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.

5 comments about American Nightingale: The Story of Frances Slanger, Forgotten Heroine of Normandy.

1. I loved this book. I am a nurse myself and it was touching to see the lives we make an impression on and do not realize. It will bring tears to your eyes. It will touch the heart of many.



2. This was melodramatic, trite, and completely lacked any sort of understanding of real life. As a military nurse and veteran of the current Iraq war, I was apalled by the way the author milked this story for all the melodrama it was worth.
   That said, Frances Slanger's life and death should be recognized. If you want to read about her, look her up online, or contact the Stars n' Stripes newspaper itself to view the original letter she wrote along with the responses she never got to read.



3. As a nurse that has retired from that field, I read this book and was touched beyond words about the person Frances Slanger and the nurse and heroine Frances Slanger. I am an avid reader and love to read about WWII era; this book opened a new area of history that hasnt been adequately covered. It is well written and I highly recommend!



4. Frances Slanger has been overlooked in histories of World War II and D-Day, and it is entirely due to Bob Welch (and to his chief informant, Nurse Sallylou Cummings, a spry 82 when she contacted Welch) that we now know her name and her amazing story. If ever the word "hero" was deserved it was here, and it gains luster from use when applied to Slanger, Cummings, and all the nurses who landed on Normandy sixty years ago and more. Can you imagine trying to jump off a boat, eying the water ahead of you, and trying to guess if it was three feet of water--or ten? Poor Frances, burdened down with a pack almost half her size, sank to the bottom of the ocean floor almost immediately. Why, her helmet alone was nearly 50 ounces. Luckily some strong men rescued her, for she was needed on the bloody sands of Omaha Beach.
   
   A girl of European origins, young Frances was nearly turned back at Ellis Island due to a swollen eye. We do not know the details, but we suspect that some now unknown kindness bent the rules a little bit and allowed Frances to remain with her kin even though she was, by strict standards, "damaged goods." The girl grew up eternally grateful to the USA for allowing her and her family safety and security (for they were Jewish fleeing an anti-Semitic overlord in Europe) and it seems only natural in retrospect that she should have chosen to become a nurse.
   
   In Europe she died a heroine, but she always insisted, "No, it is not I who have done anything--it was always the boys, the brave boys." It was almost as though to call attention to her own heroism would have been to diminish it.
   
   Bob Welch should be proud of what he has done here. The book isn't always brilliantly written, and he employs a confusing time structure of trying to tell the day by day story of Frances Slanger's war, with interspersed flashbacks of her difficult pre-war life, and it just doesn't always work. But it doesn't have to. The story is riveting nonetheless.



5. I just finished reading American Nightingale. What a FANTASTIC book. The story of Frances Slanger is truly inspirational and the greatest testament to this inspiration, and to her heroism came from the very men that she cared for while in Europe. I am an avid reader of WWII books and I rank this up there as one of the best that I've ever read. Great job!

No comments about Memoirs of General William T. Sherman.

5 comments about Accidental Journey: A Cambridge intern's memory of World War II.

1. Witty, sardonic, and keenly observant, Mark Leyton (Lowenstein) offers the reader a singular and unexpected POV on being a Jewish refugee, a British soldier, and a (sort of) postwar intelligence operative.
   At times this reads like a Royal Tanker version of M*A*S*H or a non-ficiton Catch-22, and one laughs out loud at frequent intervals,but it stands apart from those works for the Cambridge-honed humor and the profound pathos that marks him in both his person and his circumstance. Often it is a testimony...(get ready for the cliche)to the endurance of the human spirit in very dispiriting cicumstances. I agree with the comment that it peters out in the last few pages, but this signifies the truthfulness of the narrative. He is remembering more than storytelling. I couldn't put it down.



2. A remarkable story from a man who had all the reason in the world to be angry but chose not to be. Removed from Cambridge and interned as a resident alien, despite being a German Jew, he is eventually released and joins the Pioneer Corps and the British Army. He becomes a tank commander fighting in Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge and on in to Germany, but harbors no personal anger against the Germans who are trying to kill him. In fact, he is highly complimentary of their martial skills. This is no ordinary memoir. It is written by a man who clearly loves history, who recognized the importance of what he was doing, but kept his humanity and sense of humor. It was a terrific read.



3. This has to be one of the most original memoirs of WWII that I've come across. Lynton's prose is striking, balancing sarcasm and acidity effortlessly with the horrible events that he witnessed and participated in, and some of the most comical moments of a lifetime. It's a wild and wooly ride, and this is another one I could not put down. Highly recommended!



4. I found this book by accident at a book sale. It turned out to be an extraordinary memoire of WW II as experienced by a university student at Cambridge University who happened to be a German Jew by birth. He was thus, by dint of extraordinary stupidity on the part of the British War Office, rounded up as an enemy alien and after many moves within Great Britain, ultimately shipped off to Canada, along with other young male civilians from Axis countries (Hungary, Austria, e.g.) who happened to be studying or living in England, lumped together with German prisoners of war.
   
   What is so special about this account is its breadth -from the misguided enemy alien roundup, the eventual release and subsequent involvement in the British war effort as a tank officer, to his account of the final days of war in Germany and his subsequent post-war involvement as an Intelligence office. The author presents extraordinarly insightful accounts of the war experience and the workings of the military on both sides of the conflict He has provided us with a unique first-hand view of the Second World War in the European theater, from its start to its finish. I do not believe there is another account like it. I plan to send a copy to my brother-in-law who, as a 15-year-old Viennese refugee in England suffered the same fate of internment , and to my friends who fought in the war with the Dutch and British. While telling a story of historical importance, the author has also managed to outdo Evelyn Waugh in satire and irony, and to equal him in grace.
   
   I rated this as 4-1/2 stars, the half point taken off for occasional passages of tedium in the middle of the book which, in the end, do not significantly detract from an overall rating of splendid.
   
   Nora Avins Klein, M. D.



5. I really enjoyed this book. The author has a great gift in recognizing irony when he see's it, and a very sharp wit. It was very different than the many other WWII biographies I have read. The situations and circumstances Lynton found himself in during those years are almost unbelievable.
   At times his casual, dry approach towards what would seem like a tramatic or dramatic event is puzzling, although he does state on a couple occasions that many of those circumstance have been covered in so many other books that he didn't feel the need to go into depth with them.
   His description about what it was like to be an "alien" (German Jew) in Great Britain was interesting, and very ironic that he couldn't become a British citizen, but was good enough to serve in their military.
   The chapters about his time in the secret service was fascinating, with a lot of insight on what everyday life was like for civilians and servicemen in post-war Europe.
   The book is filled with amazing twists and turns, and even humor in the way he sarcastically explains a situation.
   Even though the ending was a little weak (reason for 4 not 5 stars) I would still highly recommend this book and had a hard time putting it down.

No comments about Corpsman Up!.

No comments about Abraham Lincoln and Robert Burns: Connected Lives and Legends.

5 comments about In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story.

1. I just finished Ghada Karmi's captivating autobiography. She is honest, poignant, funny and reflective. She takes you back to pivotal moments in history, while at the same time drawing you into her and her family's personal struggles. Many readers who have also grown up with traditional parents, whether they be Catholic, Muslim or Jewish, will be able to relate!
   
   But more importantly, she offers an insightful view of a much misunderstood dilemma. For anyone who has wondered, "Why don't the Palestinians just stop fighting?", you owe it to yourself to read this book!
   
   I admit to fact checking Karmi because I assumed since she was Palestinian, that some of the information she gave could have been exaggerated. She mentions the massacre at Deir Yassin, the bombing of the King David Hotel, and the booby trapping of the dead body of a British soldier. I was shocked to learn that armed Jewish groups did indeed carry out these and other acts of violence before 1948. What we are usually taught is that Israel always respects human rights, but the Arabs do not. Karmi gives another point of view.
   
   Yet she does not paint all Jewish people with the same brush. She differentiates between her Jewish friends she holds dear, the Jewish faith she respects, and the state of Israel which has robbed her of her homeland.
   
   This book is well worth your time!



2. In Search of Fatima is a beautifully written story, a true story, written by a woman with a real gift for writing. The whole experience of the Palestinian Catastrophe, know as the Nakba, comes alive in this book on a very personal level. The fear of the Palestinians as the events unfold during the years leading up to 1948 are so vividly expressed that you feel that you are there too, sharing the feelings of foreboding and horror.
   The second section of the book describes the difficulties in settling in a new country, with totally different customs, language, weather, everything. Her mother, incapable of adapting to a new life, makes a truly pitiable figure.
   
   Although this is the story of one person,the experience of the 1948 Nakba was shared by three quarters of a million others, yet we rarely hear about the terrible suffering inflicted on so many. This book fills a huge void.



3. This is truly an outstanding work. The search and confusion of identity is made even more difficult when one is a Palestinian refugee. Add to this the issue of gender and Ghada Karmi assertion of herself and her rights and you get a fascinating indeed thrilling mix. The first third of the book deals with the exodus from Jerusalem ..it is very moving and sad to see the events rushing to make little Ghada and her family refugees. In the next part we see Ghada the British emerging and finally with all the contradiction between home, school (with mostly Jewish friends) and the society at large especially with backdrop of the 1956 Suez war. The third and final part is the return and the contradictions of identities and the battle to assert herself as a single woman working for the cause. Ghada's move from the completely apolitical to the activist as part of her search of identity is very well nuanced and gives us a great insight into the meaning of being a Palestinian refugee.
   
   Ghada Karmi is a gifted writer. This work is fascinating enough even if it was given as bullet points in a PowerPoint presentation, but this is hardly the case. Karmi has a facility with prose and is able to get into great detail to transform the readers into her life; this was very much the case in the fist part of the book, the exodus from Jerusalem. You can almost picture Ghada abandoned dog as their car sped away from the house never to return.
   
   This is a thrilling work on par with Leila Ahmad Border Passage. Leila Ahmad an Egyptian American was not a refugee but here Tri-cultural experience in Egypt, England and America and her search of identity and issues of gender are very interesting and highly developed. Another highly recommended work of a Palestinian American is Nadia Captive of Hope, deals with exodus and gender issues and less so of identity.



4. This book is like a narrative of two different lives: the end of one and the beginning of another. Two lives that are not independent of each other though, as remnants of the one may not be overpowering to the point of eliminating the other, but are certainly powerful enough to haunt it, shape it, give it its final form.
   
   Although in essence totally overwhelmed by emotions, Karmi manages to almost detach and distance herself from her own being, leave her body and float above everything and everyone. That way she describes people, situations and feelings in a detailed and factual fashion, devoid of the empathy that would crush the reader, immerse him in a whirlwind of unfulfilled expectations and unrelieved tension, and ultimately leave him feeling nothing short of miserable and exhausted.
   
   Throughout the entire book, there's a marked emphasis on Karmi's relationships with other Jews, the friendships she formed and her refusal to see them in any other way than as individuals with traits that were or were not compatible, likable or acceptable to her. She almost goes out of her way to make clear that Jewishness never hindered her from befriending someone and not only that, but in an unfamiliar environment such as London was in the aftermath of the second World War, Palestinians and Jews that found themselves stranded there were entities that shared the misfortune of exile, and as such could indeed relate to one another. Moreover, the fact that Judaism was as much a respected as a familiar religion for Muslims, much more so than Christianity, played a role. As did the writer's initial stance, adopted by her parents and passed onto her from an early age, that it wasn't so much the Jews that were responsible for the Palestinians' fate and the violent takeover of their country, as ultimately the British, who as custodians of Palestine had the obligation to protect and safeguard the interests of the indigenous population. Instead, they forsook and betrayed them, and disposed of the Palestinian land -that was never theirs to dispose of in the first place- as served their purposes at the time.
   
   Karmi experiences an internal conflict, wavering between her British identity and her Arab origins, desperately longing to be accepted by and fit in either society. She often describes the war that rages inside of her, the opposite forces pushing and pulling, on the one hand the need to put everything behind her and lead as normal a life as possible, and on the other the need to seek out her roots and fight with all her might the injustice that was meted out to her.
   
   This book is so much more that a simple memoir, as it goes deep inside the mind of people who experience exile and dislocation, and gives a picture of the psychological turmoil they find themselves in and the void they will probably never be able to fill.



5. This is a wonderful book that shows the humnan tragedy of becoming a refugee. In this case, the book talks about a refugee of the 1948 war for Palestine. While the book explains how the creation of the state of Israel have shattered the lives of three quarter million palestnians, it tells the story of one of them. The story of personal conflicts that face any palestnian refugee now, then and in the future:
   - Can I return to Palestine and where is it now?
   - How can I stay palestnian and at the same time contribute to my current non-palestnian community?
   - Do I have the capacity to forgive israelies for what they did to my family and country?
   
   While Ghada's responses to these questions were positive, and she insisted to find an answer to these questions, it is the role of each palestnian to find his/her own answers. Also, it is the role of non-palestnians to understand the palestnian refugee before addressing their plight. Therefore I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Bury Me With Soldiers: One Grunt's Honest Story About Vietnam.

1. Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. I know a number of people who served in Vietnam but never talk about it. I found this book to be a real eye-opener. It's a very candid, honest and often humorous account of Vietnam. It made me proud of our soldiers and ashamed of the way we treated them and welcomed them home. As a mother of a recently returned Navy Corpsman who served with the Marines in Iraq, this book made me even more determined to make sure our soldiers are taken care of, no matter how we feel about the war or the president.
   Loved the book and highly recommend it for everyone.



2. This is a rare find indeed, but alas it can happen. It is not often in my life that I have found a book where the story is told with such integrity and can still hold my interest. This book is the perfect combination of these qualities. This book confirms my belief that honesty is the only policy and that reality is more interesting than fiction.

   Coming from a generation behind the author I can truly say I am proud to be the recipient of the legacy that will be left as this generation matures. I hope my generation lives up to this legacy and maintains the respect for this country and its ideals that the author and many like him have.

   This is the type of read I long for in my neverending search for good books.Although I have little time to sit with any book this particular one forced me to sit with it until I was at the end.




3. Book Review: Bury Me With Soldiers
   Author: C. W. Standiford
   Publisher: 1stBooks
   ISBN: 1-4033-9523-3

   From the Valley of the Shadow... by Bob Gray

   I've spent the last thirty-five years avoiding books and movies about Vietnam. The few I was exposed to infuriated me for their absolute refusal to see any good in what we did, or to appreciate the sacrifice our soldiers made. It never mattered to me who ran the country, nor did I buy into the Domino Theory - a McNamara creation that proved to be, like the man, a lie. What mattered to me were the American lives lost in a half-hearted pursuit of - not victory - peace. Then I discovered the book by Wayne Standiford; Bury Me With Soldiers.

   This is the story of how one average guy - average size, average intelligence, average outlook, life, and concerns - grew up and grew old in a few months of combat. The hopeless numbness that sets in after days of going from boredom to terror in one word - "incoming!" - is chilling in it's dissection of warfare on the human spirit. We watch as a callus grows over the author's heart, and his soul goes into remission to await the all-clear siren. And mail call.

   We meet Standiford as a high school senior. A friend of his who had graduated the year before dies in Vietnam. From the universal frustrations of high school (the drudgery of studying subjects you know you'll never use, to sex - and the lack thereof) to the middle-class values still prevalent but losing ground in the 1960's, author Standiford's life and choices mirror the particulars of millions of men caught on one side or another of the Vietnam war dilemma.

   Beset by the normal doubts and aspirations of any American teenager, he stands at his personal crossroads and wonders aloud what to do. The sixties were, as has been described by an endless array of social scientists, a disaffecting time for those of us then reaching adulthood. The old parameters of "America, Mom, and Apple Pie" were no longer enough. Not merely not enough - they were openly ridiculed. Jingoism was often the appellation applied. Bedrock beliefs were overturned with nothing to replace them. As someone else wrote about that period, America was ripe for a dictator. Free love played into the hands of every teenage boy who wanted to get laid more than anything else on earth. The beckoning hedonism was hard to resist.

   But some did. In a seamless progression Standiford shows us that some took seriously the idea that America was worth fighting for - even if the reasoning behind the fight might be flawed. The author was such a man. Standiford joined the Marines, went through Recon training and scuba diving school, and set off to destroy the enemy to the best of his ability. He did so without reservation. Then.

   In a recent email from Mr. Standiford, he told me the following: "I wouldn't take a million dollars for the experience - and I wouldn't do it over again for two million." Besides dating him (when a million dollars was big money), the statement describes my own attitude and that of most of the vets I know.

   The story he tells called up memories without being predictable. Several times the unexpected sentence made me laugh out loud - a tough row to hoe when discussing mortar round-amputated limbs and burned bodies. And the honesty of this work is mesmerizing. Standiford's early loss of heart and how he dealt with it tells us what we need most desperately to know about any author: Can I trust his word? We find that, indeed, we must. No one would admit to the things he does and lie about lesser things.

   His description of real people, men whose names should be engraved on our hearts, is riveting. The men with whom he served, Meatball, Tut, Ernie, Mac, and Doc, will always be a part of Wayne Standiford. The pain of seeing a friend lose an arm, a leg, life; the exhilaration of returning from the bush as a whole person one more time; the devastation experienced when the fickle love back home sends a Dear John letter; the unreasoning fear that becomes commonplace while sitting in a hole in the ground half-filled with water as mortar rounds creep ever closer; these too will always be a part of him. They become a part of us when we read his story.

   The acceptance of the simple but horrific fact that man-hunting is suddenly legal can be discouraging (which means, literally, to lose one's courage). That so many American boys became men while undergoing this terrifying experience says much for this country and the values we continue to hold dear. That they did it despite attempts, by those Americans who hate America, to convince them they were all criminals for being there says much for the integrity and courage of the individual men. To this day the prevalent notion (and an awful lie) that all our military men came back junkies and killers continues to blacken the sacrifice they made.

   So to all those men and women who survived and those who died trying to save a tiny country from the communist dictatorship that eventually did engulf and murder those with the temerity to stand against the Stalinist horde - I've never had the opportunity to say this before: Thank you.

   That our faint-hearted politicians wasted your efforts, and many of your lives, does not reflect badly upon you - only on them. You stood up when your country asked you to. And I appreciate it, even if I prove to be the only one. You hear the complaint repeated endlessly nowadays: Where are our heroes? The answer is that they are all around us - many of us just don't want to admit it.

   And my most profound thanks to Wayne Standiford for sharing his story with me and all who care to know what really happened there. If I can't occupy the plot next to yours, then I ask the same thing you do: please, Bury Me with Soldiers.




4. I read an awful lot of books about the Vietnam war and those who survived it- I have my own little library in fact. Some books are good, some are not so good. Some are filled with so much tactical jargon or language that an average person cannot even get through to decide if they like the book!Some just sounds like one person pounding their chest real hard!
   This is not one of those books. It is hands down one of the best books I have ever read on any subject. I am not sure I can explain why his words touched me so. But I think it is because he wrote not from a researcher's point of view, but a survivors point of view. Not from second hand- but from his own memories, his own heart, sadness, joys, anger, hate and sometimes humor. You can't make that up. No matter your talent, you were either there, or you were not and people know the difference. He is the real McCoy.
   When I read his book it felt like he was sitting right there in my living room- as if he was my old friend come back from a long stay away from my home. And he sat there in my oldest most comfortable chair, kicked off his shoes and told me about everything that had happened since last we met. Some of his story made me laugh so hard I couldn't not stop- like when he got to boot camp. There were times when I thought my heart would break, and there were times, like when I closed that book, that I wondered how in the world did any man or woman ever survive that war, not just physically, but mentally, spiritually- for that, he is my hero. Yes he did some powerful things as a soldier no question, he was decorated for that more than once. But more than that, he is my hero because he wrote personally about things that we all need to read if we will ever, ever begin to understand how Vietnam was different for our soldiers. It is not easy to put everything you own personally in your heart on paper for other people to dissect. He is brave and I think this book should be read by every American.



5. As the editor and publisher of our county newspaper, I must read a great deal, and have gotten very particular about what I really enjoy reading- and I LOVED this book.
   With a son in the military, three brothers who served in the military in the Vietnam era, and with a Dad who served in WWII, I have never really known what they faced, what they struggled with, and what a shock it must have been to be taken from "Hometown" to defending our country halfway around the world. The author skillfully walks us through his time in 'Nam, and I feel I've gotten a glimpse of thoughts and feelings, fears and emotions, that I could never have gotten otherwise.
   I sent the book to my son and his wife, and they both love it also- (and my daughter-in-law finished it before my son!) We have compared notes, and decided we truly LOVE the way this author writes. I intend to check and see if Mr. Standiford has written other books, because if he has, I'm sold.
   I've purchased books before, dug into them, and then struggled to even WANT to finish them because I was disappointed in the quality, and didn't feel the author delivered what he promised. Standiford delivers MORE than he promises- I was never disappointed and I found myself arranging my schedule so I could hurry up and get back to the book!
   In short- this is a great book.

2 comments about The Diary Of Samuel Pepys 1661.

1. This is a wonderful annotated expose of seventeenth century British life throughout the city of London. Pepys' language is florid and filled with eccentricity. Also, the editing enables the original language to stand, only with contemporary spellings --to allow clarity of comprehension. The additional explanatory notes are excellent.



2. Having only read "excerpts" before -- and the "shorter" Pepys is massive -- I supposed the short version was the exciting and interesting parts and the complete diary was the boring version that put everything in.
   Well it turns out all PEPYS IS EQUALLY GOOD. The reason? This man loved life and said so, with great enthusiasm, and at the same time was a conscientious and effective(not always right or wise) public servant. This startling mix, in the end makes him seem a completely modern person. Fascinating.

5 comments about Tomorrow to Be Brave: A Memoir of the Only Woman Ever to Serve in the French Foreign Legion.

1. I just finished reading Tomorrow to Be Brave a few minutes ago. What a fantastic book! I couldn't put it down. I will skip summarizing the book because others have done a fine job in doing just that. What I will say is that if you want to read a biography that reads like a novel - a novel that is full of excitement, adventure, and history - then this is a great choice. I had never learned much about the North Africa theater of WWII and it was very interesting to read about it. Especially, the section on Bir Hakeim. A final opinion, I have to completely disagree with a reviewer who said that Susan Travers was sometimes whiny. Ms. Travers was anything but whiny. For any person who has been far from home, far from the normal every day routine (to say the least), who is smelly and hungry and doesn't feel well, they can probably appreciate Ms. Travers fantasizing about a good meal and a hot bath. I honestly don't know how Ms. Travers did it. She wasn't whiny, just honest. That being said, I would strongly encourage both men and women, regardless of whether or not they have any interest in military history, to read this book. It will be time well spent.



2. This memoir of Susan Travers, "The only woman ever to serve officially in the French Foreign Legion" (book jacket) is an intriguing glimpse into the Second World War in North Africa. Travers, who in her younger life admittedly "acquired something of a reputation" (33), found the outbreak of WWII a turning point; determined to use her driving skills for a good cause, she signed up for the Croix Rouge (Red Cross). To be an ambulance driver, however, she had to become a nurse first, something Travers admits was never her strong point. Sent first to Finland, then West Africa, Sudan and the Eastern Mediterranean, Travers' driving adventures are entertaining, and the struggle between Vichy France and the Free French (led by de Gaulle) is riveting. The author does not claim to be a saint, and in fact at one point has one former lover sneaking into bed with her while she is covering up an affair with her employer - all staying in the same house! The great love of her life, according to this book, is General Marie-Pierre Koenig, commander of the North African outpost in Bir Hakeim. This is not an affair of equals, and frankly the picture of Koenig in the book seems to indicate a man who needs to be in power all the time, and will not tolerate any difference of opinion - Travers openly admits this, and by her own admission, is not always happy with the relationship. That aside, the sections on North Africa are illuminating: what the Free French forces were able to do in holding Bir Hakeim is laudable, especially with few supplies and little respect from their allies. Travers later life doesn't take up many pages, and the reader hopes that, after failed love affairs, when she finally marries, she will be happy. For a time, that's true; however, after she and her husband are sent to Vietnam after WWII, things fall apart, and after a brief separation in which he takes ill, their marriage is never the same. I found it interesting that despite her well-deserved heroics, there are many times in this book where Travers is, well, whiny - she complains about no baths or clean clothes, while it's obvious there are more important things to worry about...war is war, after all. I guess you could say these character traits are what makes the book entertaining on another level, but at times, the winging was annoying. Definitely worth reading, you'll learn a lot.



3. I'm a student of military history. I read a good deal of stuff on the Second World War, studying various battles and campaigns. A few months ago I read John Bierman and Colin Smith's book on the battle of Alamein, and it included information about a woman who'd been in the French Foreign Legion, and served during the battle of Gazala as General Pierre Koenig's driver, enduring the bombardment and siege of Bir Hakeim. I was interested in this, and obtained a copy of the book. Whoa! Susan Travers, now in her 90's, has a story to tell.

   The daughter of well-to-do English parents who lived in France for most of her adolesence, Travers spent most of the thirties on the continent, playing tennis, gambling, and cavorting with a series of lovers who were all uninterested in settling down with her. When World War II began, she decided to turn her independant streak (which had led to her learning to drive a car) into an asset, and join the armed forces, fighting for the Allies somehow. She wound up in the French army, trained as a nurse, drove an ambulance briefly in Finland, and then wound up in Africa.

   There she served briefly in the campaign in Ethiopia, then was moved to Syria. Here, the doctor that she usually drove for was greviously wounded, and his replacement couldn't stand the thought of a female driver. He complained to his superior, and the next thing Travers knew she was driving for Pierre Koenig, who at the time was a colonel in the Free French army fighting in Syria. Soon the campaign was over, and Travers could set up house with the married Koenig for several months, because the colonel's wife was conveniently absent.

   Their affair, however, had to remain secret for the most part. She stayed his driver when the unit he commanded was transferred to the Western Desert in Libya. Soon, the British ordered all women out of the Front lines, but she contrived to make her way back, and was at the post the Free French brigade held for most of the battle. This was Bir Hakeim, a crossroads in the desert that had been fortified with trenches and bunkers dug in the desert floor. Bir Hakeim was the southernmost part of the Allied position at the Battle of Gazala, and it was an important one. After initially attempting to take it quickly by storm, the Germans bypassed it and left its capture to the Italians, who repeatedly failed. The Germans then returned and also failed, and when the post was finally worn down to the point defense was no longer an option, the garrison surprised everyone by breaking out and escaping in their vehicles.

   The Bir Hakeim battle makes up the middle quarter or so of the book, and it's a marvelous story. Travers was Koenig's driver for the whole battle, which means that when the breakout occurred, she drove the general's car. The car was hit by numerous bullets, but she and her passengers survived without being harmed.

   After the battle, she and the general had to separate (the German propaganda machine made a thing of their affair) and she spent most of the rest of the war driving an ambulance or doctors. When the war ended she managed to enlist in the Foreign Legion, and served several years in overseas posts. Eventually she married a legionnaire, had children, and left the legion herself. When her husband finally passed away, she decided it was time to tell her story. I'm very glad she did.




4. Wow, what a life! Let's be thankful that there were people who kept insisting that Susan Travers' story be written while she was still alive. And thanks to Wendy Holden that story makes such fascinating reading that you find it hard to believe this is the story of a real life. I did not know much about the events of the Second World War that took place in Africa. So, while having been interested in the personal story of this fascinating woman, I got quite a bit more insight into the political events of that time as well. This part is definitely Wendy Holden's second major contribution.



5. You read this book and ask yourself, "Is this true, did this really happen?" But of course it's true. Only an honest person could bare their soul as does Susan Travers, with the brilliantly sensitive prose of co-author Wendy Holden.

   The story is spell-binding as our heroine bounces from battlefield to boudoir with breathtaking élan. So many words fall short- courageous, brave, intrepid, relentless, passionate and others- as she and her fellow Legionnaires take their stand on faraway battlefields, most notably Bir Hakeim in the desolate desert of North Africa.

   But the most appropriate word to describe ajudant-chef Travers is probably "driven". She sums it up on page 267 as she bids farewell to her dying father: "I'd spent so much of my life seeking his approval that having never really obtained it, his death only left me feeling more empty. Any chance to impress him now was gone and I felt cheated".

   'Tomorrow To Be Brave' is a work and a life. It speaks for itself. This woman knows herself and to herself she is true. How ironic and poignant that the "driven" hero of Bir Hakeim was in fact a driver (chauffeur) in the French Foreign Legion. Susan dodges pot-holes and pot-shots as she valiantly drives her paramour, the General, through the desert sands. She is truly an "angel of mercy" as she man-handles her ambulance in the muddy mountains of Italy.

   So much history. So much romance. So much intrigue. So much honest pride. So much heartbreak. It's all there. Who needs fiction with a story like this! A little knowledge of French is helpful but read it anyway even if you don't know what "ma cherie" means.

   Bon courage, La Miss. Merci!