Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Fascinating
Review: I have found 'Big Red' to be an absolutely fascinating book. I am not a submariner, and I doubt that if I were that I would be so captivated as it is mostly a sociological study of the crewmen and their interactions on a Trident submarine on a three month underwater voyage. I am in a technology intensive profession, and am interested in the technical details of the sub, which is why I initially bought the book, but came to enjoy the complex interactions of the men on the sub more than the actual submarine specific information.The professionalism of this group of people is one of the great untold (or nearly so) stories of the cold war and modern times. I was impressed with the incredible amount of training and simulations while on a typical cruise. As an airline (and former Air Force) pilot, I am more than aquatinted with training and simulation, but these men really take the concept to a whole new plane (no pun intended). If you have any interest in submarines, and more specifically, life aboard a modern nuclear missile sub like the 'Nebraska,' you will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: go big,go big red.
Review: i read this book in approximately 2 days thats with sleep,meals and work inbetween.I loved the personal backgrounds of each of the crew,their jobs likes and dislikes.And how its not so much about the nukes they carry but about the families they protect.Mr waller put me so much inside that sub i felt like a rider and not a reader,not overly technical,or breif,just the right amount of data and story and characters to make it all right.thats how all books about the military should be written,its his first book that ive read and ive already sent away for his other titles so yes this one really hooked me.guaranteed stocking stuffer,or birthday gift highly recommended read for boys and girls.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book, Audiotape version highly recommended
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Being in the Air Force, it was a look at a different world. I have to give the author a lot of credit because much of the mission he was not able to see, I'm sure, but had to get that information academically, not first hand. It started out a little slow, but picked up once at sea. I enjoyed the fact that some of the flubs were left in, and it wasn't sanitized too much. The book was interesting, and gave me an appreciation of the men who serve aboard these awesome machines. This book is a perfect airplane or trip book for those who like military non-fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: A fun read
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Being in the Air Force, it was a look at a different world. I have to give the author a lot of credit because much of the mission he was not able to see, I'm sure, but had to get that information academically, not first hand. It started out a little slow, but picked up once at sea. I enjoyed the fact that some of the flubs were left in, and it wasn't sanitized too much. The book was interesting, and gave me an appreciation of the men who serve aboard these awesome machines. This book is a perfect airplane or trip book for those who like military non-fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Three Months is a Very Long Time
Review: I should have expected the type of book this turned out to be. After all it is probably difficult to inject a lot of excitement in a book that details a boat who's main purpose is to avoid other ships and basically hide. All this during peace time. The book detailed this authors three-month trip on a nuclear missile submarine as it tooled around Atlantic. There were no exciting cold war cat and mouse games; no cool espionage inspired missions, or any massive equipment failures to review so the author stuck to the different workings of the boat. I found the real value in the time he spent talking about how certain tasks are done on the submarine and how they go about a typical tour. Yet this interesting detail can only go so far. What I did not like is the amount of time the author devoted to the background of the crew. I may be a bit hard, but who cares about the personal life of every other sailor. I wanted to know how the boat operated what they did and maybe some good old sea stories. The book delivered on two of the three. I think the author could have made the book far more exciting if he would have forgotten the home life of the sailors and gave the reader some interesting stories from when the cool war was hot for these subs, surly there was one or two stories that could be told. Overall the book was average, if you are interested in how these massive subs work then you will find it interesting if not a bit slow. If you are looking for a true life Hunt for Red October then keep looking.
Rating: 
Summary: A shallow account
Review: I spent many years on Trident SSBN Submarines and went through nearly every evolution that one can do including new construction, refit, torpedo and missile launches, patrols and 'unique' operations. I found Mr Waller's book to be lacking in depth, access, and in many cases, technically inaccurate. I found his generalizations and stereotypes of the crew, enlisted and officer alike to be bordering on the offensive. While it may be a lively read for a civilian, it serves as only an introductory course to life undersea. It is quite obvious that Mr Waller did not spend 90 days underwater on the Nebraska as his story consists mainly of anecdotal evidence, much experienced secondhand and only includes any amount of depth in the first brief portion of a patrol upon which 'riders' like himself would normally be part of. A full SSBN patrol is a physical, emotional and pyschological endurance marathon that is unlike any other experience. I would recommend this book to people unfamiliar with the submarine service for it does provide entertainment and insight. I would not however recommend this as a factual account that accurately reflected the experiences of life on patrol.
Rating:
Summary: worth the time to read
Review: I suspect that I am one of many who wonder what it is like on a missle boat. While the book was at times tedious, I think that it helped me understand life as it is underwater for three months of the same thing every day. It gave me enourmous respect for the officers and men who spend years of their lives under the sea.
Rating:
Summary: Not among the best submarine books out there
Review: I was disappointed in Big Red, which I thought held much promise. The book spent more pages devoted toward freshman-level psychological analysis of various crew members than discussing the details of the mission. I was surprised that such a boring book could result from such fascinating materia.
Rating:
Summary: Not among the best submarine books out there
Review: I was disappointed in Big Red, which I thought held much promise. The book spent more pages devoted toward freshman-level psychological analysis of various crew members than discussing the details of the mission. I was surprised that such a boring book could result from such fascinating materia.
Rating:
Summary: A manual on teamwork.
Review: No family friendly firm here, where the weak and useless can add to cost by needing days of to look after sick mothers and poorly feeling cats - work or go is the message. A lesson in focus and commitment that every firm that wants to last should note. I hope that my competitors continue to drive up their overheads by allowing their people to come and go as they like, and that they never read this book.
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