Average customer rating:
- Great World War II Book
- A Great Story Poorly Told
- The Mortarmen
- a reader from Louisiana
- A really greaat subject told very badly
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The Mortarmen
Michael Connelly
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
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Void Moon
ASIN: 1412049024
Release Date: 2006-07-06 |
Product Description
A heroic and heretofore untold story of the men of the 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion and their 326 days of combat in Europe during World War II.
Customer Reviews:
Great World War II Book.......2007-09-27
This is one of the best World War II books I have ever read. It mixes the well written history of the battles with the personal stories of the men who fought them. It does a great job of bringing the heroism of the greatest generation to life.
A Great Story Poorly Told.......2007-05-14
This book tells an interesting story. One of my college classmates was a member of the 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion - the subject of this book - and found the information to be accurate. However, it is a self-published book and suffers from the major shortcoming of that genre: a lack of copyediting and proofreading. The very first paragraph of Chapter 1 contains a typographical error, a punctuation error, and a grammatical error. Because of errors like these, the book is sometimes difficult for a person like me -- a retired editor -- to read. Nevertheless, I found it worth the effort.
The Mortarmen.......2006-12-22
For years I have always wanted to study the basics of World War II, but just never found the time. In reading this book, I have received such a personal, up front view of World War II - more than I think I could have gotten elsewhere, and in much less time!!! It seems to be a "magnifying glass" of that spot in history. Thanks, Michael Connelly!!!!
Wanda K. Perry
a reader from Louisiana.......2006-09-07
This is a fantastic book about World War II. At times I felt like I was right there with the men of the 87th who fought their way across Europe. The book is full of history, but more importantly it is full of the stories of the men who fought the war. It tells you their story and you can't help but get caught up in this great tale. Michael Connelly is a master story teller.
A really greaat subject told very badly.......2006-09-06
I was looking forward to this book to arrive. Having read several other books about the Battle of the Bulge and related topics. This is a great story about very heroic men just doing their job. Unfortunately it is written so poorly that I must caution you here. If you have not reward any other WWII book, I suggest reading any of the following first
- Anything by Donald R. Burgett, Especially 7 Roads to Hell
- Band of Brothers (although 7 roads I felt was even better)
- Black Devil Brigade
The thing about these books mentioned is that they deal with the battles and they let you meet, and get to know, the men that fought. When reading Mortarmen I felt like it went like this, " Then the major ran up to the bunker and gave his orders to the leader in the bunker. Then the bunker leader fired his mortar and killed a bunch of Nazi's". I am not kidding. In the 7 Roads to Hell, there was the description of a black mortar team and how well they worked. I got more out of those 3-4 pages than I did with this book.
I love this topic, to the author I offer the following:
1. Please let us know about the soldiers personally
2. Describe in depth how these mortars, and the other weapon work. People that buy these books really want to know this.
I wish you all the best in the next revision
Book Description
In the hours before the D-Day landing, their brilliant success behind enemy lines changed the course of history.
In the tradition of Steven Ambrose's D-Day and Band of Brothers, The First Men In tells the remarkable story of the American paratroopers who took on one of the most important and dangerous missions of World War II. On the eve of D-Day, the 82nd Airborne Division parachuted into key positions along the Normandy coast, spearheading the assault on Fortress Europe. Using extensive firsthand interviews with the men of the 82nd, Ed Ruggero vividly brings them to life. This "first-rate story-teller" (Denver Post) weaves their improbable achievement into an unforgettable narrative.
Only one unit of the 82nd -- the 3,000 men of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment -- had previously been tested in battle. These heroes of the brutal 1943 invasion of Sicily -- whose story was brilliantly told in Ruggero's Combat Jump -- were given one of the toughest assignments, that of securing the critical crossroads town of Ste. Mère Eglise, the gateway to Utah Beach, through which half of the U.S. invasion force had to pass. Within hours of landing in Normandy, the 505th had accomplished its mission and seized Ste. Mère Eglise, the first town in Europe to be liberated. But as the sun rose on June 6, 1944, and as the assault waves struggled ashore on fire-swept beaches, the airborne commanders realized that most of the nearly 14,000 paratroopers dropped on the extreme right flank of the Allied invasion area had missed their targets.
The scattered troopers fought in small groups, cut off from one another by the dense Norman hedgerows and cleverly dug-in German defenders. Putting themselves between the vulnerable landing beaches and repeated enemy assaults, the lightly armed paratroopers fought for no-name crossroads and isolated fields on the first few miles of the long road to Berlin. Their training, courage, and leadership paid off; with their blood, they purchased the critical hours the Allies needed to get ashore. Often outnumbered and frequently outgunned, the men of the 82nd accomplished every mission, held every piece of ground they gained, and thus helped secure the success of the greatest amphibious invasion in history.
Customer Reviews:
A welcome addition to WWll history.......2007-07-25
This is an excellent and easy reading book; however, I would recommend that the reader be apprised of D-Day history before reading it. It gives a wonderful insight to one more important advance into Normandy!
NO BETTER PLACE TO DIE.......2007-04-28
"I don't know a better place than this to die." When Lt. John "Red dog" Dolan scratched out this single line to a hard pressed squad leader at the La Fiere bridge, he simultaneously scribed his name into the short roll call of those Americans who have placed the love of their country and the freedom of its people ahead of their very own next breath.
I have read the account of Lt. Dolan at the little bridge over the Merderet in three other books of paratrooper history and none of them carry the weight and measure of Ed Ruggero's version in The First Men In. It is nearly impossible to read through chapter 12 and not find yourself gazing off into the ether, overcome by the willingness of these young men of the Greatest Generation to sacrifice themselves for less-great generations yet unborn.
While The First Men In is not a small unit combat history such as Band of Brothers, it follows several men - G.I. and officers - from their enlistment through their training, their midnight jump into the Cotentin and through the first days of the Battle of Normandy, delivering the intimate kinship with the characters that the reader so desires as well as the great sweep and desperate fear of near hopeless combat.
The First Men In is a book you will read more than once. In the way you might take a second look at a sunset, the heroism of the men in the pages compels you to turn and look over your shoulder again and again until the very last light fades, leaving you asking yourself at the last glint of purple if such a marvelous thing was really possible in the first place.
If you want to know why General Bradley would not land troops on Utah beach without these men, if you want to know why these men are correctly titled America's Guard of Honor, if you want to know why the local French have re-named the bridge at Chef du Pont the Pont du Capitaine Roy Creek, if you want to once again be warmed and comforted by the greatness of your country, read The First Men In.
Amazing book!.......2007-03-13
I read this hoping to learn about the history of the paratroopers on D-Day and got more than I expected. It gives the history of D-Day, but it tells it in such an exciting, storytelling fashion that it gives you a first person feeling for how terrible those days were. The sacrifices our troops made in WWII were incredible. Let's never forget them.
A Great book of history that reads like a novel.......2006-09-10
Ed Ruggero has written an absolutely fantastic history of some of the most significant airborne operations surrounding the Normandy invasion. To nit-pick the selection of the book title or a minute detail of 82nd Medal of Honor history from World War I doesn't do justice to the otherwise meticulous research and master story-telling of this inspiring author. This well-written prose is fast-paced and as readable as any historical fiction. Ruggero is superb in his description of small unit airborne operations in World War II. In my opinion, much better than the previous standard set by MacDonald's World War II memoir COMPANY COMMANDER. And just as good as Vietnam small unit memoirs - McDonough's PLATOON LEADER and Moore and Galloway's WE WERE SOLDIERS.
The First Men In: US Paratroopers and the Fight to Save D-Day.......2006-08-29
I have a friend who was in the 82nd Airborne's A Company and was a Pathfinder. He was 19 years old. I bought it for him and read it first. I have seen all the movies and heard all stories about Normandy but to read this book made me realize just how really terrible the battle for the bridge was. I had no idea just what they faced. I had visited the site and still had no real understanding of the battle until I read this book. I have even more respect for Max than I did before. What a tale. Bob Morriss
Amazon.com
Published to mark the 50th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, Stephen E. Ambrose's D-Day: June 6, 1944 relies on over 1,400 interviews with veterans, as well as prodigious research in military archives on both sides of the Atlantic. He provides a comprehensive history of the invasion which also eloquently testifies as to how common soldiers performed extraordinary feats. A major theme of the book, upon which Ambrose would later expand in Citizen Soldiers, is how the soldiers from the democratic Allied nations rose to the occasion and outperformed German troops thought to be invincible. The many small stories that Ambrose collected from paratroopers, sailors, infantrymen, and civilians make the excitement, confusion, and sheer terror of D-day come alive on the page. --Robert McNamara
Book Description
Stephen E. Ambrose draws from more than 1,400 interviews with American, British, Canadian, French, and German veterans to create the preeminent chronicle of the most important day in the twentieth century. Ambrose reveals how the original plans for the invasion were abandoned, and how ordinary soldiers and officers acted on their own initiative.
D-Day is above all the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their existence, when the horrors, complexities, and triumphs of life are laid bare. Ambrose portrays the faces of courage and heroism, fear and determination -- what Eisenhower called "the fury of an aroused democracy" -- that shaped the victory of the citizen soldiers whom Hitler had disparaged.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent reading although highly US-centric.......2007-09-28
I read WWII books as a hobby and have read many books on the subject of D-Day. I had read Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day and was unsure how Ambrose's book would stand up to that. However, I found Ambrose's book highly readable and quite good. He has a very magic way of telling stories and interjecting the veteran's oral history in with his own story telling. For that reason, I found the book to be quite good, entertaining and informative.
However, there were two items which detracted from the overall objectivity of this book. The first was Ambrose's constant belittement of the Axis (German) forces. In many pages, he states how great we were; how bad they were; how prepared we were; how unprepared the Germans were; and on and on. If that's the case, why are there 9300+ cemetary markers in the American Cemetary in France?
Secondly, Ambrose devotes only 5 chapters to the British and Canadian forces. And, these chapters were not nearly as long as the space devoted to the Americans. If the title of the book is subtitled as The Climatic Battle of WWII, then he should have devoted MORE space to the British and Canadian efforts than what he did. Or he should have subtitled the book as The Climatic US Battle of WWII.
I think these issues take away from the overall quality and objectivity of the book.
In saying that, the book would be an excellent primer for those not well versed in this battle as he does write well. For others, be aware of Ambrose's US-centric point of view.
The Unvarnished Truth!.......2007-08-25
`D-Day' by Stephen Ambrose was an excellent book about the greatest battle of the 20th century. It was frank, candid, brutal, engaging, scary, exhilarating, massive, loud, and, I'm sure many other things. It was based on unvarnished first-hand accounts from the wounded at Normandy (compiled for the Eisenhower Center).You get the story about what really went on from the guys that were there, as well as candid insights and quotes from the high military leadership, from both the Allied and Axis perspectives. It was nothing short of a phenomenal effort of scholarship, a bird's eye view along with numerous front-line views.
I have been interested in D-Day since I first saw the movie `The Longest Day' with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. I still really like the movie and catch a little of it almost every year around the anniversary date. I also liked `Saving Private Ryan', which was a much more realistic (though harder-to-watch) version of the battle, with unforgettable beach scenes of the action. And recently, a full 20 years after his death, I even found out that my father had participated in D-Day. It was strange: he never said a word about it. My sister ordered his discharge papers on a genealogical search and that's how we found out! He was a `radio mechanic' in the Air Corps, by the way.
I would have liked to have been anywhere but there on that day, but I would have wanted to do my duty as most of the men there did. The battle plans went right out the window due to weather, inaccurate troop and materiel landings, inaccurate paratrooper drops, and a failure to take into account the omnipresent hedgerows (of all things). The incoming troops were sitting ducks that were not battle tested (some high school age) and were going against (supposedly) the best military on the planet. The courage and the carnage were at times unbelievable. The accounts of the beach action were every bit as brutal, and maybe more so, than the Private Ryan movie. Even the Allied medics treating the wounded were fair game as target practice for the Axis.. Also, in one account, an Allied landing craft leader ordered land craft off in water that was clearly too deep so he could get out of there. (I'm glad to report that his orders were disobeyed and he was eventually mustered out with a dishonorable discharge.)
The battle was won by the Allies by their innovative, creative leadership, and lost by the Axis by the rigid, moribund, top-down leadership. The Allies on the front lines simply had to regroup and improvise in real time to get to get it done while the Axis solders had to wait for decisions often from those not even on the scene, which is some cases meant Hitler himself. The scene in `The Longest Day' was correct: Hitler's need for sleep trumped the Axis need for a tank counter attack. Rommel was ham-strung because he didn't have control of the tanks, but it also must be said, he wasn't very good at defensive warfare either.
I learned some new things about the battle. For example, the attack was a major gamble for the Allies, leaving England exposed. There was no fall-back plan and the Allies were very susceptible to a counter-attack. The battle itself was extraordinarily massive and loud; over and over again that point is made in the first hand accounts. Also, there were years of planning and training right down to the level of each soldier or sailor. In the movies, it seemed that they just showed up and went at it.
I would highly recommend it for anyone with any interest in American history. It's very detailed but well-worth the read, even for a semi-buff of American military history such as myself.
Tide Of Fire And Blood.......2007-06-09
Stephen Ambrose was an opinionated, myopic self-aggrandizer who could spin a great tale and give unique perspective to the most batted-around topic. Both the bad and good sides of Ambrose are on display in his 1994 book "D-Day", published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
Reading the reviews here is like reading Ambrose himself. The bullets fly thick and fast, and sober-sided analysis gives way to nationalistic ranting. It's not that people are wrong when they say "D-Day" shortchanges the non-American story behind the Normandy landings. Actually, it is a significant failing. But the drama of D-Day itself centered on one beachhead, the Omaha beachhead attacked by the Americans, and in the airborne landings carried out by two American and one British paratroop division (a Canadian airborne brigade also pitched in). "D-Day" is not definitive, no, but by focusing on the drama it is a hell of a read.
He writes: "It was a cool night and the spray hitting the men in the face was cold, but the soldiers and sailors gathered off the Normandy coast were sweating."
So are you, especially as Ambrose makes use of numerous oral histories and interviews to give an immersive view of how D-Day went down. This is especially poignant and valuable when it comes to the attack on Omaha Beach, which Ambrose describes at great length and heartbreaking detail. For the 116th and 16th regiments, first in, the battle was akin to the Charge of the Light Brigade under the enfilading fire of German MG-42s and artillery. Companies were wiped out before firing back. The greatest contribution many would make that day would be to carry in weapons others stripped from their corpses.
Ambrose tells the story well, but can't resist making his points in neon for the sleepy reader. Telling you "someone" had to be doing something right at Omaha through all the carnage, he goes on to say: "That someone was spelled i-n-f-a-n-t-r-y."
That is not scholarship but shilling, and there is too much of it in this book. Add to that the lack of focus on America's allies that day (less than 20 pages for Juno, the Canadian beach which Ambrose notes saw the highest proportion of Allied casualties on June 6, and the farthest Allied advance). Ambrose knew his market was predominately American, and catered to it unabashedly.
Yet despite these faults, the facts are undeniable, about a generation of young Americans who had the right stuff, and how much of that stuff was left wafting in the tide off the coast of France. If it's not a rounded or definitive account of D-Day (I recommend "The Longest Day" by Cornelius Ryan), "D-Day" offers thrilling testimony to one of the great American achievements, albeit one that was part of a larger endeavor. It's like seeing those famous Robert Capa photos for the first time, without blurriness and distortion.
"Who can fail to see the beauty and sacrifice our brave lads are making?" wrote a woman to her newspaper in Bedford, Virginia just after the battle. "Because they cannot keep themselves for a day, we'll keep them forever in memory and give them immortality." Ambrose is working along similar lines, and it's hard to begrudge him his success.
Patronising and condescending - US centric account.......2007-04-18
I finished Mr Ambrose's book after starting it a year ago. I felt compelled to put it down eight times during those 12 months because of the patronising and condescending manner in which he formulated and presented his view on everyone BUT the American forces leading up to; on and post D-Day. I had hoped to present this book to my father, a former Desert Rat but felt that he would probably rage and rail against the author to the extent that he would probably 'hop his twig'.
If you wish to read this book then I would recommend it, with one proviso; read it for the anecdotal accounts of the men who were there and NOT Mr Ambrose's interpretation of how he crafted his language to pour scorn and derision on the Canadians, French and British. For he brings nothing new to light on Operation Overlord but yet has done a splendid job on including accounts of US servicemen and the tasks that were set before them.
While the publisher's have dutifully titled it "D-Day - June 6, 1944: the Climatic battle of World War II", I believe it should be fairly entitled, "D-Day: anecdotes from the US Armed Forces". That way, the publishers can solve a riddle of putting in 3 chapters out of 32 (or 45 pages of a total of 576) for the 'rest' of the nations that bravely gave their men and women to this operation.
I would give this book to my local library so they can place it next to "Saving Private Ryan" and "U-571" where America wins the war, again, again, again.
Simon and Schuster should do THEIR homework better in the future.
Disappointing, and big time........2007-03-22
The positive: The first hand accounts of soldiers fighting there.
The bad: Almost anything else, both the editing and him interjecting his own unfounded opinion, often based on nothing more then ideological opinion. Even the title is highly misleading.
I bought this book, knowing Ambrose's books about Eisenhower, and wanting to read something during a three day train-ride form San Fransisco to Chicago. I was really disappointed.
I found the book to be highly biased, and, short of the anecdotes by those involved, worthless as a serious history book. The only good soldier it seems was the American soldier, the Germans are portrayed as vastly inferior (unless complimenting them makes the Americans look better), and the other Allies are only slightly better than the Germans. It made me wonder for what reason then (if Ambrose's opinion would be true) it took the Americans so long to break out, or why they had such a hard time before (Kasserine, Anzio, Cassino) and after (Ardennes ie), with the majority of the German forces (both quantity and quality) fighting the Soviets.
Apart from ideological opinion (fighters for democracy always fight better), he presents no solid proof to support many of his notions about American (or to a lesser degree allied superiority) apart from the very obvious (more men, airplanes, ships and tanks), even though his opinion is contrary to most evidence there is (statistics, battlefield accounts etc. etc). In fact, to a degree it even seems to contradict basic American military doctrine, which focuses on the use of overwhelming firepower (air and artillery) rather then training and quality of the individual soldier.
Further, the book is seemingly devoted, when the troops finally land, to the landings on Omaha, with a little attention for Utah and virtually none for the others. Which makes the title (and the reviews on the back) highly misleading. Apart from the fact that battles like the Battle of Britian, El Alamein, Stalingrad, Kursk and most likely even Bagration would rank above D-Day as far as climactic battles go for WW II (for post WW II is another thing) even if for many men storming the beaches it was the climax after a long wait.
Writing and editing: IMHO an atrocious job was done by the editor. Ambrose repeats himself regularly, sometimes seemingly copying sections he wrote just a few pages earlier. It becomes really annoying, and distracting. And therefor it takes away from the stories from those who fought there.
In the end, I found it more interesting to watch the Nevada desert or the Great Plains between Lincoln, Nebraska, and Chicago then read another page. And I doubt I will ever find the desire to finish it.
Book Description
This unique encyclopedia provides detailed entries for everything you ever wanted to know about D-Day, the invasion of Normandy. Organized alpha-betically, the entries give detailed descriptions of weapons, equipment, divisions, air and naval units, geography, terminology, personalities, and more. Every Allied division that crossed the English Channel on June 6, 1944 has its own listing as do the major Axis divisions that fought them. Brief biographies of major military and political leaders on both sides provide a handy “who’s who” of the campaign. The book also includes entries for related popular culture: GI slang, the best movies about D-Day, and major writers such as Stephen Ambrose and Cornelius Ryan. Cross-references make the book easy to use. With hundreds of entries, Brassey’s D-Day Encyclopedia is an indispensable reference tool for history buffs and interesting browsing for readers who want to know more about World War II.
Customer Reviews:
One-stop Shopping.......2006-07-06
How did this little gem go unreviewed for so long? If you want a "one stop shopping" place for Operation Overlord, this book is the choice. The organization, content, and execution are all excellent. My only suggestion would be more illustrations but that's a small complaint in a book that contains a tremendous variety of subject matter and presents it in comprehensible, readable form. There's even examples of D-Day movies with favorite lines from each. Altogether a top-notch effort.
Book Description
A complete panorama of the weapons, uniforms and military equipment of all the soldiers that fought at D-Day, both Allied and Axis, illustrated with more than 300 specially commissioned full color photographs. Everything from weapons, helmets, uniforms, vehicles, canteens, personal equipment and much more are shown here in precise detail. The photographs are accompanied by detailed captions explaining what is shown. Francois Bertin is a leading D Day historian and collector. His insightful narrative and captions will be of great interest to all collectors of World War II uniforms and equipment and the detailed photographs will be of interest to military modelers. REVIEWS "The subject of D-Day has captured the attention of a new generation of historians and modelers, and this book brings the participants and their equipment to life in vivid color. The method of the book is quite good, taking a chronological approach to mesh the photos with the text. The result is a boon for the historian and modeler alike,... does a great job of covering the broad strokes, while also including some interesting sidebars. Complementing these sections are the photos of the actual equipment used, presented in full color. ... For the military modeler, this information is a godsend. The soldier's uniforms are shown on mannequins, with each one outfitted as they would have been back in 1944. Close-up photos show specific items such as helmets or caps, and the text goes into detail explaining the markings, manufacturing, and other details regarding the soldiers' equipment. For a single reference on what the soldiers were wearing and using in 1944, you could not ask for a better book than this. The high quality of photos, coupled with the excellent descriptions, puts this into the must-have category for armor and figure modelers. .Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl May 2007 INTERNETMODELER.COM\ "If you're interested in weapons, uniforms and military equipment of all the soldiers that fought at D DAY, both Allied and Axis, you'll find this...book a valuable resource. Everything form weapons, helmets, uniforms, vehicles, and canteens are shown in precise detail and include comprehensive captions..."S. Brettingen Model Retailer July 2007 "Wow! How did Mr. Bertin manage to get so much into a compact 128 pages? ...I was overwhelmed by the vast amount of visual information contained within. Everything is printed in full color on heavy, glossy paper and the entire layout provides an appealing presentation...shows minute detail that may be over-looked by even the most meticulous among us. D-Day Normandy is a "must have" and an awesome reference book that addresses its subject as completely as I've ever seen!"TJ Misiolek, IPMS 2007
Book Description
Sophia House is set in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. Pawel Tarnowski, a bookseller, gives refuge to David Schäfer, a Jewish youth who has escaped from the ghetto, and hides him in the attic of the book shop. Throughout the winter of 1942-43, haunted by the looming threat of discovery, they discuss good and evil, sin and redemption, literature and philosophy, and their respective religious views of reality. Decades later, David becomes a convert to Catholicism, is the Carmelite priest Fr. Elijah Schäfer called by the Pope to confront the Anti-christ in Michael O'Brien's best-selling novel, Father Elijah: an Apocalypse.
In this "prequel", the author explores the meaning of love, religious identity, and sacrifice viewed from two distinct perspectives. The cast of characters also includes the notorious Count Smokrev, a literate Nazi Major, a French novelist, a terrifying Polish bear, the Russian icon painter Andrei Rublev, and Pawel's beloved Kahlia, the elusive figure who moves through the story as an unseen presence. As the story unfolds, the loss of spiritual fatherhood in late Western society is revealed as a problem of language in the heart and soul, and as one of the gravest crises of our times. As the author points the way to rediscovery of our Father in heaven, he also shows us the path to renewal of human fatherhood. This is a novel about small choices that shift the balance of the world.
Customer Reviews:
Almost great literary fiction.......2007-08-29
I like Michael O'Brien's political and religious sensibilities and I think he's an excellent icon painter. Nonetheless, having now read both Father Elijah and Sophia House, I have been less than impressed by these books. They are written in the tradition of the great literary novel, and have some of the feel of a 19th Century Russian classic. They are deeply philosophical and rich in symbolism. And yet something intangible is missing, and they seem to me to fall a little flat. The pages and pages of philosophical dialogue are interesting at first but then seem to drone and ramble on, getting less and less interesting, as if the author is writing one of those limitless 'dialogues with self'. The characters are philosophically inclined, and yet seem to lack a more fundamental depth and color of character - for instance, David Shafer in Sophia House, though a major character, is simply too one-sided and predictable to the point of being unreal. Same with the Count, and with most other characters who appear as caricatures of sorts - the exception being Tarnowski, who does struggle with his own orientation, but doesn't really ever waiver enough. Even his years in Paris are a kind of unreal dream, since he is never really tempted, only forced or unwittingly duped into situations that humiliate him. He struggles with his past, but he never really comes to terms with himself as a person. Even at the end of the book, when he finally does something "great", he doesn't seem to really "get himself" as a person - who was he all these years, and what drove him? Has he really emerged from the self-deception into self-understanding? Altogether the book was disappointing to me, though I wanted to like it. It is a good attempt at a classic, but IMHO, it is not quite there. Perhaps the future ones will get there.
Two grievously wounded men search for God and find Him in each other........2006-06-22
Michael O'Brien's Sophia House is the "prequel" to another masterpiece of his, Father. Elijah: An Apocalypse, which I've also reviewed.
In Sophia House, O'Brien reintroduces us to a young David Schäfer, who was to become Father Elijah much later. O'Brien paints for us David's existence in his hiding place in Warsaw, the dusty attic of Pawel Tarnowski's bookshop, which O'Brien previously sketched in Father. Elijah: An Apocalypse.
Now, in Sophia House, O'Brien slowly--at times, too slowly--paints the relationship that developed between David, the fugitive son of a Jewish Orthodox zadiq or "saint" who was killed in the Holocaust, and Pawel Tarnowski, a book antiquarian and a frustrated artist with a secret: he suffers from same-sex attraction. Tarnowski is a homosexual person, psychologically damaged in his childhood when a granduncle and failed priest molested him. Tarnowski spent his life resisting his inclination, first by pursuing an artistic vocation and then, by practicing prayer and contemplation. Slowly, steadily, God turned him into a mystic with the mission of being the protector of a young man who later became God's instrument in a critical mission at the End Times.
The encounter between David and Tarnowski triggered an exchange of ideas and dreams. Their tragedies became intertwined. David becomes aware of something wonderful, ineffable, transcending the confines of his rich Jewish faith, yet he never embraced in this insight in this book. Tarnowski, on the other hand, in an ultimate act of love--charis, agape--becomes Jewish without stopping from being Catholic. How is this possible? Because he took David's place in the gas chamber, giving his life for the young man and in atonement for his own sins and that of others, forgiving all, forgiving even himself. Tarnowski becomes a Christ figure in the worst place on earth.
Well, I love this book, but I warn the reader that Sophia House is more cerebral than Father. Elijah: An Apocalypse. It is not as fast-paced as the previous work. Tarnowski's circumspect, taciturn nature is so intense that some of the dialogues seemed to drag on too long for him. Tarnowski's nature makes him too detached and a reluctant participant in these exchanges that so captivated David. O'Brien gets it right at the end but while one wades through these chapters, one wonders if the dialogue would get deeper, or if it will ever end with some resolution. This defect is very minor and it does not affect the novel's trajectory and goal, which are a meditation on the nature of good and evil and of the God who is present in the worst places, at the worst times, shining through deeply flawed human beings striving to keep His Image and Likeness pristine in their souls.
All things considered: Sophia House is good. It is literature, and that's the best thing I can say of any book I read.
Sophia House is a great read!.......2005-10-02
I highly recommend Sophie House! The author dedicates this book this way, "For those whose sacrifice is hidden in the heart of God, those whose "small" choices shift the balance of the world" and that says it all. This book leaves a simple reader with the belief that (a paraphrase from a character), " a life is a word spoken" Unforgettable!
Story of a soul.......2005-09-23
This is a preview to the book Father Elijah, but it is actually the story of the spiritual struggles of the hero, Pawel Tarnowsky.
Superficially, the plot is about how the owner of "Sophia House" bookstore, who one day is confronted with a Jewish lad fleeing from the Nazis. He takes him in, and hides him, and they converse about various things, and at the climax, Pawel stays behind so David can get away.
But the real story is Pawel's spiritual journey. He must not only confront and overcome his own sinful impulses, but his main struggle is to be healed in the wounds of his own soul. So we see a man struggling with loneliness, homosexuality, and unforgiveness...and the real climax is when he learns to feel charity for those who hurt him, because he learns to see them as hurt and wounded children rather than as evil sinners...
The "old fashioned" morality behind this struggle will put off many. And the compassionate viewing of a holy gay man will turn off many rigid moralists.
But for those who wish to see a sensitive portrayal of a man's journey to wholeness and peace, then I recommend this book..
A wonderful end to the collection.......2005-09-17
Beautiful, deep book, and definitely one of my favourites of the "Children of the last days" collection... wonderful character insights, and beautiful imaginery...
Book Description
Omaha Beach saw the greatest drama and loss of life on D-Day and was critically important to subsequent Allied total victory in World War II. In this gripping new book, historian Joseph Balkoski tells the story of June 6, 1944, when largely untested American troops assaulted the German army's Atlantic wall. Equal parts oral history and meticulous reconstruction, including the invasion's diplomatic and strategic context, Omaha Beach is the closest the modern reader can get to experiencing the Normandy landings firsthand. A fitting tribute to the veterans as well as an engaging narrative, it promises to become a classic on one of America's, and indeed, the world's, most important days in history. This brilliantly researched and engagingly written comprehensive history of this momentous battle includes many never before published first-person accounts by the men who were there, many given within days of the invasion! Also included are comprehensive lists of all Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross winners at Omaha Beach as well as: ù the Order of Battle ù casualty list for the first twenty-four hours ù organization of a 30man assault boat ù weapons and equipment carried in the assault by a typical soldier and a series of detailed maps allowing the reader unparalleled insight into the minute-by-minute combat on Omaha Beach.
Customer Reviews:
Understanding Omaha.......2007-04-05
I read the book several years ago, just prior to visiting the Normandy Beaches. Bought it to have my own copy and read it again. The book's great strength (drawback for some readers, maybe) is its huge volume of detail. It is thoroughly researched; written with clarity; tells the story fully. The human side of this Day In History is also illustrated in meaningful detail; descriptions of unbelievable heroism are numerous; only three Medals of Honor were awarded;many DSCs. Issue: General Cota should have received the Medal of Honor; saved many lives; inspired leadership. A really fine and exciting book.
A Great Book.......2007-04-03
I am not going to go on at length since there are already some well written reviews here. I just wanted to add my vote that this is a great book. I think it is the finest book on Omaha written, including Ryan's and Ambrose's. I also recommend Bernage's work for the graphics and photos.
A Great Description of Omaha Beach That Takes You There.......2007-03-27
This is a great "you are there" description of D-Day on Omaha Beach in Normandy. Joseph Balkoski has done an excellent job of presenting the official and personnel accounts of people who were there that longest day of the war. The descriptions by the veterans take you into the landing craft, onto the beach, and up and over the bluffs that overlooked the beach. His telling of the story dispels the usual belief that the soldiers were stuck on the beach all day and only got off the beach near the end of the day as depicted in the movie "The Longest Day".
I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a real detailed story focused on this one beach of the D-Day invasion. I would really recommend it to someone who is a wargamer such as myself since reading the stories makes me want to recreate these small firefights as well as the overall battle. I am sure there are many people who feel that way.
Balkoski's style of telling history is very well done and he has done an excellent job of bringing the materials together so that others can follow in the footsteps of the brave men of that day.
I can't want to read Utah Beach!
Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing And Airborne Operations On D-Day, June 6, 1944
A Great Historical Resource.......2006-12-14
Joseph Balkoski's book on Omaha Beach is a great historical resource like his book Utah Beach. Omaha Beach tells the story of when largely untested American troops assaulted the German army's Atlantic wall. This is a great read covering the events of the day almost minute by minute. It reads like a great documentary. This is not written in the format of a memoir. Balkoski relies mainly on primary sources such as after action reports, unit journals, and citations to create his blow by blow narrative. He includes the invasion's diplomatic and strategic context. Omaha Beach is the closest the modern reader can get to experiencing the Normandy landings firsthand.
Sprinkled throughout the battle account are the accounts of those in the battle. It is a classic. It is a must for any D-day library. It also included comprehensive lists of all Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross winners at Omaha Beach. It has: the Order of Battle, unit casualty list for the first twenty-four hours, unit organization of a 30man assault boat unit weapons, and equipment carried in the assault by a typical soldier, and a series of detailed maps allowing the reader unparalleled insight into the minute-by-minute combat on Omaha Beach.
Best ever Omaha Beach book!.......2006-12-03
I decided at first to write a long review of this book, but upon reading the other reviews here I trimmed my review to simply this...
I own and run a battlefield touring company in Normandy and have read many many books on the fighting on Omaha Beach on D-Day. There is no better book than this one, that's it it's absolutely the definitive book on the subject. The author has lived overlooking the beach, he's from Maryland - home of the 29th division and he has studied the units involved for thirty years. This book will never be bettered. I cannot sing its praises loudly enough.
Book Description
This spectacular, large format, full color, new book is quite simply the most impressive book of its type we have seen. Packed with over 200 photographs, maps and charts, the book is divided into the sectors associated with the Normandy landings in 1944. What's more it is extremely reasonably priced.
Customer Reviews:
Hit the Beach Running..........2003-12-17
I found this book to be an excellent resource for understanding the obstacles the Allied forces faced when storming the beaches. There are two pages devoted to various beach obstacles. There are also two pages devoted to St-Mere-Englis, including a map. Modellers of World War II will definately find this book useful. It is a quick and enjoyable read.
Book Description
"These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war." -Ronald Reagan, June 6, 1984, Normandy, France
Acclaimed historian and author of the "New York Times" bestselling Tour of Duty Douglas Brinkley tells the riveting account of the brave U.S. Army Rangers who stormed the coast of Normandy on D-Day and the President, forty years later, who paid them homage.
The importance of Pointe du Hoc to Allied planners like General Dwight Eisenhower cannot be overstated. The heavy U.S. and British warships poised in the English Channel had eighteen targets on their bombardment list for D-Day morning. The 100-foot promontory known as Pointe du Hoc -- where six big German guns were ensconced -- was number one. General Omar Bradley, in fact, called knocking out the Nazi defenses at the Pointe the toughest of any task assigned on June 6, 1944. Under the bulldoggish command of Colonel James E. Rudder of Texas, who is profiled here, these elite forces "Rudder's Rangers" -- took control of the fortified cliff. The liberation of Europe was under way.
Based upon recently released documents from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the Eisenhower Center, Texas A & M University, and the U.S. Army Military History Institute. The Boys of Pointe du Hoc is the first in-depth, anecdotal remembrance of these fearless Army Rangers. With brilliant deftness, Brinkley moves between two events four decades apart to tell the dual story of the making of Reagan's two uplifting 1984 speeches, considered by many to be among the best orations the Great Communicator ever gave, and the actual heroic event, which was indelibly captured as well in the opening scenes of Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan".
Just as compellingly, Brinkley tells the story of how Lisa Zanatta Henn, the daughter of a D-Day veteran, forged a special friendship with President Reagan that changed public perceptions of World War II veterans forever. Two White House speechwriters -- Peggy Noonan and Tony Dolan -- emerge in the narrative as the master scribes whose ethereal prose helped Reagan become the spokesperson for the entire World War II generation.
Customer Reviews:
Reagan re-disovers the Greatest Generation.......2007-10-11
Douglas Brinkley has written two books in one and both are wonderful.
The first is the inside story of Ronald Reagan's magnificent speech on the cliffs of Normandy in 1984. It was perfect political "theater" that ushered in a glowing fondness for the heroics of the WW2 effort by our "boys." Soon Americans were reading The Greatest Generation, seeing Saving Private Ryan, building a WW2 Memorial in Washington, asking uncles and fathers about their service, and now watching The War.
But Brinkley also weaved in the actual heriocs of the US Army Rangers, under James Rudder, who scaled those cliffs and "helped free a continent."
Great history. Easy read.
"We stand on a lonely windswept point..."
Myth not History.......2006-06-29
Myths are important, but they should not be labeled history. 1. George Washington was not a great guerilla leader; he commanded conventional forces who fought in lines--just like the redcoats. Washington thought militia and irregulars were undisciplined and unable to face regular troops.
2. Ronald Reagan did not begin the nuclear "disarming" of the Soviet Union. Eisenhower and Kennedy tried, but (LBJ?) Nixon and Carter were able to bring the ABM treaty, the SALT treaties and he START treaties to a point where both sides began cutting back their nuclear arsenals. Reagan did have success with theater wrapons in Europe, but the "big nukes" that could end civilization were already being cut back.
This is an interesting book about Reagan and Peggy Noonan, but some of the history cited is WRONG.
Great Communicator.......2006-06-14
I bought this book because I love Ronald Reagan and wanted to know more about these great speeches. This book provides all of the insights, including both of his D-Day speeches in the appendix section. It's interesting to hear how Peggy Noonan put the Pointe du Hoc speech together and the back and forth editing that goes on with presidential speeches. I was most impressed by how the story of Peter Zannata got into the speech. I always wondered how this happened and this book provides the information. It's not a history book about D-Day but focuses on how Ronald Reagan helped to create new interest in today's younger generation in the greatest generation--our WWII heroes. It's very easy to read, too. A very good book.
This book is mistitled.......2006-01-09
The title of this book should actually be "Speech making by Ronald Reagan" because only about 1/4 of the book deals with the battle for Pointe du Hoc. Most of the book champions the speechmaking ability of the former president. The battle description that it does have is pretty dry and lifeless.
Perplexing War Mystery.......2006-01-02
Whether or not it was a silly idea for Brinkley to try to yoke together such disparate events over such a long period of time I leave for others to say. At first I thought it facile, but his writing is so good that I was almost persuaded. But no one can doubt that there is some really interesting material in here.
I never knew, for example, that Peggy Noonan had never even met Reagan, not even to shake his hand, when she began to write his speeches for him. She testifies that she was aware of a feeling in the corridors of the west wing, a feeling of resentment that she, a woman, should have been entrusted with such a potentially important speech.
Brinkley's most controversial thrust remains the finger of J'Accuse he drags in the direction of the late Cornelius Ryan, crack reporter and author of the D-Day classic THE LONGEST DAY. Brinkley accuses Ryan of "botching" the story Reagan and Noonan honed in on, the story of Rudder's Rangers, the men who scaled the cliffs of Pointe de Hoc and somehow found the Nazi's guns, jamming some of them up with plastic explosive, thus disabling the enemy fire for good and supposedly saving thousands of American lives. Ryan, alleges Brinkley, didn't go far enough in his reportage, assuming stupidly that just because the guns were missing from the cliff casemates, they weren't ever an important dangger in the rest of the battle. Well, think about it, Ryan!
Maybe I'm dumb, but does Brinkley ever explain why the Germans actually removed the guns from the casemates and rolled them ll that distance away to sit in the cornfield while they conferred and smoked (thus giving the Rangers time to destroy their workings)? It's one of those mysteries which probably has a simple explanation, but until I know it, i'm going to think that the German officers had an Allied double agent in their midst, hauling the guns out of the place where they might have, indeed probably almost certainly, done some good.
Book Description
Parades, gladiator games, tunic weaving, and coin making!
Anything can happen when you spend the day in ancient Rome!
Find out what life was like almost two thousand years ago during the height of the Roman Empire. As Rome celebrates its annual Games, you'll spend the day with a family, just back from their own summer vacation. Join ten-year-old Marcus for the fabulous parade and the athletes' contest in the Colosseum. Enjoy a pantomime at the theater with his twelve-year-old sister Julia, and watch their father, Senator Julius, as he speaks in the city's forum. Top the day off with an exciting chariot race at the circus. Celebrate the history of ancient Rome with creative and fun-filled activities! Turn an ordinary sheet into a Roman toga. Learn to write in Latin. Build a legionnaire's helmet and shield, design a decorative mosaic with beans, or draw a sundial that really works! Then, when your day in Rome is through, make your own emperor's feast to share with your family and friends.
Books:
- The Outsiders
- The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte
- The River Where America Began: A Journey Along the James
- The Rommel Papers (Da Capo Paperback)
- The Story the Soldiers Wouldn't Tell: Sex in the Civil War
- The Sun in the Morning: My Early Years in India and England (Kaye, M. M. Share of Summer, 1st Pt.)
- The Trafalgar Companion: The Complete Guide to History's Most Famous Sea Battle and the Life of Admiral Lord Nelson
- This Time, This Place: My Life in War, the White House, and Hollywood
- Ulysses S. Grant : Memoirs and Selected Letters : Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant / Selected Letters, 1839-1865 (Library of America)
- Walk In Hell (The Great War, Book 2)
Books Index
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