5 comments about The Crossing of the Suez, Revised Edition.

1. This is a fantastic book about The October War 1973 from the Arab's point of view. So many book have been written thus far, mostly from the Israeli perspective but reading this book will really give a new dimension towards the war. This book is totally superb.



2. This book answers several minor mysteries surrounding the 1973 War (for instance, why did the Egyptians stop just under the air defense umbrella? Why didn't they continue their offensive?) and also highlighted the planning and execution that went into the crossing of the Suez Canal. Far from being a desperate and unrealistic attempt to crush Israel, Shazly illustrates the thought processes that went into the war. The crossing itself was not only a realistic exercise (as the Egyptians proved) but was also an example of excellent planning and staff work. The Egyptian generals went to war with realistic goals but allowed themselves to be talked into POLITICAL objectives, with disastrous results.
   
   This book is an excellent work, well worth the effort to find a copy. It's too bad that many of the typos of the original edition were not eliminated in the 2003 edition. But, it's good history as well as a good example of military philosophy.



3. General Shazly,the Egyptin cheif of staff of the combiend army,navy and air force,records his historical testemony about the era before and during Yom Kipor war 1973. His book adds a reliable personal angle to the political and millitary factors during that era.His testmony comes from a self build, well educated,highly decorated patriotic egyptin military leader. He had such a reputation that you want him to be on your side to assure winning. Reliabeilty of the factual accounts of the book are readly tested by raeding other accounts about the yom kipour war.Furthermore his (account) is the only reliable one comming from the Egyptian side.The book is very interesting, easy readable and provides maps and photo rarely or never been seen before. I only wished that the book to contain more photo about the war activities eg. aireal photos and more the role of the Egyptin paratroopers in the 1973 war. I,Realy, had enjoyed reading the book. It gets 5 stars for a 5 star general.



4. This book does a great job covering the planning, preparation, and execution of the Egyptian crossing of the Suez and taking the Bar-Lev line. While it is probably necessary to include all of the political discussions, it seems to devolve into covering ones own backside and pointing the finger at others. Who knows if we will ever know the truth about the attack to the Sinai passes. Aside from those political sections though, the book is a good read.
   
   I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the operations itself, or interested in the planning of an operation based on your capabilities.



5. Out of many books I read about the Yom Kippur War, this was one of the best. It is the only book in English that I know of that was written by an Egyptian top commander, giving details about the Egyptian side of the story (having in mind that most of the other books about this war was written from the Israeli point of view). Shazly is a war hero, who fought in five wars, finally reaching Egyptian Chief of Staff during the Yom Kippur War.
   The author's military career and charisma can be felt through his style of writing, which greatly simplifies complex situations. He is clear and organized. He carefully lists military hardships faced before the war and the necessary equipments and training the Egyptian army lacked. Then, he goes on explaining the political implications. He continues then listing the war details, day by day. The most amazing thing is the book is still banned in Egypt and the man was exiled from Egypt and sentenced to jail, which he actually partly served after returning. So sad to see such a war hero be humiliated instead of received with honor.

No comments about Princess Isabel of Brazil: Gender and Power in the Nineteenth Century (Latin American Silhouettes).

4 comments about Custer in '76: Walter Camp's Notes on the Custer Fight.

1. Walter Camp was a railroad engineer most of his life, but as a hobby he enjoyed studying the various Indian fights that had occurred in the West, especially the Custer battle at the Little Big Horn. He visited the site numerous times and, more importantly, conducted scores of interviews with eyewitness participants, Indian and white. He kept files of his findings and after his death these files found their way into various libraries around the country. Kenneth Hammer here compiles the "notes" Camp left regarding the Custer fight. They represent, along with W.A. Graham's documented source book of letters, newspaper clippings, legal documents, and numerous other Little Big Horn memorabilia (THE CUSTER MYTH), the most important wellspring of information regarding the June 25, 1876, disaster. The information culled from the interviews with Curly, the Crow scout who was the last to see Custer alive and live to tell about it, are particularly informative in reconstructing what happened that day. He eventually interviewed over 60 survivors between 1908 and 1919. All serious books about the Little Big Horn fight will have to acknowledge the work done by Camp, and anyone with more than just a passing interest in the battle will want this book.



2. Walter Camp had the great fortune and drive to visit the critical sites of the old west and seek out and interview actual participants and witnesses. Unfortunately, Camp did not survive to put his great efforts into a book but Hammer does the next best thing possible by organizing Camp's would be book and providing editorial commentary to fill in the gaps. Hammer collects Camp's material on the Little Bighorn and every page is full of interesting information. My favorite parts of the book are references to participants other than the main characters such as Peter Thompson and other members of Custer's separate battalion that survived because their horses broke down prior to the descent into Medicine trail Coulee. Hammer does an excellent job of providing clarification of the participants or writings of Camp in the footnotes so that you almost have all your questions answered by Hammer. A delightful book without harsh judgment offered by Camp and a great collection of readable material. It must have been frustrating to have first person interviews with participants when their stories clashed, were foggy or perhaps grandiose such as Thompson's alleged view of the valley as Custer descended to the river. Camp not only interviewed troopers but also Custer's scouts and Sioux and Cheyenne participants. Camp did a lot not to just record history but to locate historical sites in the remote West like Slim Buttes that without his timely intervention may have otherwise been lost to history. The only unfortunate aspect of the book is that there isn't more material and that Camp's health failed before he could draw his own conclusions. He also had the greatest vacation hobby, exploring and researching the old west before it was very old.



3. This book is used by most serious LBH writers and researchers as a very valuable reference. Just check the bibliographies of the most respected and thorough histories of the battle, and you will find Walter Camp's notes there. Reason enough that this book be on your shelf if you're a Custer/LBH buff. There is a wealth of information in these pages, especially the footnotes (which are often lengthy). Too bad Walter Camp died before he had a chance to put all his research together in his planned book. There are interviews with officers, enlisted men, white and Indian Army scouts and the Sioux/Cheyenne themselves. There are so many it becomes hard to keep them separate in one's mind, but that's a good thing.

   His summation at the end tends to place him in the "Custer crowd" in that he did not feel Custer disobeyed Terry's orders, and that Custer acted appropriately with the information available to him at the time, although he does feel Custer fragmented his forces too much before the battle. One has to give his opinion great weight because he talked firsthand to more of the survivors of the LBH than anyone else.




4. I read Mr. Camp's classic account of the Little Big Horn several years ago. It remains on my shelf as one of the very best books on the battle. It was well written, detailed and colorful enough for any follower of the Custer's trail. I highly recommend this book, which I read just prior to visiting the Custer battlefield on the 106th anniversary. Not to be overlooked or missed.

5 comments about The Killing of Reinhard Heydrich: The SS 'Butcher of Prague'.

1. Callum Macdonald is a historian at the University of Warwick in England. This 248 page biography of Reinhard Heydrich tells of his early life and the actions that determined his career first as a Naval officer then as one of the high-ranking Nazi officials. Imperial Germany was an aristocracy where class prejudice prevented recognition of those who acquired material prerequisites (p.6). There was bias against the Heydrich family for the wrong reasons. A charge of "breach of promise" caused Reinhard's discharge from the Navy (p.15). He found a new career in Himmler's SS (p.16). The SS investigated people in the Nazi party and their enemies (p.17). Reinhard was picked to organize the Security Division (p.18). His skills, talent, and ambition made his career (p.20). Reinhard hated the old imperial Germany: officer corps, bureaucracy, and churches (p.21).
   
   After Hitler was given power the SS sought to control the police, especially the political police. Each province (or state) controlled its police force (p.23). When the Enabling Act gave total power to Hitler the takeover of state governments began (p.24). The unrestrained administrative terror began, leaders of political parties and trade unions, and Jews, were put into the new detention camp at Dachau (p.25). The next victim was the SA; the German officer corps wanted them eliminated. Himmler's SS purged their rivals (p.27). The mission of the SS was the internal defense of Germany, a never-ending task (p.28). Reinhard considered Catholics as a danger (p.30). He planned to destroy the Church from within (p.31). Reinhard had a "bad reputation" among prostitutes (p.44).
   
   Chapter 3 provides an important history of Czecho-Slovakia during the late 1930s. After Munich the Czech military intelligence bureau fled to England with their secrets (Chapter 4). Their information was important to Britain and the Soviet Union. The Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union meant the repudiation of the Munich pact and hope for an independent Czecho-Slovakia (Chapter 5). But there would have to be resistance and sabotage by the Czechs to aid the war effort. Political intrigue put Reinhard in charge of Bohemia-Moravia (Chapter 6). Repression followed against the resistance (p.113). Rations were increased (p.114). But Reinhard had one weakness: he avoided the usual security escort (p.117). This made him an accessible target (p.118).
   
   Heydrich organized the economy to improve war production (pp.132-133). Propaganda aimed to control thinking (p.135). Chapter 7 tells of the return of the parachutists to Czechoslovakia. The preparations and the discussions on the politics are in Chapter 8. It was almost like luck that the team was given an opportunity on May 27, 1942. The wounds of Heydrich proved fatal (Chapter 9). Reprisals were taken, the village of Lidice was razed and its population destroyed (p.187). Then an amnesty and a reward resulted in a letter that named the two men (p.189). No parachutist was taken alive (p.195). More reprisals followed, over 5,000 victims (p.199). Heydrich's death was the only good news in Europe for the Allies. Britain repudiated the Munich agreement and recognized the Benes government (p.200). Sudeten Germans would be later expelled (p.201). The Nazi leaders would face future retribution (p.203). The murder of over 50,000 Czechs halted resistance until 1944 (p.205). Their relative isolation was different from France and the countries nearer England.



2. The Killing of Reinhard Heydrich by Callum MacDonald is the best account in English of the assassination of Heydrich that I'm aware of. It presents background on Heydrich's life before he became the "Reichsprotector" of Bohemia and Moravia in late 1941. It continues with fine chapters on the development of the Czech plans to assassinate Heydrich, the assassination, and the German reprisals. For me, it communicates very well the harsh drama of these events.
   
   One matter I would like to understand better is the apparent lack of an escape plan on the part of the two parachutists who carried out the assassination. A chapter in Prague in Danger by Peter Demetz, to be published in early 2008, may provide new information on this matter.
   
   The comment of a Czech friend may be a suitable ending to this brief review: "The question as to whether the assassination was justified, given the brutal German reprisals, may never be settled. What remains is the courage of the parachutists and those who helped them, and the murderous folly of men."



3. Very detailed and thorough with a good overview of the events leading to the assassination. Too repetitious of the political motivations of Benes, et al in London. Terminology is confusing for the reader new to this material, but helpful index in the back to all the abbreviations. Overall very interesting read. To those traveling to Prague the church crypt is open to the public for a small fee with small museum and self-guided tour, complete with machine gun bullet holes on outside of church.



4. If there was ever a face of evil, then it had to be Reinhard Heydrich and Adolf Hitler. Hitler once said about Heydrich that he had a heart of iron. Reinhard was sadistic and was the architect of the Final Solution. This was no man with a humane touch, he was in short a monster. The Czech government in exile and the British sent this man to where he belonged at a terrible cost.
   The book details the plot to kill Heydrich. Surprisely, the murder and details took up perhaps three to four chapters, with the rest of the book dealing with internal Czech politics and how the government balanced between the English and Soviets. There was some good information on the wartime policies of Bohemia and Moravia (Czech Republic) and the government in exile under Benes in England.
   The world was a better place without Heydrich. A short biography is included in the writing, and it shows Heydrich in all his bloody lust. His own killing was because he had so much contempt for the Czechs. He and his driver were the only ones on the road, and the killers had a big target, especially when Heydrich told the driver to stop when he saw the guerillas. This was truly an evil man.
   The book is a nice read. It details the bio of Reinhard, plus the detail of plot and murder, and finally the end of those who killed Heydrich. A good book.



5. Reinhard Heydrich was a horrible Nazi. Tall. Blonde. Amoral.A killer whose convening of the Wannssee Conference in early 1942 began the implementation of the plan to destroy European Jewry;
   the Butcher Boy of Czechoslovakia who ruled from a castle in
   Prague. This repulsive human being was assassinated in May,
   1942 by daring Czech patriots who attacked his car with a bomb
   and a sten gun!
   Reprisals following Heydrich's death were horrific leading
   to mass arrests and the wiping off the map of the village of
   Lidice.
   The brave men who plotted the murder of Heydrich were martyrs to Czech freedom whose names as sons of liberty should never be forgotten.
   The late author Macdonald examines how the assassination was planned among Czech exiles in London; the politcal and strategic repercussions of the assassination and the fate of the families of those responsible for the assassination are reported.
   The book would make a marvelous thriller espionage motion picture with its picture of parachutists landing in occupied
   Czech,; daring escapes; the final showdown to the death in a large Prague church and the daring daytime attack on Hedyrich's
   car.
   In the unholy pantheon of Nazi monsters the name of Heydrich is today little known among the general public. This chief lt. to Himmler is however emblematic of the Nordic evil incarnate of fascism.
   This book will prove interesting to the World War II buff and
   the general reader interested in the period. Good!

5 comments about Accordion War: Korea 1951 - Life and Death in a Marine Rifle Company.

1. If you want to know what life is like in a rifle company I suggest you purchase this book. This is the story of the day to day grind that grunts bear over and over. Spend your money and enjoy.



2. There is nobody more important when a Marine comes under fire than their "Doc." Navy corpsmen live, work, fight, and die with their Marines, and build a relationship with their Devil Dogs that is as deep as that between the Marines themselves.
   
   Author Charles Hughes was a corpsman in Korea with "How" Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. Too young for WW2, Hughes joined the Navy and volunteered to join to Fleet Marines in order to "see some action." His wish was granted, and this exceptionally well-written book is his memoir of his time in Korea.
   
   Professor emeritus of English at Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Ark., Hughes is a gifted writer who spent considerable time and effort recalling his experiences and thoughts from some 56 years ago. In comparison to those macho stories of many veterans, Hughes recalls his private mantra when in battle "Oh God; please don't let me die." In between his stories of combat with "His" Marines of H Company, Hughes has skillfully added his philosophy on war and killing and his life after his military service.
   
   This is one of the rare books that begs to be read in one reading. Hughes's stories of combat and life in Korea are lively; the reader can smell both the gunpowder and the kimchi. Korea may be a war unknown to the current generation, but books like "Accordion War: Korea 1951" will give the reader an appreciation of what young men like Charles Hughes and his Marines endured. Well done, Doc.



3. This is an excellent book and well written. It covered the time my husband was in Korea and brought back many memories - good and bad. Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this era.



4. Charles Hughes saw the best and the worst of warfare in Korea as a medical corpsman in the USMC. Here are plenty of fireworks for those who like action adventure, and here are the Thoreauvian reflections of a wise and good man who writes beautifully about his experiences. From the vantage point of his seventieth decade, he recalls the worst of the wounds he treated under fire, the personalities of the Marines with whom he marched, and the beauties of the land of Korea and its people. He also relates how these men who fought and bled together in the 1950's meet to this day and share the old stories and sense of brotherhood. Good Literature. Don't miss it.



5. Charles Hughes is able to convey the feeling of day to day life in an infantry rifle company. His characters spring to life off the page, and you can share the terror and fear that punctuate the otherwise dusty, cold,miserable day to day experiences of the Marine rifleman, and his medical lifeline, the ubiquitous Navy Corpsman...
   
   Plenty of history accompanies the narrative. read the history and myth surrounding the beginnings of this ancient land of the Morning Calm...
   
   A thoroughly enjoyable read.

5 comments about Walking Out on the Boys.

1. Men groping women. Men coming on to women, and making incredible jackasses of themselves in the process. Men getting drunk and acting like barbarians. Men with one thing in mind. Men whose compulsion to talk about sex is so strong that they do it at highly inappropriate times in public. Men who think that pressuring women is their God-given right. If you think that what I just described is a high school football team on an overdose of steroids, you're wrong. These sexual antics weren't perpetrated by adolescents with testosterone bubbling out their ears, they were committed by male doctors at Stanford University. Not being stupid, these demigods put two and two together and realized that they could use their power to pressure women. One of these men made a fatal mistake, though: he pressured Dr. Frances Conley, a topnotch neurosurgeon and renowned researcher at Stanford. Bad move, fella. I suppose that guy never learned that if you're going to pick a fight, you don't provoke someone who can whack you back so hard you just might rethink whether it's wise to be a bully.

   As publicity spread about Dr. Conley's fight, more and more women came forward to reveal their stories. This was certainly an eye-opening book. Before reading it, I'd never given much thought about the sexual harassment of women in medicine and allied healthcare fields. Perhaps we're more civilized here in Michigan, because I've never seen or heard of any such hanky-panky. Well, let me revise that last statement: I have witnessed a lot of sexual inducement, but what I saw was women chasing men not the other way around. But everyone knows that those California folks are trendsetters.

   Dr. Conley never envisioned herself as a trendsetter, though. For years, she passively participated in the abuse until a concatenation of events convinced her that it was time to draw a line in the sand. To make a long story short, the men didn't believe she'd put up much of a fight, but she did, and they lost. Big time.

   (...) Perhaps the most chilling message in this book is that some men in positions of power are willing to use that power to stifle the careers of women. So what is an attractive woman to assume? That if she goes into medicine her pulchritude will serve as a magnet for sexual harassment? Perhaps this abuse is, unbeknownst to me, more pervasive than I think. I suppose because most of my friends are women, I can't understand men who view women as being somehow inferior. However, you shouldn't necessarily construe from that statement that I think women physicians are as competent, on average, as male physicians. There's no doubt that some are, and there's no doubt that Dr. Conley is a superior physician, not just competent. (...) My only major criticism of the book is that it is too focused upon abuse of women by men. Since the core of this book is hinged upon some of the depredations that ensue when power is abused, I think she could have achieved a more balanced perspective by pointing out that powerful people often use their power against men, too ý not just women. I've seen male docs fight one another with such a vehemence that it made the stories in Dr. Conley's book seem as pleasant as afternoon tea and cookies with a neighbor. Consequently, while I don't intend to trivialize the unfortunate reality of the abuse Dr. Conley documents, it's important to keep in mind that this abuse is but one aspect of a much larger problem. In defense of Dr. Conley, broadening the scope of this book to include other aspects of hospital politics would have diluted the message she wished to inculcate, and it would have made for a very unwieldy book. With that in mind, I suppose I'm on shaky ground by wishing that her book had a wider focus. Her book, her demeanor, her dedication, her resolve, and her competence are commendable. Dr. Conley is a great doctor and I am happy to have met her, however indirectly, by reading this book.

   Review by Kevin Pezzi, M.D.




2. As a minority faculty in the academics Frances Conley's book vividly portrays the reality of the ivory tower that, though pretentiously progressive in ideas, is way behind the iota of gender equality that exists outside the academe. I, sometimes, feel I am living in the medieval period when entering the academe.

   When I first came across this book I thought this must have been written in the seventies and I could share it with my students as a historical autobiography of sexism in an academic institution. I was horrified to find that it was written in the nineties about one of the most prestigious institution in California.

   I have always felt alone, alienated in the academe and of course disconnected from other women who were struggling too much to bother with the problems of their women peers. This book validated my experience and helped me understand where my alienation was coming from.

   I wish this book could be a standard read for all freshman students in all universities. Only when women who appear to be in power tell their stories of powerlessness and abuse can we act collectively to stop the misogyny that exists among our men and more particularly among our elite men.




3. I'm not an MD or a PhD; I don't work in a hospital or academia. Yet I too have experienced sexual harassment, and I too have consulted the EEO department that is supposed to get involved in handling these issues, and I found that they were disinterested, that they gave subtle and obvious messages that the problem was "my" problem and not the corporation's, and that they relied on my being too timid or unmotivated to initiate a lawsuit so the whole thing could be, well, ignored. Sexual harassment exists because the society permits men (even encourages men) to expect that it is their right to harass women. Not all men harass, and not all men admire harassers. In fact, it is quite the opposite, but those who possess the attitude that women who dare to compete must be put down through sexual threat or debasement will harass (they also enjoy and even need it, since these men have very real problems). Through her description of her own experiences, the author illuminates the social mechanism of harassment. She also brings to light the story that all we women know -- what it feels like to be the victim not just of a troubled person but of an organization that insists she accept the role of victim. When we are harassed, we women discover the battle we are in, not against one man but against all those societies which are founded on (this does sound harsh, I know) the hatred of women. This is a marvelous book -- hard to read at times if you've been there -- but it is important that women know what we are facing (especially our daughters, who like us may have been programmed to think that all men will be nice to us, will treat us fairly, and that if someone is abusive, it is our own fault, there is something wrong with me, etc.). Important too is having the author detail the steps she took to handle the harassment. This is a very supportive book for anyone enduring just such a situation (harassment as well as gender discrimination, which is a lot more rife and a lot less obvious). I'd recommend this to any woman who is willing to step outside of the traditional role, because we all need to know what we are up against, how the system is going to fail us, and especially all the steps we are entitled to take to combat this problem so that we change society's viewpoint and not just our own. I'd also recommend this to men, because there are many who are supportive of women in the workplace. Our husbands and boyfriends need to read this book to know how difficult it is for women, because in the end we can only effect a change if we all stand together.



4. Frances Conley offers a compelling indictment of gender discrimination at Stanford Medical School, past and present, focussing on her own recent experience. I started this book at midnight and could not put it down until finishing it at 4 a.m. Conley provides case after case of medical school professors given virtually absolute and unchecked power over their subordinates and their subordinates' careers, abusing that power, and the medical school administration covering up that abuse. While she never addresses the issues of solidarity in the face of sexual harassment, her cases all indicate that when one woman protests, she loses, and only a pattern of abuse reported by multiple women leads to any punishment of the harassers at all. Conley was fortunate and grateful that 37 others came forward to support her claim that Gerald Silverberg engaged in inappropriate sexual contact and other activities counterindicating his capability for leadership. I'll be passing this book onto many women who have had the choice to be treated at Stanford Hospital and may well now rethink that choice.



5. Sadly, any woman who's achieved a doctorate (& not just in medicine) will relate wholeheartedly to this book. I greatly admire Dr. Conley's unbelievable courage in standing up to the Boys' Club & trying to make things better for women in academia. Hopefully this book will encourage ALL women to stand up to the misogyny & be heard.

5 comments about Gods of Tin: The Flying Years.

1. Gods of Tin is a book divided into three parts roughly equating to the authors various service assignments within the Air Force. The first section covers his time from enlistment to his flight training and onto the time where he was ready to ship out to Korea. The second part is a partial journal of his time (100 missions) spent flying F-86 fighters over North Korea and China during the Korean War and the third part details life as a pilot in the European theater during the cold war.
   
   The author has a distinctive style of writing that gives you the feeling of being on his shoulder while the events are unfolding. There are short, brutal sentences while he is writing in the journal, which capture the time there wonderfully, as the time was spent living in short brutal bursts. His imagery is impossible to describe for us mere mortals and must be read to be appreciated. A sort of poetry in sentence form would be the closest I could come to a description that would do the author's writing any justice.
   
   My only complaint, if it can be called one, is that the book is small, containing a mere 170 pages. I could have gone on reading this for days, and yet it was over so quickly.



2. If you want real literature without fiction, this is it.
   
   Prentiss Davis
   Truckee, CA



3. Having read some for the works from which this book takes much of its content I was prepared to be disappointed; however, Salter has woven the material into a much tighter and stronger work. It's clear that he looked back at the old material with improved writing skills and a more mature handling of the nature of warfare in the early days of the jets.
   
   He captures the isolation of these modern day knights of the air, the randomness of early aerial engagements in the first jet on jet conflict and one which was further complicated by the political restrictions which put the bases on the north side of the Yalu off limits. With the possible exception of the middle-east the Korean war probably marked the last engagement of large numbers of American aircraft in air to air combat over a small area.
   
   Highly recommended, especially for those who who have enjoyed his other works. Deserves a place on the bookshelf between Stranger to The Ground, Night Flight, Tom Wolfe's writings on flight and other literate classics on the challenge and characters in flying.
   
   For those wanting to know more about the why of the Korean air engagements Robert Cornan's "Boyd The Story of a Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Course of War" is most enlightening.
   
   Like Wind, Sand and Stars the book has a very broad appeal that is not limited to pilots. Great gift for someone who appreciates good writing.



4. This was my introduction to James Salter and it was the book that made me interested in his writing. One of the wonderful aspects about Gods is not simply that it contains Salters wonderful writing, but also that the editors have managed to collect the best pasages from a number of his books. After reading Cassada, Burning the Days and the Hunters, I returned to this volume and found that nearly every one of my favorite passages on flying (achieving competence or learning "equitation" as he puts it at one point) from these books appears in Gods. And a bonus are the excerpts from Salter's jounals as a fighter jock driving F-86s in combat in Korea: these sometimes read like poetry leaving an image that has the feel of a Turner watercolor -- a couple of colorful strokes that still give a strong sense of the energy and paradoxically tranquility of moments flying. Originally in Burning: "I will never see it again or, just this way all that is below. Some joys exist in retrospect, but not this, the serenity, the cities shining in detailed splendor."



5. Salter is a fine writer and an elegant stylist, with the ability to blend exquisite imagery and brute, violent action effortlessly, so that the reader feels transported into the situation he sets up.
   
   This edition of excerpts from three previous books, however, leaves me with a "Rip Off" feeling. Why not just read the books the two editors have ripped this material out of?
   
   The bonus I guess is the frank Korean War journal which has not been published.
   
   In his declining years Faulkner published a similar book BIG WOODS, composed largely of excerpts from books still in print, given his imprimatur as a volume of hunting stories, and his publishers encouraged Faulkner's audience to think of it as a new book by virtue of its new juxtapositions. Now Salter is getting the Faulkner treatment. So be it, but don't expect all the readers to be happy about paying money once again to a speciality publisher for a lot of stories we heard just a few years back when Salter published BURNING THE DAYS (1997). He's great and all but he's no William Faulkner.

No comments about El Cid: The Making of a Legend.

5 comments about Gray Ghost: The Life of Col. John Singleton Mosby.

1. James A. Ramage has written what must be THE definitive book on the life of John Singleton Mosby. I cannot imagine a more thoroughly written book on the topic. Ramage discusses his family history, his childhood and more.
   
   Of course, the largest amount is written about his service in the Civil War as a partisan ranger that terrorized the Union troops arrayed against Robert E. Lee. Ramage is definitely a fan of Mosby, but he refuses to get involved in the hype that Mosby and his contemporaries sometimes engaged in concerning how effective Mosby's men were. Ramage agrees that Mosby was cost-effective, meaning that his small groups of men - usually around 120 or so - would tie down thousands of Union soldiers, but disagrees with Mosby himself that he tied down tens of thousands.
   
   The real strength of this biography is that Ramage covers Mosby's post-Civil War career thoroughly, including his controversial forays into politics and his government posting in Hong Kong. Ramage even includes a chapter on how Mosby has been represented in film and television, including a movie in which Mosby played himself in 1910.
   
   This is not a book for the casual Civil War reader - there is too much specific detail and an assumption that the reader knows and understands the basics of the war. However, this book will continue to serve as the reference for all things Mosby.



2. Ramage is absolutely correct when he speaks about Mosby's effect on his adversaries. By the time the war was over, he was - after Jefferson Davis - the most hated Confederate in the North. Once, late in the war when a troop of Yankee cavalry bringing in prisoners (none of whom were Mosby's men) joked that they had 'caught Mosby', in just a few hours over 10,000 people gathered to see the vaunted guerrilla chief. Mosby's psychological tactics were such that often all he or one of his men had to do was approach a Union picket or vidette and say, "I am Mosby" and the man became paralyzed with fear. Yet, Mosby's treatment of those whom he captured was such that after the war, many of his best friends were former Union officers taken by him and his command.
   
   Unfortunately, however, author Ramage has a tendency to speculate regarding things he cannot prove. His theory of Mosby's 'bipolar' personality - he was kind, gentle and loving at home but fierce, overly aggressive and untrusting out in the world - does not necessarily equate with the testimony of many of Mosby's men who wrote about the man and the 43rd Battalion.
   
   Furthermore, Ramage's account of Mosby's relationship with Fitz Hugh Lee - the two men detested each other - contains a vignette in which Lee supposedly offers a terrible rebuke to then Lt. Mosby when he offered Lee a captured Union newspaper. Lee, according to Ramage said "The ruling passion strong in death" a quote from one of Pope's moral essays on Lord Cobham, a religious dissenter who was hanged and burned for his beliefs. Ramage recounted that as a classical scholor Mosby would understand this statement to mean that he would deserve his fate when the Yankees caught and hanged him as a spy during one of his 'scouts' for JEB Stuart. According to Ramage, Mosby had no suspicion of Fitz Lee's hatred of him until that point. Yet in all other accounts - including Mosby's - nothing much is made of the same incident. I would not mind Ramage's account or his conclusion if only he had given a more detailed account of how he came to know that Lee said what he said and meant it as Ramage posits. Furthermore, I would have liked to know how Ramage knew that Mosby had no idea of his superior officer's feelings for him at the time. However, Ramage simply makes the statement and let's it go at that.
   
   There are certainly many psychological indicators apparent in Mosby's life which can enlighten interested parties regarding his forceful and unique personality but I must confess that I found some of author Ramage's speculations to be lacking in credible verification on such subjective matters. If one is going to speak of 'feelings' and 'passions', it is wise to have at least some documentation to back up one's claims. Otherwise, the matter becomes nothing more than another speculation regarding the individual being studied.



3. This book is about as close to entertainment as history can get. This does not mean that it is fiction however. Ramage writes a sturdy bio of Mosby. And although Mosby is one of the most famous, or infamous if you are a Yankee, Civil War personalities around, there aren't many good reads on him. However, Ramage's bio is terrific from both a historian's and a reader's point of view. Ramage is obviously an admirer of Mosby's, but does not blindly believe all that comes with the "Mosby myth". Instead, Ramage uses both primary and secondary sources to try to find the real Mosby and see what his real exploits were. The descriptions of Mosby's forays are fast-paced and exciting. The chapters on Mosby's post-war career are extremely interesting as we see the hated Mosby become a Republican and friend of U.S. Grant. Mosby also became embroiled in disputes with "Lost Cause" people like Jubal Early due to Mosby's support of J.E.B. Stuart. Interesting all the way around.



4. This book is well written by someone who likes Mosby but this nonsense about "terror" from Union troops about Mosby sounds more like the terror that was felt by the Confederates towards Sheridan or Sherman or John Brown!
   Frankly I have always considered those who hit and run or come out at night and shoot stragglers or people from behing to be somewhat -- well - gutless. Sorry.



5. An excellent book for anyone interested in the Civil War. Ramage has written an exciting, fast-paced biography of one of the South's most mythologized and celebrated Civil War heroes. He draws the reader into the world of Mosby from his early fights with childhood bullies to his final fight for J.E.B. Stuart's memory and legacy. Certainly one of the Confederacy's more popular figures, Mosby ruled an area of Virginia causing Union officers and privates alike to fear capture if separated from the main body. Mosby's able and selfless leadership set an example to his men, and both Stuart and Lee saw that he was no ordinary partisan ranger. Even after the war, Mosby's fight continued as he supported the Republican Grant for president. Ramage aptly delves into the now out-of-favor hero's post-war life and one of the best chapters in the book is his description of Mosby's fight against corruption as U.S. consul in Hong Kong. Ramage has gone through many sources and succeeded in bringing Mosby the man to life. The author even met with Mosby's grandson and received valuable first-hand descriptions of him in his later life. This book is destined to be the definitive work on the "Gray Ghost".

5 comments about The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory and the Reality of War.

1. Brandon has a unique story telling gift that is to be treasured. I am an OEF veteran and I felt I was in his shoes at the precise times he describes. I had many of the same fears and emotions and connected with him through the book. Once I picked it up I did not put it back down till I was done.



2. I just missed the vietnam draft and bearing that in mind, probably was in my late thirties the next time there was a war to fight in. I always wondered what the military experience was like, and I feel that this book was an excellent window viewing into that experience. It was a very quick read, exciting and interesting. I definitely reccommend it.



3. This first-person account of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was fascinating and informative. However, what really struck me was the quality of the writing. Even if you're only marginally interested in the subject matter, get the book for the prose. It reads better than many novels. This guy has a brilliant future as an author. I look forward to his next release, whatever the subject.



4. One of two war books I have read since the DMZ in Vietnam, this book gets the distinction between preconceived notions of war and the experience of war. The times that can be emotional if we allow them to, and the experience of one of the most alive times one can experience, is captured in this book in a way I could never have expressed myself--and I've tried. This one truly "gets it". Strongly recommended!



5. Friedman found that the "glory" of war was really only the "gore" of war. John Wayne never told us about that.
   
   As a veteran of the Vietnam War, I understand Friedman's book. I was an Infantry Platoon Leader with the First Infantry Division. War is the same bloody mess everywhere and this author tells us about it in this excellent book.
   
   Author of Mr. NewHeart (New Heart): Heart Attack to Transplant and Beyond
   
   You may preview a free copy of my next book if you Google "david hollar the face of war."
   
   
   
   I also recommend A Step of Faith - an inspiring story to help get you through the month.