Amazon.com
The Battle of Iwo Jima, fought in the winter of 1945 on a rocky island south of Japan, brought a ferocious slice of hell to earth: in a month's time, more than 22,000 Japanese soldiers would die defending a patch of ground a third the size of Manhattan, while nearly 26,000 Americans fell taking it from them. The battle was a turning point in the war in the Pacific, and it produced one of World War II's enduring images: a photograph of six soldiers raising an American flag on the flank of Mount Suribachi, the island's commanding high point.
One of those young Americans was John Bradley, a Navy corpsman who a few days before had braved enemy mortar and machine-gun fire to administer first aid to a wounded Marine and then drag him to safety. For this act of heroism Bradley would receive the Navy Cross, an award second only to the Medal of Honor.
Bradley, who died in 1994, never mentioned his feat to his family. Only after his death did Bradley's son James begin to piece together the facts of his father's heroism, which was but one of countless acts of sacrifice made by the young men who fought at Iwo Jima. Flags of Our Fathers recounts the sometimes tragic life stories of the six men who raised the flag that February day--one an Arizona Indian who would die following an alcohol-soaked brawl, another a Kentucky hillbilly, still another a Pennsylvania steel-mill worker--and who became reluctant heroes in the bargain. A strongly felt and well-written entry in a spate of recent books on World War II, Flags gives a you-are-there depiction of that conflict's horrible arenas--and a moving homage to the men whom fate brought there. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
In this unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American military history, James Bradley has captured the glory, the triumph, the heartbreak, and the legacy of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. Here is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to symbolize the courage and indomitable will of America.
In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jima—and into history. Through a hail of machine-gun and mortar fire that left the beaches strewn with comrades, they battled to the island's highest peak. And after climbing through a landscape of hell itself, they raised a flag.
Now the son of one of the flagraisers has written a powerful account of six very different young men who came together in a moment that will live forever.
To his family, John Bradley never spoke of the photograph or the war. But after his death at age seventy, his family discovered closed boxes of letters and photos. In
Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley draws on those documents to retrace the lives of his father and the men of Easy Company. Following these men's paths to Iwo Jima, James Bradley has written a classic story of the heroic battle for the Pacific's most crucial island—an island riddled with Japanese tunnels and 22,000 fanatic defenders who would fight to the last man.
But perhaps the most interesting part of the story is what happened after the victory. The men in the photo—three were killed during the battle—were proclaimed heroes and flown home, to become reluctant symbols. For two of them, the adulation was shattering. Only James Bradley's father truly survived, displaying no copy of the famous photograph in his home, telling his son only: "The real heroes of Iwo Jima were the guys who didn't come back."
Few books ever have captured the complexity and furor of war and its aftermath as well as
Flags of Our Fathers. A penetrating, epic look at a generation at war, this is history told with keen insight, enormous honesty, and the passion of a son paying homage to his father. It is the story of the difference between truth and myth, the meaning of being a hero, and the essence of the human experience of war.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
The story of Mt. Suribachi.......2007-10-09
It is one of the most iconic photographs ever taken. It has become the symbol for the valor and the attitude of the Marine Corps. IT is the photograph of six Marines raising a flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. All of us have probably seen this photograph and I know that I was always struck by it - it is a classic pattern in art and it also captures a moment in wartime. There are six soldiers raising a flag. you see the taut bodies, the focus and concentration. And, you see the debris all around them. The detritus of war.
This book tells the story of that photograph but also - and more importantly - the story of the men who were captured in the image and the photographer both before, during, and after the war. The story is pieced together and told by a son of one of the men in the photograph - "Doc" Bradley, the only Navy guy in the tale. The book follows the lives of all six men who are pictured from their hardscrabble beginnings, their decision to join the Marine Corps, and then their role in the Iwo Jima battle and beyond. Three of the men died on Iwo Jima; three survived. Of the three that survived, only two had children. One of those is "Doc" Bradley, and his son tells the tale of them all.
This book is not really about how glorious war is and what kinds of heroes these six men were. No, it portrays war in the ugly, brutal, tormenting fashion that it has without skimping on the details of how many ways men can be killed. Nor does it skimp on descriptions of the atrocities that the Japanese committed both before, during, and after this campaign. There is a lot of apologia given by the author for the Japanese behavior during the war. He describes it as a non-typical Japanese time period repeatedly. Towards the end of the book we find out that he spent several years in Japan and at one point in his life believed that the Japanese were forced to start the war by what Roosevelt supposedly did.
By focusing almost exclusively on the life of these six men, the author manages to paint a picture of World War II America and how "the whole country was one" which is an interesting contrast to today's situation.
The yearlong preparations for the battle are described. The battle itself is described in detail with every one of the six men's participation chronicled in exhaustive detail including the way three of them died. Many other stories are interwoven but only briefly touched upon. One of them, that could have been better served by being described more fully was the story of Bradley's "special buddy" Iggy who is also killed on Iwo Jima. Only in the latter parts of the book do we discover how he died.
Doc Bradley himself wins the Navy Cross on Iwo Jima. However, he never displays it and his eight children are astonished to find out about it after his death in the early 1990's. This launches his son to research the group, the photograph, and the lives of all six men.
The story covers the way they were treated after the photograph was published; how they became the main draw in a bond raising tour; how they behaved during the tour; and how they handled the rest of their lives. There is a strong pathos there and a lot of tragic awareness of how these shell-shocked young men were basically told to grin and bear it and how some of them did, and some of them did not. The story of Ira Hayes and his rapid deterioration into drink is a sad one while the story of Rene Gagnon is no better. Only Bradley lives out a normal middle class life but the author is careful to portray even his own father as suffering from the horrors of what he experienced.
This is a good book to read to find out how war affected young Americans during WW2. It is a good introduction to the horrors, atrocities, and pain of war. It is a good book to help you in understanding how America handled and survived WW2. And, it is also a good book to understand why people called it "the good war" and why we can probably never have that kind of feeling again. When I closed the book, I wiped a tear from my eye, laid it down beside me, and thought like Doc Bradley: the only heroes on Iwo Jima were those who did not come back.
A Masterpiece of History!.......2007-09-28
My grandfather fought on Bougainville and Guadalcanal which are both mentioned often in this book. To this day grandpa does not speak of the war. After reading this book, I understand why. This book embodies the human spirit and the fight to uproot evil at its core. It is interesting that such a brutal fight took place on an island that had no real life... just a desolate island of ash and embers that emulated a place of death. Deep within the bowels of the island held a garrison of approximately 22,000 Japanese that were determined to fight to extinction and that is what they did.
Bradley and Powers do a wonderful job describing the Marines training as well as the actions on Iwo Jima. The fact that I came away from reading this book more knowledgeable about the self-sacrifices all Marines made on Iwo Jima, makes my own service in the Marines (1993-1997) a worth while endeavor that I hold near and dear to my heart.
Semper Fi to those that served and especially to Ron Powers and James Bradley for taking the time to research and write an unforgettable and accurate masterpiece of history!
6 people. 1 flag, 1 photo........2007-08-21
James Bradley writes an amazing tribute to his father in this book about the "photo."
The book follows the lives of 6 men from birth until death. Each one of them is unique and has their own story. They all have something in common, and that is that they were all in the photo.
This is NOT a war book, it is a biography of 6 men. A great book!
WOW!.......2007-08-01
This book was AMAZING!!! I knew next to nothing about the Battle of Iwo Jima before reading this book and I learned SO much about the fight for Japan and about what it was like to be a U.S. Marine during WWII.
It is an INCREDIBLE read and a great education, too.
Disappointed.......2007-07-29
I am not sure if it is the fact that the Audiobook is an abridged version but I just didn't find the story that compelling. Somewhat repetitive and too concerned about details which I found boring and uninteresting.
I was looking for a historical account (like the much better "1776" or "Team of Rivals") but this is more like an afterschool special.
Book Description
New York Newsday called this memoir of a warhood childhood in Japan "one of the saddest and yet most uplifting books about childhood you will ever encounter."
Separated from her family in the confusion and horror of World War II, seven-year-old Tomiko Higa struggles to survive on the battlefield of Okinawa, Japan. There, as some of the fiercest fighting of the war rages around her, she must live alone, with nothing to fall back on but her own wits and
daring. Fleeing from encroaching enemy forces, searching desperately for her lost sisters, taking scraps of food from the knapsacks of dead soldiers, risking death at every turn, Tomiko somehow finds the strength and courage to survive.
Many years later she decided to tell this story. Originally intended for juvenile readers, it is sure to move adults as well, because it is such a vivid portrait of the unintended civilian casualties of any war.
Customer Reviews:
Not Great.......2007-06-12
I thought this book was okay. You would like it if you liked learning about Japan during WWII, but I found it badly written. The end is unsatisfactory and the way it was written, even though it was non-fiction was boring to me.
Hope and Miracles.......2007-06-06
This book with its unadorned account of survival through the terrible battle of Okinawa is an important reminder of just how cruel war is, especially to those caught in the middle. Little Tomiko struggles against all odds and lives to tell this amazing story of desperation and courage. Not for sensitive kids; I would recommend this to middle schoolers and older - this is the real thing, not just a video game. Heartbreaking and horrifying, but with beautiful moments and miracles.
traumatized me in 4th grade.......2007-02-01
I just googled this book to show to my friend becasue its recommended as a childrens book and when i read it in 4th grade (im 24 now) this book scared the poop out of me. I dont think its a ppropriate for young children. I still cringe thinking about some of the chapters where she is forced to squezze puss from her amputated friends limbs. Ewwww! Amazing story but i think you should be a bit older before you absorb the ferocious atrtocities of war.
Great for all.......2007-01-15
Title: The Girl with the White Flag: An Inspiring Story of Love and Courage in War Time
Author: Tomiko Higa
Genre: Memoir
Synopsis: Tomiko Hiko was seven years old on the island of Okinawa when Allied forces land. Decades later, she discovers a picture of herself as a child, carrying a white flag and surrendering to enemy forces, with a line of Japanese soldiers behind her. Finding the picture triggered repressed memories, which were compiled in this short memoir of the war years, particularly the invasion. Separated from her family, she faced the enemy alone.
Quote: "Remembering Father's words to die with a brave smile, the author waves at the camera."
Grade: B+
Review: I first read this book in high school, and it is one of the few I picked up at that time that I remember vividly. I have to come back to it every few years to see if it is as moving as I remember it. OF course, it always is. It's a great book the other side of Okinawa, family, love, war.
A great book.......2006-12-27
I fell in love with this book. I'm currently stationed on Okinawa and I can't imagine how a girl so young could wander around the island and survive for so long.
This book is translated so some of the English is broken. However if you're interested in a different perspective of WWII in the Pacific, it's a nice read. It gives you a better understanding of how the Okinawans got thrown into a war they never wanted to fight in.
I love this book, even mailed a copy to my sister.
Book Description
Comprehensivley covers the fascinating world of flags, including military signs ,royal standards, civic flags,naval ensigns and national flags.
Customer Reviews:
A slight correction of an earlier review.......2006-07-12
In 2003, Mr David Hanlow reviewed this book, and -- for the most part -- did an admirable job admiring a very good book. But he made an egregious error. He wrote: "A saltire, i.e. the cross part in the British flag, is what is used to divide the flag into four parts..." He is not 100 percent accurate. Yes, the saltire IS a cross, but it is the "X-shaped" cross, as the white Cross of St. Andrew on a blue field, in the Scots flag. The white saltire DOES appear in the Union Jack -- the name of the British flag, for the union of Scotland and England, later joined by Ireland -- as a reference to Scotland, along with the main color of the Union Jack, blue, also referencing Scotland; superimposed on the white saltire is the red saltire of the Cross of St. Patrick, representing Ireland; the plus-sign shaped cross (+) that separates the Union Jack into four parts is the Cross of St. George, representing England. The English flag --a white field with red St. George Cross -- is recalled in the Union Jack by placing the red Cross of St George against a white cross. (Wales isn't included in the Union Jack because Wales had been annexed by England in the late 1200s)
Very colorful & well designed.......2005-09-07
The flags are all very colorful. The quality of the pages and colors are excellent. An excellent book for any age. Includes interesting information on political and historic flag related information.
A Flag Encyclopedia With Depth Dimension & Grace.......2004-02-28
It isn't just that he gives all the flags of the world's contemporary countries as UN members, but he lists and depicts the 8 or 9 secessionists who are dba as independent countries, recognition or not, UN membership or not. If you know flag books, this is uncommon. We're also used to US state flags and just to show we're more international now we'll tolerate Canadian Provincial flags and the territories which make up the UK. But the states of not only Germany and Switz., not only all the new colorful and imaginative flags of Republics of the Russian Federation, but get this! Appearing for the first time north of the equator, the flags of the states of Brazil! Plus ALL of the UK's colonial flags (including BR. Antarctic Terr. with the Union Jack, a singular white field, and a penguin scrolly badge the Brits are so very fond of!). We're also treated to a plethora of very accurate renditions of historical flags of the world, including some of the Republics spawned by the French Revolution, an 1861 State of Louisiana which is incorrectly labeled (about 5 such entries are the only marring of an otherwise highly accurate and very informative book) but which when I saw it for the first time, I said, "no way--couldn't be" but it too is accurate. Plus 2 Confederate flags I had never before seen depicted. A landmark of publications on the subject, it will be the standard to adhere to or the volume to best for at least the next 20 years.
Must-have guide to flags and banners.......2003-03-13
Alfred Znamierowski compiled this exhaustive work on flags, the meanings behind the colors, flag families, parts of flags, and flags of countries, states, organization, of revolution and politics. There are even some old heraldry flags from medieval times included.
Some countries have flags of their states included, such as Australia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Russia's autonomous republics (Dagestan, Chechnya), and oh yes, the U.S. From looking at our states, it's disheartening to see how many states still have the Confederate flag or red saltire on them (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi).
The best thing about this book is how the colours and symbol of each country/province/state/canton's flag is explained. For example, Ireland has a tricolore of green, white, and orange vertical stripes. The green represents the Catholics, the orange the Protestants (as in William of Orange), and the white is for peace between both groups. Let's look at another tricolore, Guinea's red-yellow-green. The red is the blood/sacrifice of the people, the yellow is the gold of Guinea and the sun, and the green represents vegetation and agriculture. Isn't this useful?
And most flag proportions are 2:3, but others are 1:2 (Latvia, Libya, Nigeria). And some are irregular. Belgium's flag is 13:15, Switzerland and its cantons are 1:1, Mexico is 4:7, and our own, 10:19.
What about flag families? Then there are colours associated with certain movements. For example, green, yellow, and red are the Pan-African colours. Black, green, red, and white are the Pan-Arab colours. They represent the colour of the dynasties of the Islamic Empire (black for Abbasids, green for Fatimids, white for Umayyads, and red for Hashemites). Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria have flags with those colours. And with the breakup of Yugoslavia, all but Bosnia and Macedonia have the blue, white, and red Pan-Slav colours.
The French tricolore has influenced many other countries' flags with its three vertical stripes. Romania, Italy, Belgium, Guinea, and Cote D'Ivoire. And it's no coincidence that all the Scandinavian countries have identical flags--they're based on the Scandinavian cross.
Symbols are also explained. The Muslim crescent and star, a main symbol of Islam and mentioned in the 53rd surah of the Quran, is adopted by Turkey, Algeria, and Pakistan, for example. And writing. The writing on the Iraqi flag reads "God Is Great," which ironically is what is written 22 times in Sufic script along the Iranian flag. ...
Parts of flags: this is an interesting one. Much of this is technical terms. The hoist is the first (left) vertical half, the fly is the right vertical half. Then there are charges (figures) For example, that upper rectangle of our flag is a canton. A saltire, i.e. the cross part in the British flag, is what is used to divide the flag into four parts. And the trapezium, a sideways trapezoid on the left part of a flag, is what Kuwait has.
There are also flags of international organizations, such as the UN, Red Cross, or League of Arab States. Regional flags, flags of revoltution (Sandinistas, Viet Cong, FRELIMO) flags of ethnic people without nation-states (Kurds, Shans, Sorbs), and political flags are also included. Example: white is a monarchist flag, black is for anarchists, red is for socialists. And the Nazi flag spawned so many imitations, such as the Arrow Cross, Afrikaner Resistant Movement, and Fronte della Gioventu--all are red with a white circle and black symbol.
This was updated in 2002, before East Timor gained independence, so much of this is up-to-date. Who knows, those inspired to create your own personal flag may take notes from this valuable reference work.
The best available book of its kind.......2003-02-08
I originally bought the first edition and reviewed that version. I've since bought the current edition (only because I was able to do so cheaply) and there aren't a lot of changes, the most noticeable being the different cover artwork, but the few changes inside the book are significant. For example, the incorrect pictures shown for Taiwan and Palestine in the first edition have now been corrected while new flags are shown, including those for Afghanistan (actually a revival of an earlier flag) and Tristan Da Cunha (not represented in the first edition). Other than those and other similar changes, the remainder of my review (listed on Amazon on all editions) applies equally to all editions.
To begin with, this is not the book to buy if all you want is a guide to the current flags of each country around the world. You will find those flags here (accurate for when the particular edition was published, except for the mistakes in the earlier edition) but this book contains much more besides. There are many other guides to current flags that are both cheaper and more up to date. One thing you learn about flags is that a new national flag will replace an old one somewhere in the world at reasonably regular intervals because of political changes. After all, flags are the ultimate political symbol. The 1990's saw many changes. The break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia meant lots of new national flags, but South Africa and many other countries also changed their flags.
Besides the flags of all nations, you can learn much from this book about the origin and history of flags and about many other flags in current use - regional, local, state and provincial flags, as well as maritime flags, protest flags (like the Basque separatist flag), organizational flags (like the Red Cross) and commercial flags.
Of course, even in a book this size, it is not possible to cover everything comprehensively, but the author manages to make the development of flags seem interesting, explaining how various basic designs evolved and were copied by other countries.
I have seen the development of the stars and stripes explained and illustrated in greater depth than it is here, but the description here is a good starting point for anybody not familiar with it.
For anybody wanting to explore the history of flags, this is the best book available. Even if you buy this, you may still occasionally want to buy a book devoted to current flags to keep up to date with all the changes. That will normally be cheaper than buying an updated edition of this book - I just happened to get lucky.
Amazon.com
Though literature, films, and folklore have romanticized pirates as gallant seaman who hunted for treasure in exotic locales, David Cordingly, a former curator at the National Maritime Museum in England, reveals the facts behind the legends of such outlaws as Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, and Calico Jack. Even stories about buried treasure are fictitious, he says, yet still the myth remains. Though pirate captains were often sadistic villains and crews endured barbarous tortures, were constantly threatened with the possibility of death by hanging, drowning in a storm, or surviving a shipwreck on a hostile coast, pirates are still idealized. Cordingly examines why the myth of the romance of piratehood endures and why so few lived out their days in luxury on the riches they had plundered.
Book Description
"This is the most authoritative and highly literate account of these pernicious people that I have ever read." -- Patrick O'Brian
Pirates are so much a part of legend that it is easy to forget they actually existed. UNDER THE BLACK FLAG tells their story in a rollicking account of the golden age of piracy that is packed with history, anecdote, and above all adventure. Here are the true stories of such bloodthirsty legends as Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, Anne Bonny, and the fearsome Mary Read. And here are rousing descriptions of what ships pirates sailed, what punishments they exacted, what they really wore, and how they flourished--or perished. From the smoky havoc of shipboard battle to the loneliness of a fugitive's life at sea, this spellbinding narrative vividly brings the brutal world of pirates to life.
Customer Reviews:
Data overload.......2007-09-18
Pirates! Everyone loves pirates, or the romanticizing image of them presented in fiction and films. Cordingly sets out to separate the facts from fiction in this book about the reality of pirates. He starts strong talking about fictional works from Dafoe, Stevenson, and Barrie then hashes on some film versions. The beginning of "Under a Black Flag" is promising but thereafter, it really begins to fall apart.
What's great about this book is, for a casual beginner student of pirate history, there's a mountain of facts and data regarding a great variety of pirates, not just the top names. Keep in mind that's just what it is, straight facts based on his research, a bit like high school history textbooks - this happened on this date, this happened here,... Etc. It gets pretty dry but there's a lot of info. Cordingly covers everything from ships, weaponry, women, trials, punishments, assaults, and areas of the map that was infested with piracy. However, the undoing of this book is that there is SO MUCH data and unfortunately a complete absence of organization of that data. There's no real cataloging or separation of topics whether it be event, people, location, or time based. Cordingly jumps back and forth through the piracy age that you really have no idea of which sea rovers were alive when or if they overlapped other well known buccaneers/privateers without creating your own timeline.
Like many other books covering this topic, you'd think Cordingly would have given the likes of Blackbeard, Kidd, Calico Jack, Henry Avery, Drake, and Morgan their own chapters in which the relevant facts are presented. He does so with a few of the above mentioned but he doesn't give the entire history of those ones within that chapter. Instead, it's spread out almost haphazardly and the author ends up continuously repeating himself. There also could have been a division of locales covering the Carribean, African coast/Indian Ocean, and China Sea piracy.
It's a real shame because based on the information factor, this book would get 5 stars, but the repetitiveness, choppy sentences, and lack of organization hamper the book so much it drops it down to only 2 stars. I still recommend the book, but be prepared to take notes and make your own timeline as you are going through it. The Appendixes are good, the locale maps are splendid, seafaring terminology helps out, but where are the pictures of the great variety of pirate flags at? So much potential but organization is the downfall of this otherwise high information text.
I want to be a pirate..........2007-07-06
..noo, I am just "Kidding". I must agree with the opinion that book is a bit "dry". However it covers probably all "big" pirate/privateer names and related stories of plundering, chasing, battles and punishments. So this work is like a small compendium of the piracy, great starter for further learning; well written and read with pleasure and interest. Inquisitive reader may go from here into more narrative and colorful books devoted to specific chosen characters like Kidd, Dumpiere, Blackbeard, Drake etc.
"Under the Black Flag" will definitely intensify your zest for extra "sailing" across plethora of other publishings.
Readable But Dry and Disorganized.......2007-06-21
I had hoped to find an interesting and thorough book on the history of piracy that is accessible to a layperson with limited knowledge of nautical history, but that doesn't simply repeat inaccurate cliches and stereotypes. I somehow doubt that this one would have even caught my attention had it not been so heavily promoted at various bookstores to cash in on the third "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. I'm disappointed that a book about such a lively subject is so surprisingly lifeless. Cordingly essentially presents a bunch of facts (names, dates, places and figures) without providing much detail or historical context. I realize that much information about pirates is sketchy at best, but simply providing me with the names of a pirate captain and his ship and the dates and places on which island an incident occurred does not make for interesting reading. Cordingly also seems to wander from subject to subject and often repeats himself. This makes me wonder if this book was actually a collection of essays or articles about piracy compiled into one volume. His main points seem to be that pirates are glamorized in fiction but in reality were cruel, sociopathic former Navy or merchant sailors who organized themselves into a democratic society. I appreciate his research and the points that he does make, but overall I found this to be a slow read and not terribly informative or entertaining.
They Plundered The Seas, Now They Plunder The Page.......2007-06-15
David Cordingly has compiled a wonderful stash of pirate fact and fiction with "Under The Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates." He covers the day-to-day comings and goings of pirates and those who loved and hated them. He fleshes out a number of the most famous pirates such as Henry Morgan, William Kidd, Bartholomew (Black Bart) Roberts and Edward (Blackbeard) Teach, giving some of them there own chapters. Specific campaigns created to wipe pirates from the seas are also given excellently documented attention. Cordingly also gives an editorial on the potential reasoning behind mankind's fascination with such vile and cruel men (and women) who called themselves "pyrate."
Cordingly backs up all of his findings with an extensive bibliography, five appendices, notes, and a very helpful glossary of sea terms. His writing style, while full of wonderful information and historical facts, never grows boring or drawn out. In fact, you could argue that "Under the Black Flag" reads a lot like a fictional novel. It's both educational and fun.
Fans of pirate history or those with just a passing fancy for the swashbuckler will want to read this book. I also recommend "The Pirate Hunter" by Richard Zacks. It covers with great detail the life and politically tainted execution of William Kidd. It's all delivered with a writing style that is easy to digest but still full of information.
From ship to shore, "Under the Black Flag" is worth a read.
The Best Book on Pirates.......2007-05-29
This is a really great book and one of my all-time favorites--unless you're looking for artwork. If it's illustrations you want, try Pirates: Predators of the Sea. If you read this and love it and want another great read, try If a Pirate I Must Be by Richard Saunders. It's terrific, though also no illustrations.
Book Description
Covering Irish history from the beginnings of Irish Nationalism through 1973, Robert Kee's treatment ranges from the Protestant Plantations through Wolfe Tone and the Great Famine to the founding of the Fenian Movement and the Irish Free State. His authoritative and comprehensive history is masterly in its detail and judicious analysis. A classic in its field, this is essential reading for anyone attempting to understand the complex historical forces that have shaped Ireland.
Customer Reviews:
Extremely enlightening book.......2007-08-22
Robert Kee, contrary to previous reviews, is almost surprising in the objectivity he brings to a segment of history notorious for being incredibly emotionally charged -- historical objectivity rather surprising to find in someone that doesn't make history their calling.
His well researched trilogy sheds light on the tragic effects of English misrule in Ireland, as well as the startling contrast of nationalist myth and fact -- that militant republicanism, despite the whitewash radicals would like to use, succeeded more in spite of itself than anything, and that it is deeply unrepresentative of Irish political opinion. Indeed, the final success of militant republicanism can be more attributed to the extreme political missteps of the English administration in Ireland than the supposed correctness of their methods. Hardly the imagery painted in Republican music and myth.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that seeks an understanding of the underlying causes of the centuries of political strife and violence that have plagued Ireland, and -- despite steps toward peace -- may continue to plague Ireland in the future.
English Propaganda.......2007-06-29
Kee, a former RAF officer, lets his English propaganda brush slap on to the window pane. His examination of the Fenian Brotherhood of American is very shallow. He doesn't want to lose his American audience. He avoids tagging the former American officers as "terrorists." Yet one might ask oneself:why would an Irish born officer, founded at Fredericksburg return to Ireland --and not pick up his civilian life in America? A question not answered by Mr. Kee! Mr. Kee parleyed his trilogy into a multi-part BBC Tv series where is expressions and voice betrayed his lack of objectivity.
One of the Best Books on Irish Political History-Ever.......2001-09-08
This is a famous and well reputed book. It has been in print now for almost 30 years-deservedly so I might add. I suspect it will still be in print another 30 years from now.
Robert Kee was a journalist and a famous World War 2 P.O.W. escapee. He writes lucidly and with great style, eloquence even. Yet above all his books are a darn good read. This book is vividly written, fleshed out with characters and facts that are dispassionatly but richly detailed.
This book follows the course of Irish nationalism from the distant past of the Tudor wars and Anglo-Scottish Settlements up through the rise of DeVelera.
Its true strength is in parts two and three which recount, in great detail, the growth of Irish nationalist sentiment (and rebellion) and land reform/Catholic emancipation, during the 19th Century. Kee demonstrates clearly the ever so slight, but vital, strand of personal connection that linked Wolfe Tones' United Irishmen to Emmet, Parnell, the Fenians and eventually the I.R.A..
Part three details the rise of the Nationalist cause in the wake of Parnell's fall and the rise of the I.R.B./I.R.A. in the late Victorian era up through the Civil war of the 1920s. This book painted very clearly the horror of the Black and Tan war as well as the subsequently even more nasty Irish civil war.
Up until the 1970s a great many people in Ireland would not even speak to each other because of the bitterness engendered by the latter conflict. It spawned Ireland's two major parties and the emotions, recriminations and even hatred caused by the Collins/DeVelera conflict still has significant effect today. This era also shaped the course of the present day three I.R.A.s (Provisional,"Real" and "Stickie").
This book does not deal with the Present Ulster 'troubles' at all. But you can not understand them, nor modern Ireland without reading this book.
Above all, this book was written in a 'neutral' fashion, by an outsider, who deeply loved his subject. It lacks the usual bombast of many other slanted histories. At the same time none of the drama, emotion, glory nor hatred are lost in the telling.
To illustrate what I mean by the above review: in 1987 I asked a series of Irish politicians of all persuasions what history book would still be in print in 2037 and what volumes would they use if they had to teach Irish history to a class at Harvard. Every politician (except the Rev.Ian Paisley) mentioned this book.
Average customer rating:
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Planting the American Flag: Twelve Men Who Expanded the United States Overseas
Peter C. Stuart
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
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ASIN: 0786429836
Release Date: 2007-02-09 |
Product Description
A few sea captains, a couple of college professors, a battle-hardened general, a senator, a congressman, and a knavish adventurer: What could such men have in common? In addition to an eye upon the broader world and a streak of independence, each had a vision of the United States as a model sovereign. All were part of an American effort to create an overseas empire--one that would avoid the mistakes of the European powers and redefine the face of imperialism. Beginning with the 1839 voyage of Captain Charles Wilkes that opened American relations with Samoa, here are biographies of 12 men instrumental in the incorporation of America's five island dependencies. Besides Wilkes, it covers Richard W. Meade III, who negotiated a treaty with Samoa; Albert B. Steinberger, premier of Samoa; Henry Glass, who took Guam for America; Nelson A. Miles, who led the 1898 conquest of Puerto Rico; B. F. Tilley, first governor of American Samoa; Joseph B. Foraker, first congressional overseer of the possessions; William A. Jones, anti-imperialist and reformer; Frank McIntyre, military administrator of America's holdings; Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., governor of Puerto Rico; Paul M. Pearson, first civilian governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands; and Anthony M. Solomon, who inaugurated the acquisition of the Northern Mariana Islands in 1963.
Book Description
In this unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American military history, James Bradley has captured the glory, the triumph, the heartbreak, and the legacy of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. Here is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to symbolize the courage and indomitable will of America.
In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jima—and into history. Through a hail of machine-gun and mortar fire that left the beaches strewn with comrades, they battled to the island's highest peak. And after climbing through a landscape of hell itself, they raised a flag.
Now the son of one of the flagraisers has written a powerful account of six very different young men who came together in a moment that will live forever.
To his family, John Bradley never spoke of the photograph or the war. But after his death at age seventy, his family discovered closed boxes of letters and photos. In
Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley draws on those documents to retrace the lives of his father and the men of Easy Company. Following these men's paths to Iwo Jima, James Bradley has written a classic story of the heroic battle for the Pacific's most crucial island—an island riddled with Japanese tunnels and 22,000 fanatic defenders who would fight to the last man.
But perhaps the most interesting part of the story is what happened after the victory. The men in the photo—three were killed during the battle—were proclaimed heroes and flown home, to become reluctant symbols. For two of them, the adulation was shattering. Only James Bradley's father truly survived, displaying no copy of the famous photograph in his home, telling his son only: "The real heroes of Iwo Jima were the guys who didn't come back."
Few books ever have captured the complexity and furor of war and its aftermath as well as
Flags of Our Fathers. A penetrating, epic look at a generation at war, this is history told with keen insight, enormous honesty, and the passion of a son paying homage to his father. It is the story of the difference between truth and myth, the meaning of being a hero, and the essence of the human experience of war.
From the Hardcover edition.
Book Description
As the Confederacy felt itself slipping beneath the Union juggernaut in late 1864, the South launched a desperate counteroffensive to shatter the U.S. economy and force a standoff. Its secret weapon? A state-of-the-art raiding ship whose mission was to prowl the world’s oceans and sink the U.S. merchant fleet. The raider’s name was Shenandoah, and her executive officer was Conway Whittle, a twenty-four-year-old warrior who might have stepped from the pages of Arthurian legend. Whittle would share command with a dark and brooding veteran of the seas, Capt. James Waddell, and together with a crew of strays, misfits, and strangers, they would spend nearly a year sailing two-thirds of the way around the globe, destroying dozens of Union ships and taking more than a thousand prisoners, all while continually dodging the enemy.
Then, in August of 1865, a British ship revealed the shocking truth to the men of Shenandoah: The war had been over for months, and they were now being hunted as pirates.
What ensued was an incredible 15,000-mile journey to the one place the crew hoped to find sanctuary, only to discover that their fate would depend on how they answered a single question. Wondrously evocative and filled with drama and poignancy, Last Flag Down is a riveting story of courage, nobility, and rare comradeship forged in the quest to achieve the impossible.
Customer Reviews:
Close-up look at last Confederate warship.......2007-09-01
Last Flag Down is a story of CSS Shenandoah's epic voyage seen through the eyes of its first officer, Conway Whittle, a young 24 years old Confederate naval officer. The book much from the diaries and other accounts written by Whittle and take the situation at hand from his perception. From this approach, you get a ground eye view of the working of this Confederate naval raider that wrecked havoc among Union shipping during the last year of the war and little bit beyond.
Since one of the two authors is related to Whittle, the book is pretty sympathetic toward this character and that of course, create an obvious biased that the reader would have to look out for. Capt. James Waddle and many other of the crew often does not come out looking very good in the eyes of this young Confederate officer and that reflects in the book.
But the book gives an excellent understanding of how Shenandoah came to be, how it was crewed and how the ship conducted it business. The honorable behavior of the crew toward the captured proves to be a godsend toward the end then possiblities of piracy charges might be heading toward their direction. They neither harmed their captives or were harmed by them. For a raider, their voyage was relatively bloodless.
One major weakness of this book lies in the fact that there is no photographs what so ever. There is a detail blueprint of the ship but no drawing of anything of what the ship looks like under sail. This oversight is unexplainable and I took a star away from otherwise excellent narrative.
The book come highly recommended to anyone who have an interest in this area of the American Civil War. The book proves to be well written, well researched and quite interesting to those who have interest. Its far superior to the one other book I read on this subject, The Last Shot, and worthy addition to anyone's Civil War library.
Exciting sea adventure.......2007-08-28
Reading the diaries of Conway Whittle while he was aboard the Confederate raider Shenandoah opened my eyes to the realities of war at sea during the Civil War. This interesting account of life aboard the ship was horrifying and intriguing and so detailed that I often felt seasick! The main historical events are known by most history addicts, but the wording of the diaries made it very personal and poignant. I recommend the book very highly to anyone who enjoys an adventure. You don't have to be a Civil War buff to love this book.
Truly compelling naval drama.......2007-08-16
It boggles the mind. In a desperate attempt to change the course of the civil war the confederate raider Shenandoah was sent out to destroy any ship flying the American flag. The Shenandoah, a very fast ship, was hunting merchant ships while being hunted itself by the Union navy. It and captured and burned ship after ship, often letting the captured crew choose between joining the crew of the Shenandoah or being held prisoner. The physical and psychological drama, pieced together from historical record and the journal entries of executive officer 24 year old Conway Whittle, reads like a gripping novel. I'm not normally a fan of the civil war, or tall ships, but this book would not let me put it down.
Novelization of a Diary.......2007-08-13
This book is little more than an interpretive narrative of Conway Whittle's diary and it seems to rely on little else. The descriptions of daily life at sea, mostly revolving around punishments for various crew members and a bipolar co-captain, are tedious. The authors missed an excellent opportunity to review in detail the post-war lives of crewmen and the legal entanglements that followed their surrender, surely intriguing since most of the damage caused by Shenandoah occurred after the South surrendered. This is only given cursory treatment.
Still, the book does relate a story that deserves telling even if the research was poorly done if at all.
war between the states.......2007-08-08
excellent read. you get the feel of the time, the people and life on the ship.
Book Description
High on the Tibetan Plateau, colorful prayer flags flutter, blowing the blessings of the Buddha out over all the Earth. Blessings on the Wind offers a unique way to practice sacred customs and enhance good fortune with a set of five authentic, traditional Tibetan prayer flags accompanied by a beautifully illustrated hardcover book. The companion volume details the history and origin of Tibetan prayer flags, explaining their rich meaning and offering advice on how to display them most auspiciously. A foreword by renowned scholar of Tibetan Buddhism Robert Thurman, along with explanations of the meaningful symbols printed on the flags, translations of mantras, and meditations to accompany rituals, together offer hands-on insights into the beauty and wisdom of Tibetan beliefs. For newcomers and longtime Buddhists alike, Blessings on the Wind offers a tangible way to promote good karma and celebrate Buddhist traditions.
Customer Reviews:
Simple book, nice package.......2007-01-22
A nice, albeit short, string of prayer flags and a very basic book wrapped up pretty nicely. A nice little gift.
Blessings on the Wind.......2005-09-29
I think it is a very interesting and concise book on prayer flags.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent insight into our Fathers
- A real eye-opener!
- "Flags of Our Fathers" - A Timely Look at a Bloody Battle in Our History
- 1/400th of a second in time
- The real story of Iwo Jima
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Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima (Young Reader's Abridged Edition)
James Bradley , and
Ron Powers
Manufacturer: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
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ASIN: 0385730640
Release Date: 2003-05-13 |
Book Description
New York Times bestseller, now adapted for young readers, Flags of Our Fathers is the unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American military history: the raising of the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima.
Here is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to symbolize the courage and indomitable will of America. In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jima–and into history. Through a hail of machine-gun and mortar fire that left the beaches strewn with comrades, they battled to the island’s highest peak. And there, they raised a flag. The son of one of the flag raisers has written a powerful account of six very different men who came together in the heroic battle.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent insight into our Fathers.......2007-01-03
Great book showing how a major world event shaped the lives of a whole generation. I gained a lot of insight from reading this book.
A real eye-opener!.......2006-10-24
I consider myself knowledgeable about history, especially WW2. After reading just half of "Flags of our Fathers'" I realize how much I 'didn't' know about this part of the war. Most of my research was of the european theatre.
I am so glad I purchased this book. It makes me feel so humble as to my own time spent in uniform for I never had to endure or sacrifice what these young men did.
Anyone thinking of not voting should read this and be sure to vote for these young men gave everything so that we could have that right. Even more they went through hell before they did it.
Do yourself a favor and get this book.
Richard Neal Huffman - Author of Dreams In Blue: The Real Police
"Flags of Our Fathers" - A Timely Look at a Bloody Battle in Our History .......2006-10-20
Quite a while ago, Nick Olmsted, a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, recommended that I read "Flags of Our Fathers." I am glad that I finally got around to taking his advice. This story struck me on many levels at once, and this seems to be an opportune time to share some of my thoughts about this remarkable book, written by James Bradley, the son of one of the six Marines whose iconic picture of the raising of the flag over Iwo Jima riveted a war-weary nation.
The film based on this book is due to be released tomorrow. My friend, Nate Fick, former Marines Corps officer and author of "One Bullet Away," had invited me to attend a special screening of the film tomorrow evening in Boston. There will be many Marines present for this gala event to raise funds for a scholarship program for the families of Marines who have fallen in combat. Here is how Nate described to me the work of the scholarship committee:
The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation will be showing a benefit premier of "Flags of Our Fathers" at the AMC Theater on Boston Common on Friday 20 October. Military guests of honor will include BGen John Kelly, legislative assistant to CMC, former ACMC's Generals Nyland and Neal, and perhaps others.
For those who don't know, the MCSF is committed to funding higher education for the children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen, especiallythose killed in action. It's a wonderful organization, and one I've been proud to be involved with during the past several years.
So, before I am influenced by the film's portrayal of the events on Iwo Jima and the stories of the six men - Harlon Block, James Bradley, Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, Frank Sousley, Mike Strank - whose picture became symbolic of a nation at war, I will share my take on the book. A review of the film will follow in a few days.
James Bradley was motivated to write "Flags of Our Fathers" after the death of his father. As the family sorted through the papers that John Bradley left behind, they found three cardboard boxes full of photos and documents related to Iwo Jima. Finding this secret stash shocked the Bradleys, since James had refused to discuss his role as a famous flagraiser.
"I hungered to know the heroic part of my dad. Try as I might I could never get him to tell me about it.
`The real heroes of Iwo Jima,' he said once, coming as close as he ever would, `are the guys who didn't come back.'" (Page 4)
My siblings and I had a similar experience. My father, who served in India with the U.S. Army Air Corps, hardly ever talked about his years of service that cost him four years of his life and compromised his health until he died at the relatively young age of 65. It was as if he had locked that part of his life away in some inaccessible vault. The closest he came to revealing that chapter of his life was to lead us in singing Army marching songs that seemed to play in his head like a continuous loop. Our frequent family drives in the country were filled with many hours of such songs. We whiled away the hours and the miles by singing "Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah," "Alice Blue Gown," "Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder," and "I've Been Working on the Railroad." I felt as if Bradley had touched a special rewind button when he wrote these words about the memorial service the family held when they were able to visit Iwo Jima in 1998:
"When I was finished with my talk, I couldn't look up at the faces in front of me. I sensed the strong emotion in the air. Quietly, I suggested that in honor of my dad, we all sing the only two songs John Bradley ever admitted to knowing: `Home on the Range' and `I've Been Working on the Railroad.'" (page 14)
Bradley chose an epigraph for the second chapter of the book that is timeless and haunting:
"All wars are boyish, and are fought by boys." Herman Melville (Page 17)
Bradley lays out in clear terms why he chose to undertake the project of writing the book and sharing the stories of the Iwo Jima flagraisers:
"That was the point, I reminded myself, the point of my quest: to bring these boys back to life, or a kind of life, to let them live again in the country's memory. Starting with my father, and continuing with the other five.
That is how we always keep our beloved dead alive, isn't it? By telling stories abut them; true stories. It works that way with our national past as well. Keeping it alive by telling stories." (Page 17)
I have long been a strong believer in the power of narrative to capture our imaginations and our hearts. The job that James Bradley and Ron Powers have done in this book reaffirms my faith in the power of a well-told story. By Bradley bringing back to life the six Iwo Jima flagraisers and their comrades who fell in battle there, I felt as if he were also connecting me to a piece of my father's history and bringing him back to life, as well. As you can imagine, reading this book evoked powerful emotions.
This book does a very effect job of contrasting the sanitized view that civilians have of war with the messy reality experienced by those in the midst of the fighting:
"To the civilian noncombatants, war was `knowable' and `understandable.' Orderly files of men and machines marching off to war, flags waving, patriotic songs playing. War could be clear and logical to those who had not touched its barb.
But battle veterans quickly lost a sense of war's certitude. Images of horror they could scarcely comprehend invaded their thoughts tortured their minds. Bewildered and numbed, they cold not unburden themselves to their civilian counterparts, who could never comprehend through mere words.
Mike, Ira, and Harlon - these three boys back from the Pacific Heart of Darkness - now embraced death. Two were convinced that their next battle would be their last. And one lingered on for ten years before he was consumed by a living nightmare." (Page 90)
"Today, a battle-scarred Ira Hayes would be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, and there would be understanding and treatment available to him. But in the late forties and early fifties, Ira had to suffer alone. Suffer daily with images of and misplaced guilt over his 'good buddies who didn't come back.'" (Page 333)
Post traumatic stress disorder - or PTSD - reared its ugly head over Iwo Jima and planted its flag in the hearts of those who fought there - and who have fought in every subsequent battle from Pusan and Pork Chop Hill to Khe Sahn and Hamburger Hill to Tikrit and Falujah. (I will return to the topic of PTSD in a series of articles in the coming weeks.)
Throughout the book, Bradley does justice to the legacy of the Iwo Jima flagraisers by addressing an issue that haunted each of them - the question of what it truly means to be a hero. The flagraisers felt that fate had singled them out for notoriety and the label of "hero," but each man felt in his heart that the real heroes were the ones who did not live to see the flag raised or the parades planned or the War Bond rallies held.
"And finally, I found a full-page newspaper ad from the Seventh Bond Tour, which he had participated in. It screamed: `You've seen the photo, you've heard him on radio, now in person in Milwaukee County Stadium, see Iwo Jima hero John H. Bradley!'
Hero. In that misunderstood and corrupted word, I think lay the final reason for John Bradley's silence.
Today the word `hero' has been diminished, confused with `celebrity.' But in my father's generation the word meant something.
Celebrities seek fame. They take actions to get attention. Most often, the actions they take have no particular moral content. Heroes are heroes because they have risked something to help others. Their actions involve courage. Often, those heroes have been indifferent to the public's attention. But at least, the hero could understand the focus of the emotion. However he valued or devalued his own achievement, it did stand as an accomplishment.
The moment that saddled my father with the label of `hero' contained no action worthy of remembering. When he was shown the photo for the first time, he had no idea what he was looking at. He did not recognize himself or any of the others. The raising of that pole was as forgettable as tying the laces of his boots.
The irony, of course, was that Doc Bradley was indeed a hero on Iwo Jima - many times over. The flagraising, in fact, might be seen as one of the few moments in which he was not acting heroically. In 1998 Dr. James Wittmeier, my father's medical supervisor in Iwo, sat beside me silently contemplating my request for him to explain, or speculate on, why my dad never talked about that time. Finally, after many long minutes, he turned to me and softly said, `You ever hold a broken raw egg in your hands? Well, that's how your father and I help young men's heads.' The heads of real heroes, dying in my father's arms.
So, he knew real heroism. He could separate the real thing from the image, the fluff. And no matter how many millions of people thought otherwise, he understood that this image of heroism was not the real thing." (Pages 260-261)
"Flags of Our Fathers" is a moving and loving tribute to heroes - real and perceived. I am glad that Nick Olmsted pointed the way to it. I hope that Clint Eastwood and Stephen Spielberg's translation of the story to the screen will honor the spirit of the men who fought on Iwo Jima.
Al
1/400th of a second in time.......2006-10-19
"It's funny what a picture can do": 1/400th of a second in time.
I wanted to read the book before seeing the movie. Will Eastwood respect the book?, I believe it is in his nature to do so.
The true story surrounding the flag raising on Mt. Suribachi in Iwo Jima. Well written, with tales of heroism; hard not to shed a tear.
We will learn the names of the marines who made famous that one day in time; who they were, their hometowns, their progression from training, to individual deployment, to the forming of the squad. Finally progressing to the day they meet and each individuals final fate.
The Japanese were as phantoms, fighting to the very last man. Our marines had to fight for every square inch on a volcanic wasteland. The initial fight was for Mt. Suribachi. But at the raising of the flag (the second one to be raised) the battle was not over. The horrific losses were just beginning. Why could they have not just starved the island out?
"The heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who didn't come back"
Lets thank those who were "just doing their duty".
Wish you well
Scott
The real story of Iwo Jima.......2006-09-20
A remarkable tribute to ordinary soldiers accidentally thrust into an extraordinary situation by one of the best known wartime photographs in WW 2 history. A loving tribute from a son to his humble father, a young man who did his duty as he had been trained, and who came back home to do what thousands of servicemen did-try to pick up 'normal' lives and put the horrors of war behind them.
This book in paperback is an important read for everyone who questions the decisions made by soldiers and their commanders under fire, against an enemy with no real regard for human life and dignity as Americans have come to expect. Especially now, as our troops are involved in an effort to keep the enemy from bringing terror to our homeland, just as they did back in 1945. In every generation, there are ordinary people who are called upon to do extraordinary things, as we witnessed on 9/11/01 (this generations 'Pearl Harbor'). Bradley has done an excellent job, both with this book and 'Flyboys' to describe the Pacific war effort and to make it very real to the reader. I hope that his research and writing with regard to what is now termed 'the Greatest Generation' continues.
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