Book Description
On April 6th, 2003, twenty-six Green Berets, including those of Sergeant First Class Frank Antenoris Special Forces A-Team (call sign Roughneck Nine One), led a battle against a vastly superior force at a remote crossroads near the village of Debecka, Iraq. The enemy unit had battle tanks and 150 well-trained, well-equipped, and well-commanded soldiers. The Green Berets stopped the enemy advance, then fought them until only a handful of Iraqi survivors finally fled the battlefield. In the process, Nine One encountered hordes of news media and at the peak of the fight, a US Navy F-14 dropped a 500-pound bomb into the middle of a group of supporting Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, killing and wounding dozens. This is the never-before-told, unsanitized, unedited story of the fight for the crossroads at Debecka, Iraq, and a unique inside look at a Special Forces A-Team as it recruits and organizes, trains for combat, and eventually fights a battle against a huge opposing force in Iraq.
Customer Reviews:
A Truely Good Account of our Special Forces in Action.......2007-08-22
This book goes into great detail and great honesty of the actions of a Special Forces A-Team in Iraq. Although the main author, Antenori, gets a little arrogant at times while speaking of how "great" the Special Forces are, I was able to get past it and enjoy the rest of the book.
Army Magazine Review of Roughneck Nine-One.......2007-08-13
Roughneck Nine-One: The Extraordinary Story of a Special Forces A-team at War
Army Magazine, July 2006 by Spencer, Jimmie W
Noncommissioned officers have a great deal of credibility both within the Army and with the American people. They tend to answer questions straight from the heart with little or no regard for political correctness. What you get is the unfiltered truth. If you hear it from an Army sergeant, you can pretty much "take it to the bank."
SFC Frank Antenori, U.S. Army retired, in his book Roughneck Nine-One, tells the story of a Special Forces Ateam (Green Beret) at war in a noholds-barred fashion that you would expect from a senior noncommissioned officer.
Written in a style that can only be described as soap opera-ish, he and his co-author, Hans Halberstadt, tell an extraordinary story of Special Forces A-tea m soldiers before, during and after combat. At a crossroad near the village of Debecka, Iraq, outnumbered and facing T-55 tanks, they were simultaneously locked in mortal combat, dealing with the news media and coping with the killing and wounding of dozens of supporting Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, when a U.S. Navy F-14 fighter mistakenly dropped a 500-pound bomb on the wrong target.
Antenori says of the supporting Kurds, "They reminded me of our Minutemen of 1776; they wore a mixed bag of uniforms: some were in camouflage, others in solid green, and others wore civilian clothes. Besides their rifies and ammunition, they had none of the 'battle rattle' Americans requireno CamelBaks, no kneepads, no gloves, no body armor protection. Some wore sandals instead of boots. They had left their homes early that morning after breakfast with their families. They had probably kissed their wives good-bye, picked up weapons, and gone off to spend the day at war, not sure they would come home at night. They are true militia, the kind that Special Forces Soldiers have trained and led for well over fifty years."
The reader is also given a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a Special Forces A-team, how it plans, trains, equips and deploys for combat, and the emotional roller coaster of ups and downs that it lives with day to day.
The book is in fact two stories in one; one of Special Forces soldiers in combat, at their best, and the other of constant bitching about almost everything. The combination results in a realistic story about real soldiers.
I would highly recommend this book to military historians and anyone interested in reading a good story, a true story that is easy to read and hard to put down.
SFC Antenori can add one more honor to an already impressive list of accomplishments, that of raconteur.
CSM Jimmie W. Spencer
U.S. Army Special Forces (Retired)
Roughneck Nine-One.......2007-08-06
The author is a disgruntled E-7 who served with a Green Beret unit during the outbreak of the iraq War. Most of the book is boring and filled with military jargon and terms especialy related to special forces units. The climactic battle, near Kirkuk, at the opening hours of the war is interesting, but not really groundbreaking in terms of new combat methods. The soldiers' actions were very commendable, but not Medal of Honor material. The author is somewhat arrogant and soon retired with barely twenty years' service.
Not a worthwhile read.......2007-07-11
I'm surprised at how the negative reviews below have been received, with so many people labeling the reviews as not being helpful. I personally could not agree more with the two poor reviews. Let's start with the writing. As far back as middle school, any paper I wrote that contained an over-abundant usage of words, phrases, or literary devices was returned to me so those usages could be exchanged for more varied writing choices. Antenori's editor did him a great disservice when he allowed Antenori to ride the use of foreshadowing right into the ground. I have never, EVER, read a book that used "little did we know", "we would soon find out", "in a few seconds", etc. in the excessive manner that this book did. It seemed like every other paragraph ended this way, and it becomes pretty tedious. Something is going to happen in this book that justifies all your training. We get it, Frank.
In case you think that is an unfair reason to pan the book, how about the fact that almost NOTHING of any consequence actually happens in the book until page 150. Did I mention it's only 241 pages? And for all intents and purposes, the events at the intersection are over by page 226; the rest of the pages are just wrap-up. I'm not going to lie, I read these books for the excitement and the camraderie and the insight into these brave people that put their lives on the line for us. I don't read these books to sift through 150 pages of a group of men getting shuffled around, doing relatively mundane training exercises, and generally grousing about their lot.
Finally, if I haven't made a strong enough argument yet, I'll say it: these guys were really lucky. As was said below, and even by the author, if the Iraqis had brought their offensive A-game, ODA-391 would have been in a world of hurt. It's interesting how at the end of the book, under a sub-title marked "luck", Antenori chooses not to comment on this part of the operation. Without a DOUBT these are brave, brave men, and the work of the medics was impressive, but it must be said that this was not a mission that succeeded on guts alone, but instead relied massively on pure luck. But I guess sometimes such is life. I'm so happy for those men that this was the case, but it doesn't make for the most interesting reading. In summary, I'd skip this book. There are many great military non-fiction books out there, but this isn't one. It's light on action and packed with what is clearly fluff to flesh out the telling of a decent (very) short story.
Enjoyable story... could have been shorter.......2007-05-18
I thought this was a good read. I am certainly glad SFC Antenori is on our side. This book is ultimately about his leadership during one engagement that ODA 391 found itself in. The action is great and again, I really did enjoy the book, but I was ready for it to "get going" a little before it did. I'm a serious fan of the genre so it didn't stop me from reading on. A bit shorter and I think the action would have really made it jump.
Customer Reviews:
Exceptional.......2007-10-14
I purchased this book recently and could not put it down.Who better to tell a story than the ones who lived it?The letters are not only from the soldiers who fought on either side of a conflict,but from the very people who lived through them.The accounts are graphic in many cases and I now have a better understanding of the horrible reality of it all.The historical quips help with the insight as to what was going on at the time of the letter.Its a great read by an outstanding author who has done so much for our troops.
Bringing the Atrocities of War Home.......2005-08-21
BEHIND THE LINES is a powerful collection of fragments of thoughts that were initiated over the past two hundred plus years of war scars. Andrew Carroll continues his commitment to bring the reality of war to the forefront of our attention and I know no better manner for anti-war statements than the words found in this illuminating and horrifying book.
Carroll approaches war as a panacea - an evil that has been with us around the globe for centuries and just continues unabated. Many poets and writers are struggling to make the public cognizant of the horrors of war, but Carroll scans American involvement in wars from the Revolutionary War to the present and in doing so he demonstrates the madness that we must learn to stop.
Letters, documents, memos, soldiers' notes as well as civilians' responses fill these pages, some eloquent, some simply pitiful, and some stoic as well as some encouraging. The messages are not skewed in a way that makes Carroll seem like he is ranting. Rather he lets the words of the living and the dead speak truths far larger than fiction.
This is a beautifully conceived volume that for the sake of the survival of civilization belongs on the reading desks of everyone. Tough reading, this, but enormously informative and important. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, August 05
Excellent book.......2005-06-30
This is a great book!! I really enjoyed reading it, and found myself unable to put it down. The book gives readers a better understanding of what soldiers and their families go through. After reading this book, I believe I have a better appreciation for our Veterans and our troops serving our country. Definately a recommended book in my opinion.
The reality of war revealed.......2005-05-22
Andy Carroll's last book - War Letters - showed what war is like by reprinting letters of American combatants who had ac-tually fought those wars. (I should confess that one of my letters about Vietnam was reprinted in that book.)
Andy's new book - Behind The Lines - shows what war is like with reprints of letters from both combatants and non-combatants - civilian women and children. This book also in-cludes letters written by non-Americans as well as Americans.
Andy limited the letters to those from the wars in which America was involved. Thsee wars range from the Revolutionary War (there's a great letter from a Hessian soldier [Hessians were German soldiers "leased" to Great Britain to fight as mer-cenaries] giving his impressions of America and the poor fighting ability of the rebels), the Civil War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam (there's a good letter from a soldier asking his parents to forgive him for having killed a man in combat), Kosovo and Gulf Wars I and II.
While many letters deal with combat, other letters show the many faces of war. At times, war can be terrifying, funny, ab-surd, touching and hilarious. (You know you've been fighting too long when the same incident strikes you as both terrifying and hilarious.)
One letter was a love letter written by a California woman to a Swiss national. In fact, the letter was complete fabrication. The Swiss national actually was a German spy traveling in Great Britain during WWII. The letter was created to make his cover seem more believable.
One letter was from a brother who had enlisted in the Union army in the U.S. Civil War. He wrote to berate his brother for having enlisted in the Confederate army.
One letter was from a German wife to her husband's company commander. She requested that her husband be given a leave "because of our sexual relationship." She wanted her husband to come home so they can have sex. The commander's sym-pathetic reply is included in the book.
One letter writer came up with a list of "The Army's Ten Commandments," which should bring a smile to anyone who served in the Army. Commandment number four is, "Thou shall not laugh at second lieutenants."
One writer came up with a letter filled with multiple choice op-tions. By checking various options, he could either proclaim his undying love or write about an upcom-ing/imminent/current/recent military offensive.
Several letter writers tried to warn their families that they should prepare for a slight adjustment period when the men come home. One Vietnam writer warned, "If it should start raining, pay no attention to his joyous scream as he strips naked, grabs a bar of soap, and runs outdoors for a shower." (As a Vietnam veteran, I found that letter puzzling. Doesn't everybody shower that way?)
The book is divided into several themes that illustrate the dif-ferent faces of war: friendship; combat; laughing though the tears; civilians caught in the crossfire; and the aftermath of war.
As a Vietnam Infantry pointman and squad leader, I view a book about war differently from most people. Andy's book showed me a side of war I had never considered - its impact on non-combatants - who could neither run away (what any sane person does when people are trying to kill him) nor fight (if you're going to die anyway, why not die fighting?).
The book also showed me what I already knew from my own experience: that war changes forever those touched by it.
One Vietnam veteran was haunted by the fact that several of his comrades had died rescuing him after he was seriously wounded. So decades after the end of the Vietnam war, he left a letter at the Vietnam Memorial thanking those men for their sacrifice. That letter is included in the book.
Don't buy this book if you are looking for stories about triumphant soldiers marching in victory parades in front of cheering, grateful crowds. That's not the side of war that Andy wanted to show. Instead, the book shows the side of war that doesn't make the 5:00 TV news.
You will need to read this book in small doses because the emotional impact of the letters can be overwhelming. In Los Angeles I attended a reading of selected letters from the book. One of the speakers read a letter he had written as a Jewish teenager while riding in a sealed railway car on his way to a German concentration camp. The letter told his sister how much he loved her. He pushed the finished letter through a hole in the side of the railway car and hoped that a kind peasant would find and mail it to his sister. One did.
incredibly moving book.......2005-05-12
This compilation is marvelously well-edited and includes an incredible variety of letters from soldiers and civilians from numerous wars. The author has put together a very nuanced, clear-eyed, resonant and moving collection and has written helpful, insightful descriptions throughout the book. This book would make a great gift.
Book Description
Originally published in 1955, As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me has seen international success ever since. It has been translated into fifteen languages, sold more than 12 million copies, and is the basis for an award-winning German entry at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. Recounting an incredible real-life adventure, it tracks the destiny of German soldier Clemens Forrell who, in the aftermath of WWII, was sentenced to twenty-five years of forced labor in a lead mine in the barren eastern reaches of Siberia. Subjected to the brutality of the camp and the climate, Forrell dreamed continuously of escape—and then daringly effected it. From East Cape across the vast trackless wastes of Siberia, for thousands of miles and three years, with fear as his most intimate companion, Forrell fled treachery and endured some of the most inhospitable conditions on earth. In a long series of taped interviews with esteemed German author Josef M. Bauer, Forrell unfolded his remarkable story of survival. Bauer not only reconstructs Forrell’s arduous journey to the Iranian frontier and freedom; he also poignantly evokes the emotional content of Forrell’s brave quest—emerging as an affecting portrait of a man who strove and triumphed against all odds.
Customer Reviews:
Don't even think of buying this junk.......2007-09-22
I was very, very dissapointed with this book. After having read the amazing story of Theodor Kröger (a German who survived not only the Tsarist prisons but also the communist gulags) I wanted more of this and so I ordered this book. But what I got was a kind of telegram-style book with so much ommisions in the story, that you wonder why did somebody write it at all. If you can't get the story right, then don't tell it. Also, this is supposed to be a non-fiction story, but the dialogues between the lead character and his captors and/or fellow-prisoners are put on paper like they were held yesterday. If you're looking for a Papillon story, you better look somewhere else. I didn't even finish the book, it was a waste of my time.
a wild ride.......2007-07-26
I found this book to be inspiring and motivational. It is the amazing tale of a daring escape and a treacherous journey across the frozen Siberian north. They only thing that disappointed me was that the ending was anti-climactic in my opinion. Just a simply amazing book, there is a reason why it has been translated in to 15 languages and sold more then 12 millon copies.
Amazing .......2007-05-07
All the superlatives belong to this tale: remarkable, daring, unbelievable, amazing, incredible, beyond belief, extraordinary. That a person could 1. escape from a Soviet labor camp, 2. in the dead of winter, 3. from the farthest eastern point of Siberia, 4. after suffering from hunger and brutal treatment for three years, and still 5. make it home to Germany safely after another three years is a story for all lovers of survival dramas. The author expertly and faithfully chronicles Josef Bauer's account without glossing over the details of what it took to survive. I didn't come to like Mr. Bauer from this telling, however, I did feel a deep respect for his perseverance and stamina. Two other books of escape and survival that I recommend even more highly are: The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz and We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance by David Howarth.
As Far as my Feet will Carry me.......2007-01-29
Incredible story of survival and the will to live.
This book was excellent, I couldn't put it down........2006-04-28
As for the other half negative reviews, like it being for a young reader, don't pay any attention to that. Obviously those reviews are written by people that can't look or think beyond their own egos nor actually try to imagine what it must have been like, what the permanent affects were after such an altering event, and obvious emotional scars that must have continued on and on... After I finished the book, I re-read the preface and understood why there seemed to be pieces "I" wanted answers to, but understood why they weren't there.
I recommend this book to anyone of all ages. It's absolutely an amazing account of someone accomplishing a journey home with EVERYTHING against him and the beckoning door of death at every turn. How he survived? It's beyond me....
Now, I will hunt for the DVD....if anyone knows where I can find the DVD, please find a way of letting me know. Thanks!
Book Description
"If you survive your first day, I'll promote you."
So promised George Wilson's World War II commanding officer in the hedgerows of Normandy -- and it was to be a promise dramatically fulfilled. From July, 1944, to the closing days of the war, from the first penetration of the Siegfried Line to the Nazis' last desperate charge in the Battle of the Bulge, Wilson fought in the thickest of the action, helping take the small towns of northern France and Belgium building by building.
Of all the men and officers who started out in Company F of the 4th Infantry Division with him, Wilson was the only one who finished. In the end, he felt not like a conqueror or a victor, but an exhausted survivor, left with nothing but his life -- and his emotions.
If You Survive
One of the great first-person accounts of the making of a combat veteran, in the last, most violent months of World War II.
Customer Reviews:
Quick read.......2007-10-12
A good basic account of an infantry leader in Europe during 1944. Details are interesting, although there is virtually no overall framework or background to Wilson's story. What is striking, however, is how heavy the casualties were and how Wilson was forced to work with green officers and men over and over as he was called upon to execute repeated missions. Worth the read, and its quick.
Belonging to the short list of must own WWII books.......2007-06-23
Just as Eugene Sledges, "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa", is the standard bearer for books written about the Marine island hopping campaign, "If You Survive" by George Wilson will be considered to be among the very best autobiographical accounts of being an Army infantry officer during the post D-Day European campaign in WWII. Wilson's account is poignant, rings true, and offers a rare perspective of a young lieutenant leading men into combat in the race to Germany in 1944. It should be standard reading for all NCOs and young officers regardless of their military occupational specialty. You'll find it hard to put down as Wilson's narration leads the reader from one harrowing combat battle to the next. All this was happening while the platoons and the companies commanded by the author were steadily reduced through the attrition of casualties and combat fatigue. A fascinating story.
If You Survive.......2007-04-10
Excellent read, this guy story could be mine, you will enjoy it, fast read
One excellent Book.......2007-04-01
I have read many, many books in my life. I have read dozens of books on WWII. This book is at the top of my list for reading. I've read it three times in the short time I've owned it. It is compelling in it's frankness. Rarely does an author bring you into the war with his narrative, as George Wilson does. The story allows one to forget his troubles, and be swept into the past. The men who fought in WWII have been called our Greatest Generation. George Wilson's book, 'If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer's Riveting True Story' helps you understand why.
An excellent book, and excellent read. Buy it and enjoy!
Interesting way to learn about WWII and being a soldier .......2007-03-09
My Dad (who was a tail gunner in a plane during the Battle of the Bulge) recommended this book to my son in middle school. My son, and in turn, many kids in his social studies class and his teacher also gave the book rave reviews. It is an easy read from a soldier's perspective that takes you through the big European ground battles of WWII. A much more interesting way to learn history and make it "come alive". My son and many of his friends have gone to other WWII books because of their interest in WWII and I think this book contributed greatly to that interest. George- thanks !
Book Description
In November 1943, the men of the 2nd Marine Division watched as bombardments destroyed the Japanese defenses on an islet in the Tarawa atoll. But when the Marines landed, the Japanese poured out of their protective bunkers and began one of the most brutal encounters of the war.
During the ensuing three days of non-stop fighting, the entire island was transformed into an all-encompassing kill zone in which combatants found themselves mixed together in a chaotic hell of crossfires, where there was no possibility of retreat-because there was nowhere to retreat to.
Drawn from sources such as participants' letters, diaries, and interviews with survivors, this is the riveting true account of a battle between two determined foes, neither of whom would ever look at each other the same way again.
Customer Reviews:
When nothing is certain, anything is possible.......2007-09-18
When these young marines landed on Tarawa they would have most certainly been conscious of the obvious...that victory was not certain but anything was possible. And they made victory on this island possible by sheer courage. Few books have been written about the battles that took place in the Pacific region during WW2, but none has been better written than this one. It is one of the utmost and sometimes unbelievable courage of the young marines as they fought their way from the landing craft, across coral reef, to the beach and finally onto the flat lands of this thin strip of an island. The telling of the battle as it unfolded and the personal stories of some of the characters brings the whole scenario alive with graphic, bloody fighting, inch by inch, against a fierce and heavily dug-in enemy. The bravery of these young men will never be forgotten. The written images portrayed so clearly in this book will live in my mind as a reminded of how the war in the Pacific was fought and won. The title 'One Square Mile of Hell' is apt but is also an understatement.
Battle for Tarawa.......2007-09-03
This book puts you in the thinking process of what these great men accomplished and gives you a back ground as to who these men were before they found themselves in this horror place called Tarawa. The writting is some of the best for taking what people, who took part in this battle, into words that convey their emotions and true feelings.
The Battle for Betio Island: A three-day struggle to survive.......2007-03-10
This is a perfect book for the casual military history reader. For the serious enthusiast, I direct you towards "Utmost Savagery".
"One Square Mile of Hell" approaches the engagement on a personal level. Following young marines, "One Square Mile" gives us an up close and personal view of their triumphs and tragedies, both militarily and personally. The importance of the landing on Betio island cannot be underestimated. Not only did the landing prove that amphibious operations and the idea of 'island hopping' could win the war, but the Battle of Tarawa proved and solidified the now legendary reputation and fighting spirit of the USMC. After reading this book, your respect for the Marines will skyrocket. Despite copious mistakes by the commanders, these men fought on staring death in the face in order to accomplish the mission.
This may not be the best researched or most informative book on the Battle of Tarawa, but it is exceptionally entertaining and strikes the reader on a personal level.
What about the Brave CB's?????.......2007-02-20
My father fought on Tarawa. I believe that the author captured the violence of the battle extremely well. I certainly do not want to minimize the bravery, savagetry, or horrors of the marines. However, due to the fighting being hard & matters not secure in the American favor CB's were landed to fight.
My dad would only talk about how bad it was on rare occasions. He has many photographs taken by him & friends. Also, some that he took from a dead Japanese soldier. When I read the book I was hoping to get some insight on the CB part of the battle, but alais the book was silent on this subject.
However, the book does an excellent job of putting the battle into ways that make you feel a part of the conflict.
A Hell of a Way to Grow Up.......2007-02-06
I read this book to gain insight into what my father went through as he fought at Tarawa with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, Second Division. Sadly he died in 2000. Having come of age during the Viet Nam War I had a strong aversion to Wars (including the current one) and the Military. Two Books by Frank Schaeffer helped soften me up for this one. My one regret is that I did not speak to my father more than I did about what he went through during his service in the Pacific Theatre. This book helped give me a better understanding.
Unlike most reviewers I have not read much military history. I would recommend this book for those like myself who are interersted in the human side of this bloody battle. To put this in perspective I quote from the book "The 2d Divison's 3,300 killed and wounded earned it the dubious distinction of the highest casualty rate for a Division in the war."
One of this book's greatest accomplishments is in weaving together the stories of Chaplains, foot soldiers and others rather than just the perspective of the commanding officers. An excellent read.
Average customer rating:
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One Sunny Day: A Child's Memories of Hiroshima (Dreamcatcher)
Hideko Tamura Snider
Manufacturer: Open Court Publishing Company
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ASIN: 0812693272 |
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- A notable contribution to World War II literature
- A MUST READ ON THE TOPIC OF WOMEN IN THE MILITARY
- Great Pick-me-up for strong women and the men who love them!
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One Woman's Army: A Black Officer Remembers the Wac (Texas a&M University Military History Series, No 12)
Charity Adams Earley
Manufacturer: Texas a & M Univ Pr
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To Serve My Country, to Serve My Race: The Story of the Only African-American WACS Stationed Overseas During World War II
ASIN: 0890963754 |
Customer Reviews:
A notable contribution to World War II literature.......2005-01-01
"One Woman's Army: A Black Officer Remembers the WAC," by Charity Adams Earley, is a memoir by a pioneering African-American soldier of the Women's Army Corps (WAC) of the United States Army. The bulk of the book focuses on the period from July 1942 to December 1945, and details her service both in the continental U.S. and in the European theater of operations.
The author looks back at the assignments she held, which included being on the staff of the WAC training center in Des Moines and commanding a battalion-size postal unit overseas. She also recalls the time when the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was transformed into the WAC, thus becoming "an official branch of the army."
Earley tells her story in a straightforward manner. She recalls many humorous and/or ironic incidents that happened along the way, as well as some appalling examples of racial prejudice and insensitivity that she faced. I was also very interested by the leadership challenges that she encountered as she rose up the ranks. She also looks at some of the very practical issues regarding the incorporation of women in the military, such as providing them with proper uniforms.
The book is richly illustrated throughout. There are photos of some of the historic documents from the author's career. There are also over 40 photos detailing her service and showing many of the other soldiers--black and white, male and female, officer and enlisted--with whom she served. I particularly enjoyed the photos showing the African-American women soldiers in action. Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley was a true military trailblazer, and I was absolutely fascinated by the story she tells here. Inspiring and educational, this book is a valuable contribution to the fields of women's studies, African-American studies, and military history. Recommended companion text: "A Black Woman's Civil War Memoirs," by Susie King Taylor.
A MUST READ ON THE TOPIC OF WOMEN IN THE MILITARY.......2004-10-22
This is one of the outstanding memoirs written by women who have served in the US Army. Charity Adams Early was the first African American woman to receive a commission in the WAC during World War II, and later became the commander of the 6888th Central Postal Directory, the only black WAC unit sent overseas. She frankly discusses the problems faced by black WACS, including segregation in training and unit assignment, and the prejudices she faced. Highly recommended.
Great Pick-me-up for strong women and the men who love them!.......2001-02-26
I am a terrible reader and don't often finish books I start. This book interested me through and through. If you are a woman in the military, or know a woman in the military, then you need to read this book. The perspective on life in Charity Adams' Army is a wonderful change from the Hollywood versions of wartime service we see all around us. This book brings you inside and behind the scenes of very important and worthwhile missions. Reading about the strides Charity Adams made in her time (and now with this book) make me so proud of her not only as a negro WAC officer, but as a soldier and a leader! I highly recommend this book for yourself and for a gift to other strong women in your life!
Book Description
At last, in his own words, Bob Dole tells his legendary World War II story –– a personal odyssey of tremendous courage, sacrifice, and faith.
In One Soldier's Story, Bob Dole tells the moving, inspirational story of his harrowing experience in World War II, and how he overcame life–threatening injuries long before rising to the top of the U.S. Senate. As a platoon leader in the famed 10th Mountain Division, twenty–one–year–old Bob Dole was gravely wounded on a hill in the Italian Alps just two weeks before the end of the war. Trying to pull his radioman to safety during a fire–fight against a fortified German position, Dole was hit with shrapnel across his right shoulder and back. Over the next three years, not expected to survive, he lapsed in and out of a coma, lost a kidney, lost the use of his right arm and most of the feeling in his left arm. But he willed himself to live.
Drawing on nearly 300 never–before–seen letters between him and his family during this period, Dole offers a powerful, vivid portrait of one man's struggle to survive in the closing moments of the war. With insight and candour, Dole also focuses on the words, actions, and selfless deeds of countless American heroes with whom he served, including two fellow injured soldiers who later joined him in the Senate, capturing the singular qualities of his generation. He speaks here not as a politician, but as a wounded G.I. who went on to become one of our nation's most respected statesmen. In doing so, he gives us a heartfelt story of uncommon bravery and personal faith –– in himself, his fellow man, and a greater power. This is the World War II chronicle that America has been waiting for.
Download Description
"
Before he became one of America's most respected statesmen, Bob Dole was an average citizen serving heroically for his country. The bravery he showed after suffering near-fatal injuries in the final days of World War II is the stuff of legend. Now, for the first time in his own words, Dole tells the moving story of his harrowing experience on and off the battlefield, and how it changed his life.
Speaking here not as a politician but as a wounded G.I., Dole recounts his own odyssey of courage and sacrifice, and also honors the fighting spirit of the countless heroes with whom he served. Heartfelt and inspiring,
One Soldier's Story is the World War II chronicle that America has been waiting for.
"
Customer Reviews:
A true hero.......2007-07-20
What an amazing person with a great story to tell. I was able to track him down and talk with him personnally and he truely is a hero.
A Memoir Worth Reading.......2007-07-04
I knew that Bob Dole was injured in World War II but never knew where or how. I found his Memoir, "One Soldier's Story" interesting to read. Sharing his personal story of his rehabilitation gives one an appreciation for those who are recovering today from injuries that they have received in Iraq or Afghanistan. I'm glad that he didn't give up and took that "longest walk" and later became a U.S. Senator.
My father was stationed not far from where Bob Dole was shot and did not know that Mr. Dole was one of the wounded passing by to the hospital. After my father read this book, his comment was "The 10th Mountain was a Great Division."
Kathleen Thomas
Author of "Don't Call Me Rosie, the Women who Welded the LSTs and the Men who Sailed on Them". Don't Call Me Rosie: The Women Who Welded the Lsts and the Men Who Sailed on Them
This man should have been President........2006-09-21
This is a nice story about one politician's experience in the war. This story shows his real personality behind all the publicity about his presidential runs. I gained new admiration for Dole. He not only has a sense of humor after his life crippling experience in WWII. Dole is shot and the bullet is lodged near his spine. He has difficulty using his hands and feet. Only his willpower prevented him from living a non productive experience the rest of his life. Dole gets some hand and feet motion, goes on to university and law school and represents his native Kansas in Washington. This is indeed a success story.
The book is easily readable. One gets a new admiration for this politician when you read this book. A good read.
Much about the man, little about politics.......2006-09-04
Young people might recognize Bob Dole as a former politician who now occasionally does a few commercials, most of which include some self-deprecating humor. People who are a bit older will recognize him as the man whom Bill Clinton defeated in a Presidential campaign, a long-term Senator, and the Vice Presidential running-mate to former President Gerald Ford. Everyone who sees Bob Dole will likely notice that there is something wrong with his right arm, and some will know that this was a war injury.
There is much more to Bob Dole, the man, than that, and it can be found in this moving, sometimes humorous, always straightforward memoir, that focuses most on his life from early childhood through his recuperation from his injuries in World War Two.
"One Soldier's Story" starts by describing Mr. Dole's childhood and adolescence, growing up in Russell, Kansas. We learn much about his family and his community, with a strong emphasis on the character of the people who had an impact on Bob Dole. The phrase "it takes a village to raise a child" has often been mentioned in recent years, but here is a good description of how the people in one's life affect how a person will turn out. Mr. Dole tells about how many people, through what they said and by how they lived, taught him much, and prepared him to face a challenge bigger than any political campaign could ever be.
Once we know about how Mr. Dole lived into early adulthood, we then learn a lot about how World War Two affected this nation, and how it dramatically affected Mr. Dole. Bob Dole went through a lot of training, both basic and technical, before ever stepping foot on a battlefield in northern Italy, right near the end of the war. Once he reached that battlefield, though, he suffered life-threatening injuries that profoundly affected him physically, and equally profoundly challenged his character. Using the values he learned as a child and young man, and with the support of his family, his friends, and many dedicated professionals, Bob Dole met that challenge.
"One Soldier's Story" is a well-written memoir, that moves along briskly, while giving you a very clear sense of who Bob Dole is, both by what he tells you, and by the very direct, straightforward way in which he tells his story. This is a very tough man, but not "tough" in the sense of being rough or mean, but in the sense of being incredibly resilient, adaptable, steadfast, and determined. Mr. Dole also makes it clear that the credit for his successes belongs to many, many people. He repeatedly makes it clear how much he owes to many people, and ends the book by moving to the bigger picture of how much the people of this nation owe those who serve it, and by how we all have the potential to make a positive effect on those around us.
I am not, in general, a big fan of autobiographies or memoirs, but I really enjoyed this fine book about a good man. There is very little about Bob Dole the politician in the book; as suggested by the title, this book is mainly about how Mr. Dole's military experience impacted his life.
While I have led a very different life from Mr. Dole, I found much in this book that was reinforcing and inspirational. I am a quadriplegic from a diving accident when I was fifteen, and I clearly identify with the challenges that Mr. Dole has faced, and with how the support of family and friends can strongly impact a person's ability to succeed, despite the adversities of life.
I think that this book would be enjoyable and important to many people, regardless of their political beliefs. I strongly recommend it.
One Kansan to Another.......2006-08-23
This book tells a marvelous story about a great American and a wonderful small hometown. Since my husband and I are native Kansans it meant more to us than it would to many people. It puts the heart into 'heartland' and is a story of patriotism as well as overcoming difficulties. The true story is told in a matter of fact way, as if any of us could over come the same odds. Anyway, we found it a very readable book and highly recommend it.
Amazon.com
"There is a method to presenting the reality of war in [New York] Times style," writes Chuck Sudetic, "a restrictive method but a perfectly valid one just the same. It focuses mainly on institutions and political leaders and their duties and decisions, while leaving the common folk to exemplify trends, to serve as types: a fallen soldier, a screaming mother, a dead baby.... The method is described by various terms: detachment, disinterestedness, dispassion, distancing, and others with negative prefixes engineered to obliterate any relationship between observer and observed."
Although Sudetic was able to maintain his detachment for the numerous stories he filed from the frontlines of the Bosnian war for the Times, it could not ultimately last. Blood and Vengeance examines the events leading up to the July 1995 genocidal massacre that took place in and around the town of Srebenica from the perspective of the Celik family (to whom the author is related by marriage). Sudetic ably blends the intimate chaos and terror of the Celiks' lives with broader historical and contemporary accounts that provide a fuller context for what happened. The people here are not types, but vividly portrayed individuals in whose lives the reader gradually becomes absorbed. This book ranks with Peter Maass's Love Thy Neighbor as one of the closest--and most chilling--looks at the tumultuous events that shattered post-cold war Eastern Europe. --Ron Hogan
Book Description
"If you can read just one book about Bosnia, this is it." --The Washington Post
Taking its place on the short list of essential books about the Bosnian struggle, Blood and Vengeance succeeds in putting a human face on the conflict, rendering its devastation comprehensible to Western readers. Perhaps the most notorious and disputed outrage of the war was the massacre of as many as 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica. Although previously designated a safe area by the United Nations Security Council, Srebrenica was overrun by General Ratko Mladic's Bosnian Serb forces while U.N. peacekeeping troops stood by impotently.
With novelistic eloquence and journalistic acumen, Sudetic follows several generations of the Celiks, the Muslim family he is related to by marriage, which met their tragic destiny at Srebrenica. His indelible portrait of these inhabitants of a remote mountaintop village outside of Srebrenica not only illumines the historical context of the tragedy but, more important, reveals the human impact of the horror. Blood and Vengeance contains the sweep and power of a panoramic historical painting, yet possesses the heartbreaking intimacy of a family snapshot.
* Named a New York Times Notable Book and One of the Best Books of the Year by Publishers Weekly and the Washington Post
"Superb. . . essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the war in Bosnia." --The New York Times
"[A] triumph." --Chicago Tribune
Customer Reviews:
Biased.......2007-06-16
Good writing and a good story. However, this is blatantly anti-Serb. Chuck seems to want to portray the Serbs as bloodthirsty animals and the Muslims as weak innocents. I was rooting for the Serbs by the end of the book because they had so much going against them yet they still pushed on with their goals.
Skillful and vivid portrayals.......2007-02-26
A very personalized account of the many forces that were in motion. Masterful storytelling, making the transitions for the major national participants to one peasant family's struggles is technically very difficult, the fact that the author was able to do so shows his skill as a writer.
No agreement .......2006-08-11
The book is confusing because the wars were confusing. The names present difficulties in the manner of a Russian novel. There is a chart of the main characters. It is extensive. By 1993 the author was in his fifth year in Bosnia reporting on the conflict for THE NEW YORK TIMES. Traveling through Bosnia's mountains as a student had been an adventure. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims were uprooted in Bosnia by Serb forces. In 1995 the author learned through television reports of Serbian army attacks on Srebrenica. He decided to seek a month's leave to return to Bosnia to see family members, the Celiks.
Huso Celik had raised his family in eastern Bosnia. Latin had been the language of the Drina valley at the time of the Roman Empire. Later the Roman roads fell into disrepair and the Slavic language replaced the Latin. Ottoman Turks invaded in the fourteenth century. The Serbs threw off Ottoman domination in 1804. By 1875 the Ottoman Empire was bankrupt. Hasan Celik, born 1908, never learned to read. Huso Celik was born in 1941. During World War II there were two resistance groups in Yugoslavia, one headed by Tito. In the fall of 1947 Serb teachers taught the peasants on Mt. Zvijezda, the ancestral home of the Celiks. Half the people killed in Yugoslavia in World War II had been killed by each other. This was passed over in the Titoist revisionist history of the war. Social prosperity was introduced. A restored minaret was opened in 1959. In Tito's army national service duty took place outside of a soldier's home area. Huso went to central Serbia and served with Croats, Muslims, Slovenians, ethnic Albanians. Subsistence farmers of Mt. Zvijezda became wage earners. Serbs went to Belgrade, Muslims to Sarajevo. Huso worked for a construction company. In his spare time he played his clarinet. In 1974 Yugoslavia recognized Slavic Muslims as a constitutional nation. By the late 1980's the young men had left the mountain to find jobs. Having televisions, the people watched the Cold War ending. That Yugoslavia was coming apart had been in evidence for years. Workers pilfered, Serbs were hot-tempered, Slovenians demanded free elections. Economic breakdown, (there was massive embezzlement), became clear to everyone.
Milosevic rose in the Communist bureaucracy and took control. The Croats, Albanians, Slovenes, Muslims saw the emerging Serb hegemony. Nationalist euphoria swept over Serbia. The author and his wife Ljiljuana moved to Yugoslavia to report for THE NEW YORK TIMES. Belgrade was dusty. Ljiljana's sister Gordana Celik and her husband Hamed Celik, (Huso's son), lived nearby. Slovenia and Croatia elected non-Communist governments. Milosevic sought to expand Serbia. There were Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia. Tudjman in Croatia antagonized the Serb minority. Nationalism spread to Bosnia. It was forty percent Muslim. Karadzic headed the Serbian party in Bosnia. Slovenia and Croatia declared independence in 1991. In 1991 Milosevic overran Vukovar.
A month before the Bosnian War began in 1992 the author and Hamed saw Huso. A month later Huso had a second heart attack and there was talk of war everywhere. After the Vance-Owen Plan was conceived, the Commander of the UN in Bosnia was General Philippe Morillon. He was no match for General Ratko Mladic, Commander of the Bosnia-Serb Army.
Celik family members are pictured in July 1995 at a tent city at the Tuzla Airport following the fall of Srebrenica. Hiba Celik is shown near the ruins of her house in 1997. By 1993 Srebrenica had become a diplomatic nightmare to officials working on the Bosnian problem. Srebrenica was swelled with refugees in addition to inhabitants and everyone depended upon humanitarian aid. It was both a Muslim enclave and a UN safe area when Mladic sought to close down entry points and choke-off supplies. NATO bombs fell, Serb forces shelled safe areas. There was hostage-taking. After the fall of Srebrenica Muslim men were called out and transported out of the area. Some were killed, and others were held, it was said, for the purposes of a prisoner exchange. Action from Croatia caused some abatement of Serbian aggressive action. Some of the Celik family members were able to move to Canada and begin a new life.
The author has engaged in a tremendous undertaking to trace the fortunes of war through the experiences of family members. He certainly makes the reader feel the pain of the conflict.
biased book about a personal story.......2005-08-19
If we were to take off away the virulent bias of this book and just leave the details of the families struggle we might have a wonderful book. The wiritng is superb, the characters are deep and portrayed well, the history however is deeply flawed. The central theme of this book is that Milosevic conspired to steal land and in doing so launched a war that destroyed the Balkans. We are told the Tudjman, Croatias Catholic president was his 'ally'. THis is however not proven by the burden of history. Tudjmans army rampaged through Bosnia and slaughtered and ethnically cleansed serbs as well as muslims.
We are told here that the idea that the conflict was base don ehtnicity was a scam, which is interesting considering it was the west, like this author, who created the myth of ethnicity and 'ethnic cleansing' in the Balkans. However it is true the conflict is not based solely on land, but rather the diverse nature of the region, with Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims and in this war it was as common for the catholics to be brutal to the orthodox christians as for eithe rto brutalize the muslims.
This book presents a one sided story, a story where Serbs are portrayed not as people but animals and in this books attempt to dehumanize them we see the same ethnic hatred that the book claims doesnt exist. If it was about land then why must this book only tell one side and pretend that half the party to this conflict were wilde beasts and not humans, thinking and breathing like others.
As a tale and as a novella this ia masterful account. it is not history and the judgements on the history of the region either lack understanding or are based on myth.
Seth J. Frantzman
A powerful and disturbing account of the war in Bosnia!.......2005-08-18
Widely acknowledged as one of the best books on the war in Bosnia, Sudetic's book offers a unique insight into the horrors of the Bosnian war. What is it then that separates Sudetic's book from the other books on the war in Bosnia? First, it is extraordinarily well written and highly interesting from the very beginning to the end. It captured my attention from the very moment I started reading it. Even though this book contains almost 400 pages it never becomes boring.
The first section of the book contains a brief yet momentous introduction of the history of Bosnia. It helps explain the root causes of the war in Bosnia, an aspect that will prove invaluable to novice readers on the subject matter. Sudetic then allows the reader to follow one Bosnian family (the Celik family) throughout the entire Bosnian war. As a reader, one inadvertently becomes part of the Celik family; one empathizes with them and shares their deepest emotions and concerns. When the war in Bosnia began, the Celik family fled from their village of Kusupovici to Srebrenica. Srebrenica was by then already under siege and about 40,000 people from the neighbouring villages sought shelter in this little eastern town. Srebrenica was constantly shelled by Bosnian Serb army and only a few U.N. convoys were allowed to enter Srebrenica in order to deliver food and medical supplies to its approximately 40,000 refugees. For three long years Srebrenica's people were isolated from the rest of the world, they had little food, no clean water, electricity and virtually no medical supplies. Diseases and infections were commonplace. People were dying from hunger daily.
Sudetic brilliantly describes the experiences of the Celik's family throughout the war. Will all members of the Celik family manage to survive the war and how will this gruesome war affect their future? What will happen to Paja, Huso, Hiba and Sanela? As a reader, one gets to know their deepest fears, concerns and desires. It is virtually impossible to remain indifferent to their plights when reading the book. Sudetic's book thus stands out from the other literature on the war in Bosnia because it is personal. It is not simply another book about Bosnian people in general, not that there is anything wrong with that. However if you follow one particular family for an extensive period of time you become one with them. You experience their suffering as well as their joy.
As is well known, Srebrenica fell on July 12, 1995 after three years of Serb occupation. What followed in the ensuing days constituted one of the most severe human rights abuses in Europe since World War II. In only a matter of days, Bosnian Serb forces summarily executed approximately 8000 Muslims, one of whom was my grandfather. I remember that day perfectly well and it was one of the worst days of my life. In my opinion, Sudetic provides one of the most detailed accounts of the Srebrenica massacre. Days leading to the massacre are also described in detail. While 8000 Muslims were being slaughtered before the eyes of the entire international community, the U.N. did nothing to stop the bloodshed despite the fact that Srebrenica had been designated a "safe area". In point of fact, the U.N. was completely indifferent to the plight of these people. Sudetic explains this well and also provides numerous documents that corroborate this fact. The U.N. was in fact authorized to order air strikes against Bosnian Serb army but deliberately chose not to do that because they did not want to "exacerbate" the conflict. Instead, they gave Serbs the green light to kill 8000 Muslims and to expel all women and children. The Muslims who were trying to escape from Srebrenica to Tuzla were frequently ambushed by Bosnian Serb army; many of them never made it to Tuzla.
Sudetic further provides a comprehensive account of the atrocities that took place in Srebrenica after the town was overrun by Bosnian Serb army. Muslim men were taken to different locations to be shot. Those who survived have been able to testify about these heinous atrocities. Hurem Suljic had been taken to a meadow along with other Muslim men. Bosnian Serb army then opened fire and one man fell on Suljic. Suljic remained there motionless until the executioners left the site. Another man had also survived the massacre and together the two men managed to escape. Hurem Suljic later testified that the Muslim prisoners were tortured; some had their throats slashed while others were hit on their heads by an axe or a hammer.
Sudetic's book thus gives us a comprehensive and well researched account of the Bosnian war. I have one problem with this book though and that is a flawed and sometimes biased analysis of Bosnian Muslims. When describing Bosnian Muslims, Sudetic frequently relies on the life of the Muslims who lived in the countryside. Sudetic sometimes wrongly assumes that this way of life is characteristic of the entire Islamic community throughout Bosnia. For example, the Muslims who lived in the countryside frequently dressed in "dimije" (traditional clothing for Muslim women of the countryside) and they sometimes covered their heads. One gets the impression that Bosnian Muslims are a primitive people. However, for the overwhelming majority of the urban Muslims this way of life was obsolete and atavistic. Most Muslim women who lived in urban societies dressed and behaved as any contemporary woman of the West. Furthermore, according to one of the foremost experts on the history of Bosnia Noel Malcolm, Bosnian Muslims were among the most secularized Muslims in the world. Therefore, one must conclude that Sudetic's description of Bosnian Muslims is misleading and inadequate.
Aside from this minor shortcoming, this is irrefutably the best book about the war in Bosnia. It is an extraordinarily well written account of the Srebrenica massacre. There are many brilliant books about the war in Bosnia but Sudetic's book stands out from the rest for the following reason: it involves the reader in the story in a way you never thought possible. It makes you angry, happy, sad, agitated and devoid of hope at the same time.
A masterpiece!
Book Description
At the end of her life, Frances Osborne’s one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother Lilla was as elegant as ever–all fitted black lace and sparkling-white diamonds. To her great-grandchildren, Lilla was both an ally and a mysterious wonder. Her bedroom was filled with treasures from every exotic corner of the world. But she rarely mentioned the Japanese prison camps in which she spent much of World War II, or the elaborate cookbook she wrote to help her survive behind the barbed wire.
Beneath its polished surface, Lilla’s life had been anything but effortless. Born in 1882 to English parents in the beautiful North China port city of Chefoo, Lilla was an identical twin. Growing up, she knew both great privilege and deprivation, love and its absence. But the one constant was a deep appreciation for the power of food and place. From the noodles of Shanghai to the chutney of British India and the roasts of England, good food and sensuous surroundings, Lilla was raised to believe, could carry one a long way toward happiness. Her story is brimming with the stuff of good fiction: distant locales, an improvident marriage, an evil mother-in-law, a dramatic suicide, and two world wars.
Lilla’s remarkable cookbook, which she composed while on the brink of starvation, makes no mention of wartime rations, of rotten vegetables and donkey meat. In the world this magical food journal, now housed in the Imperial War Museum in London, everyone is warm and safe in their homes, and the pages are filled with cream puffs, butterscotch, and comforting soup. In its writing, Lilla was able to transform the darkest moments into scrumptious escape.
Lilla’s Feast is a rich evocation of a bygone world, the inspiring story of an ordinary woman who tackled the challenges life threw in her path with an extraordinary determination.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
The Rise and Fall of a British Colonial .......2007-07-09
"Lilla's Feast" describes a time not so very long ago that seems impossibly distant. The world-wide expansion of European colonialism in the 19th century caused thousands of people, especially British, to seek their fortunes in the colonies and the trading emporiums in the exotic East, especially India and China. Lilla, the great-grandmother of the author was one of them. She was born in Chefoo, China in 1882 and spent most of her life in China or India.
Lilla never did anything of great importance, but she stands for all the Brits born and raised abroad who felt a bit foreign when they returned "home" to England on visits. During the course of her 100-year life Lilla was present during the peak of Western power and prestige in the Orient before 1900 and its rapid decline thereafter culminating in World War II in which Lilla and her family ended up in a Japanese concentration camp.
We follow Lilla through marriages, births,deaths, family troubles in India and China, the hardships of Weihsien internee camp in China during World War II, and finally back to an uneasy old age in England -- the money, power, and prestige of life as a privileged Westener in China now gone. It's a good story to be read about a class of people who saw their pleasant lives and lucrative livelihoods destroyed by war and politics. We don't feel all that sorry for Lilla, nor even that fond of her, but we are interested in her experiences. Along the way we get some fascinating pictures of the life of Brits in China -- and especially the hardships of Weihsien, a concentration camp that has catalyzed a sizeable body of literature. See "The Call" by John Hersey, a novel about a missionary who is interned in Weihsien and "Shantung Compound" by Lawrence Gilkey, a sociological classic about people under the stress of imprisonment.
Smallchief
A Remarkable Story.......2006-12-06
This is one of the most amazing stories that I have recently read. The book is beautifully produced, and the Author has gone to an enormous amount of trouble in collecting photographs and information concerning her Great Grandmother, who defied every hardship she faced. This incredible Lady lived to the age of 100, having survived a Japanese concentration camp in World War 2, preceded by other trials and tribulations. Her story is an object lesson to us all, in how not to give in, how to keep going whatever the circumstances that life brings to us. The early days of her first Marriage tell us how to keep a man happy even though she had a miserable time with him!!!This is a book to be read again and again, a wonderful read and most inspiring.
Split decision.......2006-10-03
What we have here is a woman's life spanning just over 100 years. Lilla is not a particularly likeable woman, but if you digest the details you can see why (possibly). She is an interesting woman who weathered particularly exhausting situations and managed her life so that she did what was expedient.
This book has numerous photographs.
The book isn't well-written or edited. That aside, the details of survival, one way or another, are quite out of the ordinary and at times fascinating. It became even more so when I realized I had actually seen this cookbook when I was lucky enough to come across it several years ago at the Imperial War Museum. It was a nice , unexpected connection. And I have never before read of the Japanese prison camp existence within China. An easy read of eras gone by.
The story of Lila's life will stay with you..........2006-05-19
The previous review which reviles the colonial bias of this biography has little relevance ... this is the world as it was then and the story is not being told to address the right or wrong of it, but rather to tell the story of the author's great grandmother in the grand sweep of WWII. The woman in this incredible story makes the best of deprivations and a bad marriage and far flung family, circumstances take her from her beloved China to England, India, all of this in that bygone time with none of todays conveniences and she remained a figure of dignity and elegance who also has experiences of sublime beauty and love... I think this little masterpiece will make its way into your heart and stay there, it did with me.
A very good read if you're in the mood to feel sympathetic .......2005-05-29
But I for one was not. The book is steeped in a bias towards colonialism. The tone of the book encourages the reader to think of the Chinese, Japanese, and Indians as faceless "others" surrounding the more civilised and elegant British and European populations, only to be depicted in elementary-school-textbook-like passages about historical events.
Although the author's inclination to view her great-grandmother as a victim of nearly everyone and everything (fate as well!)is certainly understandable, it hardly makes for captivating reading. The writing style is a dry mix of "facts" derived from personal effects and sheer speculation.
This book is based upon a recipe book which was donated to a British museum.... as opposed to the priceless artifacts which Britain so self-righteously helped itself to during it's tyrannical episode of colonization... and still doesn't feel the need to return.
I suppose it's hardly possible to expect an unbiased view of colonization from the wife of the youngest conservative member of Parliament, but one can hope.
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