Chennault: A Rebel in China by Lt. Col. Richard P. Voorhies Jr

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MWSA Review

Chennault: A Rebel in China is a brief history of Claire Lee Chennault's pre-Flying-Tigers life. It chronicles his life from childhood in a small, extremely rural area of Louisiana in the 1890s, through his personal tragedies and his education, to his love of flying. It describes his relentless determination to become the best pursuit pilot of his time, and his frustration when he fails greatly influences the direction of Army aviation in the 1920s and '30s. The book follows him as he retires from the Army Air Corps and accepts a job in China, where his true genius could flourish. This book is for those wanting to know what influenced Chennault's personality from birth through his pre-China military service. For these lesser-known years, the book fills in considerable detail.

Review by Jamie Thompson (July 2021)

 

Author's Synopsis
Before Claire Lee Chennault could achieve success with the Flying Tigers, he had to learn how to lead and what to teach. This book examines the unique influences which created this remarkable, prescient military aviation pioneer. 

From his youth working on a family farm near a small Louisiana town, the book traces the influence of growing up in the American South, where Southern generals became his heroes. His education, both as a student and as a teacher, gave confidence but left him uneasy socially.

His love of flying enabled a military career, beginning just after World War I. His 20-year career in the Army Air Corps developed his flying skills. Later work with the Flying Trapeze honed his theories on combat flying and brought him fame. But his devotion to pursuit planes and his convictions about the future of aerial warfare brought controversy. 

Cast loose from the military as a result, he went to China in the nick of time to help the Chinese Air Force oppose the Japanese invasion in 1937. He gained knowledge of Japanese tactics and equipment, and learned painful lessons there, which eventually enabled him to lead the Flying Tigers to their successes.

This book covers those formative years and illustrates Chennault’s early time in China with maps and photos.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1945333194

Book Format(s): Soft cover

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 186

100 Days in Vietnam by Matthew Tallon

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MWSA Review
In their book, 100 Days in Vietnam, Joseph and Matthew Tallon give us an in-depth look into the life of a true survivor and patriot. Lt Col Joseph F. Tallon served as a Mohawk pilot with the US Army in Vietnam in the waning days of that long war. As the conflict was nearing its end, enemy fire struck Joseph's airplane just after takeoff, causing it to crash before he could return it to the runway. The crash killed his crew member and left Joseph with severe injuries and burns all over his body. The book provides us sufficient background to know Joseph before the crash and to understand that his love for his new bride gave him the strength to hang on and the will to survive. Months of medical treatment took him from Vietnam, to the Philippines, and ultimately to the burn center at Lackland AFB, Texas. Despite the injury and medical discharge from the Army, his desire to serve enabled him to retain his commission in the Reserves until he retired years later. Matthew, Joseph's son, must be given credit for working with his father and getting the many letters, notes, diary entries, etc. finally organized in a fashion to be made into this book, along with making a number of observations of his own. I enjoyed reading this book and my hat's off to Joseph.

Review by Bob Doerr (July 2021)

 

Author's Synopsis
As American troops continue their steady exodus on the last day of their ground war in Vietnam, Lieutenant Joe Tallon is shot down by an enemy missile. Forced to eject at a dangerously low altitude from their OV-1 Mohawk, Joe and his tactical observer, Specialist-5 Daniel Richards, land in the flaming wreckage. Lieutenant Tallon survives but Specialist Richards does not. Stateside, Lieutenant Tallon begins to heal and proceed with his life—but the loss of his tactical observer is never far from his mind. Forty years later, Joe embarks on a quest to bring recognition to the sacrifice of Daniel Richards and secure a Purple Heart for his family.

Painstakingly recreated from wartime letters and remembrances and contextualized by contemporary news accounts, 100 Days in Vietnam is a collaboration between Joe and his son Matt—also an Army veteran. Here we experience the war through the emotions of the man who survived it: the drudgery and monotony of airfield life, the heartache of a newlywed missing his wife, the terror of combat missions, the agony of injury and rehabilitation, and the bittersweet relief from the completion of his final mission to bring recognition to his fallen comrade.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-64663-255-8, 978-1-64663-257-2, 978-1-64663-256-5

Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, ePub/iBook

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 321

Military Wives in Arizona Territory by Jan Cleere

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MWSA Review
Unlike many formal histories which put theory and context front and center, Military Wives in Arizona Territory by Jan Cleere honors the first-hand experiences of women who followed their military spouses to the remote outposts in the American West. The book gives an authentic, immediate account of their travel to and from the outposts, life on the frontier and their homes.

The author has assembled letters, diaries, interviews, published books, and unpublished manuscripts to allow the women to tell their stories directly, and in their own words. The author does provide some context, but does not overshadow the women's own descriptions of their experience.

Each section focuses on a particular woman or group of women. It usually begins with a recounting of their journey across the country. Sometimes beginning with a long train ride or sea voyage through the Panama Canal, the women then moved with wagon trains or by oxen carts through dangerous territories. They speak of their fears: the attacks by Indian tribes, loss of their husbands through battle or accident, and the illnesses which took many along the way.

The book also contrasts the privileged life left behind in the East with the deprivation and rough conditions in the remote outposts. Although most of the women were officers' wives and therefore afforded more than soldiers' families, those privileges might be the use of boxes covered with linen to make up tables and chairs. They recount the creativity necessary to entertain visiting dignitaries or even to feed their families when food supplies were uncertain.

Military Wives powerfully shows the devotion, duty, creativity and grit of women who chose to share life on the frontier with their husbands. It provides a valuable and vivid window into life during a critical period in our history. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy authentic, first-person history, and those with particular interest in women's history and frontier military history.

Review by Barb Evenson (June 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
When the US Army ordered troops into Arizona Territory in the nineteenth century to protect and defend newly established settlements, military men often brought their wives and families, particularly officers who might be stationed in the west for years. Most of the women were from refined, eastern-bred families with little knowledge of the territory. Their letters, diaries, and journals from their years on army posts reveal untold hardships and challenges. They learned to cope with the sparseness, the heat, sickness, and danger, including wildlife they never imagined. These women were bold, brave, and compassionate. They became an integral part of military posts that peppered the West and played an important role in civilizing the untamed frontier. Combining their words with original research and tracing their movements from post to post, this collection of historical narratives explores the tragedies and triumphs that early military wives experienced.

ISBN/ASIN: 9781493052943

Book Format(s): Hard cover, Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 199

Sheltered: When a Boy Becomes a Legend by Jacob Paul Patchen

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MWSA Review
James, a young teenager, finds himself alone in the world during a national insurrection led by home-grown anti-freedom terrorists and their juvenile ignorant recruits. James survives in a bunker built and stocked by his father, a former Marine. During many months of living off rations and hunting, James recalls all the lessons his father taught him. When insurgents come to sack his family home, he defends it and is forced to use his firearms. Eventually, he becomes a leader of a ragtag group of hurt and frightened children who call themselves The Risers. Their goal is to rise up, take back their country, and restore the freedoms they once enjoyed.

During his fight with the terrorists, James learns his sister has survived, as well as his father, who he thought had deserted the family. But Dad had been fighting the internal enemy in secret.
As the story comes to a climax, James defends the shattered school he and the other Risers call home, and together, they set out on a tactical plan to free prisoners (freedom-loving Americans who appreciate American beliefs and values) held in concentration camps by the internal enemy. In the process, he learns much about himself and even more about his father.

Ultimately, it is James who becomes the legend as he refuses to stoop to barbarism. He recognizes the trauma that years of being a warrior have inflicted on his father, and it is his father who recognizes his son’s innate leadership skills. James had been a sheltered child, but he now shelters other children and nurtures his beliefs during a time of crisis. In this timely tale of national turmoil, he evolves from a child caring about waging fake battles with Nerf ball guns to a reluctant defender of freedom using real bullets and armament.

As a cautionary tale that reflects the current state of tyranny at play in the United States, this dystopian novel is not just for teenagers or young adults. Nor is it only for male members of society. Women also play important warrior roles in taking back their country. Anyone who loves our country will appreciate what could happen, if we let it, and author Jacob Paul Patchen pretty much lets us see what that would be like.

Review by Patricia Walkow (June 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
“We are all given a space in life to fill, a roaring emptiness in time… and it’s how you choose to fill that void, that will determine the difference in becoming a man or a legend.” That’s what my father said to me a few years ago before he walked out on Mom, Emily, and me. If I would have had any sense back then, I would have asked him exactly what that meant. Instead, I’m out here learning it the hard way – dodging bullets and bombs while America is at war – my friends fighting back with all we have, while trying to keep these orphaned children safe and our dreams alive.

They call us The Risers. Well, okay… so we call ourselves “The Risers.” But either way, we’re out here doing everything we can just to survive and rise up from our nation’s ashes with honor, integrity, and justice. Now, with smoky memories of a lost childhood, and the horrible, lingering, cardboard taste of MRE crackers (still left over from living in Dad’s bomb shelter), my mini army and me march forward, taking back what was once taken for granted.

But to be honest, I’m really just out here winging it. Wish me luck.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1952816352, B08V8D282P

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Young Adult (fiction or non-fiction)

Number of Pages: 158

The Other Veterans of World War II by Rona Simmons

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MWSA Review
Many hundreds of soldiers, airmen, and sailors behind battle lines support the few carrying the rifle forward into combat. These unrecognized and inconspicuous warriors fade into the background but are there with everything from bullets to beer. They move combatants to or from the battlefields and bandage bodies or bury the dead. Author Rona Simmons looks behind the frontlines—revealing some even more daring accounts of those who did not engage in combat officially, never marching in the parade of accolades—to capture nineteen personal stories, seventy-five years following World War II.

Daughter of a WW II fighter pilot, Rona Simmons, writing The Other Veterans of World War II, brings to life memories of “heroes” who were not in the trenches. This book honors unsung veterans with details garnered through the author’s interviews, supported with families’ records and photos. This excellently crafted book, including an appendix, notes, selected bibliography, and index, is divided into parts. Each part begins with a history-setting preamble explaining the conditions behind the personal accounts in the following short series. Simmons completes each personal story with a brief epilogue detailing their life following their war experience. The nineteen stories reveal that unsung supporting troops contributed as much to victory as the soldier aiming a gun. This book is an essential example of stories that needed to be told. Further, this book offers, by example, an ideal form, from meticulous research and captivating writing, for others to tell their stories.

Review by Tom Beard (July 2021)

 

Author's Synopsis
For decades, the dramatic stories of World War II soldiers have been the stuff of memoirs, interviews, novels, documentaries, and feature films. Yet the men and women who served in less visible roles, never engaging in physical combat, have received scant attention.

Convinced that their depiction as pencil pushers, grease monkeys, or cowards was far from the truth, Rona Simmons embarked on a quest to discover the real story from the noncombat veterans themselves. She sat across from 19 veterans or their children, read their letters and journals, looked at photos, and touched their mementos: pieces of shrapnel, a Japanese sword, a porcelain tea set, a pair of wooden shoes, a marquisette wedding gown.

Compiling these veterans’ stories, Simmons follows them as they report for service, complete their training, and often ship out to stations thousands of miles from home. She shares their dreams to see combat and disappointment at receiving noncombat positions, as well as their selflessness and yearning for home. Ultimately, Simmons finds the noncombat veterans had far more in common with the front line soldiers than differences.

Simmons’s extensive research gives us a more complete picture of the war effort, bringing long-overdue appreciation for the men and women whose everyday tasks, unexpected acts of sacrifice, and faith and humor contributed mightily to the ultimate outcome of World War II.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1606353981, 1606353985, B085J29NBL

Book Format(s): Hard cover, Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 240

The Cotillion Brigade by Glen Craney

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MWSA Review
The Cotillion Brigade by Glen Graney is a historical fiction novel about the Civil War, based on two people who came to prominence during the war. The book begins in 1856, well before the war starts, but during the time when political unrest was seething. Readers will recognize, in the dialogue and actions of the main characters, many of the issues that led to the secession of eleven Southern states. The author concurrently develops the two main characters, whose fate is intertwined at a critical point in history, April 1865. 

Nannie is a frivolous self-centered Southern girl, intent on catching a husband. Hugh LaGrange is a Wisconsin farmer who has been manipulated into becoming a reluctant abolitionist. Time elapses and events unfold to reveal how Nannie Colquitt becomes a mature, gracious, and intelligent woman who forms a “brigade” of Southern women intent on defending their homes, since all able-bodied men of their town have enlisted or been conscripted. Meanwhile Hugh is mentored to become an intellectual and fearless cavalry officer … fearless, that is, until faced by Nannie’s company of women who are disciplined, trained, and drilled.

The Civil War produced great examples of perseverance and sacrifice as well as examples of greed and excess, with both ends of the spectrum explored in the book. The simultaneous development of a Northerner and a Southerner allowed for two diametrically opposed point-of-view characters to demonstrate the nuances of the two divergent political views, allowing for an even-handed treatment of the war. Evidence of meticulous research abounded. 

The style of writing, using expressions, vocabulary, and sentence structure consistent with the era, allows the reader to enter a slower paced world. I occasionally had to look up unfamiliar or archaic words. If anything, this enhanced the read, allowing me to read more contemplatively. In addition, the written word allows readers to envision events, entering the creative endeavor alongside the author. Of note, I found that the scene with the train bringing the wounded to LaGrange, Georgia, to be more powerful than a similar movie scene in Gone with the Wind.  It is historical fiction at its best: solid research combined with great storytelling. 

Review by Betsy Beard

 

Author's Synopsis
Georgia burns. Sherman’s Yankees are closing in. Will the women of LaGrange run or fight? Based on the true story of the celebrated Nancy Hart Rifles, The Cotillion Brigade is a sweeping epic of the Civil War’s ravages on family and love, the resilient bonds of sisterhood amid devastation, and the miracle of reconciliation between bitter enemies.

1856. Sixteen-year-old Nannie Colquitt Hill makes her debut in the antebellum society of the Chattahoochee River plantations. A thousand miles to the north, a Wisconsin farm boy, Hugh LaGrange, joins an Abolitionist crusade to ban slavery in Bleeding Kansas. Five years later, secession and total war against the homefronts of Dixie hurl them toward a confrontation unrivaled in American history.

Nannie defies the traditions of Southern gentility by forming a women’s militia and drilling it four long years to prepare for battle. With their men dead, wounded, or retreating with the Confederate armies, only Captain Nannie and her Fighting Nancies stand between their beloved homes and the Yankee torches.

Hardened into a slashing Union cavalry colonel, Hugh duels Rebel generals Joseph Wheeler and Nathan Bedford Forrest across Tennessee and Alabama. As the war churns to a bloody climax, he is ordered to drive a burning stake deep into the heart of the Confederacy. 

Yet one Georgia town—which by mocking coincidence bears Hugh’s last name—stands defiant in his path. Read the remarkable story of the Southern women who formed America’s most famous female militia and the Union officer whose life they changed forever.

ISBN/ASIN: 9780996154116, 9780996154123, B08XJ4Z3DM

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook, Audiobook

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 399

A Scribe Dies In Brooklyn by Marvin Wolf

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MWSA Review
A Scribe Dies in Brooklyn by Marvin J. Wolf is the second in a series whose lead character is Rabbi Ben, aptly described in the text as “not your bubbe’s rebbe,” a Jewish paladin, and a rabbi knight errant. This well-written mystery contains a lot of history, which does not affect the flow of the story.

The book begins with a clue, set in 2007, that relates to the title of the book. A hint in Chapter One gives some insight into Rabbi Ben’s personal life. Chapter Two begins the complex story of Ben’s hunt for missing invaluable papers. The last page relates clearly to the prologue and the intriguing world of geopolitics.

Review by Nancy Kauffman (May 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
Lured to a clandestine meeting with the President of Israel, Rabbi Ben Maimon is asked to find the long-missing third of the Aleppo Codex, the oldest and most authoritative copy of the Hebrew Bible—more than 1,000 years old and rivaled in historical importance only by the Dead Sea Scrolls. Intact until the 1947 sacking of the Great Synagogue of Aleppo, Syria, its surviving pages are now in the Hebrew Museum in Jerusalem. But Ben is told that the missing pages have reportedly surfaced in Brooklyn’s Syrian Jewish community, only to vanish again. It’s a job that only Ben can handle.

Plunging into an ingrown and quasi-medieval culture, Ben learns that others seek the Codex, and they don’t play nice. His guide to all things Aleppo-On-Gravesend Bay is Miryam Benkamel, the sassy, sexy, and smart grand-niece of the late and increasingly mysterious man rumored to have smuggled the missing Codex pages out of Syria. Ben must dig deep in his black fedora for tricks to outsmart those who want the pages for themselves. Sparks fly as Ben and Miryam work together to solve the decades-old mystery, and Rabbi Ben feels the heat...in more ways than one.

ISBN/ASIN: B01MYH1990, 978-0989960021

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 432

Running Into The Sunset by Wilson Trueheart

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Author's Synopsis:

Running into the Sunset is about my 30 plus years of running and road racing. It is about running and racing on the streets, the trails, and at the lake. The book is about triumphs, setbacks, recovery, and redemption. It is a collection of poems and essays about running in Baltimore City. It is available at Archway Publishing.Com and Amazon.com. It is a must-read for those with an interest in running and racing.

Genre(s): Nonfiction, Poetry Book

Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-4808-9561-4, 978-1-4808-9562-1 ebook

The Silver Waterfall: A Novel of the Battle of Midway by Kevin Miller

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MWSA Review
The World War II battle for Midway Island is a classic war event told repeatedly since, with variations based on previously unknown or overlooked information. The story is so powerful and consequential that it appears in books, a movie, and now as a fictionalized account in Keven Miller’s, The Silver Waterfall. The author brings alive actual participants, both American and Japanese, in a fast-pace, action-packed version where aircrewmen to admirals, from both sides, expose their personal feelings in this deadly battle between ships and airplanes. Senior officers, some now famous, playing the life and death chess game come alive on the pages through author-imposed conversations as they endeavor to execute their next move based on questionable or missing vital information as the battle progresses over a critical three days.

Miller’s fictionalizing of the real participants brings crewmembers and leaders alive by revealing accounts of their emotions and reactions to events. Aircrewmen, innocent yet to death, expressed their sudden shock at witnessing friends’ instant, mid-air deaths. Leaders withholding depression from the loss of entire aircraft squadrons and eventually aircraft carriers, were exposed through their fictional thoughts. Rapid pace delivery in writing style arouses an intensity and page-turning urge. Captain Miller, USN (Ret), with his years as a naval aviator flying combat aircraft from carriers, in command, and on command staffs, brings cockpit and command reality to his characters. His further association with the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation allowed him access not only to rare documents, but individuals knowledgeable with the battle’s history.

The addition of maps, for readers not familiar with the battle, could make the verbally described movements of both task forces and aircraft divisions more clearly understood. Dive bombing by a squadron of SBD Dauntless was described as a “silver waterfall” as the individual aircraft, three seconds apart, screamed nearly straight down at 240 knots toward the vulnerable ship-target, changing the course of war.

Review by Tom Beard (May 2021)

 

Author's Synopsis
In the desolate middle of the largest ocean on earth, two great navies met, one bent on conclusive battle, the other lying in ambush. 

Six months after Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto again crossed the Pacific with the most powerful naval armada the world had ever seen, this time to finish the job. Nimitz waited for him with what he had, placed exactly where he needed it.

Both admirals depended on their fliers, some veterans of battle, others raw and unproven. Striking first meant decisive victory.

The Silver Waterfall is a factual historic fiction novel of Midway told by today's master of carrier aviation fiction about the men who fought in one of the most pivotal and epic naval battles in world history.

ISBN/ASIN: B087WRXHZC, B08CS34W9V, 978-1640621145, 978-1640621152

Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle, Audiobook

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 325

Not For God and Country by William Murphy

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MWSA Review
In his book, Not for God or Country, author William Murphy gives us a good look back at the war in Vietnam. Murphy does a good job in mixing his own personal experiences as a marine in the conflict (1968) along with a history lesson. Summarizing the brief history of the country of Viet Nam after WWII, the author provides insight into the French attempts to maintain control of the country and America’s subsequent attempt to keep South Vietnam an independent, democratic nation.

Murphy writes from a marine's perspective, reflecting how combat affected him and other soldiers. He describes what life was like: the hardships, the fears, the changes one had to make to adapt and survive. He tells what it was like coming home to an environment where it was best not to advertise that you served, and the painfully slow process the country went through before honoring those who returned. The book discusses the peace accords, the return of the POWs, and the never-ending search for those still missing. This is a good book that anyone interested in the war in Vietnam or military history in general should enjoy.

Review by Bob Doerr (May 2021)

 

Author's Synopsis
A true and definitive full story of the Vietnam War, written by an ex-Marine Grunt from a grunt's perspective. But unlike most books about Vietnam it tells the full story - from decisions made in 1945 and for the next twenty years, which led to the war that nobody wanted. It tells the history of the war, and the gritty reality of jungle combat fighting in impossible conditions against formidable foes. The story continues through the postwar period and the circumstances faced by returning vets in a nation that just wanted to forget and move on, and cared little.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-64663-273-2

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 272

On 21st Century Nuclear Deterrence by Joe Buff

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MWSA Review
A thoroughly dog-eared copy of Joe Buff’s On 21st Century Nuclear Deterrence deserves a spot on the bookshelves of policy advisors and strategic thinkers. Buff tackles and confronts the complex and highly-nuanced planning that goes into maintaining an effective nuclear deterrence strategy using the sea-air-land triad. Buff writes with a balanced approach that will be appreciated by readers of varying interest and experience in the subject, offering useful anecdotes, historical insights, and subtle wit throughout his book. He faces a touchy subject that many are unwilling or reluctant to address: that among the myriad issues facing the world in the first quarter of the 21st century, there are still a tremendous number of nuclear weapons out there, and while rational powers can surely agree that their use would have catastrophic consequences, we must indeed contend with the fact that they exist…and might end up in the wrong hands.

Buff writes with enthusiasm and earnestness, and his professional role as an actuarial comes out frequently in the mathematical calculations he provides to support his views. He also has a frank and honest approach to writing about a subject that gets too little attention in superpower struggles today in jargon-free prose. I was particularly drawn to the subject of nuclear weapons getting into the hands of terrorists and rogue powers which may not have a rational, game-theory approach to their decision making. It’s a chilling scenario to ponder, and Buff’s book should be a key reference for both US and global policy makers on this important topic.

Review by Frank Biggio (June 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
A readable, engaging (and reassuring) look at how Americans, and all of Humanity, will benefit tremendously if we do sustain and modernize US Strategic Command's rightsized nuclear deterrence Triad: We'll continue to prevent nuclear war, big conventional war between superpowers, nuclear blackmail by rogue states, and achieve our global counter-proliferation and nuclear counter-terrorism goals, while also deterring strategic attacks by biological or chemical weapons or other weapons of mass destruction. This series offers a logically rigorous framework, crisply and clearly explained, for successful U.S. national defense and global peacekeeping during the current era of rising Great Power Competition. Volume 1 vividly debunks many common myths about America's nukes -- some of them spread by Hollywood storytellers and some by foreign adversary disinformation trolls.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1736391006 B08XKDJHPX

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Epub/Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Reference

Number of Pages: 416

Heaven by Frank Taylor

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MWSA Review
FE Taylor’s book titled Heaven: The Other Side is a picture book for adults on the topic of death, dying, heaven, and the afterlife. The book is a compilation of sayings and expressions of sympathy offered at viewings, memorials, and in obituary columns. The black and white illustrations are clear and well-done. Perhaps those reading this book could find comfort in coloring these pictures.

Heaven is meant to be comforting assurance for the reader as to what lies ahead. I understand Mr. Taylor's thoughtful premise but feel that occasional use of scripture substantiation would have given more weight to his words.

Congratulations to FE Taylor for undertaking the production of Heaven despite having dyslexia.

Review by Nancy Panko (May 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
This book illustrates a view of life after death through the eyes of a dyslexic. Among the many symptoms of dyslexia reading comprehension becomes difficult when the meaning of words are visualized before they are placed in context. Visualizing the literal meaning of words makes metaphorical understanding challenging. Experiencing several dyslexic symptoms the author illustrates how he views Heaven from the sentiments of loved ones left behind.

ISBN/ASIN: 978 1 7326539 9 3

Book Format(s): Soft cover

Review Genre: Collections—Religious/Spiritual

Number of Pages: 48

Welcome Back to Abuja Once Again by Carol Yee

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MWSA Review
Carol Yee’s Welcome Back to Abuja Once Again is a warmly written, informative memoir about how travel made her a citizen of the world. It also has many tips for those who may want to travel internationally, but are a bit timid and don’t really know how to go about it.

In her book, she discusses cultural differences in food, appearance, and customs that show her deep understanding of various parts of the world, while at the same time providing important information to her readers who might be considering travel. She covers practical issues such as “How do I know if the water is safe?” and “What is the attitude toward women and their dress?” in various countries. She also gives good advice on adjusting one’s own behavior to gain better understanding of the local peoples and maximize the travel experience. This is all done in informative and sometimes humorous ways, citing her extensive travel around the world.

I particularly like her humble, humorous style which conveys some fairly serious lessons without ever making herself out to be an expert or talking down to the audience. The book is well-written, has numerous important travel resources, and is easy to understand.

Readers who enjoy travel, who must travel internationally for work, or who think they might wish to travel internationally in their later years will most certainly enjoy this book.

Review by Rob Ballister (June 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
Through people-to-people encounters, we expand our sense of mutual understanding and respect.

Welcome Back to Abuja Once Again: How I Became a Citizen of the World highlights how rewarding it is to engage people from around the world. Learning from others who are different from us reveals our common humanity and enhances our ability to solve problems and deal with global crises.

You will be entertained by different travel adventures from around the world and be exposed to interesting cross cultural insights, both cautionary but also delightful.  

World travelers will enjoy “traveling” through Welcome Back to Abuja Once Again, recalling their own experiences, while novice travelers will feel the spark to get out and explore the world.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1636765921, 978-1636761077, 978-1636761084

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 256

True Feathers by Carolyn Patrick

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Author's Synopsis

True Feathers recounts the author's strides and strifes as a warrior in the US Air Force approaching the end of her career. Told through the allegorical lens of Coo, a dove who finds herself born seemingly out of place, we watch as she leaves behind the only life she has ever known in search of her true self. After befriending a wise old beach mouse, Coo begins to make peace with her past and finds she has the ability to create a much brighter future. Coo's realization echoes that of the author as she reflects on her past using insights from yoga philosophy and the healing powers of storytelling. True Feathers is a lyrical fable of authenticity, connection, and peace.

ISBN/ASIN: 9781087953281

Formats: Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook

Genre: Literary Fiction

Pages: 178

B.R.A.N.D. Before your Resumé by Graciela Tiscareño-Sato

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MWSA Review
B.R.A.N.D. Before Your Resume by Graciela Tiscareno-Sato is a 171-page self-help book aimed at a specific audience: Your Marketing Guide for Veterans and Military Service Members Entering Civilian Life. However, the processes described are beneficial to anyone seeking a job or career change. The book relies heavily on the workshops that the author has offered over a decade or more and contains useful exercises.

Review by Nancy Kauffman (June 2021)

 

Author's Synopsis
B.R.A.N.D. Before Your Resumé is the first book written by a military veteran (turned marketing professional and entrepreneur) for service members and military veterans to craft their forward-looking,  AUTHENTIC personal branding.

Student veterans, military spouses, veterans in their first, second, or third career transitions will all learn valuable self-marketing skills, guided by a veteran who knows the transition chaos (and success!) firsthand. 

This book is essential if you’re joining the ranks of veterans choosing the entrepreneurship track, if seeking your first career after leaving the active-duty force, or if pursuing your first internship or full-time job after completing your degree as a student veteran.

Readers will complete the “extracting product attributes” exercise, see 25+ examples of great branding created BY veterans Graciela has personally coached, and be able to write their own authentic personal branding to influence their intended target audience. 

Graciela teaches the reader a repeatable marketing messaging process that will be useful for years to come.

Those who wish to collaborate live with Graciela, who will coach them to perfecting their branding and/or discussing their business startup idea, will be offered the option to do so.

In this marketing guidebook, Graciela guides you in becoming an epic storyteller of your unique value, long before you write your resumé which she reminds us all is a marketing deliverable. Taking this approach as she did during her career transitions means that your audience for your new forward-looking branding will be so intrigued by your value that they’ll ASK for your resumé!

You’ll be empowered to confidently communicate your value to make things happen, as Graciela did during her transformation from military aviator to technology marketing manager. Graciela freely shares the communication process she followed during her highly successful military-to-civilian transition, in which she was mentored by women veterans every step of the way.

Stop going at it alone.

And most importantly, stop listening to those pushing you into writing your resumé (or worse yet your LinkedIn profile) before you’ve done the essential work to understand your personal values and interests, your value to civilian organizations and the target audience you need to attract.

Learn to "B.R.A.N.D. Before Your Resumé" with a marketing-savvy fellow veteran at your side.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0997309065,

Book Format(s): Hard cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook

Review Genre: Nonfiction—How to/Business

Number of Pages: 185

The First Recruit by Alton Ioerger

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MWSA Review
James Witt is a skilled sniper recruited by the CIA for a new program that takes him out of the army and into classified jobs in Vietnam and Europe during the Cold War. Witt's story unfolds through his training, deployments, and multiple assassinations around the globe. The narrative is held together by Witt's bonds with two fellow snipers and his government handler. But while the scenery and setting change from one killing to the next, there is an overall sameness to his experiences by the time the story ends.

The creative look at the CIA sniper program keeps readers attention as the plot takes many twists and turns. While the story feels real, the author states that “Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.”

The author created a compelling story by paralleling CIA special operations and the human toll of loneliness for an insider look at special ops from years ago. More rigorous editing would have improved readability.

Review by Betsy Beard (May 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
The First Recruit is an emotionally charged Cold War thriller where danger lurks around every corner and assassinations are effected with compelling intensity and swiftness.  Sergeant James Witt, whose skill as a sniper makes him the first recruit in the CIAs newest covert program, slips unseen behind the Iron Curtain dozens of times into an opaque world of brutal conflicts and espionage.  This is an unforgettable journey of faithfulness, courage, and aching loss amidst hope, resilience, and a reaffirmation of the human spirit.

This brilliantly written fictional narrative is a sobering reveal of how a top-secret CIA project careened out of control into a catastrophe that remains classified even today.

ISBN/ASIN: 9781393218777, 9781393817604

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 258

Fragments: The Long Coming Home from Vietnam by Bruce Berger

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MWSA Review
This is an incredible read.

Though short in page/word count, Bruce Berger’s Fragments reads like an opus of the Vietnam War, outlining what he refers to in the audio version as “the long afterness” of the war. It has the emotional impact of Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried or Karl Marlantes’s Matterhorn, and we’re fortunate to have Fragments join the canon of literature that emerged from the veterans of that long war.
This is not a typical “Roses are red, violets are blue…” book of poetry. Berger’s writing style is soulful and improvisational, which lends a sense of honesty and earnestness to his characters and scenes. The result is 34 individual stories/poems that will pull at a reader’s psyche and leave a lasting vision of what it was like to serve and survive in Vietnam.

Berger proves to be a patriot, poet, and philosopher. There isn’t much chest-thumping bravado in his poems. Instead, he delves into the fear, hope, confusion, desperation, and loneliness of this war. Berger also pays homage to the people of Vietnam, with several stories driving home the perspective of the Vietnamese people who were fighting and living through the war as well, whether it is the double-entendre story of “Girl Selling Her Fruit” or the soul crushing “Widows’ Village.” In this regard, Berger humanizes the Vietnamese people, similar to how Ken Burns did in his documentary The Vietnam War.

There are too many brilliant passages to describe, but here are a few that had a powerful, stinging impact for me:
“…the bloody mathematics of such action…”
“Why the hell were we where the hell we were?”
“…ceremonial ribbons, silver affirmations and golden glorifications…”
“…the detritus of my delirium…”
“His heart leaks into the grave”

Fragments is about Berger’s time in Vietnam, and this book will take readers “there”—both to the literal jungles and the psychological jungles in the depths of the minds of those who walked the ground in country. And even though this is a book about the Vietnam experience, Berger’s words will resonate with anybody who has served—whenever and wherever—particularly in Afghanistan, that has so many parallels to Vietnam.

An added bonus to this fantastic book are the works of art provided by the Providence Art Club in Rhode Island. The art complements many of the stories and makes this a wonderful work of history, poetry, philosophy, and art. I originally had this on a Kindle but ordered a print version and am grateful to have it in my library.

Review by Frank Biggio (May 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
Bruce Berger, the author, finally came home 50 years after the Vietnam war when his memories crystallized into the 34 poems in this chapbook. He served in Vietnam in 1970 with the Casualty Branch of the 101st Airborne Division. As “next-of-kin” editor, he wrote hundreds of sympathy letters to grieving families back home, and sometimes helped gather fallen brothers on battle grounds to begin their long journeys home. He was immersed in the words, images, weight, and limitless reach of death. 

Through this lens, his poems evoke an overwhelming sense of loss on many fronts: the brave soldiers who gave their lives; a village of South Vietnamese widows; the thousands of bui doi, innocent but reviled half-breed (Amerasian) children; the empty afterness of battle grounds and burials; the long, deadly reach of Agent Orange and PTSD into veterans’ lives still today; and the thunderous silence of missing parades back home. Writing these poems brought him home. 

The book is divided into six sections: Taps, Dreaming of Home, Life on the Perimeter, Pictures and Prayers, PTSD, and Seasons. The 34 moving poems are enriched by 25 powerful illustrations created by 13 members of the Providence Art Club of Rhode Island.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0-9855048-1-6,978-0-9855048-2-3,978-0-9855048-3-0

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, Audiobook

Review Genre: Poetry—Poetry Book

Number of Pages: 92

A Sailor’s Journey by Raymond Perrotti

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MWSA Review
Author Ray Perrotti has provided us with a fun, easy read in his memoir A Sailor's Journey. In the spring of 1966, Ray is about to graduate from high school and doesn't consider himself college material. With the Vietnam conflict getting bigger and bigger, and the military draft looming over him, Ray decides to get ahead of the inevitable and enlists in the U.S. Navy. A Sailor's Journey takes us from his first day at Boot Camp through his two-year stint in the navy. Serving on a couple of destroyers in a multitude of jobs, the author's enlistment includes two separate tours of duty off the coast of Vietnam where his destroyer runs the gun line, firing at enemy positions on shore. Unfortunately, the North Vietnamese guns fire back, and on one occasion, a round hits his ship, killing and wounding his shipmates. More than just the experience in combat, this book gives us a good look at the life of a sailor at sea.

Review by Bob Doerr (May 2021)

 

Author's Synopsis
In 1966, most young men graduating high school in America only saw three options: go to college, wait to be drafted, or enlist. Ray chose enlistment, and for the next three years, embarked on the adventure of a lifetime around the world on a Navy Destroyer. 

Read firsthand accounts of working with NASA on Apollo capsule retrieval and participating in Naval rituals like crossing the Equator. Lose yourself in memories that have delighted friends and family for decades, now collected in this personal and honest look backward. 

In A Sailor’s Journey, Ray Perrotti shares genuine, personal stories about Navy life during Vietnam. This memoir captures the good, the bad, and the hustle of a not-so-typical enlisted man, just trying to get through his commitment to serve.

ISBN/ASIN: 9798580693729

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 134

They Were Soldiers by Marvin Wolf

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MWSA Review
Marvin Wolf and Joseph Galloway have provided poignant, stirring accounts of the lives of nearly fifty Vietnam veterans in They Were Soldiers. Going beyond a simple retelling of their Vietnam experiences, Wolf and Galloway depict how these events shaped the lives of these people once they made it back home. Whether in Vietnam or back in the United States, these persons have made a broad impact on their families, friends, states, and nation, and their contributions are shared publicly in this book.

Wide-ranging is an accurate description of these narratives. Well-known names such as Chuck Hagel and Oliver Stone can be found alongside unfamiliar names such as Ted Gostas and Hal Kushner. The authors’ goal is to present a cross-section of individuals that accurately represent those that served in Vietnam. Men and women of each race and ethnicity, including Vietnamese refugees, are included in this broad category.
They all share one characteristic: they came back from the war changed by their experiences. Their stories are told in simple, plain terms, often incorporating their own words. The danger, sorrow, and despair of the war hang heavily in the book’s pages but clash deeply with the hope and resilience expressed by these individuals since the end of the war. The result is definitively inspiring.

This book should be considered a must-read by anyone interested in personal accounts from the Vietnam War. In addition, the uplifting, honest stories will more than likely make a positive impact for veterans in their post-war lives.

Review by Braden Hall (May 2021)

 

Author's Synopsis
They Were Soldiers showcases the inspiring true stories of 47 Vietnam veterans who returned home from the "lost war" to enrich America's present and future.

In this groundbreaking new book, the authors reveal the private lives of those who returned from Vietnam to make astonishing contributions in science, medicine, business, and other arenas, and change America for the better.

For decades, the soldiers who served in Vietnam were shunned by the American public and ignored by their government. Many were vilified or had their struggles to reintegrate into society magnified by distorted depictions of veterans as dangerous or demented. Even today, Vietnam veterans have not received their due. Until now. These profiles are touching and courageous, and often startling.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1400208807

Book Format(s): Hard cover, Kindle, Audiobook

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 416

M-9 by Marvin Wolf

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MWSA Review
When you step into the origin story of Marvin J. Wolf's Chelmin and Spaulding CID mystery, M-9, it's much like being in the front seat of the world's wildest roller coaster. You have a nice overview from the original climb, and then drop right into more action than you are ready for, with boomerang turns that double back, corkscrew twists to disorient you, the odd "what the hell was that" moment that leaves your heart in your throat, and when you hit that last page, the feeling of, "Ah man, this can’t be the end already."

It begins with a woman's body in a boxcar full of military clothing. In the next 100 pages you have a sniper attack, one RPG assault that ends with a shootout at a bank robbery, a second RPG attack on a courthouse that ends with two “near miraculous” head shots at 198 yards, a multi-jurisdictional testosterone dispute that confuses every aspect of the case, drug smuggling, money laundering, some cartel red herrings, and a few other bodies along the way. By the time you get to the obligatory but not formulaic partner rescue, the clues are all there, but the junior partner is a touch inexperienced to connect the dots as quickly as one would like.

The partners are well balanced between youthful enthusiasm and cynical experience, both with interesting back stories. Chelmin, the senior partner is a wounded vet with nearly 30 years in CID, a widower whose wife's death is questionable and unresolved. His foray into a relationship with his former sister-in-law is cautious, almost reticent but touching. Spaulding is the young, noble, honest cop who ruined his career by arresting the wrong rich entitled local and has joined the army because he has no other law enforcement options, and he has three generations of Army Airman family he is measuring himself against. It drives him to a level of character that is almost too good. People like that exist, but they are rare. To be honest, Spaulding is the kind of young, handsome, honest, heroic hot chopper pilot that women would stalk in cooperative pairs if not in coordinated packs. A knight errant would make him less Galahad, perhaps to detriment. This is obvious when in the foreshadowing of the Black Hat reveal, he gets played in a way that is clear he is being played but not exactly why—by whom is what adds to the tension.

After a story that leads to Costa Rica and Belize, the ending has lead villains that you never see coming, a couple of support villains that make perfect sense in hindsight, and a few minor characters that get what they deserve in a moment of warm and comforting schadenfreude that will elicit hearty laughter. Enjoy it. I did.

And, then, you turn that last page, and raise your eyes from the page with a wistful, "Please sir, may I have some more?" Luckily, there is more, The Zombie Deception. M-9 is the first of what I hope will be a long literary series and, with the right casting and a director who would deviate not one single iota from the source material, a major movie franchise. These two guys are just that good.

The formatting of the pages will be a bit odd for some readers, as paragraphs are short and widely spaced. And the chapter breaks can feel like a scene cut, more of a movie script than a story. Some will find this easier to read than a more conventional format. It makes for an easily read, fast-paced story where you almost cannot turn pages fast enough.

Review by John Russell (April 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
Two unlikely partners find themselves in the crosshairs of a ruthless international gang in this thriller. Wily detective Rudy Chelmin joined the Army Criminal Investigation Division after losing his leg in action in 1991. Rudy discovers a new partner in recruit Will Spaulding, who finds a woman’s naked body in a boxcar full of Army boots. Will enlisted in the Army after getting run out of Barstow, California, after daring to arrest a guilty but privileged scion. The two pair up to solve the murder of Kendra Farrell, the naked woman who died from hypothermia. But their efforts attract the attention of M-9, a dangerous Salvadoran gang, which blows up Will’s Camaro with an RPG. Kendra worked at a base that was the Marine equivalent of Amazon.com, handling orders for all sorts of items. So first the investigators have to determine whether Kendra was involved in or stumbled onto something shady. Next, they have to figure out which of the police with whom they have been working may be in league with M-9, striving to block their investigation. Finally, Rudy disappears and Will has to locate him before he ends up exactly like Kendra.

ISBN/ASIN: ASIN : B07WW2922H

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, Audiobook

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 435