Book Description

A powerful account of a World War II hero and his son's life-changing discovery.

Walter Ford Carter grew up knowing little about his father except that as a battalion surgeon with the 29th Division, he died in France eleven days after his D day landing on Omaha Beach while running to help another soldier. For half a century, his mother never spoke of her husband—her sweetheart since childhood—or of the depth of her grief. On her death in 1995, Carter finds his life transformed on discovering a journal and some 150 letters his father had written to his wife and young sons in the months, weeks, and days before his death. The letters, excerpted here, are filled with candid, innocent, and at times wrenching expressions of love for family, the anguish and agony of war, and unshakeable faith in a country's noble cause—something almost unimaginable in our time. This is also the story of a son's midlife discovery as he learns of the extraordinary love his parents shared and finally begins to know the father he never had. His journey leads him to the man his father reached out to help so many years ago, and together they travel to Normandy to find the place where his father, a man who truly personifies "the greatest generation," gave his life to help another. 25 b/w photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A moving tribute
Last night I finished reading Walter Carter's "No Greater Sacrifice, No Greater Love: A Son's Journey to Normandy." I have never before offered a review of anything on Amazon, but this book demanded a few words.

Walter Carter has created a deeply moving account of his personal journey of discovery as he reconstructs his father's years of service and ultimate sacrifice during WWII.

History and WWII buffs will probably just love this book. I'm neither and I loved it because it's just a great read!

With the WWII memorial about to be officially opened on the Mall in Washington, DC, it couldn't be a better time to pick up this book.

A deeply moving personal remembrance
Walter Carter has put a wonderful personal face on an event that most of us have only known through history books and movies. This book has two very moving stories: Carter's journey to discover the father he never new, and the amazing heroism of an army doctor on D-Day.

It is comforting to realize that men like Dr. Norval Carter existed, and it is heart-rendering to reflect upon what they sacrificed.

A Great Book
This is a GREAT book. It combines a herioc father, a love story and the sacrifice one faces as a soldier. It is also a moving tribute to a father from a son who really didn't know his father well until he discovered letters in his mother's attic. WHAT A TREMENDOUS STORY! Thanks Walter Ford Carter for sharing it with us. BUY THIS BOOK - You won't regret it! ... Read more

Download Description

For more than twenty years, Sultan Khan has defied the authorities, whether communist or Taliban, to supply books to the people of Kabul. He has been arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned, and has watched illiterate Taliban soldiers burn piles of his books in the street. Yet he has persisted in his passion for books, shedding light in one of the world's darkest places. This is the intimate portrait of a man of principle and of his family - two wives, five children, and many relatives sharing a small four-room apartment in this war-ravaged city.As they endure the extraordinary trials and tensions of Afghanistan's upheavals, they also still try to live ordinary lives, with work, relaxation, shopping, cooking, marriages, rivalries, and shared joys. Most of all, this is an intimate portrait of family life under Islam.Even after the Taliban's collapse, the women in Khan's family must submit to arranged marriages, polygamous husbands, and crippling limitations on their ability to travel, learn, and communicate with others.Seierstad lived with Khan's family for months, experiencing first-hand Afghani life as few outsiders have seen it. Stepping back from the page, she allows the Khans to speak for themselves, giving us a genuinely gripping and moving portrait of a family, and of a country of great cultural riches and extreme contradictions. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

No wonder the man is upset
...but Sultan Khan had his head in the clouds if he thought he was going to emerge from this journalist's immersion in his family's life looking like a benevolent god. He's suing her, as the book-reading world knows by now, for something like defamation of character. I'm sure he thought she would extol his virtues; instead, she wrote honestly of the fiercely patriarchal Afghanistan/Muslim traditional family structure that keeps his tyranny intact and subjugates all women, regardless of their educational level or social status.
The Bookseller of Kabul reads more like good New Journalism. It's not great literature; it's great reportage. But it gives a voice to the women in the extended Family (meant in the broadest sense of the word), a voice that speaks for millions of women in the Middle East, a voice that must be heard. Especially heartbreaking is the fate of Leila, sister of Sultan Khan, educated, literate, bright - but unable to speak up for herself to escape a lifetime of servitude.

THE MISOGYNIST OF KABUL
This weekend I was able to read two books that take place in Kabul, Afghanistan; the first, "The Swallows of Kabul," and the second, "The Bookseller of Kabul." The first is a novel, the second a work of non-fiction; the first concurrent with the reign of the Taliban, the second post-Taliban. Together they provide an interesting look at the horrors of religious fundamentalism in both its extreme and slightly more moderate aspects. I've reviewed, "The Swallows of Kabul," on its page.

"The Bookseller of Kabul," is an interesting piece of non-fiction that seems to have been touched by the author's imagination in a way that allows it to move like a novel rather than a pure piece of reportage. The author, Asne Seierstad, spent three months with Sultan Khan, the title's self-same bookseller, and if more factual than imaginative, became privy to the life and secrets of a family that though somewhat liberal should have kept their secrets a bit more private. Of course, it's to our benefit they didn't. It may also be to Ms. Seierstad's dismay as she faces Mr. Khan's (actual name: Shah Mohammed Rais) legal wrath. Mr. Khan/Rais is upset that his guest chose to portray the family, especially himself, in such a negative light. He has double reason to be upset: whether or not, or how much Ms. Seierstadt embellished, Mr. Khan/Rais is going to come out looking like household tyrant - it's only a matter of degrees.

For all its novelistic impulses and rhythms, "The Bookseller of Kabul," is less a psychological portrait than a soap-operatic gloss of "three months in the life." We discover very little "why," but quite a bit of "what," and the "what" is less than pretty. Whether it's the rape of a teenage beggar, or the marginalization of Mr.Khan/Rais's number one wife it seems that Ms. Seierstad's purpose is more to shine a light on Afghan misogynation than anything else, and in this she succeeds.

Whether pre or post-Taliban the Islam Westerners are only just beginning to view, (a cultural benefit of war?) treats women as a distinctly lower form of life - meant to be kept literally in the shadows. In fact, the omnipresent burqua ostensibly meant to protect women's and men's virtue, and whether in blue or black, reduces the wearer to the status of a shadow, neither to be viewed, acknowledged nor addressed. Interesting that women are objectified in the heightened fashion of the West as well as in the reductio of the burqua.

As far as it goes, "The Bookseller of Kabul," is a quick and interesting read, and another addition to the literature of the horrors of Afghanistan. But what would really be interesting would be some insight into love's survival because what we're being told of Islam is that if love survives at all it's in a stunted form. If true it's sad, and if not it's sadder still that we haven't heard differently.

One family in Afghanistan
First of all, I enjoyed the book. Secondly, it made me think. However, little of it was truly eye-opening, for me. I thought much of the misery was due to poverty and family in-fighting which could occur - to a lesser degree- in any country, including the United States. I had difficulty parsing out how much was due to Islam and how much was culture which is simply attributed to Islam. In the book "the Princess", the author states that Islam is not to be blamed for the horrors depicted, but the culture. Into the mix must be thrown the inaccessibility of obtaining an education in Kabul. As to the plight of women there, there must be some parents in that country who permit their daughters to marry for love. So I asked myself, "Did I really learn anything from reading this book?" The one thing which stands out in my mind is the chapter about the warlords. Eisner's book "Survivor of the Holocaust" also made this point, namely, that everyone is fighting everyone else. You can't win a football game without team spirit, without some cohesiveness, and respect for one's opponents. The ballot and the principle of 'may the best man win; and then live and let live' are necessary for a nation's progress. Without those, a country remains poor, primitive, uneducated, and miserable, because everyone is paranoid about the other guy and thus kills or is killed. This bookseller's family milieu is primitive and oppressive. Even though the bookseller is well-read, he has not incorporated the lessons in his books. He is the patriarch of the family and can determine to a great extent the happiness of his progeny, but he is a tyrant. The one relaxation of his tyranny is shown when he relents and allows his son to go on the pilgrimage to Mazar-i-Sharif. Well, at least female circumcision apparently is no longer practiced in Afghanistan, although there was no reference to it in this book. In summary, though the Moslems have a reputation for this kind of controlling behavior within their families, it would have been a better book if this sort of thing were put in perspective by telling something about families living there who were more liberal and permissive and what happened to the children of such families - if they stayed in Afghanistan.

Window into another world
I found this book fascinating and told many people about it. It offered a window into the everyday life of a family in Afghanistan as they try to cope with turbulent dangerous times. Life goes on, this is the time the people of Afghanistan have been given to live. I learned a lot about the culture and family structure. Asne Seierstad admits she was extremely angry about the treatment of women in the culture and it sounds like she let her feelings be known while she was there. First and foremost though, I think it is important to try to learn about and understand the culture before judging it from a western viewpoint. For me, this book provided one building block of that learning.

Mistitled
This book should not have been named for a Bookseller. More aptly, it should have been entitled: "Downtrodden Women of Iraq".

The prologue explains that the author persuaded the Bookseller, Sultan Kahn, to allow her to live with his family. He is a successful businessman and a traditional Afghani male head of household. The book does not track him so much as it does the rest of the family.

The book takes place after the fall of the Taliban. The author gives the reader little knowledge or information about what is going on in Kabul or the country as whole. Instead she goes into the minutae of the family's life with an especial emphasis on the women. There are endless descriptions of burkhas and the tribulations of wearing them. Endless descriptions of arranged marriages and the relationship - or rather lack thereof - between unmarried men and women.

The writing is merely okay. Something might have been lost in translation because there is certainly nothing challenging in the vocabulary. At times the writing seemed demeaningly elementary - we'll blame the translator.

The book has intimate insight into an Afghani middle class family - the oppressively traditional father, women under the yoke of that tradition and the filthy living conditions. For all of that it is very good.

I was hoping for a bit more of the "big picture" of a country (hopefully) coming out of decades of war. There was very little along that vein. This was a few month look at one family.

All in all, an okay book. Good if you are looking for Afghani family life. Not so good if you are looking for something more. ... Read more

Book Description

D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, the liberation of Paris, the relentless drive through Germany toward Allied victory--Omar Bradley, the "GI General," was there for every major engagement in the European theater. A Soldier's Story is the behind-the-scenes eyewitness account of the war that shaped our century:the tremendous manpower at work, the unprecedented stakes, the snafus that almost led to defeat, the larger-than-life personalities and brilliant generals (Patton, Eisenhower, Montgomery) who masterminded it all. One of the two books on which the movie Patton was based, A Soldier's Story is a compelling and vivid memoir from the greatest military tactician of our time.

The books in the Modern Library War series have been chosen by series editor Caleb Carr according to the significance of their subject matter, their contribution to the field of military history, and their literary merit. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Here the G. I. General talks.
"A Soldier's Story" is the perfect title for General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley's account of WW2. In this book he talks of his career just previous to the outbreak of the war, of his experience as Eisenhower's "eyes and ears" in North Africa, of his command of the II Corps in Tunisia and Sicily, of his role as being either commander of the First Army and 1st (later 12th) Army Group for a time, of his impressions on Russian officers, and so.

What set this book aside from other personal accounts on WW2 is not only its wealth of facts and details, but on how it is told: as personal and passionate as a general can be. General Bradley does not only tell how things happened, but also how he felt about them. There we find his impressions on those great figures of Eisenhower, Patton, and (specially) Montgomery are remarkable, but also his appreciation for the common soldier, more specifically when disagreeing with Patton's opinion of battle fatigue being a lame excuse for cowardice. Bradley admitted that the living of a frontline soldier is harsh, where death can be found in the next step, and that the role of a commander is to balance casualties in order to keep them low in the long run, even at a cost of a higher rate from an immediate action. Interesting is how he reproduces the infantryman custom of mentioning where in the US a fellow soldier came from, like when he told about the "hedgerow cutter device" and telling that its inventor, Sgt. Curtis Cullin, came from New York. No surprise that he earned the nickname of "G.I. General".

With this respect, of telling things lively, he is unsurpassed by any American soldier or general: Eisenhower's "Crusade in Europe" seems a "bureaucratic" account when comparised with "A Soldier's Story" (sorry Ike fans). It measures up with the massive Winston Churchill's "The Second World War", which for its turn is written under a political perspective.

Anyway, I really liked a lot this book and strongly recommend it for anyone interested on WW2.

The Best of the WWII Memoirs
A Soldier's Story is easily the best of the memoirs of the major Allied leaders of WWII. From D-Day to the German surrender, Bradley was in the middle of the European action and "tells it like it was", far more so than Eisenhower did in "Crusade in Europe". While Ike glosses over controversial situations and personality clashes, Bradley honestly discusses the failure to close the Falais Gap, the failure of "Market- Garden" in Holland,and the failure to detect the Ardennes offensive. In addition, Bradley graphically describes his antagonistic relationship with Montgomery and his, at times, difficulty in dealing with his subordinate, George Patton. Bradley's writing is not that of a man whose real purpose is to make friends and run for office; he writes like a man who wants to tell people his version of the momentous events of 1944-5. His story flows seamlessly and never seems self-serving, a fault of nearly every military memoir I've ever read. If you could only read 2 books on WWII, I'd recommend Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" and this book, "A Soldier's Story".

A Lesson in History
Although I read this book a number of years ago, I still remember the value of reading his perspective on the war. Like most war veterans, my uncle (who was part of the D-Day invasion) and my father who fought in Guadacanal, refused to discuss the war with their children. Bradley's book gave me some of the information that I had been seeking. And, from the tone of the book, it gave me the feeling that Bradley, unlike Patton, was not only a soldier. He was a sensitive, caring individual who had simply chosen to be a career officer. Furthermore, like MacArthur, he didn't expect his men to make sacrifices that he was not prepared to make.

A Soldier's Story
This 1951 volume by the so-called "GI General" is quite an appropriate title to help launch Modern Library's new "War" line of paperback reprints. Bradley here offers a firsthand account of World War II. This is the only paperback available of this title.

Easy to Read Story of WWII From General Bradley's Perch
This book is the story of WWII as General Omar Bradley saw it.

His unassuming and straight forward style underscores how he is portrayed by contemporary accounts. The man known as the "G.I. General" comes across as an island of equanimity in a sea of incredible egos like Patton, Montgomery et al.

This book is Bradley's take on events. I am sure that some involved in controversies he covered (Patton's slapping incident, Montgomery at Caen, Falaise and Arnhem) would defend their actions (or inactions) vigorously. Yet this account has an aura of authenticity due to the author's lack of need to tout his own accomplishments (which were many). This inner peacefulness, along with command ability, probably explains Bradley's rise to the level of senior American ground commander in Europe.

For an insider's account of the American effort and strategic management in the European Theater of Operations, this book is superb. It is well written, clear and largely devoid of the bombast that can weigh down some combat and command accounts. Although a big book, it reads quickly. ... Read more

Book Description

The story of Private Charles Whilden, a hapless South Carolinian whose bravery at the Battle of Spotsylvania in 1864 prolonged the Civil War for the Confederates

For forty years, Charles Whilden lived a life noteworthy for failure. Then, in a remarkable chain of events, this aging, epileptic desk clerk from Charleston found himself plunged into the brutal battlefields of the Wilderness (May 57, 1864) and Spotsylvania Court House (May 820, 1864). In an astonishing act of bravery, he wrapped the flag around his body and led a charge that won critical ground for the Confederates, changing the course of one of the war's most significant battles.

Gordon C. Rhea combines his deep knowledge of Civil War history with original sources, such as a treasure trove of letters written by Charles Whilden, to tell the story of this unusual life. Growing up in a prominent family that had fallen on hard times, Charles received a good education, and his letters reveal flashes of intelligence. But he failed at the practice of law in his home state and in his endeavors elsewhere, including copper speculation, real estate ventures, and farming. After the attack on Fort Sumter, Charles returned to Charleston to enlist in Confederate service, only to be turned down until the rebellion was on its last legs. Even then he saw only a few weeks of combat. But in that time, he discovered a bravery within himself that nothing in his former existence suggested he had. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Enthusiastically recommended reading for Civil War buffs
Carrying The Flag by civil war historian and expert Gordon C. Rhea is the true story of Private Charles Whilden, an ordinary solider who served the Confederacy during the Civil War and whose courage was so great it would affect the tide of one of the war's greatest battles. An attention compelling, superbly detailed, informed and informative narrative that goes into especial detail concerning the bloody and deadly fights, as well as an intrinsically exciting read, Carrying The Flag is enthusiastically recommended reading for Civil War buffs and a welcome contribution to the growing library of American Civil War literature.

A truly excellent read!
Author Gordon Rhea produced a non fiction book that reads like a historical novel. The reader follows the life of an unlikely soldier that became a true hero for the Confederacy, while also being taken through the Civil War battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House in 1864. Mr. Rhea accomplishes a personal interest story along with a definitive work of historical reference. I have traveled to the places described in the book on many occasions, but Mr. Rhea's descriptions of Civil War sites has me planning my next vacation for further Civil War tours. It takes quite a bit to mesh battle descriptions with the ability to generate page turning exitement, but Mr. Rhea accomplishes it in this work.

Best Rhea book yet
I have enjoyed Mr. Rhea's previous books, but this is by far his best work yet. This book follows the fortunes of a remarkable soldier from South Carolina who ends up as the unsung hero of the battles that Mr. Rhea knows so well. The book reads like a modern novel and pulls you into the action. I can't wait for the movie! ... Read more

Book Description

A dual biography of the two World War II generals who changed warfare--and history--forever.

General George S. Patton and General Erwin Rommel: They served their countries through two World Wars. Their temperaments, both on and off the battlefield, were overwhelmingly contrary-but their approach to modern warfare was remarkably similar.

Written by a prominent military historian, Patton and Rommel takes a provocative look at both figures, intertwining the stories of the paths they took and the decisions they made during the course of the Second World War-and compares the lives and careers of two men whose military tactics redirected the course of history. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Pretty good book, but in serious need of copy editor
I started reading this book in a bookstore, and like another reviewer commented, couldn't stop.The book is fairly well-paced, does a good job of giving an overview of the development of Patton and Rommel, and gives you a sense of what made them tick.That said, the number of typographic and spelling errors in this book - around 100! - were extremely distracting.For a layman like me, some maps would also have been useful in the sections where the author gave very detailed presentation and analysis of key battles.

Book Review
Yeah before I start, this was for English class so if anything is incorrect, bare with me, and I also didn't finish this book so... The beginning of this book talked the childhood of both Patton and Rommel. It then explained about Rommel's military career before and during World War 1. I learned that Rommel was a very well respected man even in War World 1. He earned First and Second Iron Cross and some other award. Then the book moved onto George Patton. It talked about him in World War 1 and prior to it. After this I didn't read any farther not because it was a bad book, but because I didn't have time. But I'm guessing that it talked about after World War 1 then into World War 2 where George Patton and Rommel became Generals. It also probably talked about Rommel in the African Campaign and how he was called the "desert fox". Yeah, overall this was a sweet book because I enjoy World War 1 and 2 histories. I wish I finished it but whatever.

Superlative Account of the Two Most Famous WW2 Generals
This is one of the few books that I was unable to stop reading once I had begun.Dr. Dennis Showalter has produced a masterpiece that deftly analyzes Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's life, as well as his impact on the Imperial German Army/Reichswehr/Wehrmacht, while simultaneously weaving in yet another comprehensive account of General George Patton's life and his impact on the U.S. Army during World War One, the interwar years, and World War Two.This thoughtful discourse explains "Why" events occurred that shaped their lives as well as pointing out how they each influenced those same events.In addition to providing readers with a thoughtful, crisp, and entirely new perspective of both generals (do not bother with asking yourself if the literary world needs ANOTHER bio on Patton and Rommel - this one corrects many errors in previous works and contains a tremendous number of new facts), you will also learn about how tactics, technology, and techniques evolved within the U.S. Army and Wehrmacht during the period 1905 - 1945.Combined with concise analysis and clear explanations, that information alone makes the book extremely valuable.Highly recommended for the buff and amateur alike - students of the North African campaign 1941 - 43 will find it particularly useful as a reference. ... Read more

Book Description

Whenever the fighter pilots of the Black Sheep Squadron headed out on a mission in their F4-U Corsairs, they always flew in pairs. The guy in the other plane was known as your "wingman." Incredibly, when Bob McClurg joined the Black Sheep Marine Fighter Squadron in the South Pacific theatre during WWII, he barely had any flying hours under his belt.The colorful squadron leader, Greg "Pappy" Boyington, literally took McClurg under his wing and made an Ace fighter pilot out of him. McClurg flew many missions as Boyington's wingman in the distinctive "bent-winged" aircraft. The Corsairs could really take a beating, but they often lacked critical equipment such as working compasses or radios. Outmaneuvered by the swift Japanese zeroes, they often limped back to the base. But the zeroes were fragile, and, as McClurg says, after a morning combat mission there were usually a lot fewer lunches served at the Japanese base than there had been breakfasts.Boyington's combat tactics, which are reprinted in this book, were largely responsible for the high success rate of the Black Sheep. Several books have been written about the Black Sheep, but this is the only one besides Boyington's autobiography, "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," and Frank Walton's "Once They Were Eagles." that has been written by one of the original squadron members. Thanks to a 1970s television series, the Black Sheep became a cultural icon, but the series did not give a completely accurate portrayal of the squadron, and McClurg sets the record straight. He emphasizes that these fighter pilots and their leader were not "misfits," as is commonly believed. Here is McClurg's story in his own words, with excerpts from his wartime journals accompanied by transcriptions of the actual combat reports from the National Archives, as well as several never before published photographs. A WWII aviation classic! 2003, 5½ x 8½, cloth, 256 pp. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

what a story!!!!!!
The other day I saw a copy of robert mcclurgs book at my grandmothers and was excited to see it. As a former army man stationed in germany i love the history of our armed forces. Also ,I remebered the show in the 70's with robert conrad and loved it. I think this is great timing for this book because of whats goin on in the the world today. Plus its good to know the truth about black sheep squadron as the tv show portrayed a different light on it. A must read for all military buffs!!!

I have an autographed book!!
My father was chief test pilot for the Navy and excepted the first F4U from Igor himself. Someday, I will write a book. Bob's account adds a new perspective for me, combat, one I never got from my father or experienced personally. Great job Bob. Thanks again for the book. CW2 Mark Michael USAR (Ret.)Syracuse, NY ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Hitler's Poodle
With all due respect, and Doenitz in his postwar years did command a great deal of respect in Germany, and still does today amongst German Naval Officers....As a soldier who had done his best under the circumstances.`

The original (German) edition of his book is well written and easily understood, and there is no question about the man's genius as a naval tactician. Doenitz had maximized the effectiveness of limited U-Boat resources by pack attacks on allied convoys. But he had sat on his laurels for too long.

The troubling part of his tactical strategy was that after the "happy times" in 1942 and to the end he continued to send his U-Boat men on virtual suicide missions into the North Atlantic. The man was too naive to accept the allies' upper hand in surface detection radar technology and in communications intercept and code breaking successes. After adding another rotor to the navy's enigma machines, he continued business as usual: Incessant radio communications with his commanders at sea. Instead of giving U-Boat commanders a free hand, (running silent) he attempted to micro manage every U-Boat's mission from shore. Recognizing and adopting to technological changes quickly obviously had strained his intellectual capacity. He could have saved thousands of young submariners by halting these reckless pursuits of heavily defended allied convoys, especially by mid 1944 when it became common knowledge that Germany had lost the war.

Although Doenitz had distanced himself from the Nazi political gangsters and Hitler's OKW toadies like Keitel and Jodl, he nevertheless remained a true believer and admirer of the Fuehrer. Going so far as to risk personal injury or death on a difficult journey to the Fuehrerbunker, a madhouse fifty feet below the rubble of Berlin, April 20th, 1945, not to miss Hitler's final birthday. And there and to the end it was: "Heil Hitler" as usual for the Admiral.

And so Doenitz had soldiered on, ignoring the ugly cancer that had grown on his country.

A Revealing Book Regarding the U-boat War
"Memoirs: Ten Years and 20 Days" is the autobiography of Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz, who commanded the German U-boat fleet from 1935 to 1945 (for ten years and 20 days - hence the title). Winston Churchill said that Doenitz's U-boats in the Atlantic were the only military threat that ever had him really worried, and this is an inside look at the man behind it. Doenitz, a U-boat commander in WWI, was captured and became a POW. He rose slowly in the peacetime navy, and then became commander of all U-boats just as Hitler's re-armament went into high gear. Still Doenitz describes how he had to struggle against the land mentality of the German military and Hitler (the navy never got more than 5% of German war production), and a woefully small U-boat fleet in the first few years of the war. Then allied countermeasures became so strong that after May 1943 the tide of the Battle of the Atlantic had clearly turned against the U-boats, their effectiveness dropping each month in tandem with their increasing casualties. The vast majority of his crews died in battle - a higher percentage than any other field of service. Yet his crews never faltered in their volunteer service, despite the suicidal losses. That he could inspire such loyalty is a tribute to his leadership skill and style, which he discusses in detail. Considered a war criminal and submarine warfare considered piracy by the allies, he was tried and convicted at Nuremberg, where one of his chief defense witnesses was US Admiral Nimitz, whose submarine war in the Pacific against Japan was, if anything, even more ruthless. The book contains many interesting insights and details from a man who, by all accounts, was a principled warrior devoid of Nazi beliefs or political ambition - an apolitical approach to command that won respect and trust from an unusual corner: Hitler. Doenitz ended up succeeding Hitler as Fuhrer, during which, among other things, he fired Himmler (Doenitz conducted the actual surrender to the allies). The book is well written, and a good insight into 'the other side'. He is clearly defensive about being a convicted war criminal, and makes and interesting and impassioned case that the US was grossly violating neutrality long before its entry into WWII (most historians agree). He was also unaware of how totally compromised his radio traffic was ('Ultra' was still secret when he wrote his memoirs), so there is no reflection on how his gabby, tightly centralized (and therefore radio traffic intensive) command style contributed to his defeat both through decrypts and radio direction finding. Like any commander's memoirs, this is not the balanced history a 'first timer' in the subject should read, but it is an interesting and important read for anyone interested in either WWII sub warfare or the dynamics of command, as long as one already has some background in the subject.

Once You Start You May Never Stop
My friend lent me this book. It was my first book on the naval aspect of the Second World War. I figured after the hundreds I had read on the land and air element I should start to look into the naval war. I could not put this book down, I devoured it. I have been gobbling up submarine books since that day.
Wow! First you have to be awed by the fact that this is a book written by the man that became the successor to Hitler. Second, its the best way to get the big picture of the U-boat campaign from the German viewpoint. Doenitz wrote this before he found out about allied successes in breaking his naval codes.
There are many fascinating stories here, about individual submarine actions, convoy battles, raids, rescue missions. Great stuff that you could make into great movies some day. You really get a good sense of how close the Germans were to winning the war. Thankfully, and Doenitz goes into it, the Third Reich did not take the U-boat arm seriously until it was too late. Whew!
Doenitz was charged with war crimes after the war and jailed. Specifically for conducting unrestricted submarine warfare.
Like every nazi that seems to write after the war - he defends himself by saying that being at the front he was not aware of everything going on back at home. Truth? Maybe, maybe not. But you cannot stop yourself from sympathizing with the man who was left holding the bag in May of 1945. We forget that the Allies waged unrestricted submarine warfare against the Japanese from the beginning. Doenitz has written that some American admirals were sympathetic after the war, and tried to get him acquitted. Very interesting story. A must for every World War Two reader.

From behind the scenes
Do you know Doenitz? Are you a WWII enthusiast? A historian? A submariner? Then, this book is a MUST HAVE. There are lots of books about the WWII submarine campaign, from both sides, many of them better written. So what's special? No other book provides that specific background knowledge and information. Why didn't Germany build more submarines than it did in the crucial early years? How did the wolf pack tactics evolve? What measures did the German Naval High Command take after discovering their torpedo crisis? How did they counter Allied scientific breakthroughs? Why didn't they devine Enigma was being broken? Finally, you will hear the German opinion about Roosevelt's "Short of War" strategy - nowaday's United Nations would be in turmoil...

Second, if you can read between the lines, this book will reveal the personality of one of the mightiest leaders of WWII. Was he a war criminal? Maybe, but certainly his biggest crime was to be a soldier (with very limited horizon apart from his daily duty) who happened to fight on the wrong side. Bad luck, for both sides...

This book certainly doesn't replace other narratives about the "Atlantic War", but it supplements all of them. Only here, you can find the background story.

If you're looking for more WWII memoirs, try Doenitz' superior, Raeder, and DON'T OVERLOOK Churchill, as he was the greatest writer among all of them.

If you still have no idea as to who Doenitz might have been, then try to read Lothar Guenther Buchheim's vivid picture about how the submariners themselves felt, instead; that is indeed great war literature.

Essential reading for people interested in U-boat war.
Admiral Karl Doenitz the architect of U- boat campaign in World War II which nearly brought Allied powers to the brink of a defeat.Britain particularly vulnerable to this form of war since London depended on overseas colonies for much of her economic sustenance.Battle of Atlantic unarguably the most bitter ,protracted campaign of World War II where fortunes of rival navies fluctuated widely.This was a campaign whose outcome to a large extent determined by technical innovations.In the opening chapters of the book Doenitz recounts his experiences as a U-boat commanderin the Mediterrenean theatre in World War I.This made him evolve wolf-pack tactics for assailing Allied merchant shipping which sailed in convoys.Belated introduction of convoy took the sting out of U-boat offensive in World War I.Independent sailing of ships offered U-boats plenty of targets.Now number of targets shrank with large expanses of water virtually robbed of shipping.So Doenitz spread the U-boats out across probable path of a convoy.Once a U-boat is able to sight a convoy it got in touch with shore HQs which inturn vectored other U-boats in the neighbourhood towards the target.This formed an effective tactical riposte to the convoy:concentration of merchant shipping defending escort forces with corresponding concentration of attacking forces.Remarkable strides in the field of wireless telegraphy made this possible.British remained complacent about U-boat menace.Development of Asdic,convoy ,Prize rules governing the conduct of war at sea account for British optimism.But Doenitz employing U-boats on the surface enmasse during nights to deliver concentrated attacks rendered Asdic impotent. Despite establishing patrol lines Atlantic ocean offered still sufficent room for convoys to evade contact.Occasionally convoys slipped through U-boat cordon.Here radio intelligence helped the U-boat Command.BAMS code no 3 directing convoy traffic was broken by xb-dienst the cryptanalytical branch of of German naval intelligence .As a result Doenitz could exactly plot the course taken by the convoys.Thus during the outbreak of hostilities U-boat command had an edge over Allied A/S measures.By spring of 1941 U-boats had taken a dreadful toll of British shipping with over 400 ships sunk which represented a rate of sinking twice that of new construction.Admiralty now took measures to curb U-boat menace.Despite all the damage wreaked by U-boats it was by no means invincible.Actually U-boat was not a submarine but a submersible since it operated mostly on the surface ,diving only to escape destruction.This gave scope for ship or airborne radar detection.Then U-boat while co-ordinating manoeuvres for launching massed assault generated thick volume of signal traffic.This was picked up HF-DF aboard convoy escorts.Soon a U-boat will find a destroyer streaking towards it forcing it to submerge thus losing contact with the convoy.This frequent chatter turned out to be achilles heel of Doenitz wolf-pack tactics.By mid-1941 British succesfully penetrated German naval Enigma cipher directing the deployment of U-boats.Allies now knew where Doenitz was sending his boats to form patrol lines.More and more convoys were steered away from waiting U-boat packs ; precious shipping thus saved.Doenitz dwelts extensively in his memoirs about the problem of interception calling for more U-boats for combing Atlantic wastes.Little did he know at that time that break into the German naval cipher helped Allies to outwit U-boat command.Ultra was closely guarded secret of World War II.Its revelation has led to a re-appraisal of Battle of Atlantic.For a long time after the war Germans believed allied use of short wave ASV radar,HF-DF betrayed U-boat positions.After word at the end of the book by German naval historian Jurgen Rohwer has given a fresh perspective on the campaign.By mid-1943 the U-boat offensive was in ruins defeated by a combination of special intelligence,HF-DF ,ASV,escort carriers,superior escorting techniques and improved depth charges.Here lay ,I believe Doenitz failure as a commander.According to his biographer Peter Padfield,he saw only his goals;ignored obstacles probable reaction of others.Though Doenitz speaks about new U-boats-TypeXXI,XXIII,Walter-they never appeared on time in sufficent numbers to influence the outcome of the struggle.Other topics of interest in this book:Doenitz indictment of Prize regulations,torpedo failures which plagued the Norway campaign,German version of Laconia tragedy,his interaction with the top leaders of Nazi Reich.Finally this was a book which I wanted to read desperately.For many months it featured in my Amazon.com wish list. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1998, Frank Schaeffer was a successful novelist living in "Volvo-driving, higher-education worshipping" Massachusetts with two children graduated from top universities. Then his youngest child, straight out of high school, joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Written in alternating voices by eighteen-year-old John and his father, Frank, Keeping Faith takes readers in riveting fashion through a family’s experience of the U.S. Marine Corps. From being broken down and built back up on Parris Island (and being the parent of a child undergoing that experience), to the growth of both father and son and their separate reevaluations of what it means to serve. From Frank’s realization that among his fellow soccer dads "the very words ‘boot camp’ were pejorative, conjuring up ‘troubled youths at risk’ " to John’s learning that "the Marine next to you is more important than you are," Keeping Faith is a fascinating and personal reconsideration of issues of class, duty, and patriotism. But as John and his fellow recruits battle to make the cut—and John’s family struggles to deal with the worry and separation, it is also an extremely timely, moving, and wonderfully written human interest story—a moving chronicle of love, duty and patriotism in contemporary America. "Beautifully written ... great insight and unselfconscious humor."—Publishers Weekly ... Read more

Reviews (44)

'Keeping Faith', Growing Love - Fathers and Sons
There are many terrific books about military life and more specific, the USMC boot camp experience. True, this book brings into focus the reality of that experience for John as a Marine recruit, but the value of the book goes way beyond a diary of 12 weeks on Parris Island. Up front and honest I drove my own son to the recruiters office one early March morning in 2002 for this same experience, with our families complete support for his dream of being a US Marine - he is one now. The experience of this father and son moving through this transition captures the essence of an emotional growth in the relationship; a growing love and embracing of one anothers dreams and experiences. Franks's own reflections of his life and a complete relook at his values measured against his son's dreams and directions that seem so clear to young John; soon to be clear to his father. In many ways captures my own story, being a Vietnam era brat with a son seeing a new horizon for honorable military service in this new version of our times. I was of course interested in the "higher education workshiping" views of Frank, something I didn't have, but appreciated. John's views and directions that the USMC provided are clear to me, having a LCpl. son, that is more than committed to the values of the Corps. Read this book not only for the boot camp experience, but more so for the intense evaluations of dreams both in the past - shaped by the realities of life - and the present shaped by the dreams of a young man and now Marine; as father and son now move forward into the bounty of love - and FAITH: clearly, in each other.

Good medicine for parents of Marine recruits....
On January 26th, 2004, my son shipped out for Parris Island. I started this book the day before he left and I took it everywhere with me until I quickly finished reading it. To read the words of a young man who had braved the challenges of entering the brotherhood of the Marines was helpful during this emotional time. John and Frank Schaeffer have my gratitude for helping me get through this first emotional week, days filled with love, pride, fear, and concern.

The telling of their experiences will allay and confirm some of the fears that parents will have while also helping them focus on supporting the life choice that their son/daughter has made. While reading this book,you realize that as you wait for your son/daughter to complete boot camp and become a member of the United States Marine Corps, you are making the United States Marine Corps a part of your family!

Read this book to help understand the decision made by one young man who chose to serve our country. Whatever your opinion of military life, you owe it to those who serve in the USMC to learn about their training, their dedication, and their families.

Written by the very proud mother of a present recruit and future Marine!

I found the book interesting.
My son just shipped out on June 7, 2004 for Marine Corp Recruit Depot San Diego. We had both read Making the Corps, a book by Thomas Ricks, before he enlisted. Once he shipped out I wanted to read something more to help track what he would be doing. John Schaeffer provides details of what happens during recruit training that were interesting, and he conveys the challenges much better than Ricks does in Making the Corps. Ricks was just reporting on what he saw not actually esperiencing it as John had, and it comes across in the descriptions and emotions that John vividly conveys. However, I found John's focus almost exclusively on himself as disappointing. He almost never shares with readers the experiences of other members of his platoon, unless it's when they are messing up, having problems, being dropped out or recycled. You only see the experience from his perspective and mainly how well he was doing. The experiences within the platoon are only presented in general terms. By the end it makes John seem overly self centered. By comparison Making the Corps provides a perspective from a number of platoon members and each one has strengths and weaknesses as well as differing viewpoints of the whole experience. Frank Schaeffer struck me, as several reviewers mentioned, as a whinny jerk, but you have to respect that he was willing to write it just as it happen realizing that it was not very flattering. You could certainly feel the emotions of both father and son. Overall I got some interesing information from the book and some advise that I'll be passing on to my son. I would recommend it to anyone who has a child, sibling or someone close to them heading or in recruit training. I look forward to comparing John's experiences with my son and comparing notes.

A Slice of Life/Personal & Engrossing Read
I normally don't read "show and tell" books, but since this was a gift for my Birthday, I like Frank Schaeffer's other books, being in the military and an Orthodox Christian, I knew I might actually enjoy the book because of the things that are similar between me and the authors. I found the book to be more enjoyable than expected so my praise may not be entirely unattached.

The book tracks Cpl Schaeffer's enlisting in the Marine Corp and subsequent boot camp and MOS training (a technical training for one's career field). What makes this book very enjoyable is the father/son relationship, because it is an erratic one, where both often argue and don't understand each other, but because of the bond of love, both find a redemption of sorts, and in the end, better understand each other.

Frank is loving, but erratic and stubborn, and Cpl Schaeffer is searching to be apart of something larger than himself - to be a servant for others. It is an interesting read as father, who has no understanding of the military, becomes closer immersed in it and finds that he has more in common with others, some old friends and some new ones. He also sees the snobbish side of our country, who ignorantly feel that the military is a haven for rift raft. Cpl Schaeffer discovers that his dad was wise in many areas of life.

It was also neat to see that Mrs. Schaeffer (referred to as Genie in the book) is a calming influence in the entire matter.

Lastly, I have never called out people before in a review, but to Andrew and Albert, I wonder if you read the book with an open eye. The book is not about "war stories" and the military does not turn one into a "robot" (matter of fact, like the book demonstrates, the military, just not the corps, is one of the few places one will find many people from many different walks of life who aspire to do many different things).

Keeping Faith...in what?
As a Marine, and as an instructor at one of the schools the young co-author attended, I am disgusted by this book. When a person uses their experience in the military, you expect them to actually have some experience. The few stories included in the book that related to the Marines were far-fetched and exaggerated, at best. John's outlook and those of his friends that he chose to portray for financial gain are demonstrative of all that is wrong with today's Marine Corps. In the few pages that included "war stories" based on John's vast experience, there is a great deal of tough talk. All of it coming from young men who haven't spent one day in the Fleet Marine Force. One would be hard-pressed to find an honest look into the life of a Marine within these pages. The only reason I rated this book so much higher than it actually deserved, is because 1 star is as low as the rating system goes. ... Read more

Book Description

James Hirsch recounts one of the great friendships of the twentieth century forged in one of the most horrific settings that century produced--a North Vietnamese POW camp its inmates called the Zoo. One prisoner, Fred Cherry, was a pioneering air force pilot and the first black officer captured by the North Vietnamese. The other, a young navy flier named Porter Halyburton, was a racist southerner who doubted that a black man could even be a pilot. Their captors threw them into the same fetid cell, believing that their antipathy toward each other would break them both. But Cherry and Halyburton overcame their initial suspicions and saved each other's lives.
When Halyburton first saw him, Cherry was a wreck. One arm, damaged in his plane crash, hung uselessly at his side. He hadn't bathed in weeks, and he could barely walk. In his own mind, Cherry was steeling himself for death. Halyburton was also weakening, emotionally battered from the interrogations and isolation that his sheltered life had not prepared him for. He had to learn how to endure, or he would become one of the incoherent wraiths who haunted the Zoo.
Halyburton and Cherry became legendary among fellow POWs for the singular friendship that enabled them to overcome prodigious suffering and unspeakable torture. Hirsch weaves through this account a surprising, sometimes shocking view of the toll these men's captivity took on their loved ones. While Cherry's family was sundered by his absence, Halyburton's bond with his wife, Marty, endured and deepened. We see her receive the news of her husband's death, and we share her mingled elation and fear when she later learns that he is in fact alive and imprisoned. We also witness her unlikely rise to a leading role in the battle to bring the POWs home.
Often inspiring, sometimes heartbreaking, Two Souls Indivisible shows how trust and hope can cheat death, and how good people can achieve greatness in hellish circumstances. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Torture and POWs
James Hirsch has written an inspirational account of two American POWs, Fred Cherry, an African-American fighter-bomber pilot, and Porter Halyburton, a southern white jet navigator. Both were shot down flying missions over North Vietnam and spent seven-plus years in prison camps. The author weaves considerable biographical material on the two servicemen into descriptions of their capture, interrogations, torture and harsh prison conditions. The book draws on extensive interviews with the two flyers, their families, fellow POWs, other military colleagues and close friends.

The narrative depicts how POWs struggled to maintain dignity, sense of honor to the U.S. military and mutual support in the face of cruel treatment by North Vietnamese captors. This reader has for years wondered what POWs endured while imprisoned. No longer, for this book presents graphic descriptions of horrible prison conditions and physical and psychological torture. Anyone with strong views on the Vietnam War, pro or con, would find this book engaging.

The discussions of Vietnamese torture and abuse of American servicemen make distressing reading in light of revelations about U.S. mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo and the legal justifications for it offered by some U.S. government officials. At times the Vietnamese denied POW status to captured Americans. When Major Cherry refused to answer questions in his first interrogation and showed his Geneva Convention card outlining his rights as a prisoner, his Vietnamese interrogator barked, "Forget about it. You're a criminal." (p.33)

People have tortured each other for thousands of years. Sometimes torturers sought military advantage; other times, enforcement of religious beliefs; or they simply needed to dominate. Gravensteen Castle's torture museum (Ghent, Belgium) contains an array of medieval Europe's crueler torture instruments, a sober reminder of how deeply ingrained human cruelty is.

This long history of torture might easily engender cynicism about the Geneva Conventions or any other rules attempting to restrain human cruelty. The drafters of the U.S. Constitution, however, displayed optimism, banning "cruel and unusual punishment."

According to Hirsch, U.S. POWs evinced similar optimism. Major Cherry recounts his relief that a uniformed Vietnamese was in charge of his capture, for "he assumed that a soldier, even a Communist, was more likely to respect a prisoner of war. According to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 - which North Vietnam had signed - POWs were to be treated humanely." (p.30) Halyburton's wife, a POW activist, optimistically declared: "All we ask is that North Vietnam adhere to the conditions of the Geneva Conventions, that they identify the prisoners they hold, and they protect them from abuse. That's all we ask." (p.210)

Hirsch cautiously avoids raising any "coulda shoulda wouldas" of the Vietnam War. That's not his story. Yet, the narrative makes clear that support for the Vietnam War was an important psychological need of the POWs and many other combatants. How else to make it through still another day of torture or fighting thousands of miles from home? That psychological need, however, can hardly become the justification for any war. The U.S. political system demands extreme prudence of its leadership when engaging troops and a thorough debate of the issues. Hirsch's book poignantly reminds readers how U.S. troops ultimately bear the consequences of war-making decisions.

The issue of race figures prominently in the book. Porter Halyburton, a southern white officer, must confront the views he absorbed from a racially segregated society when he cares for Major Fred Cherry, an African-American POW and his cellmate. Major Cherry, in turn, must bury years of racial insults and slights. The account of how both men ultimately bridge this racial divide is truly a message of hope.

This reader winced, however, at the description of Halyburton's overcoming his segregationist upbringing as being the moment when "Cherry had ceased being black." (p.133) It's not clear if this is Halyburton's or Hirsch's expression. Perhaps the words didn't come out right. Still, it would have been more satisfying in this reader's mind to hear Halyburton exclaim that he, Halyburton, had ceased being white.

Compelling and inspirational reading!
Extremely well written. The trials of these two real heros were transferred to the reader vividly on every page. A white fighter pilot was put in the same cell to care for the severely injured black pilot with the thought that this would further demoralize them. Or so their enemy thought. This was a story of heartbreak, courage beyond bravery, and triumph of the human spirit. It was especially meaningful to me since Fred Cherry's son was a good friend of my son while at Yokota Air Base, Japan right before he was shot down. My family prayed many prayers for Major Cherry.I was happy to know that his bravery was so legendary that his pictures hangs in the Pentagon. A truly remarkable human being!

Compelling and a must read
This book is absolutely compelling. It gives the reader a true sense of the heroism in every day life the POW's exhibited. I have had the honor and privilege of meeting Porter Halyburton and he is truly one of the most incredible men I have ever met. The story of Porter Halyburton and Fred Cherry evidences man's capacity for compassion and honor even in the face of man's inhumanity to man.

Absolutely amazing
This book teaches how the most beautiful things can happen in the most unlikely of places - that in a POW camp in North Vietnam where prisoners are physically and mentally tortured, two men can overcome their social upbringings to form a friendship that ultimately saves their lives.

James Hirsch does a great job in taking us back in time to the events that transpired between Fred Cherry and Porter Halyburton. He paints such a vivid description of these men and their surroundings in the POW camp, that in reading this story, you feel what they felt: the pains of torture, the sweat on your forehead on a 100 degree Vietnamese day, and the sweet (and bittersweet) feelings of homecoming after seven years of absence from the life you once knew.

Son of a Great American
I am Col. Fred V. Cherry's son and a friend of Porter Halyburton. This book, which I was also interviewed for, is better than I ever dreamed at recanting the experiences of these two great American soldiers. Reading this book is a walk down memory lane for me and it sometimes brings back bad memories. However, James Hirsh has done a wonderful job in sharing these soldiers experience and friendship with one another. I think that anyone who takes the time to really find out what prison life was like in Vietnam will find themselves compelled to encourage their friends and family to read this book. During the time my father was a POW, our family went through the ordeal as though we were also in a prison camp. My siblings remained relatively close, however, my relationship with my mother changed drastically, due to the love I always had for my father. Upon his return, relationships between our family members were stretched even further, with the children choosing parents to side with. In the past few years, 33 have passed since Dad's return, our family has begun to heal. Hopefully, these wounds will enable us to go on and remember what devasting effects a war can have on any family. ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com

When World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle left for the Pacific Theater in1945, he told friends and colleagues that he felt sure he would die there. Pyle was right;on April 18th, a Japanese machine gunner killed one of America's most belovedpersonalities, sending the entire nation into shock and mourning. In the years since Pyle'sdeath, his particular brand of journalism has been criticized: he's been accused ofignoring the stupidity of generals, of downplaying the horror of battle, and of presentingthe war in a better light than it actually deserved to be portrayed. James Tobin, author ofthe impressive biography Ernie Pyle's War, does not deny that his subjectoften smoothed the jagged facts of war, but he provides both the context--an era and awar in which correspondents were expected to be "team players" who helpedtheir side to win hearts and minds at home--and the personal conflict raised for Pyle bythe often irreconcilable demands of telling the truth and building morale.

In addition to detailing Pyle's mostly unhappy personal life, Tobin also includes samplesof his columns, proving once and for all that Pyle was more than just a hick who fell intoreporting; the man had real, substantial talent, evidencedby his ability to put wordstogether and his sensitivity to the subjects he wrote about. More than just a biography,Ernie Pyle's War is also a study of war, and the peculiar, twilight world ofsuffering and half-told truths to which men like Ernie Pyle were drawn. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Ernie Pyle's War: Thorough and Entertaining Read
"Ernie Pyle's War" by James Tobin was a thorough read. Tobin described Pyle down to the very last detail, uncovering almost every aspect of his life. After reading this book, the reader had a clear view into Pyle's mind and was able to recognize the feelings he possessed about his professional and private life. The way Tobin intertwined Pyle's messages home with biographical details along with interviews of acquaintances, made this story an easy read. "Ernie Pyle's War" earned five "stars."
Tobin's style of writing was one reason this book was so effective. He used partial quotes from Pyle to title his chapters, which brought an immediate sense of intimacy to the story. Tobin began the book with a chronological introduction to Pyle. This style of writing, although typical for biographies, was well suited for this story and not at all cliché. Readers were able to become acquainted with Pyle as a young man and then mature along with him as he grew into an established adult. By describing Pyle as a young man, readers were able to understand more clearly why he was the way he was as an adult.
Tobin used vivid descriptions to paint a picture of Pyle in the minds of the readers. This was an important aspect because Pyle's physical demeanor was one of the main problems and/or benefits in his life. As a child and young adult, his size hindered his relationships. But, as a war correspondent, the people saw Pyle as more of a hometown boy rather than a studious journalist. This added to his success as a war correspondent.
After transitioning into Pyle's career as a war correspondent, the story line became more tedious. Pyle was in and out of combat and the surface facts of his life were boring. Tobin, understanding the paleness of biographical data, used Pyle's messages home to spice up the story. Like most people, Pyle's life was not what it seemed to be. Besides leading a "glorified" life as a war correspondent, he had major problems at home. Tobin showed the audience this by weaving together Pyle's biographical information with the messages he sent home. This gave the reader a sense of what Pyle was actually feeling. Using these messages instead of his columns allowed reader's to see the "real" Pyle.
Tobin uncovered personal feelings about his professional and personal life, which gave the reader a feeling of empathy toward Pyle. Showing that he did not feel like an outstanding reporter, let readers see Pyle was human. Tobin successfully showed the man behind the pen by opening up Pyle's mind to the audience. He did this by using Pyle's own letters and messages home that contained intimate details of his life. Without the added touch of Pyle's actual writing, the story would have failed to be as successful.

America's Link to the Front Lines of World War II
James Tobin has written a stunning book in "Ernie Pyle's War: America's Eyewitness to World War II". Toban has succeeded in giving readers the rare opportunity to see the human frailties concealed within one of America's greatest and most valuable World War II correspondents.

James Tobin present a picture of the complex Ernie Pyle; a man that entered the World War II carrying only a broken Remington typewriter and a deep desire to describe the life and hardships of the horrific world of the infantrymen to the American public. The reader will learn of the contradictory Ernie Pyle. The Ernie Pyle who despised war, but who could not stay away from the physical and emotional anguish of battle. The Ernie Pyle who loved his wife, but who continually left her behind to travel to the front lines. Ernie Pyle, the seemingly frail and terrified journalist who demonstrated his bravery by traveling to the front lines to be with and write about "his boys". Ernie Pyle, a genius for writing about the common soldier, but who needed constant reminding that he was the best at what he did. His articles became legendary and the hope and news link for Americans with loved ones in the front lines.

James Tobin's "Ernie Pyle's War: America's Eyewitness to World War II " is a must read for World War II readers and all readers who wish to know about the human spirit and about a plain old fashion brave American.

Ernie Pyle's War: A Thorough Read
"Ernie Pyle's War" by James Tobin was a thorough read. Tobin described Pyle down to the very last detail, uncovering almost every aspect of his life. After reading this book, the reader had a clear view into Pyle's mind and was able to recognize the feelings he possessed about his professional and private life. The way Tobin intertwined Pyle's messages home with biographical details along with interviews of acquaintances, made this story an easy read. "Ernie Pyle's War" earned five "stars."
Tobin's style of writing was one reason this book was so effective. He used partial quotes from Pyle to title his chapters, which brought an immediate sense of intimacy to the story. Tobin began the book with a chronological introduction to Pyle. This style of writing, although typical for biographies, was well suited for this story and not at all cliché. Readers were able to become acquainted with Pyle as a young man and then mature along with him as he grew into an established adult. By describing Pyle as a young man, readers were able to understand more clearly why he was the way he was as an adult.
Tobin used vivid descriptions to paint a picture of Pyle in the minds of the readers. This was an important aspect because Pyle's physical demeanor was one of the main problems and/or benefits in his life. As a child and young adult, his size hindered his relationships. But, as a war correspondent, the people saw Pyle as more of a hometown boy rather than a studious journalist. This added to his success as a war correspondent.
After transitioning into Pyle's career as a war correspondent, the story line became more tedious. Pyle was in and out of combat and the surface facts of his life were boring. Tobin, understanding the paleness of biographical data, used Pyle's messages home to spice up the story. Like most people, Pyle's life was not what it seemed to be. Besides leading a "glorified" life as a war correspondent, he had major problems at home. Tobin showed the audience this by weaving together Pyle's biographical information with the messages he sent home. This gave the reader a sense of what Pyle was actually feeling. Using these messages instead of his columns allowed reader's to see the "real" Pyle.
Tobin uncovered personal feelings about his professional and personal life, which gave the reader a feeling of empathy toward Pyle. Showing that he did not feel like an outstanding reporter, let readers see Pyle was human. Tobin successfully showed the man behind the pen by opening up Pyle's mind to the audience. He did this by using Pyle's own letters and messages home that contained intimate details of his life. Without the added touch of Pyle's actual writing, the story would have failed to be as successful.

Ernie Pyle Lives Again In This Wonderful Biography
About the only complaint I can offer about this outstanding biography is that the title is slightly misleading. Ernie Pyle's years as a war correspondent are the subject of about three-quarters of the narrative, which is appropriate. It was the period in which he did his greatest work and achieved international fame. But this is more than just the story of those pivotal years; the first 25 percent of the text is an excellent overview of Pyle's childhood on an Indiana farm and his pre-war adventures in journalism, including a six-year stint in the thirties and forties as a kind of Charles Kuralt in print. Pyle and his wife roamed across the nation in their car, and he wrote about the people he encountered along the way--ordinary people, the sort who don't usually find themselves the subject of newspaper articles.

When the war came, Pyle knew he had to answer the call to go overseas. But thankfully, he realized that he didn't need to provide the same sort of coverage every other journalist was doing. He would let them handle the stories of the grand strategy, interviewing the generals and prime ministers. He would tell the story of his average Joe, now transformed into G.I. Joe.

James Tobin has a wonderful gift for storytelling and description. He introduces us to Pyle and the key players in his life so vividly we feel that we know them as flesh-and-blood individuals. He quotes from Pyle's works liberally enough that we get a true sense of the man's unique gifts, but not so much that the flow of the story bogs down.

This is an almost perfect biography of one of the true greats of 20th century journalism.--William C. Hall

The Consummate War Correspondent
The author, James Tobin, recounts Ernie Pyle's life from his childhood in Indiana to his 1945 death in the Pacific Theatre. The text notes "Sadness verging on bitterness always colored Ernie Pyle's memories of his early years," and relates that his adult personal life also was basically unhappy. In 1928 while working for the Washington Daily News, Pyle began writing an aviation column that ultimately was carried by all Scripps-Howard newspapers. Foreshadowing his WWII reporting style, Pyle' favorite subjects were the anonymous airmail pilots telling "tales of the pilot's feats of bravery and improvisation."

From 1935 to 1942 he roamed the western hemisphere where he wrote a column on his wanderings for the News and developed into a consummate craftsman of short prose and as Tobin noted "...in the process created "Ernie Pyle." Reflecting what would be his wartime style the author notes, "...he studied unknown people doing extraordinary things." The text relates Pyle's activities as a war correspondence in Tunsia where he shared the dangers and discomforts of the infantrymen at the front, and developed a bond with the American infantryman where his "writing transcended propaganda; it was richer, more heartfelt." At home Pyle's editors were delighted with the rapid growth of his popular column. After Tunisia, he followed the troops in the invasion of Sicily and later into Italy.

In Italy, he completed construction of his mythical hero, the long-suffering G.I. The text notes that the "inescapable force of Pyle's war writings is to establish an unwritten covenant between the soldier at the front and the civilian back home." Tobin also notes "Soldiers could see an image of themselves that they liked in his heroic depiction of the war...The G.I. myth worked for them too." However, as Pyle was becoming the "Number-One Correspondent" he became troubled because he had been "credited with having written the truth...He had told as much of what he saw as people could read without vomiting. It was the part that would make them vomit that bothered him..."

Pyle covered the Normandy landing in June 1944. In contrast to today's instant TV battlefront coverage, Pyle admitted to readers "Indeed it will be some time before we have a really clear picture of what has happened or what is happening at the moment." Pyle followed the infantry into France. The book notes, "The hedgerow country of Normandy was a killing field such as Ernie had never seen, and as the weeks passed, the constant presence of 'too much death' whittled down his will to persist." Once again the G.I.'s affection for him had risen after they saw Pyle force himself to share their dangers, which sometime made him, scream in his sleep. Those with today's anti-French attitude would agree with Pyle when he wrote that in Paris he felt as "though I were living in a whorehouse-not physically but spiritually."

Ernie Pyle returned to the United States in mid-September 1944. After a much needed rest, in January 1945 Pyle left for the Pacific Theatre. Here Pyle was in a different environment. He couldn't relate to the hot food and warm beds aboard Navy ships, the comfortable living conditions of airmen stationed on Pacific islands and the generally pleasant environment on Pacific islands. He wrote, "It was such a contrast to what I'd known for so long in Europe that I felt almost ashamed.... They're...safe and living like kings and don't know it." Even when relaxing with an aunt's grandson, a B-29 pilot who tried to relate the real combat conditions in the Pacific, Ernie just didn't understand the Pacific Theatre.

With the Army's 77th Division, "He went ashore" on a small island north of Okinawa "on the 17th of April 1945, talked with infantrymen during the afternoon and spent the night near the beach in a Japanese ammunition-storage bunker." The next morning he hitched a ride when at ten o'clock the jeep he was riding in came under Japanese machine gun fire. After jumping into a ditch with the jeep's other riders, Pyle raised his head and was killed instantly. Far from home, Ernie Pyle died among his beloved infantrymen.

In closing James Tobin writes "Ernie and his G.I.'s made America look good. The Common Man Triumphant, the warrior-with-a-heart-of-gold-this was the self-image America carried into the post-war era."

While the technology of war reporting has changed greatly since WWII, the author is correct when he observes, "As a practitioner of the craft of journalism, Pyle was perhaps without peer. After him, no war correspondent could pretend to have gotten the real story without having moved extensively among the front-line soldiers who actually fought."

The book ends with a nice touch, an Appendix that contains a potpourri of Pyle's articles. ... Read more

Book Description

When the Japanese struck Pearl Ha