Heart of a Soldier

Book Description

Heart of a Soldier is the extraordinary story of war, love and comradeship, danger and heroism, told by a Pulitzer Prize winner who is one of our finest writers.

When Rick Rescorla got home from Vietnam, he tried to put combat and death behind him, but he never could entirely. From the day he joined the British Army to fight a colonial war in Rhodesia, where he met American Special Forces' officer Dan Hill who would become his best friend, to the day he fell in love with Susan, everything in his remarkable life was preparing him for an act of generosity that would transcend all that went before.

Heart of a Soldier is a story of bravery under fire, of loyalty to one's comrades, of the miracle of finding happiness late in life. Everything about Rick's life came together on September 11. In charge of security for Morgan Stanley, he successfully got all its 2,700 men and women out of the south tower of the World Trade Center. Then, thinking perhaps of soldiers he'd held as they died, as well as the woman he loved, he went back one last time to search for stragglers.

Customer Reviews:

Best Vietnam Book Ever.......2007-09-14

I had finished We Were Soldiers Once...and Young, and I was very interested in knowing more about Cyril 'Rick' Rescorla, one of the soldiers who had been in the Ia Drang valley. I googled his name and was thrilled that this book had been written about him. After everything he survived in Vietnam to die while making sure others got to safety on 9/11, I was stunned. I have read many books about Vietnam and this is by far the best. Wow what a story. I will keep this book forever, and when I need a refresher on humanity, I will reread this magnificent story. The book is a very riveting war story, so well written I couldn't put it down. Even my friends who aren't interested in wars of the past are reading it.

What a hero.......2007-06-29

I just finished this book a few days ago and cannot believe he was a real person-he truly was a Kipling or Hemingway type of character. To be brave so many times in your life, and just trying to do the right thing is refresing to see, and we need to see more of it. His friendship with Dan is very close, and not always seen among men due to homophobia. What was most uncanny was how they knew 9/11 was coming and tried their best to prevent it. Unfortunatly it ends badly when Rick does one more heroic act, but he was a good example how to be a good, if somewhat flawed person. Needs to be made into a movie.

Two Soldier's 60 Years of Soldiering and More.......2007-05-07

From childhood in the 1940s to 2001 two men's military experiences in colonial battles in Africa, Vietnam, and events leading to 9/11 provide a chronical of military temperment and commitment. This chronology includes their training, fears, heroics, loves , and being drawn into the mechanisms of terrorism before a terroristic event sets the stage for a final act of heroism demonstrated by one of these men.

The Bond Between Men.......2006-04-21

Not since the story of Jonathan and David from the Bible has such a wonderful picture of male friendship been presented.
1Sa 18:3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
In this day of sexual immorality and homophobia, men are afraid to be true friends and never experience the bonding and cameraderie that can develop from such a friendship. Bonds such as that are often only formed through war or intense danger.
I highly recommend this book to any man who lacks a true brother-in-arms.

Couldn't put it down.......2006-04-17

A story of brave men. Some who warned of possible terrorist action and were ignored. Immigrants who spent their lives in service to the country. You will not forget this story.

Heroes and Martyrs: Emma Goldman, Sacco & Vanzetti, and the Revolutionary Struggle

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Radical History you can Hear

Heroes and Martyrs: Emma Goldman, Sacco & Vanzetti, and the Revolutionary Struggle
Howard Zinn
Manufacturer: AK Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

General | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Interviews | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

A People's History of the United States CD: Highlights from the 20th Century
Living My Life (Penguin Classics)

ASIN: 190259326X

Book Description

Howard Zinn takes us back to a newly industrialized America, the time of robber barons, tenements bursting with immigrants, and dramatic labor struggles. Zinn's colorful cast includes Vanderbilt and Carnegie, the young J. Edgar Hoover, and George Bernard Shaw, Ben Reitman, the king of the hobos; Sacco and Vanzetti, whose arrest and execution produced storms of protest around the world, and Emma Goldman, feminist, anarchist, propagandist extraordinaire.

Customer Reviews:

Radical History you can Hear.......2001-10-25

Two disks. One dedicated to telling Emma Goldman's life story, the other to the case of Sacco & Vanzetti. It's impossible to do justice to either in the space of a single, spoken-word CD, but Howard Zinn tells us enough to make it worthwhile.

These are the stories they didn't tell you in American History classes. The abuse of political activists has a long history in this country, and Zinn drives home two instances of it. If you've already read Living my Life and Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist, the Emma Goldman disk will give you little new information, but it's still fun to listen to. I hadn't read much about Sacco & Vanzetti before, but I found way too many parallels between their case and political prisoners like Mumia abu Jamal and Leonard Peltier.

Book Description

On December 3. 1999, the call crackled in to the men of Worchester, Massachusetts Fire Department: a three-alarm warehouse blaze in a six-story windowless colossus of brick and mortar. Firefighters love the excitement of a triple, but this was a different beast. What happened once insideand how their lives were changed foreveroffers and unprecedented look at these heroic men whose job it is to rush into burning buildings when everyone else just wants out.

Customer Reviews:

the book that started my addiction..........2005-06-30

All that I can say is that Sean Flynn wrote this book about a horrific true event in such a way that I feel as if I lost my friends in the blaze. I can only imagine how the true friends of these 6 men felt and continue to feel each time they see a family member of one of their perished brothers. I'm not a crying man, but I cried at some points in this story b/c they hit so close to home for one, but for two you get so wrapped up in the lives of these men that you feel the stinging pain of realizing they have died. It's a sad story, that I actually remembered hearing about after i read the book, but it's also very motivating to anybody that has thought of becoming a FF. It's almost as its a test of your heart to be a FF. Like the beginning of initiation (hazing) to become a part of a fraternity. I know two other people that read it, that upon completion(one wasn't even able to finish) withdrew from the FF applicant process in which we all signed up together. Weeds out the weak...well kinda. :o)

Either way you look at it, this is good reading. I finished in in 4 days and I was continually fussed at for 3 of those days by my 9 month pregnant girlfriend b/c I wasn't giving her the attention she wanted. Now she's reading it and i'm not getting any attention. Go fig!

Buy the book! BTW...my addiction i speak of in my title just means my addiction to FF books.

Realistic and compassionate........2005-01-14

I really enjoyed this book. My dad was a firefighter and I thought the writer portrayed the firefighters with a tough realisim without taking away their compassion for what they do. The families stories seemed to convey not only the day to day fears that all firefighters families have but, a small sense of what they went through when the unimaginable happened to them. Overall a great read by a writer who seemed to care about the subject.

WORCESTER not WORCHESTER - Keep the H out of it.......2004-03-25

Note to who ever wrote the Publishers Weekly review. Get a map. The second largest city in New England is Worcester Mass. not WorcHester. Those of us born and raised there pronounce the city to rhyme with mister.

Riviting.......2004-02-18

I read this book simply because my boyfriend said he couldn't put it down. I was mesmorized by the bravery these men went gave out to fight the fire. After every page, I kept thinking to myself, "This is TRUE." I have a stronger respect for the brave fire fighters aroundt he world. Not only is this book about the fire and the fighters themselves, but it also depicts the family's devistation after the fact. Every page brought tears to my eyes. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially family's of fire fighters. Didn't want to put it down.

Heart Wrenching.......2004-02-08

You meet Worcesters finest, go to work with them. Then the worst happens and you pray with them, cry with them, and mourn with them. This book is wonderful, I could not put it down. I cired for the families and for the Firefighters left behind.

Average customer rating:

Good human stories
Not Busiek's best, but not bad
Tales From A Different View
Not my favorite AC, but still very good.

Astro City: Local Heroes (Astro City)
Kurt Busiek
Manufacturer: Wildstorm
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Superheroes | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Astro City Vol. 3: Family Album
Astro City Vol. 4: The Tarnished Angel
Astro City Vol. 2: Confession
Astro City: Life in the Big City
Top Ten: The Forty-Niners (Top Ten)

ASIN: 1401202845

Customer Reviews:

Good human stories.......2007-08-24

"Astro City: Local Heroes" collects 9 stories that have only one character in common: the city itself. Astro City is home to many superheroes - and supervillains - and as such isn't like any other place, but most of the people that call it home are "normal" people that wouldn't be out of place anywhere else. Yet the presence of these extraordinarily powerful people plays an important role in the lives of the everyday people that also choose to make Astro City home, and each of the tales in "Local Heroes" focuses on these people, using the Super heroes and villains as background characters (although not unimportant ones) to tell the tales of ordinary folks living in a world where the extraordinary isn't uncommon. The main characters of the tales include a hotel valet, a comic book writer, a stuntman/actor, a trial lawyer, a young boy, and an elderly retired super hero.
The ability to tell good human stories is something of a trademark of Kurt Busiek, and this one is on par with Marvels and Secret Identity two previous excellent works of his. It is a type of writing that I wish was more common in comic books. Highly recommended (and not just to superhero comicbook fans), 4.5/5 stars.

Not Busiek's best, but not bad.......2006-01-31

This collection of nine mostly separate stories is considerably above the average, much better in my opinion than the earlier Astro City stuff I've read. "Knock Wood" and "Justice Systems" is the only two-parter, about a criminal defense lawyer who finds a new way to defend his obviously guilty mob client and finds himself in a bad place for doing his job; it's easily the best story here, with the attorney's musings (in 1974) about losing faith in society and the government, and in the legal system generally. "After the Fire" is a short one without even any superheroes in it, about real heroism; it's actually a very affecting short story with pictures. "Shiny Armor," which won an award, is about a superhero trying to learn to become human, and it's pretty good, too. The other stories aren't up to that level, but none of them are badly done.

Tales From A Different View.......2005-11-30

Astro City has been a favorite of mine ever since I first stumbled upon it. Bringing to mind Hero Alliance with its non-standard approach to superhero comics, Astro City is about the people and the people behind the mask and not about the fights and defeating the supervillains. This collections contains stories of different sorts of heroes than what are usually found in a comic.

We start with Astro City as seem through the eyes of a doorman at one of its finer hotels. Next we see the city through the eyes of a local comic book company and includes some industry cameos. Next a soap opera star playing a super hero gets caught up in reality. Then we see a love story from the view of the mortal woman who loved and lost. Next an Astro City resident learns about heroes in the heartland. Then a two-issue story examines the legal system as it meet the hero world. Then a retired hero is called back into service. Finally a short story honoring firemen and 9/11 ends the collection.

A wonderful collection that shows not all superhero comics are cast from the same mold. Some aren't cast at all but finely crafted as unique works of art. If you are unfamiliar with Astro City, this volume would make an fine introduction to the series. Existing fans will still find it fresh and original. Check it out.

Not my favorite AC, but still very good........2005-11-28

This volume in the Astro City series (vol. 5?) was a little different than the previous volumes. While the Astro City series has always tried to portray its heroes and people in a realistic light, this book seemed to focus more on the people and what it's like to live in the world of Astro City. The heroes are still there, but they are in the background. The stories follow the regular people and how they live their lives. This happened once before in one of the previous volumes. The story focused on a newspaper editor and his first story about the Shirrak shark worshippers. But here, all but one is about everyday people. Newcomers is about hotel doorman, Pete Donacek. Where the Action Is is about comic book writer Sally Twinings. Great Expectations is about stuntman turned actor, Mitch Goodman. Shining Armor is about political aide, Irene Meriwether. Pastoral is about city girl Camilla spending the summer at her Uncle's farm. Knock Wood is about attorney Vince Oleck. Justice Systems is also about Vince Oleck and continues from where the previous story ended. Old Times is about retired superhero Dale Enright, aka Supersonic. Since the Fire is about former firefighter Arnie Prentice. Don't get me wrong. Every Astro City book is well worth the price. And while I appreciate the intent behind focusing on the real people, I do still like reading about the super heroes rather than the local heroes.

No Heroes: Inside the FBI's Secret Counter-Terror Force

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Inside the FBIs secret ct force
True account of true heroes
An Elitist Attitude Revealed
Hostage Rescue from the front lines
More than the title infers

No Heroes: Inside the FBI's Secret Counter-Terror Force
Daniel Coulson , and Sharon Shannon
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Law Enforcement | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Espionage | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team
Swat Teams: Explosive Face-Offs With America's Deadliest Criminals
Inside : A Top G-Man Exposes Spies, Lies, and Bureaucratic Bungling in the FBI
Black : A Novel
The FBI: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Enforcement Agency

ASIN: 0671020625
Release Date: 2001-04-03

Book Description

Includes all-new material for this edition: the latest intelligence from the man who came forward with the truth about Waco.

After a career that spanned three decades, Danny O. Coulson now uncovers the secretive world of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, or HRT -- the civilian equivalent of the U.S. military's elite Delta Force -- a group that executes perilous missions in crises too volatile for SWAT teams.

In a catalog of some of the most notorious criminal events of the last thirty years, Coulson provides his own enthralling firsthand accounts and reflective personal opinions of his experiences in bringing hundreds of murderous extremists and killers to justice -- from the Black Liberation Army police assassins to the treacherous white supremacist terrorists of the Order and the Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord; from the Atlanta prison riots to the controversial sieges at Ruby Ridge and Waco; and his investigations into the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City bombings.

The narrative springs to life with nerve-tingling electricity as Coulson discloses the tactics and the teamwork of HRT snipers, operators, and negotiators, as well as experts in assaults, electronics, and explosives -- and explains why, on our future path to justice, there must be No Heroes.

Customer Reviews:

Inside the FBIs secret ct force.......2007-03-26

Have not recived the book yet, so i am not very happy

True account of true heroes.......2003-10-27

Although Danny O. Coulson didn't want his agents to be known as heroes (for taking unnecessary risks), this book illustrates how he and every one of his agents in the HRT were definitely far beyond the status of hero. He gives in depth accounts of how he formed the HRT and many of their missions after having served as an FBI SWAT agent. An excellent read. He sought no honor, but he definitely deserves it.

An Elitist Attitude Revealed.......2003-07-20

I found Danny Coulson's book an interesting read but I think his attitude about armed citizens was brought forward very clearly in two unrelated incidents. It's the same liberal view we see in the left wing gun control advocates who would like to see us all disarmed and helpless. While they, because they can afford it, have their own armed guards to watch over and protect them.

Mr. Coulson was sent to disarm and arrest an evil doer. What was the man's crime? Why he dared to arm himself to protect his home, family, friends, and nation against what he saw as a government out of control. A threatto his personal life and liberties. Had he threatened anyone? If he did it wasn't related as far as I can recollect. Were the man's fears founded? Well, apparently they were since the very government he feared sent armed men to his doorstep to disarm and arrest him! A man about whom Danny Coulson had no good thing to say. He described this man in the most unflattering and derogatory terms.

We move further down the book and Mr. Coulson finds himself feeling threatened by the very government he has served so faithfully for so many many years. What does he do? Why he arms himself with a full automatic weapon and an automatic sidearm to protect himself and his family. He carries the rifle right on the seat with him wherever he goes! Does he see this as a double standard in contrast to his earlier behaviour? Apparently not because that guy was just a stupid average joe and he, Danny Coulson, was a highly trained "elite" FBI Agent. Danny Coulson displayed the typical attitude of politicians, government agents, and even some local police departments. His actions, in each case, define Danny Coulson more than any other incidents he relates. A double standard and an elitist attitude.

Hostage Rescue from the front lines.......2003-04-25

Coulson's book offers an intriguing look at the politics and logistics of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team from his unique perspective as the unit's first leader. Politically savvy and cynical, Coulson reveals the frustratingly complicated issues that surround most rescue situations, while rewarding readers with those rare incidents when everything went right. Like many books of this nature, Coulson focuses primarily on key events rather than on his personal feelings about the results of his actions. It is an invigorating read for those who enjoy true crime written by those who lived it. David R. Bannon, Ph.D.; author "Race Against Evil."

More than the title infers.......2002-11-25

There is an interesting juxtaposition apparent in this book. Coulson, a career FBI agent and one time SAC (Special Agent in Charge) of three Bureau regional offices, plays himself against an overwhelmingly bureaucratic and politically sensitive FBI. Coulson's view is at once an outsider and, at the same time, an insider in most of the major and politically sensitive episodes in the Bureau's last twenty-plus years. The author appears to hold particular disdain for the politcally astute Bureau culture that, at times, seems to only be concerned with it's decisions after they have already taken their toll (reference the railroading of the author for his role in the Ruby Ridge episode several YEARS after the events unfolded). What is interesting is that Coulson almost certainly had to play into some of that political mindset to achieve his various supervisory roles. It is without question that Coulson played by the rules. But he played his cards. His furry regarding the inquisition against him is understandable; to this much he admits. The Bureau's headhunt infected his faith in the FBI and, more importantly, the Justice Department hierarchy. It brought with it a disappointing and trying end to an otherwise stellar and unblemished career. And, perhaps most disturbing it made he and his family the unfortunate target of baseless death threats.

No Heroes is not without some minor stylistic flaws but it excels at what it is intended to do: to highlight the everyday heroes of the FBI who selflessly pursue the most base of society's detritus while managing against many odds to maintain honor and follow the FBI's respect worthy code: Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity.

Coulson's book reserves disdain for the most heinous in our society and the occasional career bureaucrat. And while it entertains certain whims of it's author, there is no reason to believe that Coulson is less than a hero to the men and women he served with. He is worthy of respect and this book deserves more than a passing glance.

A Popular History of Western North Carolina: Mountains, Heroes & Hootnoggers
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A Book of People

A Popular History of Western North Carolina: Mountains, Heroes & Hootnoggers
Rob Neufeld
Manufacturer: The History Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
North Carolina | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
South Carolina | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
South | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Western North Carolina: A History from 1730 to 1913

Mountain Passages: Natural and Cultural History of Western North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains

Touring the Western North Carolina Backroads (Touring the Backroads)

The Heart of Confederate Appalachia: Western North Carolina in the Civil War (Civil War America)

Old Wounds (Dell Mystery)

ASIN: 1596291834
Release Date: 2007-02-28

Product Description

For those who visit and those who make the region their home, there is something captivating about the mountains of Western North Carolina. These ancient hills have cradled a culture that encompasses Cherokee heritage, pioneer legacies and urban visions. With a warm, accessible style, longtime Asheville Citizen-Times writer Rob Neufeld offers an exploration of Western North Carolina's history through the stories of its people. We meet Lillian Exum Clement, the first female legislator in the South; and Nina Simone, the African American prodigy from Tryon. We get to view controversial elements of the Civil War in Western North Carolina from multiple points of view and draw our own conclusions. We comprehend the variety of people who have created the region as it exists now alive with traditions, contradictions and promise. Instead of merely reciting historical fact, Neufeld helps readers understand the history of the mountains by allowing us to walk in the shoes of the Native Americans, farmers, soldiers and others who preceded us. More than an enlightening read, this book illuminates the progression of frontier life that we have come to know as Western North Carolina history. By linking the lives and experiences of the land s various inhabitants, Neufeld captures the spirit of Appalachia within this volume.

Customer Reviews:

A Book of People.......2007-07-21

Neufeld's Popular History of WNC is a true marvel and the sort of history I like best. It's people.

Neufeld's research is detailed and accurate, as it should be, but he takes a giant step closer to his research than most -- he talks with people. His section on WNC women by itself is to be applauded and cheered. The personal histories of everyday life among railroad and lumber camp women, trainmen's wives, members of the 1920s High School Girls' Championship Basektball team, and others, sets a high goal for other historians.

You don't just read about history in this wonderful book. You meet the people who are history. What a rare treat it is being introduced to Inez Virginia Daughtery. Neufeld lets her tell you what it was like growing up black in Black Mountain in the 1920s. Bee Fraizer's life as a black nanny in WWII Asheville is told both through her original letters from the 1940s and through Neufeld's conversations with Jordan Maynard, who grew up under the care and attention of his nanny Bee. Written history doesn't get any better than this.

Neufeld's "peoples' history" moves from the original Cherokee of the area, the settlers and pioneer families, the War of Separation... to the lives (and death) of the people behind a roadside memorial of a simple white cross with the name Festus prainted on it --- and to a delightful contemporary profile of Maria and Juan Carballo, who migrated to Arden, North Carolina, from the mountains of El Salvador. I'm proud to call them neighbors.

The music of the mountains is always in the background (and sometimes the foreground) of Neufeld's insightful work. Still, it is the voices of the people you will remember best.

A handsome book, Neufeld's "Mountains, Heroes, & Hootnoggers" includes numerous historical photographs. Like all good books, though, the best pictures here are drawn by words. The book concludes with a very useful bibliography. But don't be fooled; the real bibliography of this volume is the author himself -- and the people he has met. You need to meet them, too.

From Home Guards to Heroes: The 87th Pennsylvania And Its Civil War Community (Shades of Blue and Gray Series)

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My Review of From Home Guards to Heroes
Untold Story

From Home Guards to Heroes: The 87th Pennsylvania And Its Civil War Community (Shades of Blue and Gray Series)
Dennis W. Brandt
Manufacturer: University of Missouri Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Regiments | Military | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862

ASIN: 0826216803

Customer Reviews:

My Review of From Home Guards to Heroes.......2007-09-15

From Home Guards to Heroes is a thoroughly researched, creative, and engaging history of the 87th Pennsylvania Infantry and the primary location from which its members came, Adams and York Counties, Pennsylvania. (Reviewer's disclosure: my great-great-great uncle, Daniel P. Reigle, was a member of Company F of the 87th, leading to my personal interest in this unit.)

The foundation of this book is Brandt's extensive research: U.S. census records, nearly 2000 Compiled Military Service Records, and over 1000 pension files for 87th Pennsylvania members, in addition to those records for over 800 men from the Adams/York areas who enlisted in other units in 1861. This study yields descriptive data on the 87th and comparative data relative to men in other units on factors such as their professions, age, physical characteristics, age at death, life expectancy, American-born and foreign-born, and their personal worth in personal property and real estate at the time they enlisted. The data on 1861 enlistments (both 87th and other units) is presented with the 1860 Lincoln vote for each of the fifty-five townships and boroughs in the two counties.

The quantitative research is complemented by extensive use of newspapers, including not only major city newspapers, but the local newspapers in the Gettysburg, York, and Hanover, important for understanding the political landscape and personalities in the area. For example, in addition to the rich contemporary information yielded by those newspapers, this research also yielded the valuable recollections by Michael Heiman in the York Gazette in 1891-1892. Further, Brandt has made use of any available manuscript sources, such as the George Blotcher papers at the excellent library of the York County Historical Trust, the Thomas Crowl papers at the U.S. Army Military History Institute and Penn State University libraries, and other materials provided by 87th descendants. He uses this information to create "sketches" of each company in the 87th, and the primary officers who were instrumental in its formation and its four years of service. I have seen many of these names "on paper" in years of reading about the 87th, but I found Brandt's sketches to provide an entirely new level of perspective on the men themselves.

This is a "real people" approach to the regiment's people and history, and it does not hesitate to share information that is delicate or uncomplimentary. For example, in the unit's rush to organize, there was no attempt to make any pre-enlistment physical examination of the potential enlistees. Brandt presents data to show that this resulted in more than 11% of the 1861 enlistees leaving the service for illness or injury; by comparison, the 7th PA Reserves' Company H, recruited in the same area, conducted full physical exams and experienced less than half that level of attrition. At another level that paints a less-than-heroic picture of some of the 87th's men, the unit was chartered and recruited primarily to provide security on the important Northern Central Railroad between Harrisburg and Baltimore. Although this was critically important to the Union effort in the first year of the war, such duty was not expected to involve major combat, long marches, or significant hardships at great distances from home. As a result, there was significant consternation among some parts of the 87th when their mission changed to becoming a fighting unit in the Union Army. Brandt examines the subject of desertions in detail, both real and on paper only, especially those occurring in the aftermath of the 87th's loss of 293 men captured at 2nd Winchester during the prelude to Gettysburg in June 1863. Drawing on Ella Lonn's classic Desertion During the Civil War for perspective, he provides many details on the individual cases of some men who intended to desert and did so, but also includes cases that illustrate how men could be tagged as "deserters" unfairly due to cumbersome administrative processes,. Finally, the chapter on "South-Central Pennsylvania and Race" will undoubtedly leave readers with roots in the 87th's home territory with a better understanding of the complex views of the community on race, slavery, emancipation, and the meaning of citizenship, but also with some embarrassment in accepting in our 21st Century the opinions of our ancestors in the 19th Century. These are difficult subjects to tackle objectively and fairly, and I commend the author for doing so. It provides additional perspective for the 87th's solid performance as part of the VI Corps in 1864 and 1865.

A difficult choice for the author of any regimental history is how much detail to include on the battles in which the unit participated. Brandt made the choice to not attempt to relate in detail the battles at 2nd Winchester, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, 3rd Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, the Petersburg Campaign including the Breakthrough on 2nd April 1865, and the Appomattox Campaign. He does include a more extensive analysis of Monocacy because of the 87th's pivotal role there in slowing down Early's advance on Washington D.C. This is clearly the right choice, in my opinion, because it enables Brandt to use the space of his book to focus on the 87th, while the reader interested in more depth on the 87th at the major battles can readily turn to other excellent studies.

This book will be of value to anyone studying the genealogy or local history of the York/Adams County area. However, I also believe this book to be of significant value to anyone interested in an indepth understanding and history of a Union infantry regiment. Although the 87th was, of course, a set of specific individuals and events, the themes, dynamics, and patterns likely have a high degree of similarity in other units. I will not only be re-reading this book more than once, but will use it as a valuable reference in my own Civil War genealogy and history research.

Untold Story.......2007-02-10

If you are looking for a Civil War story that is new and different this is the book for you. I was held captive from start to finish. Dennis Brandt tells, after 10 years of research, the story only he can tell. The story of the 87th Pennsylvania. It is a story about the lives of the boys from York and Adams county. Yes, Gettysburg is in Adams County but this is not another tired tale of that great story. It is instead about how the boys started their Army life rather dull, guarding railroads ect. as many battles raged on in other parts of the U.S.A. But our boys get taken captive, they escape, they die and in the end we ponder over whether The Grand Old Flag would still fly over those states south of Mason-Dixon if not for these HEROS.

Average customer rating:

Graphic SF Reader
One of the most engaging cast of characters in comics
"This is sick, man. We just smoked Flipper."
Probably the coolest funniest Hitman storyline

Hitman: Local Heroes (Hitman)
Garth Ennis
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

DC Comics | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Superheroes | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
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Hitman: Who Dares Wins (Hitman)
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Hitman: 10,000 Bullets
Hitman
Fables Vol. 7: Arabian Nights (and Days)

ASIN: 1563895099

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

There are some amusing moments here. Who would want to team up with Hitman? Well, not Kyle Rayner, but the Green Lantern here has little choice as he goes up against some dodgy types with a definitely dodgy partner.

The other small part in this is an encounter with some zombie sea life, if you can imagine that.

One of the most engaging cast of characters in comics.......2005-08-11

With characters informed by what seems to be every guy movie ever made, from Fistful of Dollars to Pulp Fiction, Garth Ennis and Joel McCrea created a remarkably deep comic book world with characters that genuinely grew on you.

Set in the murkiest back alleys and tenements of Batman's Gotham City, drawn with such vivid detail I swear you can almost hear the sirens in the background, Hitman featured a host of weird losers and twisted dreamers, from the hilarious to the profane, all struggling to survive their miserable circumstances (situations into which they admit they've gotten themselves).

The action here (and there is plenty of it, great, bloody ungodly amounts of it) is actually secondary to the stories of the characters - from the smoothly confident Chow Yun Fat-inspired Johnny Ringo to the hilarious Six-Pack (THE funniest character I have ever seen), to Natt the Hat and Tommy "Hitman" Monaghan, each one of these people lives and breathes...there are times when the characters are talking and you can almost hear their voices, feel their emotions. On the occasion of a main character's death, and there were many of them, there was an actual fatal resonance. Usually a character dies and you find yourself wondering how long it'll be before they bring him back - here there's a terrible finality to it, a strange sense of loss, difficult to describe until you've actually gotten into the series a bit, but once hooked, I guarantee you'll know what I mean.

That's not to say that the book is solemn - it's actually one of the funniest titles you'll ever find. In addition to the aforementioned Six-Pack, you'll also find his superhero team-mates Section Eight, a group of super-losers which include The Defenestrator and Dog-Welder (who...well...welds dogs onto evil-doers). Then there's the hilarious fellow hitman Hacken (who has one of the funniest scenes in the entire series when he's bitten by a zombified seal) and Baytor, otherworldly bartender whose name you cannot forget, no matter how you try. Just remembering these characters makes me want to go back and reread the whole series. I think the generous laugh-out-loud humor is, oddly, what made the serious moments more meaningful - it provided an unsettling contrast, a feeling of "laugh now 'cause tomorrow we die" that seemed to always be on the periphery of these stories.

I'm speaking in the past tense here because, lamentably, Garth Ennis ended this series after only 60-some issues, a decision I've read that Ennis himself now regrets. Although he's received a lot more praise for such worthy titles as Preacher and The Punisher, I think this is the one title that he should be best remembered for. People who believe that Bendis is the best 'talking heads' writer in comics really need to check this out.

I hope that one day DC will give Hitman the Preacher treatment and release the entire series. It's a shame that more people can't read this brilliant, bizarre series.

"This is sick, man. We just smoked Flipper.".......2004-01-26

I've always enjoyed readin' Garth Ennis' four-color adventures; his knack for getting me to laugh at the sickest and most wrong things ever put to the Bristol board always keeps me comin' back to the local comic shop for more. And there are fewer things that are more wrong than some of the stuff depicted in the pages of this volume of the Hitman series. Helping things out with most of this collection is the artwork of John McCrea, who gives the book's more over-the-top moments (AKA the aforementioned sick & wrong things) just the right look for maximum "Oh-my-God-I-can't-believe-I'm-laughing-at-this-stuff" effect.

The best example of the pox this dynamic writer-artist duo has unleashed upon the world of comics is the "Zombie Night at the Gotham Aquarium" story arc. The titular anti-hero Monaghan and a few of his fellows are hired to pop a mad scientist who turns the aquarium's sea creatures into undead zombies. When a red-eyed army of seals, penguins, octopi, and other assorted marine fauna corners the protagonists, they're forced to fight their way out-- with guns, clubs, and chainsaws. The ensuing carnage of cartoonish ultraviolence most likely put Ennis and McCrea on Greenpeace's $#!+ list, and is one of the funniest freakin' things I've ever experienced in all my years of comic-book geekdom.

Also included in this TPB is Monaghan's "team-up" with an overly verbose Green Lantern against a corrupt Gotham City police force & some shady government types, as well as a modern-day tribute to spaghetti westerns. While both yarns have more than their fair share of the kinda dark humor and over-the-top mayhem that have become Ennis' bread and butter, the zombie aquarium adventure steals the show for me. Just make sure you don't start on it `til your tree-hugging hippie friends have all gone home...

`Late

Probably the coolest funniest Hitman storyline.......1999-10-03

first there's the ultra-cool multiparter with Hitman facing off against Green Lantern, which results in a hilarious confrontation. then there's the two parter about the zoo animals turning into zombies, really really hilarious. you can't go wrong!

City of Heroes: The Great Charleston Earthquake of 1886

Average customer rating:

Great Present - S.C. Lovers
Part science, part history, all fascinating...
Charleston resident/earthquake fan
a comprehensive look at disaster recovery that worked
Detailing a Little-known Disaster

City of Heroes: The Great Charleston Earthquake of 1886
Richard N. Cote
Manufacturer: Corinthian Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Earthquakes & Volcanoes | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Geophysics | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Personal Experience of the Great Charleston Earthquake
Strength And Honor: The Life Of Dolley Madison
Mary's World: Love, War, and Family Ties in Nineteenth-century Charleston
The Redneck Riviera

ASIN: 1929175450
Release Date: 2006-08-11

Product Description

At 9:51 PM on August 31, 1886, William Ashmead Courtenay, the much-respected mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, was relaxing aboard the Etruria, an elite Cunard luxury liner bound for New York from Liverpool. At that same moment, the most powerful earthquake ever to strike the East Coast rolled through South Carolina and devastated Charleston, killing over 150 people and damaging or destroying over 90% of the historic city's masonry buildings within sixty seconds. Within ten minutes, it had spread its terror throughout half the nation, causing panic and damage as far north as Toronto, east to Long Island, south to Cuba, and west to St. Louis. The nation was stunned. No one in Charleston, or anywhere on the East coast, ever thought such an unthinkable catastrophe of such magnitude could possibly strike east of the Mississippi. They were very, very wrong.

City of Heroes: The Great Charleston Earthquake of 1886, is a riveting, heavily illustrated non-fiction book filled with gripping, first-hand accounts of the earthquake, drawn directly from newspapers, personal diaries, journals, and letters of the earthquake survivors. It will also follow the earthquake sleuths who descended upon Charleston to discover what caused the disaster. But above all, it identifies the noble and heartwarming acts of numerous unsung heroes, black and white, inspired and led by Charleston's extraordinary mayor, William A. Courtenay. Working together, they saved numerous lives, nursed the wounded, fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless and enabled Charleston to make a full recovery from the massive disaster within eighteen months.

Customer Reviews:

Great Present - S.C. Lovers.......2007-04-05

Purchased this book for a gift to an ardent S.C. resident. But read it first. It is informative and detailed - lots of pictures. Also purchased "Red Neck Riviera" - it was great - 5 stars.

Part science, part history, all fascinating..........2007-01-25

Charleston, South Carolina is my favorite city, so it's only natural that I enjoy books that deal with the Holy City. City of Heroes: The Great Charleston Earthquake of 1886 is a fascinating account of this little known event.

Most people know that Charleston has been plagued by hurricanes, fires and wars. But most are not aware that in 1886, the city suffered a devastating earthquake--the worst east of the Mississippi in US history. On a sultry summer evening on August 31st, Charleston and the surrounding areas were rocked by a major quake. Although seismic equipment was not available at the time, geologists have determined that it was probably between 7.3-7.6 on the Richter Scale. Dozens of people died and dozens more were injured. Two-thirds of Charleston's population (40,000 people) were left homeless. The quake also caused many fires and several fatal train wrecks. Overall, the quake "spread a dry tidal wave of destruction throughout 2.5 million square miles of land." Even towns 300 miles away suffered moderate damage. Soldiers who fought in the Civil War agreed that the quake was worse than "the horrors of war." The quake also took away the sense of security enjoyed by Charlestonians because of the many tremors and small quakes that occurred on a daily basis after August 31st. It wasn't until 20 years later that the quakes and tremors finally subsided. For months afterward, they were a daily occurrence.

Cote' provides us with a fascinating look at all aspects of the earthquake including the after effects, the search for ground zero, the rebuilding effort, fundraising, and the many individuals who performed heroic acts. Part of City of Heroes is a story of science. Every time more knowledge became available about earthquakes, scientists went back and restudied the Charleston quake. Many of their discoveries are fairly recent. But most of this book is a story of history, and Cote' provides us with interesting research. When Charleston mayor Courtenay realized the city would receive no federal or state financial aid, he appealed to the rest of the US for help. This triggered "an outpouring of warmth, sympathy, and financial support the likes of which had never been seen before in the South." But more surprisingly, the biggest contributors were from "the heart of the Union" whose "money flowed like water." Much of the money came from former soldiers. Also, when a week-long gala was held to celebrate the completion of rebuilding, the city was laid out in red, white and blue with tens of thousands of American flags. Not a single state flag was on display and only one Confederate flag. It is obvious that both North and South were anxious to put the Civil War behind them--something that generations today can't quite seem to do.

The earthquake is also responsible for the beautiful, historic Charleston that tourists flock to today. After suffering through the Civil War, a cyclone in 1885 and then the earthquake, Charlestonians were too poor to raze the city and rebuild. So they were forced to repair as best they could using earthquake bolts. This allowed thousands of historic buildings to be saved, and those same earthquake bolts can still be seen on almost all buildings that were in existence in 1886.

City of Heroes is Cote's fourth book, and his third with a "Charleston" theme. I think that he's at his best when writing about Charleston, and City of Heroes is his best book to date.

Charleston resident/earthquake fan.......2006-12-09

As a lifelong resident of Charleston SC I have heard of the earthquake since childhood but had found little information. Mr. Cote has put within reach of the everyday person facts that here-to-fore have been inaccessible. He documents the causes, effects, and long term results. Not only does he relate Charleston's history from her birth in 1670 as Charles Towne, but he emphasizes the strength of her people as they overcame epidemics of disease, devastating fires, British invasion and siege in 1781-82, bombardment and occupation by the Union Army in 1863-65, and the unleashed forces of nature in the forms of tornadoes, cyclones, and now her hardest hit -- the Great Earthquake of 1886. Genealogists will find this a useful tool as Mr. Cote records names of injured and killed as well as the ordinary people who became the heroes. He ends on a sober note explaining the devastation, destruction, and loss of life that will occur with the next big one. Those fault lines which erupted in 1886 are still being stressed, the plates are still moving, and the pressure will release when it builds to the point it can no longer be contained. He warns: be prepared, be educated, and above all don't be complacent. The book contains maps, diagrams, informative end notes and bibliography. This is an interesting read and a valuable addition to one's library.

a comprehensive look at disaster recovery that worked.......2006-11-23

In 1886, Charleston, SC got the smackdown. A major earthquake just plain flattened the place, with after-shocks to keep everyone good and nervous. This is the story. Dick Cote always does a good job of research, so that aspect of _City of Heroes_ didn't surprise me at all.

After the disaster came the recovery effort, and that part surprised me quite a bit. It seems that some places, when struck by disaster, just roll over and wave their arms and legs; they expect others to save them, that they need do nothing for themselves. Give me, help me, send me, take me, do it all for me, that's the battle cry. Charleston wasn't like that. It accepted a lot of donations from around the country, got to work, and rebuilt itself. It took charge. It neither had nor needed a FEMA. Civic spirit took the place of government dollars thrown at the problem, because in fact Charleston got few government dollars. The one entity most conspicuous by its non-participation was the Federal government.

Cote rounds the book out with a couple of long discussions (one from the period and one more recent) about the scientific aspects of the quake. Why would one happen in Charleston, seemingly far from subduction zones where such events are more or less expected? They wondered in 1886, and they now have a pretty good handle on it.

Last comes a section I particularly enjoyed: lessons learned. What does a place need to do once it's been knocked flat by Ma Nature? I find it impossible to disagree with his analysis. The results Charleston achieved speak for themselves: within a year the place was nearly back to normal. Evidently they wanted normality badly enough to recreate it for themselves, rather than just lay there screaming to be rescued/saved/paid/fed/etc.

Good for Charleston. I've never been there, but if its people are still like this, good for them. And good for Cote, to have assembled this impressive study on a little-known bit of U.S. history.

Detailing a Little-known Disaster .......2006-09-18

August 31, 1886, was a night of horror in Charleston and Summerville, South Carolina, when faults gave way, destroying buildings and impacting thousands of lives. Richard Côté, in City of Heroes, takes his readers through the terrifying darkness of that night with the sounds and destruction of the earthquake and fires; he then follows the relief and rebuilding efforts of the next months. With admirable fortitude the people of Charleston put their world back together. Without aid from the state and with unimaginably meager federal assistance, the city organized and financed initial relief and repairs with amazing speed and efficiency. The flood of totally private donations, especially those from northern states, left citizens feeling gratifyingly bound to the rest of the country. The author uses many photographs and primary sources, including Charleston's excellent newspaper, the News and Courier, to develop a timeline and to paint portraits of the men who led the city's recovery. The recovery approaches used in 1886 form the basis of Mr. Côté's Charleston Disaster Recovery Model. A particularly interesting aspect of the book is its discussion of the investigative team from the U.S. Geological Survey and their work and conclusions. The book is rigorously documented, highly objective, and readable. Could it happen again? One of the final chapters brings the reader up-to-date on scientific work in the area and provides both Internet and printed sources of earthquake-preparedness information--just in case.

Average customer rating:

Texas Iconoclast
Maury Maverick
Manufacturer: Texas Christian University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0875651720

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