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Summary: one of the best WWII books ever!
Review: BAND OF BROTHERS is one of the best WWII books I have ever read. It is so imformative, it tells you everything. You really get to know what the men of Easy Company felt like when they were in the front lines.
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Summary: A vivid, personal picture of warfare
Review: Band of Brothers, by Stephen Ambrose, is the story of E (Easy) Company of the 101st Airborne Division in World War II. It's a very personal account, as Ambrose conducted numerous interviews with the surviving members of the company and uses those interviews to imbue a sense of closeness to the action and the men who went into that action. It's a very effective book, though it does seem to be "history lite." I'm not really sure why, because Ambrose has obviously done a lot of research in producing this story. Perhaps it is because it's not a typical history book with documentation from all over the place. Instead, he seems to have used only a couple of sources besides the men of Easy themselves. Then again, is that a bad thing? Personally, I don't think so, at least not in this case. Ambrose is not attempting to write a history of World War II. He's writing the story of a group of men who formed relationships and bonds that would carry them through the rest of their lives. I found this book fascinating. Most of the history books I have read have been very abstract, telling about the moving of units and what they did and how successful they were in battle. They always have some personal angles involved, either talking about letters written home, or some personal stories of valor. Ultimately, though, they are about the battles themselves. These books can be very interesting. Band of Brothers tells us everything about a group of men and how they fought. We get to laugh with them, we get to see the horrors that they have seen. We also get to see the incompetence that sometimes becomes prevalent in wartime. Ambrose doesn't pull any punches, and neither do the men of Easy to whom he spoke. They are very outspoken about the people they didn't like. Not just people, but also nationalities. One thing to keep in mind when reading this book is that the only impression of nationalities that these men had were when they were going through territory, wondering whether or not they would be running into enemy fire at any time. Some people of these nationalities may take offense at some of the statements in this book. One fault with it is that Ambrose doesn't really make clear whether or not these feelings are just the feelings of the men at the time, or if these feelings have stayed with the men ever since. The descriptions of the action are just incredible. Never before have I seen war from this perspective. While I have seen graphic descriptions of combat before, this story takes the reader to a much deeper level. We get to see the fear and the determination of these soldiers, the comradeship that forms among them. We get to see individual episodes of action in each battle, we see friends die, we see true heroism, and how situations can get messed up in an instant. We also get to see the foibles of the men, how some of them got drunk at every opportunity, how they dealt with war and what it did to them. It truly is remarkable. One other thing that is missing in this book, to an extent, is a sense of context to these events. Ambrose does provide this occasionally, especially when talking about Market Garden and the plight of the British paratroopers in the city of Arnhem, but he's not always successful in doing this. I wasn't expecting long passages about what was going on elsewhere, but there are times in this book where the action seems very isolated from the war around the men. It's a very narrow view, and while it is understandable since this isn't a history of the war, it does make the actions of Easy seem a little removed. There are few maps in the book, but they do the job. They are at the front of the book, and they consist of a map of northern France and England, a close-up map of Utah Beach (the beach behind which Easy dropped on D-Day), a close up view of Market Garden, and close-up view of Bastogne. They do the job, letting you follow a bit of the action. I don't know if it would have been possible, but it would have been nice to see some maps of the cities involved in the battles, so we could get a sense of what the men of Easy were doing in each battle. But again, that may not have been possible, so I won't hold it against Ambrose. I really liked the chapter talking about the men after the war. I felt it really solidified the relationship that the reader has with these men. You have spent the rest of the book getting to know these men and seeing the horrors of war with them, and now you get to find out "the rest of the story." It adds the perfect climax to the book, and reinforces the feeling that this is a personal history of a group of men and not a history of warfare. Some of the fates are tragic, but most of them just got on with their lives. It was nice to see. Ultimately, this is a very valuable book for anybody who likes reading about warfare. It adds a very personal touch to the whole thing. There aren't long descriptions of blood and guts, but you do see just enough to feel the tension along with these men. I feel like I know these men, and I'm proud to know them. They put their lives on the line for freedom, and they did it willingly and without question. They didn't like it, but they did it anyway. Seeing their story told in such a manner was a wonderful experience. So what if it's history lite? It's a valuable story and it's wonderfully told. That's all that matters.
Rating:
Summary: in-depth look at some of WWII's finest
Review: Ambrose has always been good at depicting the war through the eyes and experiences of individual or small groups of soldiers. This has never been truer nor better done than in his book Band of Brothers. This book is not about all the allies, nor is it even about all the American soldiers; instead, it is about one rifle company, Easy Company, doing what had to be done. Ambrose does not paint pretty pictures about their heroisms; he just tells their story and lets their actions speak for themselves. In fact, Ambrose does such a great job at this that I felt personally involved, which is something that history books usually discourage. As you read about Easy Company from their training to their final action at Hitler's Eagle's Nest you cannot help but be awed by their actions and wonder if you, in the same position, would be able to do the same thing. This great book tells more about the soldiers themselves than the numbers of kills they got. I highly recommend this book to anyone, even if you have little interest of World War II.
Rating: 
Summary: Brothers
Review: Not as compellingly written as some of his others. This is still a remarkable story with the human touch as Ambrose always delivers.
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Summary: A must read book
Review: From the first running up the hill at Currahee to the anit climax of no longer having an enemy to fight, this book involves you in everything. You feel with the men of Easy Company every step of the way. If there is a WW2 book you read this spring it has to be this one.
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Summary: Band of Brothers
Review: If you have ever read a war book it tells you what men saw, did to survive, and things that they had to do in order to accomplish something they never thopught they could do! The book I have just read is exactly like it, but better. Band of Brothers, a non fiction book is about a group of men in training to go to war! These men from easy company 105, 1st Air Borne worked together to rise above the challenges and achieve their goals! This book dragged me in so much! Band of Brother's showed a group of men working together to survive. These men had to see something that no one had ever seen before. This book shows heart, character, and it shows how men never gave up in order to survive!
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Summary: Dude I know how to rate a book `
Review: FIRST I'VE GOT TO SAY THAT THIS BOOK IS SO COOL AND TELLS A TRUE STORY ABOUT THE MEN OF 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION AND HOW THEY FIGHT FOR THEIR COUNTRY. STEVE IS MY FAVORITE WRITER NOT JUST BECAUSE I'M ALOUD TO READ HIS BOOKS BUT BECAUSE HE'S JUST AS INTERSESTED AS ME IN WWII.
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Summary: I'M JUST TEN AND I KNOW WHAT'S GOOD STUFF
Review: FIRST OFF I WELL ADMIRE STEPHEN E. AMBROSE ON HOW HE TOOK HIS TIME TO INTERVIEWING THE MEN WHO LIVED THRU WWII. HE DOES A GREAT JOB ON HOW HE TELLS THE STORY OF THE BRAVE YOUNG MEN OF 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION WILLING TO NOT JUST FIGHT BUT DIE FOR THEIR COUNTRY. I HAVE SEEN THE 1ST MOVIE WHICH COVERS THE 1ST 2 PARTS WHICH IS CURAHEE AND DAYS OF DAYS AND I ALSO VERY WELL ADMIRE TOM HANKS AND STEVEN SPEILGBERGFOR SPENDING LOTS AND LOTS OF THEIR TIME GETTING THE HBO SERIES VERY ACURATE.
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Summary: I'M JUST TEN AND I KNOW WHAT'S GOOD STUFF
Review: FIRST OFF I MUST SAY THAT I AM 10 AND VERY WELL ADMIRE STEPHEN E. AMBROSE ON HOW HE TOOK HIS TIME TO INTERVIEWING THE MEN WHO LIVED THRU WWII. HE DOES A GREAT JOB ON HOW HE TELLS THE STORY OF THE BRAVE YOUNG MEN OF 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION WILLING TO NOT JUST FIGHT BUT DIE FOR THEIR COUNTRY. I HAVE SEEN THE 1ST MOVIE WHICH COVERS THE 1ST 2 PARTS WHICH IS CURAHEE AND DAYS OF DAYS AND I ALSO VERY WELL ADMIRE TOM HANKS AND STEVEN SPEILGBERGFOR SPENDING LOTS AND LOTS OF THEIR TIME GETTING THE HBO SERIES VERY ACURATE.
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Summary: YOU PEOPLE WHO GAVE THIS 4 STARS AND BELOW ARE PLANE STUPID
Review: I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THERE WERE OVER 60 DUMB REVEIWERS WHO PUT THIS 4 STARS AND BELOW SHOULD PLAY ON THAT NEW MOVIE DUMB AND DUMBERER YOU WOULD DO A LOT BETTER JOB THEN JIM AND JEFF WOULD. AND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR A REVEIW I ALREADY WROTE ONE AND JUST HAD TO TELL THESE STUPID 4 STAR PEOPLE IT IT'S BETTER THEN 5 STARS AND WE ALL HAVE ARE PROBLEMS BUT THAT'S STILL PRETTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYY SAD.
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