People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Ms. Brooks writes an intriguing fictionalized account of one of the earliest illustrated Jewish prayer books, the Sarajevo Haggadah. She tells the history of this specific Haggadah (a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder, telling of the Jewish deliverance from slavery in Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus), through the discoveries of Hanna, a young Australian rare book conservationist, hired by the UN to analyzes and stabilizes the Sarajevo Haggadah in the aftermath of the Bosnian War, tracing clues found during the rebinding of this Haggadah.


The clues take the story from 1996 Sarajevo and travels back in time as each clue reveals its meaning and new discoveries are made.  The journey takes the reader to Sarajevo 1938, Vienna 1894, Venice 1609, Barcelona 1492, Seville 1430, as well as stops in North Africa, Israel, the USA and Australia. 


Intertwining of Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths, Ms. Brooks writes of the both large events such as the German occupation of Yugoslavia, the Catholic Inquisition, the Expulsion of Jews from Spain (Alhambra Decree), as well as the tortured (both literal and figurative) lives of the book's characters.


People of the Book reads like a mystery novel wrapped in a telling of religious persecution throughout the ages.  A page-turner of the first degree.

Churchill becomes household name during 2nd Boer War.

Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill, by Candice Millard is an informative and entertaining read that paints a picture of a brash and cavalier young man who will miss no opportunity to gain fame and advancement, be on the battlefield with a sword and pistol, or in the press with a pen.

Hero of the Empire briefly touches on Churchill's experiences in India, the Sudan, and Cuba, giving a thumbnail sketch of young Winston before and directly after the 2nd Boer War before detailing his experiences in South Africa.  The story jumps into high gear after his unsuccessful run for the British parliament, as he travels to Cape Town, South Africa on a troop transport ship as a member of the press corps covering the Boer War.

Love him or hate him Churchill was a unabashed narcissist who saw himself from an early age as someone destined for greatness.  His actions in Natal and the Transvaal of South Africa during the war gave him the exposure back home in Great Britain to propel him into the political spotlight. 

Millard writes a fast-paced narrative will worth the reading.

Osama bin Laden gets his just rewards in Mark Owen's – No Easy Day

Matt Bissonnette, aka Mark Owen, one of 24 hand-picked men who carried out the raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, that housed Al Qadea leader Osama bin Laden, pens his firsthand description of the event.  Known formally as Operation Neptune Spear, this account of SEAL Team Six’s assault on the compound, in coordination with the 160^th SOAR (“Night Stalkers”) helicopters, gives a step-by-step iteration of the events from boarding the transport buses in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on their way to the air-strip and the waiting helos, to the missions conclusion, as the transports touched down in Virginia.

Autobiographical in nature, Bissonnette recalls what drove him to become an elite fighter, a Navy SEAL, from a young age, through his training, and deployments, culminating with selection to DEVGRU (SEAL Team Six).  He recounts several missions he performed in his years as a team member and the fast friendships he made with fellow SEALs.  A notable mission he recounts was the rescue of Richard Phillips, Captain of the MV Maersk Alabama, taken hostage by Somali pirates in April 2009.

No Easy Day provides detailed diagrams of the compound and timelines the events of the Navy SEAL raid to capture or kill bin Laden.  It goes into details of the killing of not only bin Laden, but also of his son, Kahlid, as well as the al Kuwaiti brothers during the raid.  The book shows that regardless of how well planned and rehearsed an action can be, things can and will go wrong, like the crash landing of the helicopter transporting half of the raiding party. 

Bissonnette downplays the individual contributions to the success of this raid leading one to believe that any section in the SEAL unit could have completed the raid successfully, that the SEALs that participated just happened to be in the right place at the right time.  A good read.  I recommend it to anyone interested in military history or current events.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

Jacob Jankowski while attending his final semester of veterinary school at an Ivy League university learns of his parent’s death in a car crash.  He leaves vet school during final exams and while aimlessly wondering, hops a train and discovers he is on a special circus train occupied by the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.  Jacob parlays his veterinary expertise into a full-time position with the circus.

Jacob shares what was once a sheep pen as his sleeping quarters with a circus dwarf name Kinko (Walter) and his bob-tailed dog Queenie.  He is befriended by the circuses star performer, a beauty named Marlena, and her husband August, the shows number two man and head trainer.  Jacob falls in love with Marlena, and learns to hate and fear August for his cruelty to both humans and animals alike.

Needless to say, the story revolves around the love triangle between these three; add a toothless lion, an elephant that only understands Polish, and an orangutan, and you have a very entertaining novel.

The narrator of the story is Jacob Jankowski in later life, confined to a nursing home at age 93.  He reflects back 70-years to events in the summer of 1933. 

I lost my father last year; he was 93 and in a nursing home.  I had so much empathy for Jacob, as I imagined my father thinking, saying, and doing the things old Jacob did while denied his freedom, and in some cases his dignity in his final years.

I would recommend this book on three levles – as a historical novel, as a well told interpersonal story, and as an insight into a gentleman’s twilight years.

US Asiatic Fleet during the onset of WWII

James Bassett writes a follow up to his highly acclaimed novel IN HARMS WAY.  This offering, COMMANDER PRINCE, USN deals with a career naval officer forced to face his fears during the opening year of WWII.  The book takes the reader from the Philippines prior to the Japanese invasion through the naval battle for the Solomon Islands.

Bassett tells the story of the Asiatic Fleet as it is intermeshed with the ABDA (American-British-Dutch-Australian) Forces in their fatalistic defense of the Dutch East Indies.  The naval battle of Balikpapan, the battle of Bali at Sanur, and the fighting in the Java Sea are covered as battles predestined to defeat, yet the professional military men did their duty, as they were trained to do, while looking down the barrel of imminent death.

Memoirs of Robert E. Lee - A.J. Long

 

For the funeral of General Robert E. Lee the town of Lexington, Virginia, came to a standstill.  The students and faculty of Washington College (later Washington and Lee Univ) and the cadets of Virginia Military Institute were all present for the burial procession, as it snaked through both campuses before concluding at the Washington College Chapel where the body was entombed.   CSA artillery general and Episcopal priest W.N. Pendleton presided over the service and the internment of Lee’s body in a crypt in the floor of the Chapel.  Thus concluded the life of the able warrior.

The Memoirs of Robert E. Lee, published in 1887 by A.J. Long, Lee’s former military secretary, is a narrative of Lee’s life from birth to death, using his personal first hand observations, military records,  and anecdotes provided by others present on General Lee’s staff during the Civil War, Long pens a concise account of Lee’s life, focusing primarily on the events and battles of the Civil War where General Lee was present.

Counting his years as a West Point Cadet, Robert Edward Lee spent 40-years of his life in the military uniforms of both the United States and Confederate States of America.   An honor student at the Academy, after his graduation Lee served as a combat engineer for many years, where he worked in a broad capacity from constructing fortifications on the Atlantic coast to developing ports on the Mississippi River.  During the Spanish-American War he distinguished himself on the staff of General Winfield Scott as both an engineer and a scout, showing himself to be a rising star in the officer ranks.  After a stint as the Superintendent of West Point, where he saw his eldest son graduate first in his class, Lee transferred to the cavalry and joined the command of Col. Albert Sidney Johnston in Texas.  Here he worked at keeping the settlers and towns of Texas safe from Indian attack.  His last command in the US Army was as commander of the  First Regiment of Cavalry.  In April, 1861 Lee turned down a promotion to Major-General and resigned his US Army commission, preferring to return to his beloved Virginia stating, “My heart is broken, but I can not raise my sword against Virginia.”

Long’s account of Lee’s time as Commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia and General-in-Chief of Confederate Forces is somewhat biased, detailing Lee's trumphs and offering justifications for Lee’s presumed missteps.  He paints his commander as a family man with high character and a deep respect for soldiers, regardless of which side of the cause they fought on.  Long describes each battle, from Lee’s first battlefield encounter with Union forces at Cheat Mountain, to his surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at the McLean house in Appomattox.  

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in American history, for an understanding of America can not be divined without a general knowledge of the Civil War, its causes and its heroes.

Criminal profiling in 1890's

The Alienist by Caleb Carr The Alienist is a suspenseful murder mystery set in 1896 New York City while Theodore Roosevelt is serving as Police Commissioner.  Here an up and coming Criminal Psychologist (aka Alienist) leads a team made up of Roosevelt’s friends and colleagues in an attempt to identify and apprehend a serial killer preying on immigrant boy prostitutes.   In addition to the psychologist, there is a journalist (the narrator of the story), a set of brother detectives who are well ahead of their colleagues in the art of criminal science, and a young woman trying to break the “boy’s only club” of law enforcement. Lazlo Kriezler, a psychologist, and John Moore, a crime reporter, are former Harvard classmates of Roosevelt.  They are joined by Sara Howard, a police secretary with aspirations of becoming the first female detective and the Isaacson brothers. This eclectic group of novice sleuths set out to define the psyche of the serial killer, a concept which will evolve into present day criminal profiling; previously theoretical notions only, they attempt to put into practice concepts that until then were only espoused in psychology journals and papers.  Some ideas prove fruitful; others --- like taking a photograph of a corpse’s eye to see if his last vision was imprinted on it --- are shown to be unreliable. Caleb Carr writes a very descriptive story that takes the reader, layer by layer, into the workings of the mind of the serial killer.  I enjoyed the book and am eager to read Carr's next offering - The Angel of Darkness.

Author transitions from Medical History to Medical Mystery

The Anatomy of Deception

 By Lawrence Goldstone 

The tale centers on a group of young doctors attending the University of Pennsylvania Medical School under the tutelage of Dr. William Osler, a renowned pathologist and physician.  The protagonist, a Midwesterner named Ephraim Carroll, is Osler’s prize student who in first person recounts the events surrounding this mystery set in 1889 Philadelphia.

From the opening scene in the Dead House, the morgue attached to Philadelphia General Hospital where autopsies are being conducted on the unclaimed bodies of the inner city, to the salons in the grand homes of the City of Brotherly Love, to the seedy alleys of the cities waterfront, Lawrence Goldstone crafts a suspenseful tale of intrigue, keeping the reader slightly off-balance throughout this book which is peppered with historical characters from the early days of "modern medicine". Both William Osler and William Stewart Halsted, a prominent surgeon, were two of the founding doctors of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and play key roles in this novel.

Goldstone, known for writing narrative history of natural science and political science, successfully ventures into the realm of fiction with Anatomy of Deception.  He effectively blends the history of medical advancements of that era with a deft telling of a suspenseful murder mystery involving a young Philadelphia debutante.

I recommend this book and look forward to reading his latest offering The Astronomer.

The chosen few at the frozen Chosin

Pinned down by sniper fire during the day and facing mass attacks at night, the 246 Marines and Navy Corpsmen of Fox Company (2/7, 1^st Marine Div) held open a vital choke point controlling the only road from the Chosin Reservoir to the Marine base camp at Hagaru during the brutally cold December of 1950.  By defending the Toktong Pass against a vastly superior Chinese force, the men of Fox Company made it possible for the three regiments of roughly 8,000 Marines at Yadum-ni, on the west side of the reservoir, to perform a successful retrograde to Hagaru, while under heavy attack from multiple Chinese divisions. 

With the aid of artillery firing from Hagaru and close air support provided by Marine and allied aircraft, the men of Fox Company were able to hold the hill overlooking the dirt and gravel road for five-days against the Chinses 59^th Division.  Bob Drury and Tom Clavin do a masterful job of telling this small unit’s story in The Last Stand of Fox Company.

At negative 35-degrees, the weather was just as deadly as the bullets and grenades flying around the hill – aptly named Fox Hill – as the Marines suffered from frostbite and exposure.  The ground was frozen solid, making it impossible to dig-in, forcing the men to use the frozen bodies of the dead to build parapets as protection against enemy fire; weapons became inoperable as the firing pins and other moving parts froze solid; often in whiteout conditions, snow blizzards reduced visibility to just a few yards.  Yet the warriors overcame all these obstacles knowing that they alone were keeping the road and pass open to allow their fellow Marines a chance at escape.

The authors do a masterful job painting a mental picture of what the Marines endured.  Through interviewing survivors of the engagement and researching historical documents Drury and Clavin bring into perspective the numbing cold, the searing pain of bullets piercing flesh, the throbbing of frozen feet, and the mental anguish of a near hopeless situation.  They also show what makes a Marine a Marine and that the adage “uncommon valor was a common virtue” again held true for the Corps. 

I highly recommend this book as a look into the isolated hilltop defense of Toktong Pass, but must recommend you read Breakout by Martin Russ as the definitive source of the overall Chosin Campaign, of the Korean War, and the retreat to the port of Hungnam.

How the Irish Saved Civilization

The first in Thomas Cahill’s Hinges of History series, How the Irish Saved Civilization, tells the story of how Ireland was transformed from a barbarian land to a cultured society through the good works of St. Patrick during the waning years of the Roman Empire and how the Irish, now converted to Christianity, established monasteries with scriptoriums saving literature for future generations by transcribing Greek, Roman, and Latin works during the Dark Ages.

Though a short book of just over 200-pages, it was an exceedingly long read, being tedious and hard to follow at times.  It did contain some interesting information in bits and pieces - the life of St. Patrick, the evolution of peoples in what is now Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales), and how England and Scotland got their names, to list just a few.

Cahill relates the story of St. Patrick (Patricius) from his kidnapping at the age of sixteen by marauding Irish, to his life of isolation as a Shepard, his escape and journey back to Briton, and his ultimate return to Ireland as a missionary where he converted the Irish people to Christianity.

He also puts into perspective the relationship of many early peoples - Picts, Britons, Celts, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Romans, Vikings, Goths – and how they effected one another.  The story of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes driving the Celtic Britons into what is now Wales and Cornwall was most interesting.  Cahill’s writing of early Irish customs was also of interest.

The author gets bogged down when he tries to describe the waning years of the Roman Empire.  His contrast and comparisons of the Roman Catholics to the monastic Christian leaders of Ireland is tiresome.   

Pressfield brings history to life in his writing, but fails with "Killing Rommel"

 Whether writing of the Spartans 480 BC defense of Greece at Thermopylae against the Persians (Gates of Fire) or Alexander the Great's challenges during the Afgan War of 330 BC (Afgan Campaign), Steven Pressfield has the ability to bring ancient history to life, allowing his readers to experience the events as if they were shoulder-to-shoulder with the Greek warriors in their phalanx.  Now Pressfield has taken his storytelling skills to the 20th Century, as he relates the account of a special unit -- the Long Range Desert Group -- as they are task with finding and killing Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, during the North African Campaign of World War II in his novel Killing Rommel.  Though it ended in failure, the LRDG made a bold attempt in 1942 to cut the head from the serpent that was the Afrika Korps with the hopes of turning the tide in that theater of war.    This small, highly mobile group of special forces worked extensively behind enemy lines, creating havoc for their German and Italian enemies while living by the unit's motto —Non Vi Sed Arte (Not by Strength, by Guile).


As a fan of the 1960's TV series "Rat Patrol", which was loosely based on the LRDG, and seeing that Pressfield is one of my favorite historical fiction authors, I anxiously dove into reading Killing Rommel.  Page after page, I waited for the pace to quicken and the action to begin only to find myself at the end of the book wanting.  Unlike Gate of Fire, Killing Rommel lacked substance, tantalizing plot, descriptively rich characters, and above all action.

Defense against the U-boat and how it was accomplished.

In the narrative A Measureless Peril,  Richard Snow writes of the need, tactics, and outcome of convoying merchant ships with military escorts across the Atlantic Ocean during WWII.  The policy of convoying was necessary due to the Nazi’s successful use of wolf-pack tactics employed by their submarines - U-Boats - to sink ships carrying men and material to the European theater of war.

Each chapter is an individual story that is interconnected to the overall theme of the book.  Many chapters link to one another through a common character, ship, or incident.

In this very entertaining and enlightening read, the author takes us back in maritime history to lay background for the development of the U-Boat tactics that were so successful during WWII.  British, American and German perspective is given to the conflict in the Atlantic.  He tells the history of the development of the torpedo in the late 1800's, the torpedo-boat (the precursor of the submarine), and the torpedo-boat destroyer (the forerunner to our present day destroyer class warships).  Snow describes the evolution of the destroyer from the original USS Bainbridge at 400-tons to the 2,000-ton Fletcher Class destroyers of WWII.  Best of all he answers the question of the differences between a Destroyer and a Destroyer Escort.

Snow’s father was an architect who joined the Navy at the outbreak of the war and served aboard a destroyer stationed in the Atlantic.  He wrote vivid letters, many accompanied with sketches, home to his wife throughout his service.  Snow draws on his father’s personal correspondence as well as research in presenting this history. 

Hicks has fascination with one legged men

In Robert Hicks two offerings - The Widow of the South and A Separate Country, his characters are disfigured veterans of the Civil War battle of Franklin, Tennessee.  Whether Sgt. Zachariah Cashwell or Gen. John Bell Hood, both men left Franklin less than a whole man.  Cashwell arrived at Franklin with the Army of the Tennessee a battle-hardened veteran that, by the grace of God, had escaped physical harm in the war.  Hood, on the other hand, was crippled well before the 1864 winter campaign in middle Tennessee, having lost a leg at the Battle of Chickamuaga and the use of an arm at Gettysburg.  Cashwell would lose his leg to a musket ball, but find a new lease on life while convalescing at the home of Carrie McGavick; Hood would leave his soul on the battlefield, and carry the guilt of senselessly sending so many men to their death for the remainder of his days.

The books feature strong women and weak men.  Cashwell had Carrie McGavick to renew his hope; Hood had Anna Marie Hennen, a Creole beauty that saw past his physical limitations to give him eleven children.

Death and/or impending death are prevalent throughout both novels set for the most part in the postbellum south.  The pages are filled with tales of the disfigured – men who are dwarfs, eyeless, limbless, and scarred - physically and emotionally.  Young men who must adapt to functioning in non-military situations after years of campaigning on the battlefield; men who’s injuries have left them so grotesque that civilians turn their heads and look away when they pass – the lower half of their face shot away, nose and eye missing, legless – men who want to cry out I didn’t do this to myself, I did it for you, I’m still the same man inside as I was before receiving these battlefield wounds.

Both books are heavy – depressing, defeated, despondent, dreary, filled with pain, betrayal, anguish, and agony.

A Separate Country is set in New Orleans and gives insight into the Creole culture both antebellum and postbellum.  It also tracks some well-known Civil War figures in their attempt to adjust to civilian life.  This was my favorite of the two Hicks historical novels.

Bounty Trilogy

Mutiny on the Bounty, Men Against the Sea, Pitcairn's Island published in the early 1930's by by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall.

The trilogy, based on a true story, is a fictionalized account of the confrontation between William Bligh and Fletcher Christian which culminated in a mutiny on the high seas aboard British Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty in 1789, and its aftermath for these two men.  In the flow of these books villain becomes hero and hero becomes villain.

The keystone to this three part saga is Mutiny on the Bounty, narrated by a Midshipmen aboard the Bounty.  After sailing from England to Tahiti on a scientific expedition to collect breadfruit plants in the hopes of introducing them as a new food source in the West Indies colonies, the crew of the Bounty become enamored with the warm weather and easy way of life among the natives on the island.  Living ashore with the Polynesians for several months, the crew, newly tattooed in the style of the Tahitians, begrudgingly set sail for the West Indies, leaving romantic relationships in their wake.  The novelist contrast the beauty of the South Pacific islands with the harshness of life at sea in the 18th century.  Mutiny, romance, injustice, duty verses desire, set adrift at sea, running from authorities, attempting to start a new life -- all transpire in this first novel.

Most have seen at least one of Hollywood's renditions of this story, but the  cinema is unable to provide the depth the written word can, nor the detail the story deserves.  Does Bligh misuse his power as Ship's Captain, can Christian justify this mutinous actions as an act of romantic necessity, these are questions the reader must answer.

Men Against the Sea is the story of William Bligh and his 18 men that are marooned on the ship's 23-foot open launch and set adrift. Their fight for survival on the high seas as they navigate through over 3,600 miles of open water is detailed by the narrator in a most compelling way.  I list Men Against the Sea as one of my all-time favorite adventure books; it is short enough to be read in a single sitting.


The final piece to the trilogy is Pitcairn’s Island, the story of Fletcher Christian and his mutineers as they are joined by their Tahitian wives and other Polynesians and flee to an uncharted island in the South Pacific to live out their lives in seclusion.  The worst of human nature materializes as they realize they are trapped on the island with no chance of escape; greed, jealously, paranoia all takes a toll on the small band of inhabitants. 

Andy Andrews inspirational books

The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success - Andy Andrews

“Like a serpent easing up his spine and wrapping itself around his throat, it wasn’t a quick, devastating attack, but a slow, gripping realization that life, as he knew it, was over.  He was forty-six years old.  He had no job.  He had no money.  He had no purpose.”  

Driving to nowhere in a patched up used car after losing his part-time job loading trucks at a hardware store, David Ponder stops and attempts to pray.  With what he considers no result from his prayer, he starts to drive again with the thought of suicide in his mind, culminating in a head-on collision with a tree by the roadside.

Though a half-dozen years older than Ponder, the protagonist of Andy Andrews’ The Traveler’s Gift, I had instant empathy with Ponder and his predicament, having recently closed my business of twenty plus years due to the recession and taking an hourly position at a local factory to put food on the table.  I thought to myself – that could be me he is describing.

In a coma, Ponder visits seven historical figures that each impart a life lesson to him.  He titles these lessons ‘Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success.’  Readers may find different elements that hit-home.  My personal epiphanies while reading the book were “choose to be happy,” and “forgive yourself and others.”  A close friend keyed in on “have a decided heart.”  According to your current life situation, different points discussed by these historic figures may prove influential in guiding you in your attempt to overcome whatever obstacle may currently lie in your life’s path.

This thought provoking read will give you pause for inter reflection. 

Cherokee

Charles Frazier follows up the success of Cold Mountain with another offering set in the mountains of North Carolina - Thirteen Moons.  Frazier continues to write about a region he has much familiarity, having been born in the scenic mountain town of Ashville, and schooled at nearby Appalachian State University, in Booneville.

Will,  the protagonist of Thirteen Moons, is a twelve-year-old sold by his parents into indentured servitude and required to manage a trading post at the edge of the Cherokee Nation.  Overtime he is adopted by a Cherokee chief; as an adult he fights for the rights of a small group of Cherokee and mixed-bloods who remain after the Indians were forced to relocate to Oklahoma Territory in the 1830's during Andrew Jackson's presidency.  

There is an active love story between Will and a mixed-blood named Claire embedded in the novel.  The romance is laced throughout the story, tying together the decades the book spans.  Here lies the Gordian Knot of the tale, winning and keeping Claire's love.

Though the author has a disclaimer in the book to the contrary, the novel seems to be based on William Holland Thomas, the man who helped gain citizenship and thus the right to remain in the Carolinas for the Indians that remained behind in the Smokey Mountains after the forced removal.  This group that stayed became the nucleus of what is now known as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Fraizer's strength as a story teller is his ability to paint vivid scenes. His descriptions of people, places and events jump off the page. His words bring to life the smell of sweat on a hard ridden horse as well as the taste of a kiss; he pulls the reader into the moment with his descriptions, whether it is the beauty of a misty sunrise on a mountain top or the seediness of a hunting cabin poker game, Frazier captures the scene. 


I highly recommend this offering as historical fiction for its adventure, romance and Frazier's abilities as a wordsmith.

Presidential Children

We are all aware of John Q. Adams and George W. Bush, for they followed in their father’s political footsteps; most are probably familiar with Margaret Truman, the noted author, but few are aware of many other notable children of US presidents.  Did you know that Ulysses S. Grant’s son, Fred Grant, rose to the rank of General?  He was an outstanding leader but was overshadowed by the fame of his presidential father.  Did you know that President Theodore Roosevelt’s four sons all served in the Army during WWI and that his youngest son, Quentin, a pilot, was shot down in a dog-fight and killed at the young age of twenty.  His remaining three sons also served again during WWII, with his oldest, Ted Jr., advancing to the rank of General and winning the Congressional Medal of Honor, our nations highest military award for valor.  Did you know that his cousin FDR also had four sons who served in the military during WWII?  Jimmy Roosevelt served in the Marine Corps with the famed Carson’s Raiders and fought on Guadalcanal and Tarawa, earning the Navy Cross and Silver Star (he retired from the Marine Corps at the rank of Brig. General).  FDR, Jr. commanded the USS Culvert Moore, a destroyer, during the war and won the Purple Heart, Navy Cross and Legion of Merit.  His son John, served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Wasp; his son Elliot rose to the rank of General in the Army Air Corps, flying 300 combat missions and receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Here’s a presidential son I bet you never have heard of – Webb Hayes, son of our 19th president, Rutherford Hayes.  This guy was a millionaire-adventurer and soldier.  He fought at San Juan Hill (Cuba), Puerto Rico and the Philippines in the Spanish-American War; he marched with the International China Relief Expedition during the Boxer Rebellion, and participated in the Russo-Japanese War as an observer.  During WWI Webb served on the Italian front.  He was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in the Philippines during the Spanish-American war.  On the business side of life, Webb formed the company that later became Union Carbide Corporation!  What an exciting book a biography of Webb Hayes would make.

Did you know that Presidents Tyler and Taylor had sons who fought for the south during the Civil War?  John Tyler’s son Robert was the Registrar for the confederate treasury, and his son David served in the confederate army as a private at age 16, while son Alex enlisted in the confederate navy at age 14.  Richard Taylor, son of President Zackary Taylor, rose to the rank of Lt. General while serving with the CSA.  He commanded troops at the battles of Bull Run, Shenandoah Valley campaign, Seven Days Battles, Red River Campaign, Battle of Mansfield, and the Battle of Pleasant Hill.

Doug Wead has written an intriguing book about the men and women sired by US Presidents.  His work, All The Presidents’ Children is packed with the successes and failures of these individuals.

I have listed two other offerings that are biographies of a pair of extraordinary presidential offspring.  Paul Jeffer’s biography of Theodore Roosevelt Jr., In the Roughrider’s Shadow, if phenomenal and a must read.  Richard Taylor, Soldier Prince of Dixie, by Michael Parrish, gives a good account of this son of a US President who was also brother-in-law to the President of the CSA – Jefferson Davis.

Mo Hayder crime drama author

Mo Hayder writes suspense in a perversely erotic style. I first became aware of this author when I read Tokyo (also published under the name The Devil of Nanking). In Tokyo, Hayder describes a young British woman obsessed with the Japanese atrocities perpetrated on the citizens of Nanking China during the early years of WWII. Following in Hayder’s own footsteps, the protagonist, Grey, takes a job as a hostess in a Tokyo men’s club to finance her continued research into the events surrounding the massacres at Nanking, and the possibility of the existence of an unreleased 16mm film that depict the atrocities. Grey is an emotionally disturbed women working through her own fears to uncover the truth about the present and the past.

Hayder tells the story by alternating chapters between present day Tokyo and Nanking in 1937. She reveals her characters as one would peel and onion, layer-by-layer, and often with the accompaniment of tears. The seedy nature of life and Grey’s dingy surroundings are captured vividly by Hayder, as she pulls the reader deeper and deeper into this crime drama the spans decades and generations.

I followed up Tokyo by reading Hayder’s first offering – Birdman, which proved to be almost as perversely erotic. Her characters have tortured souls and warped minds, social deviates looking at the world through dirty, or should it be, blood stained glasses. This novel about a sadistic serial killer is very suspenseful and emotionally troubling.  It centers around a London detective investigating a series of murders of young women who are sexually mutilated, and trying to identify and stop the twisted soul behind the crimes.

If you are looking for an author who stretches your imagination and writes in a style far from the norm, yet weaves a fascinating story about the fringes of society, Hayder may be someone to consider. I couldn’t put her books down, though they were troubling almost to the point of revulsion; I had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next.

The Steel Wave - Part II of Jeff Shaara's WWII trilogy

The Steel Wave – Jeff Shaara

The second installment of his World War II trilogy, Shaara shares both the American and German perspective of the build up and execution of Operation Overlord – the Normandy invasion – D-Day – through the perspective of historical figures such as Eisenhower, Patton, Gavin, and Rommel, along with an assortment of fictional characters. Shaara intertwines the story of veteran units bloodied in North Africa and Sicily and newly formed divisions who will see their first action of the war on Omaha Beach and the hedgerows of Northern France, with the perspective of German units building the Atlantic Wall.

This historical-fiction offering humanizes the names and events we have read and studied associated with the Normandy invasion through fictional characters, some carried forward from Sharra’s first installment of the trilogy – The Rising Tide.

Shaara's works on WWII are a good read to accompany Rick Atkinson's - An Army at Dawn and The Day of Battle.

Reading The Steel Wave inspired me to also read Beyond Band of Brothers by Major Winters and Stanley Hirshson’s biography - General Patton, a Soldier’s Life.