I want to make one thing clear before I begin my review, I am thankful to men like Mr. Corbett for what they do for our country and I certainly acknowI want to make one thing clear before I begin my review, I am thankful to men like Mr. Corbett for what they do for our country and I certainly acknowledge the importance of the sacrifice that every member of our armed forces engages in. With that said, what did I think of West Dickens Avenue?
It's alright but it suffers from a lack of focus. Generally, when a veteran decides to write a memoir on their experiences it is because he or she wants to tell the story of a particular mission or set of missions. Occasionally, they also do it to explain the idiosyncrasies of war or explore some sort of theme among the enlisted men and what they experienced. There wasn't anything like this in West Dickens Avenue, it's clear that Mr. Corbett wanted to tell the experience of being at Khe Sanh when the siege began but it doesn't seem like he had a particular reason to do so.
There are a lot of good moments in this book, the evening of the first shelling, the surrender of an enemy lieutenant, the mortar dual, his near-death experience, and a handful of other moments in the book were either very entertaining or very fascinating to read and try to visual what it would have been like. Aside from those moments though, not much really happens at all. Most of the book is intensely boring to read, recycled moments of morning shelling, asking questions about if he will be injured, and lots and lots of doing nothing of note.
This is an aspect of war that can be done very well, you can look to something like Jarhead for a great depiction of what waiting around for action can look like. Instead, Mr. Corbett just describes these events and it's very very boring to read. There are only so many times that hearing how lucky your foxhole is can remain interesting. What is probably the most frustrating is that through the whole book the writing is setting up some massive attack of ground forces from the enemy, Mr. Corbett is constantly worried that at any moment the enemy will finally attack the base with all they have.
This never happens, there is a brief moment where a small force of NVA come through the lines but that's really the only time we hear about combat occurring between his Marine division and the enemy. Now, you may think it's unfair that I criticize the fact that this is what really happened, that they were never attacked on a wide scale while Mr. Corbett was there, allow me to explain. Even if you are writing a memoir you should still have a basic understanding of how to tell a story and how your audience will read and react to the various beats of that story.
Given that this is a true story, and we hear how Mr. Corbett feels directly at numerous points through the book, to bring the main conflict of the story to a close it was necessary to tell us how he felt when they never attacked. Hearing how relieved, confused, angry, or whatever emotions he felt regarding this issue are very important to provide catharsis to the reader over the suspense built up waiting for the encounter with the enemy. Instead, it simply doesn't happen, he leaves Khe Sanh and the book is largely over.
Additionally, this book doesn't chronicle the entirety of his service, when he left Khe Sanh he still had about half a year to serve before he could go home. In the closing chapters of the book, he tells us, in extremely brief detail, about all the operations he was involved in and a number of the crazy things he saw or encountered. These stories he briefly mentions also happened sound much more interesting to read than three-fourths of what happened during his time at Khe Sanh. I'm really not sure why he omitted them considering they comprised more of his time in country than what was told to us.
The quality of the writing in the book is alright, here I am much more forgiving given the fact that most, if not all, of these authors, haven't written before and are simply seeking to make sure what they went through isn't forgotten. In fact, I found the way the book was written to be very interesting, it isn't narrative or any form of traditional prose. It reads almost like a direct stream of consciousness. It's as if Mr. Corbett is attempting to place the reader into his head as he experiences what happens, it makes for some extremely interesting moments but also ends up working against him when it's used to describe all of the boring moments that make up most of this book.
I think that Mr. Corbett knew two things, he knew he wanted to tell people what he went through, and he wanted to make sure to explain what happened at Khe Sanh. However, I don't think he was sure how to do it, most of the decisive moments of Khe Sanh happened chronologically after he's done describing his experience, and as a result, there isn't much actual meat on the bone for the story he wants to tell. I think he would have been much better served if he had told us his whole experience, he says he went to Vietnam for adventure, but he leaves out what seems to be the most interesting moments....more
This is a pretty hard book to review, because on the one hand it contains a lot of important history but on the other side it barely does what it's suThis is a pretty hard book to review, because on the one hand it contains a lot of important history but on the other side it barely does what it's supposed to do. When the Syrian Civil War broke out in 2011 most people expected it to topple the government within the year, if the previous protests of the Arab Spring were to be believed another Middle Eastern country would convert to a democratic process. Now the country is six years removed from the beginning of the uprising and after a number of complex moves it would appear as though the war could go on for ever.
I do agree with the forward of Syria Burning in that there is a need for a conscience well researched history of the conflict, but this is not it. I would venture to guess that most people don't understand much about the conflict aside from Gary Johnson's Aleppo gaffe and the other stories surrounding the siege of that city so a "Short History of a Catastrophe" would probably be well received and do wonders to educate the populace.
A piece of advice to anyone writing a history book surrounding one topic, actually talk about it. This particular book contains a lot of interesting history about Syria's issue with governmental stability and their place in the middle east, but very little information about the current conflict facing the nation. There is a short timeline at the books beginning but after that Mr. Glass only dedicates a few paragraphs per chapter to the modern conflict and fills the rest of them with history.
The other problem is that he doesn't keep a consistent timeline that moves forward with the years, he jumps around time periods from paragraph to paragraph and aside from a couple of times where he uses this style to compare history to modern day, this writing style only ends up confusing rather than informing. I also noticed a heavy amount of personal opinion in the book when, in my mind, if your going to write a history book your personal opinion should remain out of it. He mentions Israel and Zionists in a slanderous tone multiple times, doesn't get a Sunni opinion of the conflict, and generally espouses what he thinks rather than just reporting.
The book isn't all bad however, I can say that I learned a lot about Syria as a country. I also learned a lot of interesting information about the past issues that Syria has had trying to find a government for it's people. So I would certainly recommend this book if your looking for a brief history of governmental issues in Syria but apart from the short timeline in the beginning and few paragraphs in the main body of the work there is little information here. To me it seems like a rushed attempt to capitalize on a news story when it should have been a book that gives historical context to explain a modern issue....more
Our current world seems to have a intense fixation and interest into the American Special Forces. The elite warriors who find themselves behind enemy Our current world seems to have a intense fixation and interest into the American Special Forces. The elite warriors who find themselves behind enemy lines in an attempt to make the most prolific difference in wars that are becoming increasingly harder to fight with conventional methods. Chief among the civilian interest of these groups are the SEALs, the most elite in their class under the Naval Special Warfare Academy. The interest in the Navy SEALs probably stems from their almost constant inclusion in the news in recent history, from Chris Kyle and his polarizing novel American Sniper, to Marcus Luttrell and the infamous failed Operation Red Wings, and finally with the famous raid on the compound that Osama Bin Laden had been hiding in in his last days.
Most likely chief among the infamy and interest of the SEALs is the training that a candidate has to endure to earn the "Trident", the symbol that represents the completion of a training course that less than 5% of our nations military will. In almost every SEAL novel, movie, and news article the infamous BUD/s class is mentioned, especially Hell Week, and shown to be the absolute crucible that takes average men and turns them into elite warriors. For those of us that are interested in just what these brave volunteers go through there are numerous documentaries and supplements that allow us to see with our own eyes, but through all of my research only one source offers a complete and mental examination of this training course, and that is Breaking BUD/s.
Breaking BUD/s is a book designed for SEAL hopefuls, and offers a very in-depth look on what these hopefuls can expect as they go through every step of the SEAL pipeline. I think that the book should serve as required reading for anyone even considering the SEALs as there was a lot of information inside here that I, someone shipping out in January, had no clue about at all. But the book is far from being only accessible to those interested in the SEAL program, I bought my copy on Amazon, and can easily be read by those that are simply interested in a deeper look at one of the nations toughest training courses.
Mr. Xavier does a really good job of giving advice and tips from the standpoint of someone who was there, he gives pointers that start from the moment the applicant walks into a recruitment office to the end of Third Phase in BUD/s. Readers can learn the best ways to find yourself in the SEAL program, how to keep your nerves in check, how to efficiently run in soft sand, and how to minimize the beatings you'll receive throughout your entire time in SEAL training. Mr. Xavier piles on the most information in the beginning and middle of the book as he covers how to get to the BUD/s compound and almost the entirety of First Phase.
The only real issue is that Mr. Xavier front piles everything on these two parts, leaving very little information for Second and Third Phase. Getting to BUD/s and First Phase probably take up the first 350 pages where the other two phases are probably only 20 pages combined. I dont know just how much more Mr. Xavier could have put into these parts of the book but the skew of information does make me feel like he just ran out of things to say.
Overall Breaking BUD/s offers an excellent look into one of the toughest courses a man can endure in the military or elsewhere. It should be required by anyone looking to try for the SEAL program and is definitely the best source of information on the program for someone with a casual interest. It may be lacking some information towards the end but overall the information tome offers an excellent look at one of the worlds biggest challenges. ...more
I'm going to try and stay away from the controversy that has come to the forefront after the film's release because, frankly, I don't agree with any oI'm going to try and stay away from the controversy that has come to the forefront after the film's release because, frankly, I don't agree with any of it. If you do want to discuss how you feel on it then I'm more than happy to in the comments or in a message.
Now that I've got that quick disclaimer out of the way how did I feel about this book? I liked it, a lot actually. Every since the assassination of Osama Bin Laden the market for SEAL biography's has exploded, almost everyone wants to know about SEALs and what it is that they do. I've only read one other SEAL biography and that was Marcus Luttrell's Service: A Navy Seal at War. Those books are both very different from one another despite the fact that they overlap in a certain part of the Iraq War they talk about entirely different Subjects.
American Sniper tells the story of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL sniper who recorded more confirmed kills than anyone in US Military history. The autobiography chronicles his early life, enlistment, BUD/S training, and his eventual four deployments all over Iraq.
Its a book that predominantly focuses on Mr. Kyle's actions in Iraq, his deployments, missions, and operations that he took place in. All of the action is well described and he does a real good job explaining equipment, firearms, and the situations that he found himself in. It's all genuinely interesting stuff and anyone who is remotely interested in how SEALs operate will find themselves in love with Mr. Kyle's novel.
My biggest complaint with American Sniper is that there isn't much emotional base that underscores the action you read. In my review of Service I mentioned that the best parts of the book were about what it means to be a SEAL on an emotional level, what it means to serve your country and how that decision affects those around you. Mr. Kyle does include excerpts from his wife Taya but these passages are too far and few between Mr. Kyle's descriptions of combat, Taya's excerpts from the novel provide some great insight and I found myself liking those particular points the most out of the 300 page novel.
I think that whenever you write something revolving around war and the deployments of a soldier it's refreshing when you get to see a different perspective from the author. That was certainly the case in Service and it was the emotional base of that novel that made me love it so much. American Sniper had the beginnings of some of that base but it was never taken all the way. It is also quite a different experience to read this novel after his death, when Mr. Kyle begins to talk about his veteran help program it takes a much different context than what it probably had when it was first published.
The book is well written and does a good job of talking about what it does. You get a real sense that Mr. Kyle was a man who loved his country and did what he had to do in order to defend it, you can question what he did all you want but his actions did amount to a significant stoppage to insurgent activities in Fallujah, Ramadi, and to a lesser extent, Baghdad. He saved people's lives, was involved in door breaching operations, and personally killed over a hundred terrorists that had taken over the country.
There were two people who told me that they had heard the book was a whole bunch of American propaganda but I don't see how. Maybe it's my own future involvement with the Military or the fact that I don't see the big deal in what he says but I don't see propaganda when I read this. Sure Mr. Kyle refers to the enemy as savages, but they killed two of his friends and I'm sure that if you were in his position you would say the same.
American Sniper is the story of one of our newest heroes in recent years, and unfortunately he is also a fallen one. Chris Kyle lives on through his literary work and the film this book was adapted into, its hard to believe that he is gone but it's at least helpful for me to know the man that he was. ...more
I think that Mr. Sekulow really wanted to write a book about Hamas, because most of the chapters in this book are about Hamas. The book says that it eI think that Mr. Sekulow really wanted to write a book about Hamas, because most of the chapters in this book are about Hamas. The book says that it explores the relationship between Hamas and ISIS, but outside of a couple of nominal connections, I dont really see what he was referring to. I bought this book as part if my research for an ISIS documentary that I was working on and thought that it would be good for some information, and while the first chapter was, ISIS really isn't brought up beyond that.
The core of this book revolves around the on and off wars between Israel and Hamas controlled Gaza, and despite the misleading title, this information was interesting. Instead of just spouting facts for consumption like to many other war books do Mr. Sekulow takes a different look at the conflict, he analyzes it from the law of war. Now initially I thought that this was a pretty bad idea, simply because I thought that everyone supported and upheld the law of war up until a conflict actually happens (kind of like the do not run sign at pools).
But instead I learned that Israel, at least in the information Mr. Sekulow provides, actually follows the Law of War quite well. This book defines just what the major principles of the Law are, and how Hamas is violating it while making Israel look bad. I thought that all of this information was quite interesting to read because the idea that fighting a war actually has rules, is a concept that I think most people overlook. Never the less, if one of the most longstanding conflicts in the middle east is something that your interested in then give this book a try, just dont expect it to be about ISIS.
The only other real complaint I have is simply the fact that Mr. Sekulow really likes to interject his opinion on a couple of groups that I wont name. It's at least my opinion that if you are going to write a book about a conflict and present the facts of that conflict, then you have to abstain from including your own personal opinion. Other than the misleading title and the portions that include a personal opinion, I thought this book was a good analysis of why and how Hamas is a terrorist organization....more
This book could be the best war memoir that I have ever read. I think that in this modern day and age most soldier memoir's focus on the action and adThis book could be the best war memoir that I have ever read. I think that in this modern day and age most soldier memoir's focus on the action and adrenaline of being in combat, then there are the rare few that take a step away from the action and look at emotion and what it is to be a soldier on the front lines.
While the official dust jacket on this book describes it as Luttrell's fight to retake the city of Ramadi, this book is not about the fight to retake Ramadi. Instead, Luttrell focuses on what a Navy SEAL is and what it means to become a SEAL, he shows us the trials and tribulations of SEALS as they deal with combat and the potential loss of brothers in a close knit operating unit. I think that this is best described if you analyze the names of the books three parts.
How We Fight
How We Live
How We Die
This book breaks down the dichotomy of a SEAL and everything that makes them up as both an extremely skilled warfighter and an average civilian when they return home. I'd like to think that Luttrell wrote this book in order to give people a better understanding of what it is to become a SEAL and operate as a family, and I'd like to think that he wrote the book as a letter to anyone who is even remotely interested in earning a Trident. I also think that its not only for people interested in becoming a SEAL but also for people who simply want to serve their country, Luttrell does and excellent job of breaking down what exactly it means to serve and all of the complicated emotions and thoughts that will go through the soldiers head as they become a member of a cause bigger than themselves.
I think that this book should be required reading for anyone who goes down to the Navy recruiting station and asks for information on the SEALs. I think that anyone who wants to serve in the US military, regardless of branch, should also pick up this book and listen to what a former serviceman has to say about fighting for others rather than yourself. And for any significant others of a potential soldier or SEAL there is a wonderful section of stories from wives of SEALs that Luttrell knew.
Bottom line, read this book if your interested in going into the military, not only is it a fantastic read but by the end of the last page I think that you'll have your mind made up as to whether or not you'll enlist....more
I actually was fortunate enough to read the first edition from 1945. I think that the book is not only remarkably funny but also an interesting selectI actually was fortunate enough to read the first edition from 1945. I think that the book is not only remarkably funny but also an interesting selection of stories that tell what it was like to be a standard-issue GI.
Mauldin tells it like it is, he explains what its like to be in combat and (what I thought was most interesting) the thoughts that go through a "dog face's" mind. The biggest thing that I got out of this book was how combat is so much different, not only in battle but also outside of battle, then is portrayed through movies and other entertainment mediums.
Ultimately I think that Mauldin has created a story that is a must-read for people who want to know what being a soldier in world war 2 was really like....more
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