3 comments about Fearless Presence: The Story of Lt. Col. Nola Forrest, Who Led the Army Nurses Through Heat, Rain, Mud, and Enemy Fire in World War II.

1. In the history of great women soldiers, the biography of Lt.Col. Nola Forrest is a MUST read. It is the incredible true story of a tough, determined and resourceful woman leader, who knew how to get things done in the midst of combat operations. Eleanor Stoddard, a former writer for Time magazine and US News and World Report, has crafted a well-researched and fascinating story of Lt. Col. Forrest's experiences, along with that of registered nurses of her generation. I highly recommend this book not only to military women and nurses, but also to anyone interested in what talented women can accomplish under extremely difficult circumstances. -- Col. Jo Rusin, US Army Ret., author of Move to the Front: Leadership Secrets from a Woman Soldier



2. The reader is provided with a compelling story ... [which] can foster a sense of pride in the dedication and accomplishments of Army nurses ... as a personal note, the reviewer highly recommends this inspirational book.
   
   -- LTC Larry Moss, reviewer for The Connection



3. Reviewed by A.J. Cooper for Reader Views (2/07)
   
   "Fearless Presence" is a story of World War II and the years just prior to the war from the view of a nurse, Nola Forrest. She was born in Minnesota but wanted so much more than to stay there. Nola Forrest wanted the opportunity to travel and see the world. She was given the opportunity while in college; she was recruited to go to nursing school against the wishes of her family. They felt it would be a terribly hard life that she was not accustomed to and tried everything in their powers to dissuade her from the path of nursing.
   
   The beginning of Nola's career with the army was when she entered the Army Nurse Corps Reserve in 1924. The nurses' had the same ranks as their male counter parts but received much lower pay. This did not stop Nola from taking the position. The story follows Nola all over the United States and abroad highlighting many of the positions she held in nursing and in administering nurses. Nola is also given a permanent position in the Army Nurse Corps and finally in 1942 the ranks of the woman and men in the Army are equal pay. She was sent to the Southwest Pacific Area to oversee operations and to ensure nurses taken care of properly. What she found was nurses trying to perform their duties in less than manageable circumstances with little or no personal supplies in most areas. During this time period nurses were taken as Prisoners of War in one of history's worst camps in the Philippines, Bataan and Corregidor.
   
   I think anyone that has an interest in history would be interested in this book. Learning of the nurses taken as Prisoners of War was shocking to me. I only remember hearing about all of the men interned but certainly not the women. I took for granted that nurses had always been a part of wars and did not realize that for years nurses did not play an important part at the war fronts to help save the troops. Because of World War II it was shown that women nurses could survive and perform just as well as the men at the front under terrible conditions. They faced diseases that soldiers had not faced before and did everything in their power to ensure every soldier was taken care of.
   
   I really enjoyed this book and was glad that I had the opportunity to not only learn something new, but to learn about an admirable person, Lt. Col. Nola Forrest. She led a full and rewarding life and it took a considerate person to take the time to research and follow-up with the Colonel. I would recommend "Fearless Presence" to anyone and look forward to sharing it with family and friends. This is not only a story of a determined person but a very determined woman who really cared about everyone around her.

4 comments about Brave Men.

1. Truly a American hero! David Hackworth was only 15 years old when he first went into the service. He later found himself having to fight in a deadly war with death and hurt all around him. Not only did he survive he came out as the most decorated man alive today. Read about Hackworth and learn how he had to fight to stay alive in a place where it's kill or be killed. I know it's a harsh term but it was true read this book and find yourself on the front line of a bloody and body/mind testing war. Worth the money any day of the week, good reading.



2. This book, "Brave Men," is pretty much just a reprint of his autobiography, "About Face." Save your money and buy "About Face."
   Otherwise, they are both good reads, factual, and realistic, if somewhat opinionated. One caution: Col. Hackworth does not hesitate to give strong opinions in areas in which he is not qualified, such as the Sherman tank.



3. I don't read many action books or novels, but I love this book!
   A very perceptive, quick thinker caught in "The Most Dangerous
   Game" - human War). The book HAS to be read for one to have an opinion, a personal one.

   The veracity of his accounts has many endorsements and no rebuttals, as far as I can tell. To this day he has maintained a high visibility, and mud slingers would have no trouble sighting this target.

   Bill Schaefer




4. This is an outstanding book about one of the greatest soldiers ever! Read this book. It is excellent--gripping--full of great lessons on leadership and military techniques. If you're not in the military, but like military history, you would also like this book. It is stock full of war stories and great tales of feats that are just absolutely amazing! Read this book. It's a keeper. Hack's stories and lessons learned help me every day as I lead my platoon...2 miles from North Korea.

5 comments about An Officer and a Junkie: From West Point to the Point of No Return.

1. I was at USMA with the author. The number of "liberties" he takes to describe his time there leads me to highly doubt the entire story -- either that, or *I* was on drugs the entire time and am not remembering it accurately.
   
   I'm sure there's some truth sprinkled in with what he writes, but I don't believe the whole package -- not for one second.



2. Once I started reading this book, I found it very difficult to put down. Throughout the book, Michael Winder consistently hits you with brutal honesty. He pulls no punches in revealing his daily experiences as an addict. Just when you think he's hit the bottom, he finds a new rung to descend. The documentation provided has convinced me that he's for real. To further add to his life's saga, he weaves his life as an addict with the rigorous training of being a West Point cadet. Amazingly, he was able to turn his life around, climb out of the bowels of hell and write his memoirs. I enjoyed this book immensely and look forward to his next one.



3. I completed reading this book in 2 sittings, and felt uncomfortable with the author's voice the entire time. He is entirely too proud of his prodiguous consumption of drugs and his cleverness at concealing it from others. I fear that this young man is destined to resume some form of self-destructive and self-delusional activities unless he develops some humility. The entire tale came across as the self-aggrandizing bragging of an insecure adolescent. It would behoove him to read some Greek tragedy -- perhaps Oedipus -- and reflect on the consequences of over-confidence and pride.
   
   I would not recommend using this book in a drug education program aimed at teen-agers. It reads like a challenge to try to outdo the author -- which could be fatal since I doubt very much that anyone, even the author, could consume anywhere near the quantity of drugs and alcohol he claims for as long as he claims to have done so and survive, let alone be coherent.



4. My problem with Winder's memoir is not necessarily that he managed to obtain a degree from West Point despite his rampant drug abuse and flagrant disregard for the rules of his school. I agree that, for the most part, everyone deserves a second chance.
   
   However, being a drug addict with an ability to form sentences doesn't qualify Mr. Winder as a memoirist. His story is not particularly interesting. While the West Point angle certainly drew me into the book, at its core Mr. Winder doesn't have anything new or insightful to say about addiction. Yes, West Point is a uniquely challenging place, but most of the time Winder comes across as a typical college-age frat boy with a sense of entitlement drowning his problems in booze and drugs. He's clearly an intelligent man whose writing skills need some serious polishing. (For example, he seems compelled to describe each character by their height and/or weight, hair color, and skin tone.) I wish Mr. Winder the best of luck, but ultimately I cannot recommend this book.



5. This memoir is a well-written book that manages to portray the grim reality of the author's experiences in the oft-glamorized world of drug and alcohol abuse. His narration style is very easy to read and the story flows effortlessly. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an insightful, entertaining, and thought-provoking true story. I sincerely hope that the author stays sober and is able to keep his life on track, if only for the sake of the many friends and family from the book who cared so much about him. Well done.

1 comments about Bread and Rice: An American Woman's Fight to Survive in the Jungles and Prison Camps of the WWII Philippines.

1. This story focuses on the personal experience of 2 Americans and the people who befriended them and sometimes betrayed them. Most of the book deals with the 2 years they were in hiding and then follows them through their surrender to the Japanese, prison life and life in internment camps.
   
   The author was a journalist in China when Japan invaded it and wrote bluntly of the Japanese activities there. When she and her husband were later in the Philippines and Japan invaded, they feared her past actions would cause the Japanese to treat her especially harshly and so they fled to the jungle.
   
   The first chapter and part of the second are written in a stream of consciousness manner, but don't let that deter you. Part way in the second chapter she begins writing in a narrative style that continues throughout the book. From then on, it's hard to put down.

5 comments about K-9 Soldiers : Vietnam and After (Memories Series) (Hellgate Memories Series.).

1. I bought this book because I wanted to find out more about War Dogs.
   
   Wrong! It's all about Vietnam Veterans telling stories about Vietnam and about catching crooks when they came back and became cops. Less than 10% of this book is actually about dogs. You get lots of talk however about how noble a cause Vietnam was.



2. Excellent piece of historical work. Insight into Paul's time in the military with his K-9's. And revealing insight into the professional, independent security K-9 world. My inclusion in the book not withstanding.
   Am looking forward to reading Paul's other work The Parrot's Beak about his inclusion in operations in Cambodia during the Vietnam conflict. I hope that he continues to tell of his experiences both during his military service and during the 20 years he owned his security K-9 service in Lexington KY.
   He is an excellent orator in person, and now he is also a great writer. Keep it up Paul.



3. Paul Morgan was my Company Commander and I was his Executive Officer in B Company, 716th MP Battalion. Paul was one of the best MP officers I had the pleasure of serving with. Quiet but serious, when he spoke we listened, and he always had something important to say. Today he writes the same way that he spoke then, always interesting and always sincere.
   What he didn't write about in his book, is that when the Victoria Hotel was bombed, there was a deep crater left in front of the entrance to the hotel which filled with water. He was so involvement with the rescue mission, he did not notice the depth of the crater and attempted to walk through the water toward the building. In the meantime I had gotten my camera and was taking pictures of the damage. I heard the splash and looked to see Captain Morgan sink to the bottom and then come out of the hole holding his cap up high, the only dry thing on him. He ordered me not to take his picture. I wished I had disobeyed that order, it would look great in his next book.



4. Paul Morgan was my Company Commander and I was his Executive Officer in B Company, 716th MP Battalion. Paul was one of the best MP officers I had the pleasure of serving with. Quiet but serious, when he spoke we listened, and he always had something important to say. Today he writes the same way that he spoke then, always interesting and always sincere.
   What he didn't write about in his book, is that when the Victoria Hotel was bombed, there was a deep crater left in front of the entrance to the hotel which filled with water. He was so involvement with the rescue mission, he did not notice the depth of the crater and attempted to walk through the water toward the building. In the meantime I had gotten my camera and was taking pictures of the damage. I heard the splash and looked to see Captain Morgan sink to the bottom and then come out of the hole holding his cap up high, the only dry thing on him. He ordered me not to take his picture. I wished I had disobeyed that order, it would look great in his next book.



5. We are, all of us, veterans or civilians alike, aware of the tragic proportions of the Vietnam conflict. However, even many veterans are unaware of the crucial role played by the heroic K-9s. These four-footed soldiers were responsible for saving many lives in the steaming jungles and the fetid rice paddies of Vietnam.
   Maj. Paul Morgan's book, K-9 Soldiers, Vietnam and After, illustrates with striking clarity the bravery, skill and boundless heart displayed time and time again by the faithful K-9s of Vietnam.
   As a Vietnam veteran I never had the opportunity to work with a K-9 unit but Mr. Morgan's book impressed me with its stirring first person accounts of the true-life actions of these courageous dogs and their handlers. Mr. Morgan's book formed the basis for a widely acclaimed TV movie that is also heart wrenching in its depiction of the K-9 units' daily struggles. Any reader with an interest in history and certainly any animal lovers will be captivated by these accounts.
   As a combat Marine infantryman I can attest that this chronicle rings true. Mr. Morgan has been there and back and has rendered these stories with an experienced eye and ear.
   Mr. Morgan is the founder of the effort to create a war dog memorial in his home town of Suffolk County, New York. His efforts have suceeded with a projected unveiling of the memorial within the next year.
   Mr. Morgan has been honored numerous times for his heroic work at the WTC on September12, 2001 along with his Search and Rescue dog Cody Bear. Mr. Morgan has been a life-long dog handler and his rich experience informs the reader on each page of this gripping work

5 comments about The Girls in the Back of the Class.

1. I've worked in high schools for the past several years, and now am trying to get a job as a teacher. This book will be on my shelf to assist me with dealing with my class. Her methods are great! Too many teachers are so uptight that they are the cause of their own classroom problems. This author shows that great results can be had with compassion, a sprinkle of humor and a true love of her students.



2. What a wonderful book, for teachers, students, parents, anyone who might need to be reminded of how much we have to give, if we just "will". The author shows her love for her students in every passage, and it was well written, witty, and a wonderful read.
   
   Highly recommended as an entertaining, and insightful, book on teaching children who need love desperately.



3. I had the wonderful chance of reading this book. This book made me laugh and cry and jump in suspense. Ms. Johnson is a wonderful teacher who deserves awards beyong awards. The book taught me to see other parts of education. I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to anyone who is going into the education field



4. This should be required reading for every education major. I teach in an urban school; Ms. Johnson had something some of my young colleagues who quit teaching after a year do not have--resolve, persistance, and determination. There are no "bad" kids, there are kids who do "bad" things or come from "bad" environments, but as Ms. Johnson writes, it is possible to save the kids by giving a lot of ourselves.



5. I'm also an English teacher who have been teaching teen-agers for 10 years. Teaching teenagers is hard work, very stressful, depressed by themselves and the surrounding of them. I don't have such energy of love to my students as Louanne Johnson. But I can feel her pain in heart because I myself love my students. They are devils and angels at the same time. If they were devils, I could ignore them. If they were angels, I could just smile, do nothing, and just ignore them. But they are irresistable.

   I agree with Hal, her master teacher. He said to her, "Teenagers are supposed to be ungrateful little brutes. They're supposed to trample your tender feelings, break your heart. It's their job." He is always right. I wish he would be with me!!!

5 comments about Hell's Guest.

1. I meet Col. Frazier at the USS Alabama while coming home from vacation. I remembered him from "The War" series. Mt wife and I talked with him for 20 minutes and purchased 2 books. We gave one to my dad and he read it in 2 days. The other I am reading and am greating enjoying his story.
   His life after the war is very interesting.



2. Like other folks that wrote a review, I also met Col. Frazier at a book signing. Col. Frazier talked with my children that are (8) and (10) years old and have left a life long memory in their mind of a great man. I read the book in just a couple days and it is a great story and Col. Frazier is amazing to have survived in the Philippines in battle and as a POW for 3 years. I highly recommend this book to anyone.



3. During a visit to the USS Alabama memorial, my family had the priviledge to meet Col. Frazier during a book signing. Having had an Uncle who survived Pearl Harbor, this book hit very close to home and brought back painful memories that all our brave military went through during those defining years. I don't even like to read all that much, but I read this book cover to cover in just one day! A real heartfelt masterpiece.



4. I am not one for writing reviews (this is my first!), but I was so impressed and affected by this book, I had to leave a review. I met Col. Frazier at a book signing, and had him autograph a copy for my bro-in-law. On the way home I began reading Col Frazier's story and within a few pages, I found I couldn't put it down. Hell's Guest is engaging, amazing, horrifying, painfully honest, and beautiful. It is told so well, you can almost hear the bullets and feel his pain as a POW. I also appreciated how he didn't censure how he felt about the situations he found himself in - he doesn't set out to tell a heroic story about himself. He just tells his story honestly and vividly.
   
   Whether you are a WWII fanatic or not, this book will affect you page after page. With so many of our WWII vets passing away, there is an important part of history well preserved in Hell's Guest.



5. To begin, I am not related to Mr. Frazier; this book was recommended to me by a friend, so I told them I would read it. To my surprise, "Hell's Guest" is a book that cannot be put down until it is finished. This true story is gripping in its intensity, and you have to keep turning the pages to see what happens next. How Glenn Frazier survived the Death March of Bataan, much less everything that followed is nothing short of a miracle of God. If you are interested in a glimpse of World War II history - without the rose-colored glasses - then read this amazing book.

4 comments about Leadership & Strategy: Lessons From Alexander The Great.

1. This book describes in detail the enduring leadership lessons from the ruler of the ancient world and analyzes what made him so successful.
   
   You will eventually understand why so many leaders in history have been inspired by Alexander the Great and what lessons have they learned from him.
   
   The book does an excellent job presenting Alexander and identifying his "secrets". It shows how Alexander's timeless strategies have been--and can be--applied to gain a competitive advantage. The author carefully explains the skills and principles valuable to leaders, managers, and strategists.
   
   A must read for leaders and for those who aspire to become leaders.



2. This book will teach you lessons of leadership by looking back in history to one of the greatest leaders of all: Alexander the Great. You'll enjoy learning timeless leadership skills through history tales from thousands of years ago, and comparative analyses of some contemporary leaders.. Great read!



3. The author vividly describes the story of this amazing leader's life and battles and masterfully intertwines it with useful tips for today's bussiness life. Enjoyable to read from page 1 till the end. Excellent.



4. 
   This book distills the essence of the world`s greatest leader.Comparing Alexander with other outstanding leaders and modern theories , the author
   explains the most effective ways of leadership and the strategies valuable to modern leaders.

3 comments about Carl Schurz: A Biography.

1. Schurz is an unsung member of our country's historical pantheon. I had no idea he contributed so much to our history. This biography is as honest as it is thorough.



2. The biographer has obviously pored over all the relevant documents to produce a bio that is thorough as it is comprehensible. The author does not gloss over Schurz' flaws and does a good job of taking the reader step by step through the world of American politics during the latter half of the 19th century.



3. Carl Schurz is a very important and very interesting personage from the 19th Century. It is unfortunate that he has become a rather obscure figure in this century. Hans Trefousse wants to make him a little less obscure. He has written an excellent biography which should satisfy anyone interested in learning more about Carl Schurz. The book provides a comprehensive picture of Schurz's entire life. In fact only a quarter of the book covers the Civil War years. The revolutionary upheaval in Germany in the 1840's is given extensive coverage and may be the most intriguing portion of the book. There is also a complete anyalysis of the postwar years when Schurz was a leading political figure in the United States. Trefousse's 386 page work is exhaustively researched. He waded through dozens of manuscript collections and newspapers. The bibliography alone takes up 22 pages! Nineteen illustratons augment the narrative. If you are interested in Schurz, this is the book to buy.

1 comments about War Lessons: How I Fought to Be a Hero and Learned That War Is Terror.

1. John Merson is a veteran of the 3rd Platoon, K Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and served in Vietnam from April 1966 to May 1967. More than military memoir, Merson combines his experiences and writes of the limitations of war with considerations on how to prevent it, and proposes a variety of alternatives to war that are certainly compelling.
   
   This book should be on the desk of all world leaders who consider war as the only option to the solution of national differences.
   
   All royalties from "War Lessons" are donated to Project Renew, which clears unexploded ordinance in Vietnam.
   
   Richard N. Larsen
   Reviewer