Book Description
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued a challenge: the United States would land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade. It seemed like an impossible task and one that the Russians--who had launched the first satellite and put the first man into Earth orbit--would surely perform before us. The ingenuity, passion, and sacrifice of thousands of ordinary men and women, from all walks of life, enabled the space program to meet this extraordinary goal. In all, six crews would land on the moon before Congress withdrew financial backing for the program. This is the story of those men and women who worked behind the scenes, without fanfare or recognition, to make these missions a success. Thirty years later, they still speak of Apollo with pride, sometimes even awe. After Apollo moonwalker John Young told journalist Billy Watkins in a 1999 interview that "nobody knows anything about the people who helped make those flights so successful," Watkins made it his mission to identify the unsung heroes and learn their stories. His subjects include: BLJulian Scheer (NASA publicist): Argued for and won the inclusion of a television camera on Apollo 11, enabling Armstrong's walk on the moon to be broadcast and recorded for posterity. BLSonny Morea, lead designer of the Lunar Rover. BLHugh Brown, one of the few African Americans who worked on the Apollo program, helped monitor for Russian submarines trying to jam NASA communication during launches, and later went on to become head of the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta. BLJoAnn Morgan, launch control: One of the few women involved in the space program, Morgan was designated the "lightning specialist." Her knowledge was crucial when the Apollo 12 spacecraft was struck by lightning only seconds after liftoff, nearly causing an abort. She was one of the few specialists allowed in the "firing room" during liftoff. BLJoan Roosa, widow of Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa, talks about the sacrifices of the families and their devotion to "The Program." BLJoe Schmitt, veteran suit technician was responsible for making sure the suits were leak-proof and hooked up correctly--knowing any mistake would mean instant death in space. BLJoseph Laitin, who came up with the idea for the Apollo 8 astronauts to read the first ten verses of Genesis during their Christmas Eve television broadcast from the moon. BLClancy Hatelberg, the Navy diver, who plucked the first humans to walk on the moon from the Pacific Ocean after the Apollo 11 landing.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating stories and unique viewpoints of the Apollo program.......2006-02-05
In Apollo Moon Missions: The Unsung Heroes, author Billy Watkins delivers 14 fascinating stories of little known people from the Apollo program. For those of us who read a lot about Apollo, this book adds some well-needed alternative views of the program. I've read most of the astronaut biographies and many of the histories of Apollo-after a while I'm looking for some nook or cranny of information that I did not know already.
The chapters in Apollo Moon Missions are similar to the wonderful 12 page riff in Stages to Saturn about the Super Guppy aircraft that was used to transport the Saturn S-IVB stage. In Stages to Saturn, this story is told partly by profiling flamboyant entrepreneur John M. Conroy and his company Aero Spacelines that built the Super Guppy. I like this kind of story because it personalizes the Apollo program. The accounts in Apollo Moon Missions of people like Sonny Morea, the lead designer of the Lunar Rover, Julian Scheer, the NASA publicist who got TV cameras onto Apollo 11, and Joe Schmitt, suit technician, who was often the last person the astronauts saw before the hatch was closed on the launch pad are fun and unusual.
Average customer rating:
- Unheralded Heros
- On Target
- A story that should have been told.
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Marine Pioneers: The Unsung Heroes of World War II (Schiffer Military/Aviation History)
Kerry Lane
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0764302272 |
Book Description
Marine Pioneers: The Unsung Heroes of World War II is a personal history of a young Marine during World War II. This book tells a powerful story that has never been told before and documents a rare look into a "Pioneer Unit", integrated with an infantry unit in the First Marine Division. Kerry Lane tells the riveting true story of his experiences as a Sergeant while serving with a Marine Pioneer Battalion during the Battle of Guadalcanal and the swamp battle known as "Suicide Creek" in the jungles of Cape Gloucester, New Britain. Assisted by the Marine Historical Center and other Pioneers, Kerry Lane has gathered numerous battlefield stories, anecdotes, and experiences told by those who were there and who lived them. With his own battlefield experiences providing an understanding of men in war, he has crafted an interesting book that tells those stories of marine pioneers in battle. Weaving these stories and vignettes together into the framework of the overall battle, this book honors the many marine pioneers, their companies and battalion, that contributed greatly to the victory that changed the course of the Pacific war., over 100 b/w photos, 6" x 9"
Customer Reviews:
Unheralded Heros.......2002-03-31
There are many books written about recognized Marine heros. There were many. There were many men that were not singled out, Units that were not considered Elite as we might classify them today. They were the "Everyman's Marine" that performed as part of a team so the goal of victory could be met. These men unloaded the supplies, drove the trucks, resupplied the combat units, constructed roads and causeways that permitted heavy weapons to be utilized.
This is the book that gives them a voice. Col Lane was a SSGT in the Pioneer and Engineer Batallions of the First Marine Division in the South Pacific. Doesn't sound very glamorous, Heh? Tell that to the tank commander that went across "Suicide Creek" on Cape Glouster after SSGT Lane was shot from the seat of a bulldozer(as several Marines were)attempting to build a path for the tank to cross while under intense enemy fire.Another Marine finished the job so the tanks could be brought into action against the Japanese troops.
I have a feeling that the Marines in those tanks had a different perspective on heroism than most of us have gained by our previous reading.
Col Lane unselfishly describes the events and lauds the actions of these comrades that most of us have never read about.Now their time has come in Marine Pioneers-The Unsung Heros Of World War Two. A story too long in waiting to be told. He has spoken for men that would not or could not speak for themselves, and I thank him for this.
An excellent read, written as I would have like to have heard it through my Father's words. He too was a Pioneer that served with Col Lane from Guadalcanal through Cape Glouster and New Britain.
A unique view of uncommon men.
On Target.......1998-08-23
An excellent first-person account of USMC elite in the Big War.
Lately, I've grown tired of the general histories of WWII and its various subjects, and have been seeking personal accounts in the style of "Company Commander." In this book, Lane does not disappoint. His narrative is very compelling and well illustrated from his personal collection.
If you are interested in WWII, the Pacific island-hopping campaigns, or the USMC from one who lived through it, this is a must have.
Semper Fi
A story that should have been told........1997-12-30
A very good narative of all events.
Book Description
The African-American contribution to winning World War II has never been celebrated as profoundly as in Fighting for America. In this inspirational and uniquely personal tribute, the essential part played by black servicemen and -women in that cataclysmic conflict is brought home.
Here are letters, photographs, oral histories, and rare documents, collected by historian Christopher Moore, the son of two black WWII veterans. Weaving his family history with that of his people and nation, Moore has created an unforgettable tapestry of sacrifice, fortitude, and courage. From the 1,800 black soldiers who landed at Normandy Beach on D-Day, and the legendary Tuskegee Airmen who won ninety-five Distinguished Flying Crosses, to the 761st Tank Battalion who, under General Patton, helped liberate Nazi death camps, the invaluable effort of black Americans to defend democracy is captured in word and image.
Readers will be introduced to many unheralded heroes who helped America win the war, including Dorie Miller, the messman who manned a machine gun and downed four Japanese planes; Robert Brooks, the first American to die in armored battle; Lt. Jackie Robinson, the future baseball legend who faced court-martial for refusing to sit in the back of a military bus; an until now forgotten African-American philosopher who helped save many lives at a Japanese POW camp; even the author’s own parents: his mother, Kay, a WAC when she met his father, Bill, who was part of the celebrated Red Ball Express.
Yet Fighting for America is more than a testimonial; it is also a troubling story of profound contradictions, of a country still in the throes of segregation, of a domestic battleground where arrests and riots occurred simultaneously with foreign service–and of how the war helped spotlight this disparity and galvanize the need for civil rights. Featuring a unique perspective on black soldiers, Fighting for America will move any reader: all who, like the author, owe their lives to those who served.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Nothing short of an excellent walk through history.......2005-07-23
Chris Moore's chronicle of black patriotism from Colonial times through World War II is nothing short of an excellent walk through history. As a history buff I found myself eager to turn each page. I would sit with highlighter in hand marking special passages as though I was still a college student studying for an exam. Moore has a special way of transporting the reader back in time, allowing one to almost hear the voices of those who wrote the letters featured in the book. I never realized just how much we as a people contributed to the early Colonial battles that set America as a country free.
Even though black Americans have fought and died in every war this country has faced, only the heroes of recent history get recognition. Yes, we grew up with a knowledge of Crispus Attucks, but what about heroes like Seaman Doris 'Dorrie' Miller and Pfc Robert H. Brooks. Miller was aboard the USS West Virginia, when she was attacked December 7, 1941 by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. Miller, a naval messman, managed to save several lives when he shot down four enemy planes with a .50-caliber anti-aircraft gun he'd never been trained to use. Miller was later presented the Navy Cross for his efforts. I was never taught in school about Pfc Robert H. Brooks was the first soldier to die at Fort Stotenbugh in the Phillipines, when the Japanese attacked December 8, 1941.
There was also airmen Eugene Bullard, who was not allowed to fly combat missions for America. Bullard was however, welcomed by the French army and became an ace pilot during World War I. Bullard flew more than twenty missions against the Germans and was credited with shooting down at least five enemy aircraft. Moore introduces us to black female heroes like pilot Willa Beatrice Brown. In 1941 Lieutenant Brown became the first woman officer in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. Throughout WWII Brown served as an instructor in the Civilian Pilot Training Program.
Moore's research on the Red Ball Express, the 320th Barrage Ballon Brigade, the 161st Chemical Smoke Generating Company and the countless Engineer Aviation Battalions such as the 810th and the 811th paved the way for Allied victory. Moore allows the reader to feel the shear determination of black enlisted men and women who fought a duel war. One war was against the Germans and Japanese and the other war was against the prejudice they faced daily from their fellow American service men and women. Although this book began as a tribute to Moore's parents S.Sgt. Bill Moore and Pfc Norma K. DeFreese Moore his four year journey turned out to be so much more. Though not written as a text book, this book should be incorportated into the half written history books our children are taught from. It is a book that my family will read again and again.
Reviewed by Felecia R. Ellis Memphis RAWSISTAZ
Interesting.......2005-05-25
What an interesting subject, presented with historical perspective in Fighting for America, written by Moore to honor his GI Joe Mom and Dad.
I found myself saying out loud, "I didn't know that" as I got a history lesson about the role African-Americans played in fighting for America since they became "Americans."
Even in a movie like "Saving Private Ryan," the important role of several hundred black soldiers at Utah and Omaha Beach on D-Day was not shown. Throughout the book that focuses on World War II, we learn about heroism, camaraderie, segregation, exclusion, demoralization, prejudice -- and patriotism.
Often black men were sent on the most difficult missions - ands then their efforts were greatly downplayed or excluded from history (both when it happened) and in written-down history.
Black women also served as nurses and with other support units. The 6,888th Central Postal Direction Battalion, an all-black unit, assigned some 80 black women to handle mail sorting at a base in Birmingham, England. Those women were the first black people many English had seen, and they helped to shatter stereotypes.
Many of us have heard of the Tuskegee Airmen and all they accomplished. Other black soldiers, trained as paratroopers, were sent to the West Coast of the United States and became firefighters. Their job was to jump into remote forested area and put out fires caused by airborne incendiary bombs sent aloft by the Japanese.
Also, a third of the 10,500 soldiers who built the Alcan Highway (from Canada through roughest Alaska) were black. This major construction project was rushed to ensure that America had a way to get supplies to northward to defend our borders if the enemy blocked our supply ships.
The book was filled with such interesting facts that any history buff will love it. And if you just like to read good stories about good people, it will meet that requirement.
A special piece of history.......2005-01-09
If you are a fan of history or not this is wonderful book. Having read a several other history books on WWII in college, this is the first book that has captured me. The journey the reader takes through the life of the author's family and through other soldier's personal experiences allows the reader to relate to the war rather then simply read about it. If history books in school were written like this one, history class would not have been dreaded.
AFRICAN AMERICAN HEROES!.......2004-12-29
To anyone with any common sense, it should come as no surprise that African American soldiers carried the load, literally, during the Second World War. FIGHTING FOR AMERICA does a superb and meticulous job in detailing all of the many ways which black soldiers helped to win the war. It is simply a national shame that most black soldiers who fought in WWII have gone to their graves without any recognition for their bravery and heroism. This book is loaded with bonafide heroes who are worthy of our applause and any monument which can be erected in their honor. I recommend this book highly.
Book Description
"As a researcher and collector of historical source material, Mr. Gilbert has no peer among contemporary historians." The New York Times According to Jewish tradition, "Whoever saves one life, it is as if he saved the entire world." In The Righteous, distinguished historian Sir Martin Gilbert explores the courage of those who, throughout Germany and in every occupied country, took incredible risks to help Jews whose fate would have been sealed without them. Indeed, many lost their lives for their efforts.From Greek-Orthodox Princess Alice of Greece to the Ukrainian Uniate Archbishop of Lvov, from priests and soldiers to employees and neighbors, many risked, and sacrificed, everything to help their fellow man. Drawing from twenty-five years of original research, Gilbert re-creates the remarkable stories of the non-Jews who have received formal recognition by the State of Israel as Righteous Among the Nations.
Customer Reviews:
These people were saints.......2007-07-11
Martin Gilbert is the greatest historian on the subject of the holocaust out there, and is one of the most prolific historians of today.
In The Righteous, Gilbert describes the many cases of righteous gentiles, throughout Nazi-occupied Europe, who risked their lives and all they had to save Jews, many of them children, from certain death at hte hands of the Nazi killing-machine.
Gilbert describes the heroic actions of those brave and righteous gentiles, by region describing the action of the unsung heroes in Eastern Galicia, Vilna, Lithuania, Poland, Warsaw, Western Galicia, Germany and Austria, Central Europe and the Balkans, Norway, Finland and Denmark, France, Belgium and Luxembourg, Holland, Italy and the Vatican and Hungary as well as in the Camps and on the death marches.
In some cases, entire nations came together to say no to Nazi evil, and to save the Jews of their country.
Denmark, Bulgaria and Albania stand out in this regard.
Irene Grunbaum wrote in her memoirs that one day she would tell the world how the Albanians 'protected a refugee and wouldn't allow her to be harmed even if it meant losing their lives. The gates of your small country remained open, Albania. your authorities closed both eyes, when neccesary, to give poor persecuted people another chance to survive the most horrible of all wars. We thank you'.
Morechaie Paldiel writes that 'An overwhelming majority of the Albanian population, Muslim and Christian, gave refuge to two thousand Jews in their midst, resulting in the almost total rescue of the Jewish community'.
While Gilbers describes the hroism of the Danish and Bulgarian people, he does not write enough on the very special and noble roles, to save Jews, taken by King Christian X of Denmark and King Boris III of Bulgaria.
Despite the collaborators and local anti-Semites in these nations, whole towns and villages came togehter in some cases, in France, Belgium, Holland and Greece, to save their Jews from Nazi anihilation.
Nazi Germany's allies, Italy and Hungary rejected Nazi genocide of Jews, and did what they could to save the Jews. Italian occupied zones in France,the Balkans etc were safe zones for Jews. Only after direct Nazi ocupation were the Jews of these countries taken to the death camps. Finland also protected her Jews, and the neutral countries like Spain, Portugal and Sweden played a role in saving a number of Jewish refugees.
Many Jewish children were taken in by Christian families throughout Europe and looked after them as their own.
In Poland and the East, the penalty for just having contacted a Jew was death.
There are many accounts of the recue and care of Jewish children by saintly people and families, during the war.
I will mention a few of them.
*In the Novogrudok region (which is today in Belarus), one of those saved was a baby, Bella Dzienciolska. 'Her parents had entrusted her to a farmer to hide. She was blonde and did not look like a Jewish child, but at two years old she already spoke Yiddish. So the farmer made a hole under the floor and kept her there during the day for a year until she forgot to speak. He then took her out and told the neighbours that a relatives child was staying with them.'.
Bella Dzienciolska suvived the war, and fifty years later, returned to the farm, and found the hole under the floorboards where she had been hidden.
Other children were hidden and raised by nuns and churchmen, in abbeys, monasteries, churches and hospitals and schools run by the Church.
* In the small town of Licskowke, in Eastern Galicia, Father Michael Kujita hid eight year old Anita Helfgott, a fugitive from the ghetto of Skole, in his parsonage. Later a Catholic couple, Josef and Paulina Matusiewicz gave her sanctuary. She survived the war.
* In Czêstochowa, in Poland, Genowefa Starczewka-Korczak gave sanctuary to a little Jewish girl, Celina Berkowitz, shortly before her parents were killed. When the Nazis executed Genowefas husband she was forced to place her Jewish charge and her own two daughters in a Catholic orphanage. But each weekend she brough all three girls home.
* In the Siedlce region east of Warsaw, a poor peasant widow gave shelter to two Jewish girls, Eva, aged 11, and Batja, aged 5, sisters who had escpaed from the Warsaw ghetto and wandered for several moths through the Polish countryside.
Fearing betrayal, the peasant woman took Ester and Batja for sanctuary to Sister Stanislawa Jozwikowska, in the Heart of Jesus convent, near the village of Skorzec. 'I was dirty, ill, weak and full of lice' Batja recalled years later, 'The nuns washed me thoroughly, put me into soft pajamas and put me in a clean bed'.
Despite the convent being occupied by German soldiers, nobody knew of the girls Jewish identity except the Mother Superior, and
.Sister Stanislawa Jozwikowska. Sixty years after having been given shelter Batja recalled "Mother Superior Beata Bronislawa Hryniewicz healed me; she recovered my soul by great love; she pampered me as her own child; she dressed me nice and neat; she combed my hair and tied ribbons in my plaits; she taught me manners (she was from an aristocratic noble family). She was strict but fair with my duties; to pray, to study, to work on my character, to obey etc, but every step was with love, love love!'
Children, who were rescued by righteous gentiles, included Israel Lau, later Chief Ashkenazic rabbi of Israel, and Aharon Barak (out of the Kovno Ghetto in a suitcase as a child and hidden by a Lithuanian farmer), later President of the Supreme Court of Israel from 1995 until the middle of 2006.
Many people chose to help out of moral reasons or out of love for their charges. These people were Saints!
These stories are being re-examined at a time when some, like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad deny the Holocaust happened-while working to carry out a real holocaust against the Jews , while others forget history and aim to dismantle the Jewish State, built to a large extent by Holocaust survivors.
Remarkable stories of Holocaust heroes.......2007-03-24
I have long appreciated Martin Gilbert's works. His compendium of the Holocaust, titled "The Holocaust" in my opinion is one of the best works on the subject. This book may not be in the same league, but is of no less importance, for it focusses on the people who risked their lives to help the Jews in occupied Europe during World War Two.Some of the accounts are just mere sentences, but reading them all gives one a better picture of these heroes, many of whom were ordinary people who had everything to lose, yet through individual acts of heroism, made a difference in the lives of the saved Jews.
Tales of Courage.......2006-12-16
After watching the procession for Oskar Schindler's funeral, Gilbert is inspired to do more research on those who risked their lives, called the Righteous, to save to aid Jews in WWII. Extensive research in archives and interviews lead to short sketches of courage and rescue.
Gilbert divides the book up by geography which gives the book some order. Many of the stories of courage are very short and thus the number of them is overwhelming, at times you don't realize that he has shifted to another story. Another fascinating element of the stories is the various methods that were used to save lives. Some so ingenious and others so horrific you can't imagine how anyone could survive under those conditions.
This book is at turns a wonderful monument to those who risked everything to save others but in the end you are struck with the fact that every 100 saved from some town -- 1000's died. It is well worth the read but be prepared.
Very interesting topic / very boring text.......2005-10-11
For the most part, this book bored me to tears. I did find the stories of the heroes whose selfless devotion to humanity portrayed to be moving and inspiring. These people have (or will have) a special place in Heaven, I am sure. Having lived most of my life among holocaust survivors and their children, I have heard and read alot of stories in several languages. These stories, while moving, I felt were quite boringly presented. I have read other works by Mr. Gilbert, and found this one extremely disappointing because of its literary style, although the content was o.k.
Disappointing.......2005-10-06
I read this book to learn the motives of those who risked themselves to shelter Jews in WW2 (a valuable subject) but was sadly disapointed. It's as readable (and interesting) as a telephone book.
Try Browning, Kuznetsov, Sereny, Rhodes, Hilberg, Wiesenthal, etc
Book Description
An unforgettable anecdotal survey, by turns deeply moving and beguilingly entertaining, of the surprising roles that animals have played throughout the history of warfare. (SEE QUOTE.)
Customer Reviews:
Great introductory book.......2004-03-12
I took a chance on the book when I saw it in a discount bin, and glad I did. The major fault I find with the book is that it never gives more than a paragraph or two of attention to any of the individual animals. It does cover a wide variety of animals, and tells more about the hardships the group had to undergo instead of the individual acts of heroism. My recommendation is to pick up the book (the authors percentage of this book goes to a statue fund for war animals) and use the information found in it to do more research on the subject on the net or through other books..., some of which are mentioned as great references within this book.
Book Description
They are eighteen of the most highly decorated soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines in the United States military, yet most Americans dont even know their names. In this riveting account, former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Wynton C. Hall retell the stories of jaw-dropping heroism and hope coming out of Afghanistan and Iraq. Based on candid personal interviews, Home of the Brave takes readers beyond the bullets and battles into the hearts and minds of the men and women who are fighting terrorists overseas. These are the true-life stories of soldiers who risked everything to save lives and defend freedom. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Mitchell, the Green Beret leader whose fifteen-man Special Forces team took five hundred al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners, and posthumously repatriated the body of the first American to die in combat in the War on Terror, CIA Agent Johnny Mike Spann Army National Guard Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester, the first woman ever to be awarded the Silver Star for combat, whose sharp shooting and bravery played an enormous role in fighting off over fifty Iraqi insurgents while her ten-person squad protected a convoy of supplies on their way to fellow soldiers. Sergeant Rafael Peralta, a Mexican immigrant who enlisted in the Marines the same day he received his green card, and while wounded from enemy fire, used his body to smother the blast of an enemy grenade and gave his life so that his marine brothers could live Giving an in-depth and personal touch to the War on Terror, these real-life heroes remind us of American historys most enduring lesson: Ours would not be the land of the free were it not also the home of the brave.
Customer Reviews:
It's About Time..........2007-03-25
...that someone brought attention to the great valor and bravery of our troops fighting the global war on terror, since the main-stream media seems to be doing everything in their power to minimize the troops' effect on the American (and world) conscience. I wish we could all thank the late Sec. Weinberger for undertaking this project. Although the writing is a little weak at points, the stories themselves, underlining the great bravery and sacrifice of our young men and women, more than make up for any deficiencies in that area. Please read this book, and continue to support our troops!
A great book and a must read.......2006-08-20
This is a moving account of the bravery and heroism that occurs daily by the men and women who have volunteered to defend us.
It gives a true and detailed account of the reality of battle and the reality that there are courageous soldiers that need our support and deserve our recognition, regardless of one's political opinions.
A Book that Deserves Reading.......2006-08-14
As I listen to, watch, or read the national media it seems that the only thing they really want to focus on is how many soldiers got killed today. They I read the letters and they are filled with nothing but hatred towards Bush. They offer no solutions just say it's all his fault. Only once in a while do we see something that talks about supporting our troops. Our troops didn't ask to be sent over there, but they are do a great job for our country. It's nice to see that once in a great while a book like this comes along that actually does report on what our troops are doing.
Specifically this is a report on the actions of nineteen of our finest soldiers. Their stories rival those of any of the heros of World War II, yet I've seen nothing about them in the news.
I've got to make two specific comments:
Our local politicians are making a lot of noise about immigration from Mexico, illegal or otherwise. Sgt. Peralta, a Mexican immigrant, wounded from enemy fire threw his body on top of an enemy grenade so that his marine brothers could live.
As the press reminds us daily, we've had about 2,500 killed in three years of fighting. That's about what we kill every three weeks on the highways. Why aren't the liberals, the media, congress, and everyone else concerned about safer cars, safer highways?
A book that deserves reading.
A Title for all Americans to read!.......2006-07-06
Incredible, spine tingling, heartwrenching accounts of extraordinary Americans put in extraordinary situations. Once you start this read, you won't be able to put it down. I've shared my book with several people now and they all have had the same reaction I had. You can't help but be overwhelmed with awe and pride in our country and its military when you read this book. It is un-american for the media in our country to not share these stories with the public. We all have the right to know what sacrifices are being made on our behalf. Thanks to Caspar Weinberger for his patriotism and his insight in bringing these stories out.
What it Means to Be an American.......2006-07-06
This was one of the best books I have ever read about the True Heroes of Our Country. It should be required reading at every High School and College in the country. I would also include the media but I doubt it would do any good.
Book Description
Long before Elvis Presley entered Sam Phillips's Sun Records studio in 1954, rock 'n' roll was being performed and recorded by the likes of Big Joe Turner, Louis Jordan, Wynonie Harris, the Clovers, the Dominoes, the Midnighters, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Wanda Jackson, and Johnny Ace. More than just a series of shrewd and evocative portraits of these and sixteen other performers, this book is also a paean to a forsaken time of relentless excess, sudden ruin, and fierce music. For this edition, the author has contributed a new listing of recent CD reissues. From 1945 to 1955, from Chinese hillbillies to Elvis's long-lost twin brother, here are the Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll.
Customer Reviews:
The Best!.......2006-10-13
Nicky kicks *ss with this one. Simply the best book about early rock and roll and who influenced the music we love. Lots of great stories about people you've never heard of. This book will make you go out and buy cds from Europe where much of the artist's music is available in public domain. Or maybe you'll be searching on Amazon. Either way, you'll love it! A great read from a great writer.
Informative, hysterically funny, a great read.......2000-02-10
This may be, quite simply, the best non-fiction book on music. I agree with his main point -- in rock and roll, there is nothing new under the sun; everything truly innovative was done by someone over half a century ago (and there's a good chance they were drunk at the time). What Tosches does is tell these stories is a way that will have you laughing out loud and running to the CD store to pick up as much of this music as you can find.
The Rosetta Stone of Early Rock and Roll.......1998-04-26
The best book about the history of Rock and Roll I have ever come across. My goal is to find and hear musis by each of the artists featured in the book, including Ming & Ling, the Chinese Hillbillies, bless their inscrutable souls. The opening paragraphs in the chapter on Big Joe Turner are worth the price of admission itself.
Inspired tales of early rockers.......1998-02-27
Tosches captures the energy of a nascent musical form with wit and no small amount of fury. The Merman chapter alone is worth the price of admission, opening new avenues of appreciation. Seek this one out.
Average customer rating:
- Disappointing. Lacks feeling and life.
- This is a Cinderella Story of a poor, simple girl's dream.
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Unsung Heroes: Combat Nurses & Army Wives
Lavada Bishop Aquilina
Manufacturer: Trego-Hill Publication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World War II
| Military
| History
| Subjects
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ASIN: 0963657739 |
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing. Lacks feeling and life........2002-06-02
Written as a laundry list of "I lived here, then I moved there". Although the author lived in many interesting and exciting countries, we get little-to-no feel for what it was like in those places. There is no sense of adventure for new sights, sounds, tastes; no sense of experiencing new cultures.
Family and friends are barely acknowledged, as she dwells on having to keep going back to work as a nurse in order to supplement her Army husband's salary for the cost of having five children.
The experiences she had must have been fascinating - but none of it turns up in the book. Too bad.
For anyone interested in women's experiences in WWII, I recommend instead, "The Women Who Wrote the War", by Nancy Coldwell Sorel.
This is a Cinderella Story of a poor, simple girl's dream........1998-11-01
Imagine a woman in Arkansas dreaming to see the world and experience it's adventures completely. This young girl grew up in poverty and longed for the opportunity to leave the oil fields of southwest Arkansas and taste the wonders of foriegn countries and different cultures. Somewhere along the way she found herself entertaining dignitaries at the American Embassy in Athens, Greece. She was the bell of the ball at many cocktail parties, loved by many for her appetite for life and fun. This is an easy and pleasant read. Anyone can enjoy this autobiography.
Book Description
Most criticism of The Lord of the Rings trilogy emphasizes the most likely heroes in the tales: Aragorn, Frodo, Gandalf, and even Sam. From popular to scholarly literature, the women and "smaller" characters often go overlooked. But our notions of what makes a hero have altered since September 11, and sometimes the most unlikely people can come to embody all that we look up to and admire in a person. Here, Lynnette Porter examines what we mean when we talk about heroes, and for the first time illustrates the heroic qualities that can be found in the women and other beloved, though less-celebrated, characters in the Lord of the Rings books and movies. She takes a critical look at the importance of literary and cinematic heroes in general, emphasizing the roles of Merry, Pippin, Galadriel, Eowyn, Arwen, Legolas, and Gimli, who can all be considered heroes despite their relatively smaller roles. She shows, ultimately, that our attraction to and celebration of heroes does not have to be limited to the "leading man," but rather that women and youth often display essential characteristics of true heroes. Bringing together a discussion of both the books and the movies, Porter reveals for readers the heroic nature of several characters in The Lord of the Rings who have been ignored in terms of their status as heroes. Nevertheless, these female and youthful characters have received incredible popular acclaim and illustrate the shift in the way the Western movie-going public identifies and glorifies heroes. While other stars may have outshone the likes of Merry and Pippin, Arwen and Galadriel, Porter redirects the spotlight on these favorites of the books and movies to show us how the roles they play, the actions they take, and the behaviors they display are worthy of our praise and admiration. This unique and refreshing perspective adds dimension to our understanding of The Lord of the Rings phenomenon.
Customer Reviews:
The hero in popular culture.......2005-04-19
Porter is a scholar from the realm of those few who can satisfy both the academic and general audience. She is careful and thorough in her attention to all the meanings of hero yet creative in their application to the Jackson movie trliogy. It is my intention to give this book as a gift to all the Tolkein fans I know so I can gain their sincere gratitude.
Helps to Understand the Book and the Movie.......2005-04-14
In first looking at this book I was reminded of John Milton's "They also serve who only stand and wait."
This is a book on heros, but not the star. This is a book on the lessor heros, the little people, the women, even children that are also heros, even if of a lessor scale. Written in the aftermath of the 9/11 attack where we learned that the ordinary firemen, policeman, yes, even office worker occassionally does heroic things.
This book, though is based on the characters in The Lord of the Rings. It concentrates on finding heroic behavior in the lessor characters to illustrate both the genius of Tolkien's work, how well it was adapted to the movies and to illustrate how these minor heros have simularities with's today's real-life heros.
This book helps to understand how the adapted the book to the new medium of film, but also to show the depth of the original work and how faithfully this was carried out in the transposition to film.
A riveting book.......2005-04-11
Without doubt, the best book I've read on THE LORD OF THE RINGS in years. Porter presents original and thought-provoking ideas on a subject that has received minor attention over the years. A great buy--not only for scholars but the general public
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Books Index
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