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Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History / SalesRank : 362

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Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
Author : Art Spiegelman

Amazon Price : $9.99 33%($4.96) OFF
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Paperback [ Pantheon ] [ Release : 1986 / 08 / 12 ]
ISBN : 9780394747231 / ASIN(ISBN-10) : 0394747232
[ ListPrice : $14.95 ] [ Used Price:$4.97 ]

Average Customer Review :

4.5stars [ See more reviews ]

Despite the countless books and films on the Holocaust, those of us who have thankfully never faced these horrors still struggle to understand what happened. It is easier to become numbed by it all. The brilliance of Maus is that it recasts and distills a seemingly over-familiar story into a more manageable one, a son struggling to understand his Father's life, though this in no way diminishes the horrors and struggles that occurred. And any thoughts that a graphic format somehow cheapens the message should be discarded. The pictures at times say far more than words could; such as those of crowds of doomed Jews (the mice) herded to their fate by the Nazis (the cats).

This is a valuable and well told story.

5stars - "An original and touching take on the Holocaust" (Alan D. Friedman)
The book was in very good condition and it came in very fast, within one week.

5stars - "maus" (S. Gabriel)
Maus is one of the captivating page turners I've every laid eyes upon. The story is Art Spiegelman the author writing his fathers tale and what exactly was involved in surviving the holocaust.

Maus is one of the captivating page turners I've every laid eyes upon. The story is Art Spiegelman the author writing his fathers tale and what exactly was involved in surviving the holocaust.

5stars - "maus" (quit smoking)

Art Spiegelman's critically-acclaimed graphic novel chronicles both his father Vladek's misadventures in Hitler's Europe and a rocky relationship between father and son. Depicting the Nazis as cats and the Jews as mice (and the Polish as pigs, a hot-button topic in an already controversial piece), Spiegelman's illustrations actually gives "Maus" the type of appeal that couldn't be achieved in any other medium except this one, as well as lure readers who wouldn't have picked up the comic otherwise. The story itself reels you in but "Prisoner on the Hell Planet," Spiegelman's comic-within-a-comic about his late mother, offers even more insight on Spiegelman and his family history despite its contrast with the main story. This is truly the stuff survival stories are made of.

This comic is unrated: Violence, Adult Language, Adult Situations.

4stars - "'Maus' Trap" (J. Sherman)

I really thought that in this point in my life I had learned all there was to know about the Holocaust. I've been to the museums, seen the movies, seen survivors speak, and studied the awful events in school. I didn't expect to gain a new sense of understanding from this survivors tale.

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History was a shocking, at times truly disturbing account of a family trying to survive day to day during the Holocaust. This is not a cut and dry tale, it is artfully told through a graphic novel.

I went into this novel wondering "why mice?". As you can see from the cover, the center of the swastika is a cat face. Art Spiegelman has used symbolism to portray a cat and mouse game. The jews are all mice, forever foraging for food and shelter, trying to outsmart the cats that want noting more than to destroy them. The use of this idea in his artwork makes the novel that much more interesting.

I imagine that I could learn something new each time I read this book. There is so much depth, and raw descriptions of what occurred to the authors father and his family. It goes one step deeper in showing how it has affected their lives beyond their time struggling to survive the Holocaust.

A powerful and deeply affecting graphic novel that is an absolute must read.

5stars - "you will learn from this" (Holly K. Lee)

With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa / SalesRank : 592

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With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
Author : E.B. Sledge

Amazon Price : $10.88 32%($5.12) OFF
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Paperback [ Presidio Press ] [ Release : 2007 / 05 / 01 ]
ISBN : 9780891419068 / ASIN(ISBN-10) : 0891419063
[ ListPrice : $16.00 ] [ Used Price:$9.99 ]

Average Customer Review :

5.0stars [ See more reviews ]

I have nothing but good things to say about this book. It is an easy read I did not want to put down. I was drawn to read it after seeing The Pacific miniseries and recommend both to anyone that would like to understand as best they can through words and pictures what war was like in the Pacific theater. Sledge does an excellent job of describing his experiences via all five senses. I have not read many first hand accounts but none have transported me into a war zone as well. With the Old Breed is a gem and required reading for any WWII buff.

5stars - "Great book from the heart" (Joshua M Olson)

It was not a story as much as a documentary on what took place at Peleliu and Okinawa, uncut, unedited and with the covers thrown back. After reading the book, I had my good friend read it. He was a jungle fighter in Greece against the Nazis and later became a US soldier. His brother, it turns out, actually fought in Peleliu and Okinawa. My friend broke down and cried because he now knew, after all these years, what his brother went through and how bad it really was. He told me he wished he'd known this long ago. That his brother had kept it all in and their relationship had suffered because of it. To Mr. Sledge, my good friend, my own brother, Dave Latoria, John Veremis, Jerral Hancock and all those who have served, I say I owe you a great debt of gratitude and Thank You!

5stars - "God Bless Them." (Jr Altfeld)
Book is a must read for anyone interested in the story of the Marine's in the Pacific theater of WW2.

5stars - "The Old Breed" (Kenneth M. Gengler)
I enjoyed this book, as it is informative and graphic. Covers a lot of ground. The author's affinity for hyperbole is irritating, leading me to think he wrote with a thesaurus in one hand and a dictionary of obscure references in the other. There are words in this tome that I have never seen or heard.

I enjoyed this book, as it is informative and graphic. Covers a lot of ground. The author's affinity for hyperbole is irritating, leading me to think he wrote with a thesaurus in one hand and a dictionary of obscure references in the other. There are words in this tome that I have never seen or heard.

4stars - "Verbose but definitive." (NNY)

Eugene Sledge's vivid first hand accounts of the battles for Peleliu and Okinawa. If your interest is WWII history, the war in the Pacific, or Marine Corps history, this book is essential. Sledge portrays combat in the pacific so well the reader is right beside Sledge, enduring the hot humidity of Peleliu, the cold rain of Okinawa, and the fear and horror of war. A superb book.German Paratroops in North Africa: Tropical Uniforms, Headgear, and Insignia of the Fallschirmjager in World War II

5stars - "Superb History" (John E. H.)

Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began / SalesRank : 792

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Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
Author : Art Spiegelman

Amazon Price : $10.17 32%($4.78) OFF
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Paperback [ Pantheon ] [ Release : 1992 / 09 / 01 ]
ISBN : 9780679729778 / ASIN(ISBN-10) : 0679729771
[ ListPrice : $14.95 ] [ Used Price:$7.02 ]

Average Customer Review :

4.5stars [ See more reviews ]

The book does not pull any punches, and it is particularly honest in its portrayal of the author's difficult relationship with his father who is shown as a rather mean spirited and manipulative old man. The book also examines the author's difficulties in composing the narrative and trying to understand exactly what his father and mother experienced. I recommend these books (or the one combined version here ) to everyone. If you don't think you can take the pain, you can, in this presentation. If you think you've heard it all, you haven't. If you think you'll never forget, just wait. This will ensure it. On an aesthetic level, this book is beautiful. The illustrations are simple and yet show a great eye for perspective.

4stars - "Simply incredible Book" (S Day)

From my blog review:[...]

For those unfamiliar with this project, Maus tells two stories. Predominantly, it is the story of how Vladek Spiegelman survived the Nazi regime and Hitler's concentration camps. Interspersed throughout, though, is a present day depiction of the interaction between Vladek and his son, Art. Art expresses both admiration for, and exasperation with, Vladek. This is, for me, the most meaningful part of Spiegelman's story. We have a habit of reducing history to a one-dimensional existence in our minds. The Jews who were targeted by the Nazis were all pitiable victims, the Nazis were all inhuman monsters, etc. What Spiegelman has done with Maus is show that the survivors were admirable...and that they were much more than that, as well. It turns out, they were also human and got on their children's nerves the same as nearly every other parental generation. Rather than undermining the dignity and resilience of Vladek, Maus makes him more relevant because he's a whole person and not a cardboard cutout.

Spiegelman took an awful chance bringing his father's story to the medium of graphic storytelling in the 1980s. Even in 2009, the same year that a movie adaptation of Alan Moore's Watchmen (long considered unfilmable), the notion of telling of a holocaust survivor's story in comic book form seems destined to offend. The fact that Spiegelman presents ethnicities as animals (i.e., Jews are depicted as mice, Germans as cats, etc.) would seemingly further remove from the story its proper sense of weight. Remarkably, Vladek's story is perhaps even more striking told through Art's presentation. There is, strangely, a heightened sense of humanity throughout "Maus" that I often find absent even in History Channel programs drawing on actual video footage of the described events.

Simply put, I cannot offer a higher recommendation than the one I give to Art Spiegelman's "Maus: A Survivor's Tale." Originally, Maus was serialized in Spiegelman's comic anthology series Raw; I read the two volume collected edition. Since then, the entire work has been collected in a singular volume. Whichever incarnation you find available, I urge you to take the time to read the tale of Vladek Spiegelman.

5stars - "Brilliant Example of the Graphic Medium's Potential" (Travis S. Mcclain)

In this second installment of Art Spiegelman's comic, the author continues to chronicle his cantankerous father's tale of survival in Nazi Europe. The comic also follows Art as he is torn between his admiration for Vladek Spiegelman surviving the horrors of the Holocaust, and his frustration with Vladek's failure to survive in present-day America. Once again, Art chalks up a black-and-white comic that is anything but.

This comic is unrated: Violence, Adult Language, Adult Situations.

4stars - "Surviving the Survivors" (J. Sherman)
This was an excellent book. I received the first one for Christmas, and completed it within a day.

5stars - "Great Book" (S. Oakley)
It doesn't get any better than this.}
It's almost beyond giving it a "review"....Both I and II are so important and so good. An honor to the six million and more.

It doesn't get any better than this.}
It's almost beyond giving it a "review"....Both I and II are so important and so good. An honor to the six million and more.

5stars - "Just as great as Volume I" (MYKKWW)

Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland / SalesRank : 1402

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Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
Author : Christopher R. Browning

Amazon Price : $10.19 32%($4.80) OFF
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Paperback [ Harper Perennial ] [ Release : 1993 / 03 / 17 ]
ISBN : 9780060995065 / ASIN(ISBN-10) : 0060995068
[ ListPrice : $14.99 ] [ Used Price:$5.63 ]

Average Customer Review :

4.5stars [ See more reviews ]
I would so much rather get all my text books used. Usually you get some useful insights from their marginalia. My luck was out this time, though- the person underlined stuff and wrote what they underlined in the margins! This was a lot easier to read than Cannibal Island, which has a way better title.

I would so much rather get all my text books used. Usually you get some useful insights from their marginalia. My luck was out this time, though- the person underlined stuff and wrote what they underlined in the margins! This was a lot easier to read than Cannibal Island, which has a way better title.

5stars - "the purfect way to get school books" (Ruth C. Douglas)

Christopher Browning describes how the Reserve Police Battalion 101, like the rest of German society, was immersed in a deluge of racist and anti-Semitic propaganda. Browning describes how the Order Police provided indoctrination both in basic training and as an ongoing practice within each unit. Many of the members were not prepared for the killing of Jews. The author examines the reasons some of the police members did not shoot. The physiological effect of isolation, rejection, and ostracism is examined in the context of being assigned to a foreign land with a hostile population. The contradictions imposed by the demands of conscience on the one hand and the norms of the battalion on the other are discussed.

Ordinary Men provides a graphic portrayal of Police Battalion 101's involvement in the Holocaust. The major focus of the book focuses on reconstruction of the events this group of men participated in. According to Browning, the men of Police Battalion 101 were just that--ordinary. They were five hundred middle-aged, working-class men of German descent. A majority of these men were neither Nazi party members nor members of the S.S. They were also from Hamburg, which was a town that was one of the least occupied Nazi areas of Germany and, thus, were not as exposed to the Nazi regime. These men were not self-selected to be part of the order police, nor were they specially selected because of violent characteristics. These men were plucked from their normal lives, put into squads, and given the mission to kill Jews because they were the only people available for the task. Surprisingly, these ordinary men proved to be completely capable of killing tens of thousands of people. In fact, their capacity to murder was so great, they overwhelmingly surpassed the expectations of even the Nazi leaders.

This book was very informative and compelling as it showed a believable depiction of the atrocities of genocide throughout the Holocaust. The book revealed truths such as these policemen were given many opportunities to get out of killing Jews. However, many did not take the opportunity to walk away and instead committed themselves to becoming specialized experts in the "resettlement" of Jews. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Holocaust and the reasons why many of these men became killers.

Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr.
Freelance Writer
Author of For the Fatherland

3stars - "A look at Ordinary Men" (Walter Zapotoczny)
If I were teaching a class on any topic, this would be part of the curriculum.

5stars - "Everyone must read this book"

This work is primarily about the role of "ordinary" middle-aged German citizens in the murder of Jews. To his credit, and unlike most educational Holocaust materials, Browning does not limit himself to a purely Judeocentric approach to the Holocaust. For example, he also discusses the role of Battalion 101 in the murder of considerable numbers of Polish Christians.

Browning is also careful to screen-out attempts by the German killers to shift the blame for their criminal actions on the Poles: "...the greater the share of Polish guilt, the less remained on the German side." (p. 155). He is also irked by the newfound morality among the German defendants relative to wartime Polish conduct: "The same cannot be said for most others who accused the Poles of `betrayal', never mentioning that it was German policy to recruit such people and reward such behavior." (p. 156).

All in all, Browning departs from the usual simplistic anti-Polish bias of much popular-level Holocaust material. Charges are sometimes leveled about Poles killing Jews, and these accusations are made in a complete contextual vacuum of the actual events. In his FEAR, for example, Jan T. Gross has quoted Browning on Polish killings of fugitive Jews, while leaving out the reason for this conduct. Browning wrote: "Many other Poles volunteered information about Jews in the woods who had stolen food from nearby fields, farms, and villages in their desperate attempt to stay alive." (p. 126). However, Browning could have added that the German policies had reduced the food rations of Polish gentiles to near-starvation levels, so the Poles ALSO faced a "desperate attempt to stay alive." Not surprisingly, Poles saw robbery as a life-and-death matter, and the widely-disseminated German propaganda that portrayed fugitive Jews as bandits (who should be denounced or liquidated) found credibility among parts of the Polish peasantry.

Jan T. Gross, in the wake of the Jedwabne "revelation", has quoted Browning as evidence for the eagerness of Poles to kill Jews. It was the exact opposite. The Germans found so few Poles willing to kill Jews that they were forced to turn to other eastern European nationalities and to bring them on Polish soil. Browning wrote: "Unable to satisfy his manpower needs out of local resources, Globocnik prevailed upon Himmler to recruit non-Polish auxiliaries from the Soviet border regions. The key person on Globocnik's Operation Reinhard staff for this task was Karl Streibel. He and his men visited the POW camps and recruited Ukrainian, Latvian, and Lithuanian `volunteers' (Hilfswillige, or Hiwis)..." (p. 52). Also note that: "...large units of murderous auxiliaries--the notorious Hiwis--were not recruited from the Polish population..." (p. 158).

However, the acts of non-Germans in the Holocaust should not be exaggerated. The Holocaust was a uniquely German invention and project, and such things as locals' anti-Semitism and degree of collaboration played a small role in the degree of German success in exterminating the local Jewish population. See the Peczkis review of The Holocaust and the Crisis of Human Behavior.

Despite the wartime privations, many Poles did sacrificially assist the fugitive Jews. The men of Battalion 101 seldom mentioned the latter, but Browning corrects this bias (p. 155), and points out the systematic German murder of Poles who aided Jews. (pp. 156-157).

4stars - "A Misrepresented Book on German Conduct in Nazi-Occupied Poland" (Jan Peczkis)

I read this book along with Klempner's The Heart Has Reasons: Holocaust Rescuers and Their Stories of Courage for an adult extension course and found them both to be excellent. Browning's book is truly chilling in large part because he is so levelheaded in presenting the facts. Rather than histrionics, he understates the case, simply recounting what happened when and inferring why. The big question the book poses--how could these ordinary men, these career military officers, many of whom also served in WWI, have turned into coldblooded killers ready to shoot innocent people in the back of the head and let them fall into graves they were forced to dig themselves. Browning doesn't presume to have all the answers but he presents a strong case for his interpretation. I was relieved to read Klempner's book afterwards (which, by the way, has a foreward by Browning) because Browning's book was pretty damn depressing. Reading about the righteous gentiles at least offered a glimmer that some people, at least, are good and are able to employ critical thinking against unjust authority.

5stars - "chilling yet coolheaded account" (Robert W.)

Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory / SalesRank : 571

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Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory
Author : Ben Macintyre

amazon.com availability ： Not availabile.

Kindle Edition [ Crown ] [ Release : 2010 / 04 / 26 ]
ISBN : - / ASIN : B0036S49QE
[ ListPrice : $25.99 ]

Average Customer Review :

4.5stars [ See more reviews ]

A detailed recounting of one of the greatest espionage operations of World War II--convincing German intelligence that a dead body that washed up on the shores of Spain was a British soldier carrying authentic, secret documents outlining the Allied plan for attack in Souther Europe. The author uses previously unreleased documents to paint a vivid picture of the top secret operation that convinced the Germans that the Allies would attack Greece and Sardinia instead of Sicily. The book gets a bit long in parts, but that is a given for any work of history.

4stars - "Fascinating story of espionage" (William Petti)
This review pertains to the audio book. I was looking forward to this book as read some great reviews, but the narrator made listening difficult. At times overly dramatic and at times unconvincing, I couldn't even get through the first disc.

This review pertains to the audio book. I was looking forward to this book as read some great reviews, but the narrator made listening difficult. At times overly dramatic and at times unconvincing, I couldn't even get through the first disc.

1stars - "Narrator makes listening difficult" (A. Rosen)

Operation Mincemeat is history written like good fiction: hardly surprising when you consider that Operation Mincemeat itself was pure fiction to begin with.

This book tells the story of perhaps the greatest British deception operation of WWII, "The man who never was". To throw the Axis off the scent of the invasion of Sicily, a dead body was floated onto Spanish shores with a briefcase full of (bogus) secret documents. Added to other bits and pieces, it helped convince the Nazis that Sicily was only a feint, with the real invasion directed at Sardinia and the Balkans. That it worked is incredible, when you think about how many things could have gone wrong - and nearly did.

Ben Macintyre has started at the beginning, covering off all the principals of the saga - the dead man himself, Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley, the men responsible for creating the deception operation, and the various spies and spies and counter-spies on all sides, plus a cameo appearance by Ian Fleming, then-future creator of James Bond. There is a little about Jean Leslie as the (beautiful) girlfriend whose photo "Major Martin" kept in his wallet, and about Ewen Montagu's Communist spy brother, Ivor (whose wife Hell appears on the cover of some editions, for no reason I can discern save gender balance and to hint at a femme fatale narrative). Then, after all the buildup, we get a rare look into Franco's wartime neutral Spain, a hotbed of intrigue with frantic espionage being undertaken by pretty much every combatant of WWII, and by the Spanish themselves, largely, but far from exclusively, as a proxy for the Axis powers.

Some interesting questions are asked about why the Germans swallowed Mincemeat (and later, deception ops related to D-Day) whole; and the answer might be that the Abwehr, the German Army's military intel, was quite strongly anti-Hitler. Sadly the potential role of Admiral Canaris as Abwehr head is only hinted at here.

There are then a look at Operation Husky itself - the invasion of Sicily which Mincemeat went to so much trouble to mask - and a recap of the lives after the event of the various principals, which is interesting and provides a little closure. The case is argued that Mincemeat was a hinge in the development of WWII, and if the case is not quite made, then doubtless an entire book could delve into the military impact of the success of Husky on WWII.

What can be said, is that rarely can so little "total cost 200 pounds" have saved so many, who might otherwise have died on the beaches of Sicily.

We know how the story ends, but you don't read history for a twist in the tale. Like Agent Zigzag, this book is an enthralling read, full of fun facts about spycraft, military deception, and the multitude of characters - real characters, from adventurers to cross-dressing colonels, table tennis aficionados to Jewish Nazis - who were not perhaps, fit to fight a war with their fists, and so settled for using their wits instead.

If you are are interested in WWII history or spycraft, then this is a must read.

5stars - "A page-turning history of WWII espionage" (John Middleton)

I am fascinated with the deception campaigns and espionage that went on in WW2. As a freshman in high school, my first research paper was on this topic, and the more I read the more I wanted to learn. I read Ewen Montague's book The Man Who Never Was at least three times while I was in high school, and I've read it at least twice more since then.

The story in short: British command needs to divert Nazi attention from a planned invasion of Sicily. The plan is formed -- suppose the Nazi sympathisers in Spain found the body of a British officer with authentic-looking plans for a DIFFERENT invasion. They give those plans (or photographed copies of those plans) to the Germans, and the real invasion goes off without a hitch. Simple, right?

Montague's book tells the tale of the plan, and a lot of the behind the scenes details. Macintyre's new book goes even further behind the scenes. Who knew that British Intelligence was full of budding spy novelists (including Ian "James Bond" Fleming himself). Who knew that Montague's own brother was a Soviet agent? Macintyre was given access to ALL of Montague's personal papers from that time period -- including papers that Montague was allowed to take with him when he retired; papers that really should have been classified Top Secret.

Macintyre's work shows the problems as well as the successes. He goes into great detail with mini-biographies of all the major players involved in Operation Mincemeat, including the Spanish and German officers who swallowed the tale hook, line, and sinker. Even if you've read all about Operation Mincemeat, you will learn something when you read this book. It is outstanding, from the writing style to the scholarship and research involved.

5stars - "Behind the Scenes of my Favorite WW2 Story" (Warren Kelly)

This book is interesting reading. There is MUCH more to the story than "they found a dead guy and floated him in for the Nazis to find". You are privy to the British hatching the plot, the details they put into it, and the tension waiting to see if it worked and if they could learn that it did work.
You learn details about the several Nazis in England and Spain. Some of their actions and roles are not what you would expect.
The corpse was not just a derelict guy. He ended up with a new name, a new life, and a tombstone of honor in Spain.
I enjoyed the picture of his grave, as well as the pictures of the principles
involved in the story. It was really interesting to read the action, then turn to
the picture and know what that person looked like. Recommend highly, especially if you are a history buff. The language is interesting. It is not dry or difficult to understand.

4stars - "Fascinating Details" (Shakespearannie)

Hitler's Judas / SalesRank : 1085

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Hitler's Judas
Author : Tom Lewis

amazon.com availability ： Not availabile.

Kindle Edition [ McBryde Publishing ] [ Release : 2009 / 08 / 01 ]
ISBN : - / ASIN : B003HNOAGM
[ ListPrice : $2.99 ]

Average Customer Review :

4.0stars [ See more reviews ]

Unlike the other reviewers of this book I have not read Sunday's Child which makes it worth mentioning that this book stands well on it's own.

Tom Lewis tells his story simply and Hitler's Judas makes for an easy enjoyable read. The story is a plausible tale of what could have happened to Martin Bormann and weaves in a few of the higher echelon Nazis nicely.

Well written and edited, I can definitely recommend Hitler's Judas as well worth the low Kindle price.

4stars - "Plausible Fiction - Hitler's Judas" (B. Woodhead)
This was an enjoyable book (I would give it 4.5 stars) and a great sequal to Sunday's Child. I definitely look forward to book 3 of the Pea Island Gold Trilogy. I really enjoyed how WWII history was intertwined with the plot of the novel with the historic and fictional characters in the book.

This was an enjoyable book (I would give it 4.5 stars) and a great sequal to Sunday's Child. I definitely look forward to book 3 of the Pea Island Gold Trilogy. I really enjoyed how WWII history was intertwined with the plot of the novel with the historic and fictional characters in the book.

4stars - "Good Historic Fiction" (B. Bock)
I loved sunday's child. When I started Hitler's Judas I thought oh man another wwII fiction (not my genre at all), anyway I really got into it and was anxious to keep reading even though I knew the ending (If you read sunday's child you know the ending to this one). I can't wait for the third book to be on kindle!!! I might have to by the dead tree book version if they don't hurry up.

I loved sunday's child. When I started Hitler's Judas I thought oh man another wwII fiction (not my genre at all), anyway I really got into it and was anxious to keep reading even though I knew the ending (If you read sunday's child you know the ending to this one). I can't wait for the third book to be on kindle!!! I might have to by the dead tree book version if they don't hurry up.

4stars - "cant wait for #3 on kindle" (M. Bender)
Definitely a follow up to Sundays Child, but not on the same literary level. Hitler's Judas provides the background information for "Charlie" in the first novel (Sundays Child), and involves little of Sunday Everette until the last pages. Not as fine a story as Sundays Child but worth reading if you enjoyed the author's first novel.

Definitely a follow up to Sundays Child, but not on the same literary level. Hitler's Judas provides the background information for "Charlie" in the first novel (Sundays Child), and involves little of Sunday Everette until the last pages. Not as fine a story as Sundays Child but worth reading if you enjoyed the author's first novel.

3stars - "Follow up to Sundays Child" (Gloria J. Moore)

After completing "Sunday's Child", I couldn't wait to read "Hitler's Judas". Again, this book, although fiction, contained a lot of history. The book was written in a way to keep you engaged and wanting to know what was going to happen next. It was interesting in the sense that I knew the end but I wanted to understand How the characters got to the end. There were some very graphic descriptions of how Martin Bormann intimidated people to get what he wanted, at whatever cost. Just like "Sunday's Child", "Hitler's Judas" kept me glued to my Kindle. There was a different kind of intensity to this book. Certainly worth reading.

5stars - "Hitler's Judas" (TKing)

Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific / SalesRank : 3433

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Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific
Author : Robert Leckie

Amazon Price : $10.88 32%($5.12) OFF
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Paperback [ Bantam ] [ Release : 2010 / 02 / 02 ]
ISBN : 9780553593310 / ASIN(ISBN-10) : 0553593315
[ ListPrice : $16.00 ] [ Used Price:$7.24 ]

Average Customer Review :

4.0stars [ See more reviews ]

An Outstanding Marine in combat and a jail bird back in the rear. Good book I must say. I like how he explains how bad some people are at leadership. I love how he gives his own perspective as a grunt in the infantry. Its the real deal experience and not some historians or actors (who has never served) opinion full of heart warming BS. He isnt above himself when he tells of his days in the brig. The book goes from home to boot camp, the jungle, to australia,(most of his time it seems was spent in jail) and than back to the jungle to kill Japs and stay alive. Not full of exciting Hollywood style combat stories, but a good honest personal tale of life in the Marines during world war two. The guy seemed to be somewhat of a trouble maker back than, but Im sure he laughs about it these days. After all he survived hell in the jungle so he has every right to hold his head a little high even though he spent a lot of time in the brig.

4stars - "Helmet for his pillow when he's not playing Brig Rat" (Philly Town)
Read like a poetry contest. Author seemed to be trying to write like robert frost or something. Appreciate your service. Didn't care for the writing style though.

Read like a poetry contest. Author seemed to be trying to write like robert frost or something. Appreciate your service. Didn't care for the writing style though.

1stars - "author seems too self serving" (porkrind276)

With the success of HBO's series "The Pacific", many older books on the Pacific war are finding their way back into prominence. Along with E.B. Sledge's "With the Old Breed", Leckie's excellent personal narrative "Helmet for my Pillow" has gained renewed readership. Like Sledge, Leckie gives a first-hand account of the Marines' fight against the Japanese in World War II.

Told through Leckie's eyes, the reader gets a first-hand account of the bloody battles of Guadalcanal, New Britain, and Peleliu. Leckie's comrades were not referred to by name; instead, these brave men were simply known as Chuckler, Hoosier, Runner, Smoothface, Gentleman, Amish, Oakstump, Ivy-League, Texan, Chicken, and Loudmouth. These men, along with thousands of others, were the ones who fought the hated Japanese in the steaming jungles of the Pacific and ultimately defeated them. Leckie pulls no punches. Each battle is described in all its bloody detail. He also talks about how the Marines, half starved and nearly dead, would return to the rear areas for much-needed rest and recuperation, only to be sent back to the front lines a short time later. Many of these battles were fought for yard by yard, with the Marines doing days and weeks of hard fighting against an enemy determined to resist to the last man. But, the Marines did fight and, ultimately, win.

This book was a pleasure to read. I gained much knowledge from Leckie's story, and I was inspired by the heroism and valor displayed by the Marines. These were ordinary men from small towns who chose to fight rather than being drafted. They displayed tremendous courage against an often unseen enemy, trusting in their comrades to watch out for them; and they did. The bond shared between these men can hardly be described. Suffice it to say that these men would readily give up their lives for each other; and they did.

I give this book my highest recommendation. This book, along with Sledge's are perfect examples of first-person writing at its best. World War II readers won't want to miss "Helmet for my Pillow".

5stars - "Leckie Describes the Marines in the Pacific" (Jeffrey T. Munson)
This book gives the reader a first hand account of how the war was fought in the Pacific. It details the struggles of the men who fought against the Japanese, the elements, and against theirselves.

This book gives the reader a first hand account of how the war was fought in the Pacific. It details the struggles of the men who fought against the Japanese, the elements, and against theirselves.

4stars - "Great book about the Pacific War!!!!" (lukesmith)

I read this book when I was in my 20's and thought it was great for the action and adventure aspects. I re-read it now that I am in my 60's. Again I thought it was great, but now, more for the humanity and feelings the author presents in his story. When I was younger, I tended to 'skip over' the poetry, but with this reading, I was more able to experience the feelings that Mr. Leckie was conveying.

I would recommend this book for an example of life experienced during the period of the World War II Pacific War.

4stars - "Great Book" (Kaye Whatley)

Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds / SalesRank : 6941

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Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds
Author : Robin Olds Christina Olds Ed Rasimus

Amazon Price : $17.81 34%($9.18) OFF
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Hardcover [ St. Martin's Press ] [ Release : 2010 / 04 / 13 ]
ISBN : 9780312560232 / ASIN(ISBN-10) : 0312560230
[ ListPrice : $26.99 ] [ Used Price:$14.82 ]

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5.0stars [ See more reviews ]
FIGHTER PILOT: THE MEMOIRS OF LEGENDARY ACE ROBIN OLDS tells of a West Point football coach who was also a double ace fighter pilot during the jet age, and a leader best known for his leadership of the F-4 Wolfpack over North Vietnam. His autobiography recaptures the drama and passion of his times and provides a military aviation history account perfect for any military or aviation collection.

FIGHTER PILOT: THE MEMOIRS OF LEGENDARY ACE ROBIN OLDS tells of a West Point football coach who was also a double ace fighter pilot during the jet age, and a leader best known for his leadership of the F-4 Wolfpack over North Vietnam. His autobiography recaptures the drama and passion of his times and provides a military aviation history account perfect for any military or aviation collection.

5stars - "A military aviation history account perfect for any military or aviation collection" (Midwest Book Review)
I couldn't put it down. Went cover to cover quickly! Simply one of the finest aviation works today. Blue Skies Robin.....

I couldn't put it down. Went cover to cover quickly! Simply one of the finest aviation works today. Blue Skies Robin.....

5stars - "Robin Olds" (Robert)
Great read and story of one of America's finest. Reccomended for all to read.

5stars - "Fighter Pilot: Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds" (Tom330th)
Being an old Vietnam vet and having met Col. Olds in DaNang in 1968, this is a great read. His writing is like he was speaking.
Not only is his exploits in Vietnam outstanding, his entire military life is a must read for all Air Force personnel.

Being an old Vietnam vet and having met Col. Olds in DaNang in 1968, this is a great read. His writing is like he was speaking.
Not only is his exploits in Vietnam outstanding, his entire military life is a must read for all Air Force personnel.

5stars - "What a guy" (Wpns Chief)

The two main ingredients of a good biography are an interesting subject and a style that makes him come alive. From this point of view, Fighter Pilot is flawless.
Forged by West Point first and by World War II immediately thereafter, Robin Olds comes through as the consummate fighter, strong in his ethos and his convictions but also replete with human passions and weaknesses. The type of man who would rather fly and fight as a Colonel than push paper as a General, Olds belonged to a rare breed of military officer who was 100% warrior and 0% politician. Today, he would have probably washed out as a Major, but at the height of the Viet Nam war he was among the few senior officers more interested in getting results than punching their own tickets.
However, the uncompromising Olds was a complex character who didn't just fight hard; he also played hard and when he played much alcohol tended to be consumed and property tended to be destroyed. He freely admitted to having a brief affair with his secretary prior to his return from South East Asia. Although he was passionate in his frustration with superiors and politicians in situations when lives or principles were at stake, he was also philosophical about not taking oneself too seriously.
In the end, the strengths of the all-too-human Olds are made more credible by his ability to recognize his own weak side and on occasion laugh at himself. We will even forgive him if he has embellished some episodes and omitted others. His aerial victories, his many clashes with the brass and the fond memories of those who still remember him are documented facts that will attest to how this book is not only genuine, but also written the way he would have wanted it.
A few pages into this book, I wished I had known Robin Olds. By the time I finished it, I almost felt like I did. On behalf of all the many readers who enjoyed their work, I'd like to thank Ed Rasimus and especially Robin's daughter Christina -to whom this must have been a true labor of love- for a job well done. Five stars because six wasn't an option.

5stars - "A labor of love and a job well done" (Marc S. De ANGELIS)

Hiroshima / SalesRank : 5910

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Hiroshima
Author : John Hersey

Amazon Price : $7.50
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Mass Market Paperback [ Vintage ] [ Release : 1989 / 03 / 04 ]
ISBN : 9780679721031 / ASIN(ISBN-10) : 0679721037
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4.0stars [ See more reviews ]

This review may annoy people who feel strongly about the book or the incident, but Hiroshima really is the driest read imaginable. I had to teach it to an extension English class and when the time came to discussing the text, all 24 students owned up to not reading it because it bored them senseless. I couldn't feel angry about that because I too found it so dull that I struggled to get through it. I ended up supplementing it with other non-fiction texts. Three successive classes have all proclaimed it the most "boring" book they have ever been asked to read for English. This review is more for teachers pondering using it as a study text. Don't! Your students will thank you for it.

1stars - "Most boring book I have ever read" (Jacquie Jackman)

Hard not to feel nostalgic for days when war was waged by warriors. A certain civility in that. Rules of engagement. Codes of honor. You think of Greeks, and Samurai, and "The Charge of the Light Brigade;" of French and German soldiers who meet in No Man's Land to share Christmas treats then return to opposing trenches.

But then here comes Nanking, Stalingrad, London, Dresden, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. Total war, as the phrase goes. A reversion to tribal days, perhaps, when warring foes fell men, women, and children alike, to void vengeance. A weapon now to instill dread, to sap the will, to raise the costs of conflict.

Hiroshima: August 6, 1945, 8:15 a.m. That's when John Hersey`s story begins, with "a noiseless flash." It begins not in the White House, nor in the Imperial Palace or the B-29 that dropped the bomb. But in the personnel department of the East Asia Tin Works, where Toshiko has just turned to speak to a co-worker. In the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital, where Dr. Sasaki walks down the corridor, a blood specimen in hand. In the minds of six who survived, at a half dozen points across the city, at the instant the atomic bomb exploded.

Here Hersey does not pontificate, excuse, blame, or rage. He reports. With meticulous detail, in short, clear, declarative sentences, with controlled understatement. To describe a human experience so beyond words and thought that it can be grasped only through the senses.

So, through the eyes and ears of these six hibakusha, literally, "explosion-affected persons," we see the scarred multitudes fleeing the fires, hear the shocked silence of the radiated dying, feel the flames, and smell the putrefying flesh. Working like a novelist, Hersey puts us there, scene upon scene, with dialogue and pertinent detail, to show the reality on a human scale. Not commenting, but showing:

"The hurt ones were quiet; no one wept, much less screamed in pain; no one complained; none of the many who died did so noisily; not even the children cried; very few people even spoke."

And:

"Mr. Tanimoto found about twenty men and women on the sandspit. He drove the boat onto the bank and urged them to get aboard. They did not move and he realized they were too weak to lift themselves. He reached down and took a woman by the hands, but her skin slipped off in huge, glovelike pieces."

Or:

"He saw a uniform. Thinking there was just one soldier, he approached with the water. When he had penetrated the bushes he saw there were about twenty men, and they were all in exactly the same nightmarish state: their faces were wholly burned, their eyesockets were hollow, the fluid from their melted eyes had run down their cheeks."

And:

"She kept the small corpse in her arms for four days, even though it started smelling bad on the second day."

Though a Yale and Cambridge educated journalist, novelist, and Pulitzer Prize winner, Hersey uses simple words, simple sentences, and a direct, conversational tone to tell a story that would dwarf any language. He gives the numbers: 6,000 degrees centigrade; 70,000 of 90,000 buildings destroyed; 100,000 killed, another 100,000 hurt in a city of 245,000. But cold facts, Hersey realizes, cannot encompass the horror. Only by reliving the day and its aftermath through the eyes, ears, and words of those who experienced it can we approach it. Simply and hauntingly, Hersey places us at ground zero, with austere language that vibrates with intensity:

"They told her that her mother, father, and baby brother...had all been given up as certainly dead...Her friends then left her to think that piece of news over. Later, some men picked her up by the arms and legs and carried her quite a distance to a truck. For about an hour, the truck moved over a bumpy road, and Miss Sasaki, who had become convinced that she was dulled to pain, discovered that she was not."

A year later, the August 31, 1946 edition of The New Yorker devoted all its space to Hersey's Hiroshima. Newspapers worldwide reprinted it; it was read aloud over radio. Since then it has, for good reason, become a classic of American nonfiction.

In its final chapter, Hersey quotes a Hiroshima priest who had been away from his mission house the morning of the attack:

"It seems logical that he who supports total war in principle cannot complain of a war against civilians. The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences which far exceed whatever good might result? When will our moralists give us a clear answer to this question?"

Some 65 years later, while some still await an answer, Hersey's Hiroshima still breathes a clear reply.

4stars - "An intimate look at the innocent victims of total war" (Rick Skwiot)

This novel is the best, accurate, and historical record of the people of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb hit in 1945. The entire town was left in ruins, and the people had to do all the could to make it out and survive. It was the most horrible moment for Japan, and thousands died, and even more were left sick or died for radiation poisoning. It also makes you wonder, is this worth the cost of victory? I give credit to this author for gathering these historically accurate summaries of a good variety of survivors of the bombing, as well as returning decades later to conclude his biographies of these brave survivors. The novel is not a pretty one, but shows how pushing one button can change the lives of thousands of people in a matter of seconds. Its sad seeing what these people went for, as well as sad how some of these survivors ended up dying. This is an emotional book, and shows a Japan's point of view after the bombing, which many Americans weren't aware of the full extent these people suffered.

5stars - "The atomic bomb was not the prettiest part of the war" (Jason Weber)

First published in 1946, this simple little book recounts the experiences of six civilian inhabitants of Hiroshima who survived the atomic blast on April 6, 1945. Few residents recall hearing any sound from the explosion, just the bright flash and the shock wave. Even those who died soon after most often did so in silence. The book tells what those 6 were doing that morning, what happened when the atomic bomb exploded, and how they coped in the hours, days, weeks and months that followed. The final chapter returns 40 years later to follow up on the rest of their lives.

I've heard rave and almost reverential recommendations of this book and wondered if my thoughts would be changed by reading it. The text is mostly straightforward and seemingly neutral in its judgment; it reports that most Hiroshimans did not blame the US for the bomb, they just wanted to get on with their lives as best they could. It is not until the very end that it seems to take on an agenda, and while I found the initial part of the book fascinating and compelling, the follow-up chapter was disappointing. It isn't especially graphic or horrific in its account, but does portray what ordinary Japanese experienced, and made me feel grateful that such weapons have not been used since 1945.

I think this is a worthwhile book for anyone interested in the topic to read. But I would urge you *not* to read with the intent to fortify your views either way - the book's focus is much too narrow for such - but to read it for the history and human experience it reports.

4stars - "A silent explosion (3.5 stars)" (J. Green)
I read this book as a 10th grade student. The book may have been the most confusing book I have ever read. The book has 7 different accounts and each one is short and almost pointless. If Hershey only used 4 characters and went into each person's account deeper, it would have been much more interesting. Could not wait to finish this book... not for good reasons though.

I read this book as a 10th grade student. The book may have been the most confusing book I have ever read. The book has 7 different accounts and each one is short and almost pointless. If Hershey only used 4 characters and went into each person's account deeper, it would have been much more interesting. Could not wait to finish this book... not for good reasons though.

3stars - "Confusing and Boring"

Winston's War: Churchill, 1940-1945 / SalesRank : 10179

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Winston's War: Churchill, 1940-1945
Author : Max Hastings

Amazon Price : $23.10 34%($11.90) OFF
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Hardcover [ Knopf ] [ Release : 2010 / 04 / 27 ]
ISBN : 9780307268396 / ASIN(ISBN-10) : 030726839X
[ ListPrice : $35.00 ] [ Used Price:$15.95 ]

Average Customer Review :

4.5stars [ See more reviews ]

As I finished the last words on page 486, I yearned for more. Except for the acknowledgements, bibliography and such, there was no more.

The excellent writer and detailed-obsessed military historian Max Hastings had brought us to the end of Churchill's reign as the war leader of the British Empire.

You can measure Churchill, the man, by the thousands of books, movies, documentaries and other expositions about him.

In Hastings, we find much that is new. As with many contemporary histories of WWII, more than a little comes from the once again closed Soviet archives. But much more comes from the diaries and unpublished letters of people, particularly the little people, the ones who in a democracy elect those who lead.

Hastings leaves us in absolutely no doubt of Churchill's unique accomplishments - and his failures.

For many months, the future of any vestige of democracy in Europe and perhaps the world rested on Churchill's shoulders. Through his oratory and pluck alone, Churchill encouraged battered and, in fact, defeated Britain to rally itself and fight on, despite the fact that literally all its artillery, amour, small arms and military vehicles had been left on the battlefields of France. Churchill pleaded and cajoled to get Franklin Roosevelt into the European war, but Roosevelt basically wouldn't budge.

For a while, it was Churchill, a few hundred brave pilots, a few thousand ground crew and radar plotters who kept Britain in the war.

Hastings tracks the public opinion of the day. Churchill had long been a divisive character, long relegated to the back benches of Britain's ruling class for his outspoken opinions on the dangers of a rearmed and resurgent Germany. Neville Chamberlain had captured the support of the people who believed that giving Hitler what he wanted was the road to peace.

It was not and the 66 year old Churchill, called a war monger by so many, was asked by the King to become Prime Minister.

It is now widely agreed that Churchill was the only man who could have saved Britain.

Hastings keeps his focus on Churchill as war leader, but lets us see how the world around him reacted to his larger-than-life presence. He irritated and frustrated his military leaders by his constant interference and demands for action now. He lifted the spirits of his people in his visits to the bombed out streets of London. He bestirred the Members of Parliament (and controlled them) with his wit and guile. Finally, he roused the world through oratory of a brilliance rarely seen.

Churchill, as Hastings endlessly points out, was not perfect. Far from it. His military plans were more often than not entirely impractical and when he did succeed in getting his ideas acted upon, they often resulted in disaster. But strategically, Churchill was ahead of his generals who for the most part never rose to anything near Churchill's greatness.

Hastings correctly believes that it was the military of the Soviets that defeated Germany and that Britain and the United States played a subordinate role militarily. No serious student of the period can disagree. It was the Soviets who broke the armies of the Germans and their allies. But Churchill believed he enjoyed some kind of personal relationship with Stalin, a delusion he persisted in almost to the end of the war.

It is fascinating to read the letters and diaries of the average citizens, many, if not most, of whom revered Churchill the war leader, while reserved about Churchill the domestic leader. The letters of the committed leftists are chilling to read. Military men and Churchill's staff left behind copious memoirs, published and unpublished, about their impressions. Hastings draws upon all of this and more to produce a truly in-depth history of Churchill's six years as the most powerful leader in British history and one of the most remarkable men to have appeared in Western civilization.

The pity is that history is no longer taught in American schools and what has replaced it has little relation to history. Thus the children of today will grow up with little idea of how close the freedom they abuse came so close to being snuffed out were it nor for Winston Churchill who roused the West to save itself.

Next time, perhaps, we will not be so fortunate as to have a Churchill.

Hastings makes it clear just how remarkable Churchill, as the war leader of his people, was.

Jerry

5stars - "A magnificient history of Churchill as war leader" (Jerry Saperstein)
This book provides an interesting perpective on the stengths and foibles Winston Churchill possessed that made him one of the most important individuals in the Second World. He was a person at the right place in the opportune moment to influence the course of world history. He was a mystery inside an inigma.

This book provides an interesting perpective on the stengths and foibles Winston Churchill possessed that made him one of the most important individuals in the Second World. He was a person at the right place in the opportune moment to influence the course of world history. He was a mystery inside an inigma.

4stars - "History behind the scenes" (J. Tyrone)

Hastings has the wonderful ability to synthesize an enormous body of material, weave it into an interesting narrative, and to make sound judgments about the historical questions presented. In this book, he tells the familiar story of Churchill in World War Ii, but does so in a fresh way, adding negative as well as positive criticism of Churchill's performance.

Hastings contrasts Churchill's will with that of French premiere Reynaud and some of the defeatists in England. Churchill's combative instincts and his ability to communicate to mobilize all of England explains much of the difference between the outcomes of the Battle of France and the Battle of England. Of course, one should not ignore the geographic vulnerability of France versus the benefits of the English Channel and one should not ignore the effectiveness of the RAF.

Hastings is critical of the performance of the English Army, which surprises me. However, he does make the case that unlike World War I, the English troops simply never were a match for the Germans unless they had overwhelming advantages in men, air cover, and artillery. He is also critical of the English commanders. Hastings is also effective at coveying the great crisis of confidence in England and Churchill's ability in overcoming it, but the ultimate inability of even Churchill to reverse the inevitable downfall of the English Empire by the end of the war.

Churchill's penchant for distracting adventures and reluctance to focus on the need to win the war in the west via a cross channel invasion are criticized. Although Hastings believes Churchill was right to dissuade the U.S. from mounting suicidal cross channel invasions too early, he does concede that Churchill was too hesitant to launch D-Day.

In the end Hastings makes the case for the great man theory of history -- without Churchill's strong leadership, exceptional energy, and great communication skills, the war in the west may have turned out much differently.

5stars - "Churchill as the Great Man of WWII" (CJA)
Of course, there are many books written about Churchill but this one very good. It seems fair, balanced and not in awe of the folklore that surrounds Winston. Highly recommended for history buffs and biography fans.

Of course, there are many books written about Churchill but this one very good. It seems fair, balanced and not in awe of the folklore that surrounds Winston. Highly recommended for history buffs and biography fans.

5stars - "With a million books out there on Churchill, it's refreshing" (Robert Kirk)
great book could not put down. hastings writes in a "cant put book down" style. anyone interested in ww2 will find this book full of historical events not found in other books.

great book could not put down. hastings writes in a "cant put book down" style. anyone interested in ww2 will find this book full of historical events not found in other books.

5stars - "wonderfull reading" (casino)

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