binding is good, and I like the hardback format, however the pages are cheap paper (common with self published books unfortunately). The paper stock didn't do the photographs any justice at all. They weren't able to hold any detail and looked a bit "blah". Not the authors fault, just cheap printing.
   
   Overall, a good book. Worth the read if you are a military wife, or want to understand more about our world.



2. Excellent book. I could totally relate to the stories published. It was great to read about others going through the same problems or situations as I and not feel alone like I am the only one experiencing that. Great ideas to implement into my own life. Looking forward to reading more by the author. Easy reading.



3. I read this book in 3 days, thats how good it was. The homecoming part was very emotional for me since I lived it and will live it again.



4. I just finished reading "Portraits" and loved every page! Each story moved me to tears with the overwhelming emotions these amazing women deal with on a daily basis, year after year. It is an intimate look at the real people inside of the world's greatest military - a must-read for all Americans, civilians and military alike!



5. I have only read Part 1, but am moved beyond belief, by the words and God-given strength these wives have and the love for their husbands they share. I believe all wives should read this book, no matter what occupation their husband is in. These women share lessons of loving their husbands that the whole world can hear.

No comments about Civil War Battles and Leaders.

5 comments about Son of the Morning Star.

1. Those who study the Little Big Horn battle seem to fall into two camps where this work is concerned, some love it for it literary style, others loath it as it doesn't adhere to a strict timeline in recounting the events preceding and encompassing the battle. Instead, this book is a literary collage but its coverage is so well written that it is absolutely captivating. It encapsulates the spirit and mystery of the Little Big Horn like no other book. It's all here-the "hotspur" Custer as Connell calls him, the defiant Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, Reno described by the Crow scouts as "frothing at the mouth," the surly Benteen, Keogh and Comanche, spurious survivor stories galore and the evocative landscape of the battlefield itself. All captured in words and conveyed in a highly entertaining manner. It's almost as if Connell says we can never solve all the mysteries of this battle, so let's dispense with chronological history and just have fun! Besides, there are tons of excellent histories that do follow the conventional route that one can turn to for a more ordered look.
   
   My first visit to the Little Big Horn took place in 1994 and I took a special paid tour that included the Crow's Nest. I remember our guide talking about Connell and how, when he was shown factual errors in the first edition of this book, he readily agreed to change them and acknowledlged his mistakes. Our guide said that not all authors are that way where their books are concerned. Speaks well of him and his book. Only drawback--the index is very scanty so don't rely on it if you look for references for, say, the names of all of Custer's officers.



2. On a whim, I purchased this book at a London bookshop in the late 1980's, and was immediately captivated by it. Since then, I have reread Son of the Morning Star at least half-a-dozen times, each time with greater pleasure. Notwithstanding the passage of more than two decades since its original publication, "Son of the Morning Star" remains magisterial. One Amazon review I read denigrated this book because it was, according to the writer, inadequate for the serious historian. Perhaps. There exists no shortage of books devoted to Custer, intended for the "serious historian," among them Evan's 1999 exhaustive "Custer's Last Fight." "Son of the Morning Star" does not purport to cater to the "serious historian." It is, as Dee Brown remarked, "unique and for that reason should endure." Buy it. Read it.



3. I have been to the battlefield and have read and seen numerous documentaries of the Big Horn" battle (even watched the made for television series by the same title as this book), and I can say that the series was not as good as the book and neither has anything else I have seen or read about that fatal day in Montana over one hundred and thirty years ago.



4. Being a longstanding, confirmed student of the frontier Indian War era, Custer and his likes, etc., by now I must have read and collected several hundred books on these topics. In my opinion, Connell's is one of the very best and most entertaining, compelling, witty, and informative "reads" in this genre. Perhaps its not "perfect" (I have long been aware of some of the criticisms that have been directed toward it, some of which may be substantive and others just silly), but -- and this is unusual for me -- I found myself reading it all the way through more than once when I first got it a few years ago. I highly recommend this book.



5. As a student of history, especially the Battle(s) of the Little Big Horn and Custer, Son of the Morning Star, provides an unbiased look at this crucial western battle. This book provides great details on the various tribes as well as Indian leadership. It does not show George Armstrong Custer in any kind of good 'light'.
   Extremely well written.

5 comments about A Rifleman Went To War.

1. Mr. McBride has written a book that nearly perfectly talks about what can be expected from a modern infantry man. He talks about sniping, putting in a properly sighted machine gun, raids, and patrols. Honestly, this book is so good that most Army ROTC and Marine Infantry instruction may want to have their future officers and NCO candidates read this book.
   
   I will give you a story that really stuck me as being ahead of its time. Now, this book was written in the mid-1930s. However, Mr. McBride knows the problems of lugging ammunition. A soldier with .303 British (about equal to modern NATO 7.62 ammo) could only carry about 200 to 300 rounds. So, Mr. McBride thinks the armies should carry ammunition of about .27 caliber. That is almost exactly 6.8 mm. This is exactly the same solution the US Army discovered after 5 years in Iraq.
   
   I liked this book. Mr. McBride thinks both the British and Canadian Armies did much better with their training time than the US military. Indeed, he thinks the US Army and military is overly tied up with paperwork. And that observation was made in 1918.
   
   This is a five star book by a soldier who knows his field craft. Pay attention to his anti-sniper traps. They are still useful today. Also, the book is great for telling about how the Germans would leave abandoned grenades after an attack. Some were rigged to go off if picked up.
   
   As written before, this book is five star. Mr. McBride writes a book about the birth of the modern infantry man. Indeed, their is little difference between a Tommy of WWI with a Lewis gun and a Grunt in Vietnam carrying an M-60 machinegun. In 50 years little had changed.
   
   The modern professional soldier can learn a lot from this book. Some university military history departments may want this book for an individual study of a hard infantry man.



2. A thoughroughly enjoyable, mesmerizing, collection of a soldier's WWI remembrances. Somehow manages to be more than the sum of its plainly told, shy, politically incorrect, wars is hell but you get used to it parts. It ends up assembling and describing bit by bit the remarkable character of the author.
   
   Also notable to me for how it reaches across 70 years to contrast how we've changed as a people. For example, I don't think this book would be published as written today. The editor would have probably added more polish, removed some of the namecalling and stereotyping and would have thus diminished the book.



3. Having read a lot of WWI books and books on sniping this one takes the cake. It's written in the autobiographical tradition of Teddy Roosevelt and will impress the old and young alike with its vivid imagery and colorful prose. Great read.



4. As a rifle shooter with a historical interest i bought this book. If your looking for an overly dramatic or gruesome account of life in the first world war trenches dont by this book. From what i can tell it is a written collection of memories by the author. These memories are written in a matter of fact, straight talking way which does not hide the authors zealous approach to his task of being a soldier.
   
   Although at times slightly rambling i found this an interesting read and at times amuzing. A good reference if you are interested in rifle shooting or battle history.



5. It might not be written in perfect English, and it's not always politically correct, but it's definitely always enjoyable.
   
   You get the whole WWI experience from the author's point of view, including enough "war stories" to satisfy any reader.
   
   McBride includes technical details, anecdotes, and just good old story telling, in this tale of a machine gunner / rifleman in the Great War.

No comments about Wheels On Fire: My Year of Driving (And Surviving) in Iraq.

3 comments about Harriet Tubman: The Life and the Life Stories (Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography).

1. Several years back I was watching a documentary on Harriet Tubman in which one of her relatives was interviewed. I suddenly realized I had never thought of Tubman as a real person, with actual living relatives! Her legend looms so much larger than life that she hovers somewhere in the realm of Paul Bunyan.

   This book begins with a traditional biography, presenting the bare bones of Tubman's life. The section called "Stories and Sayings" puts meat on those bones, breathing life into someone who has nearly been lost to us in legend. It's a fascinating concept, and I think it works.

   Equally amazing is the Documents section, reflecting 10 years of research and which will be required reading for any future Tubman scholars because, as Humez herself says, "...my retelling of her life story cannot be definitive." Highly recommended.

   Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage dot com




2. Harriet Tubman: The Life and the Life Stories, by Jean M. Humez

   This book is a treasure. Eminently readable, impossible to put down, totally absorbing, this book will satisfy meticulous scholars and the general public. What a great way to learn U.S. history! Great quotes, critical appraisal of the work of earlier historians, new documentation, wonderfully illuminating photographs. A feast for the curious mind and eye.
   I have always wanted to know more about Harriet Tubman and as soon as I heard this book was out I dived into it. Harriet Tubman's life has been the subject of several biographers in the past, but in this work Humez convincingly argues that Harriet Tubman, who could not read or write, was able to produce a "self-authored life story" by carefully choosing the writers she collaborated with and exercising control about what stories to tell and how to tell them. This results in a fascinating and kaleidoscopic interpretation of Harriet Tubman's life, as seen through different authors and through Harriet Tubman herself.
   In the first section, "The Life," I learned about the salient facts of Harriet Tubman's life: her years as a slave in Maryland, seeing two of her sisters sold and carried away in a chain-gang, her successful escape from slavery in 1849, when she was probably 29 years old, her contacts with the anti-slavery movement in the North, the mutual admiration of Harriet Tubman and John Brown who referred to her using the masculine pronoum ("Harriet Tubman hooked on his whole team at once. He is the most of a man, naturally, that I ever met with"). It is also about the clandestine trips she made to Maryland to rescue her extended family and others, her military and nursing work during the civil war and her settling in Auburn, New York, in poverty, taking care of old and sick people of color and children-- the John Brown Hall project, as she called it.
   Interesting quotes from her dictated letters reveal details that throw light on her views on other issues, such as women's rights. For instance, in telling about the successful Combahee River raid in South Carolina, in which she worked with Col. James Montgomery and a band of 300 black soldiers, she states after her dress was shred that "...I made up my mind then I would never wear a long dress on another expedition of the kind, but would have a bloomer as soon as I could get it..."
   It is in the second part, "The Life Stories," that Humez makes the case that Harriet Tubman's gifts as a story-teller, singer, and performer and her reputation as an African-American celebrity ensured that her experiences as a slave and her deep spirituality would be preserved. Here, through a discussion on the politics of research, the dynamics between a researcher and her/his subject, and the cultural and social context that influences much of those dynamics, I felt Harriet Tubman's presence and resourcefulness vividly, towering above those who tried to capture her complex story and interpret her life according to their values and the racial views of their culture.
   The third part, "Stories and Sayings," offers a hypothetical version of Tubman's "autobiography" culled from every individual life history story Humez was able to locate from the earlier works. While all the stories and sayings are revealing and offer significant insights my favorite part was the "Stories of Clever Exploits and Tricks," probably because I always wondered how she actually carried out her rescue missions. In this section the intelligence, courage, and humor of Harriet Tubman shines through, like in the story "Avoiding Capture by Pretending to Read." It says: " At another time when she heard men talking about her, she pretended to read a book which she carried. One man remarked. `This can't be the woman. The one we want can't read or write.' Harriet devoutly hoped this book was right side up" (Tatlock, 1939a).
   The final section, "Documents" is a gift of primary source materials for future researchers and anybody interested in pursuing an in-depth study of Harriet Tubman's life.
   Read this book. See for yourself how illuminating the past and looking at history with a fresh eye can instill hope. This book is yes, about Harriet Tubman, but more fundamentally, it is a book about courage, dignity, persistence, and solidarity in incredibly harsh circumstances. What a gift for us all in these troubled times.




3. Harriet Tubman: The Life And The Life Stories by Jean M. Humez is an exhaustive biography of this celebrated and heroic woman. Grounded in exhaustive research as well as the complete texts of stories Harriet Tubman told about her life. Harriet Tubman: The Life And The Life Stories follows Tubman, who was born a slave in the American South, as she escaped to freedom in the North, and vowed to liberate her entire family. Her work to guide dozens of slaves to freedom, as well as her service as a spy and a scout for the Union Army, are also described in historical detail. After the Civil War Tubman settled in New York and founded a home for the indigent aged. an absolutely essential addition to academic library Black History and African-American Biography reading lists, Harriet Tubman's memory and legacy are cherished in this profound and all-encompassing chronicle.