Rating: 
Summary: I'M JUST 10 AND IT'S GREAT
Review: FIRST I MUST SAY THAT I AM JUST 10 AND I VERY MUCH ADMIRE STEPHEN E. AMBROSE'S BOOKS AND THIS ONE IS SPECTACULAR HE TELLS A GREAT STORY OF 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION GOING IN AND FIGHTING FOR THEIR COUNTRY. I HAVE SEEN THE 1ST MOVIE WHICH COVERS THE 1ST 2 PARTS WHICH ARE CURAHEE AND DAYS OF DAYS AND STEVEN SPEILGBERG AND TOM HANKS DID A GREAT JOB ON GETTING THAT ACURATE.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy Read - Good History
Review: In his afterward, the late Mr. Ambrose admits that this book, which brought him great acclaim before and after the HBO series, was basically a very easy side project while he was between more scholarly books. It's a very easy read and perfect for anybody who is normally turned off by histories. That said, pure history buffs who eat this stuff up will enjoy it as well. It's not "dumbed down" history - - - it's history told with a narrative that flows and attention to character. Put another way, there's something hear for everybody - - wanna be history scholars and people who just want a quick read on the commuter train.Ambrose has been accused of "borrowing" liberally without appropriate citation in other works. Not much of a chance to cheat here because the story is really just the condensation and reshuffling of all of the interviews he conducted of Easy Company personnel over the span of about a year. A good chunk of information included in the book is clearly based on unit histories and other sources, but the real story is told by the men themselves and simply organized and presented in Ambrose's text. It's a remarkable tale to be sure. The 101st Airborne, 506th, E Company was, in Ambrose's view, "the best rifle company in the war." There are plenty of units that would take issue with the characterization that this unit did more, suffered more, were braver or better than any other combat unit. I'm sure the guys in other divisions who served in and around Bastogne (the 82d Airborne in particular) would have problems with such a characterization. Regardless of whether Easy Company was "the best" by any kind of standardized combat measuring stick (which is, of course, impossible) the story of this company is a great microcosm for the story of just about any of the elite combat units in the European theatre. Ambrose does a great job of developing real characters in the book - - so you identify with each member of the unit as opposed to just developing some vague understanding of the chain of command. This book gives the reader a very good ground's eye view of what it was like for these guys to suffer through a couple of years of gruling training in the U.S. and then England and then 10 months of even more grueling combat from D-Day until the end of the war. Read alone or in conjunction with books that provide a broader "bird's eye" view of the war in Europe this book is a great oral history.
All in all, a great story - - - and well told.
Rating:
Summary: Ambrose at his best
Review: For military buffs, history buffs, and people who are just fans of insightful non-fiction, Band of Brothers is an excellent choice. It is fantastic in that is covers the war in Europe from D-Day to the end of the war, but does so by focusing on a single company of soldiers. The reader really gets to know the members of Easy Company, and sees the war from their perspective. I believe that the Band of Brothers miniseries is extremely true to the book. If you liked the miniseries, you will love the book, and vice-versa. They are both terrific studies of what the citizen soldiers of WWII did for their country.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic read
Review: Band of Brothers was a great read. Even though there is no real main character, the reader can really relate to the soldiers, as a whole, going through what they did in being transformed from civilians to heroes. The struggle that all of the men encountered, from Sobel to the Germans, couldn't help but inspire the reader. The men fighting in this story did so in a period of great uncertainty. The soldiers did not find out what they were obligated to do until just before the order was carried out. THerefore, the fact that they almost always succeeded is very admirable.
Rating:
Summary: My advise: watch the miniseries first and then read the book
Review: If you have neither read Stephen Ambrose's book or seen the HBO mini-series "Band of Brothers" and are wondering which you should do first, then my recommendation would be to watch the mini-series first. This would be especially true if you are the sort of person who remembers books in vivid detail so that alarms go off in your brain every time there is a significant departure on the screen from the written word. In that case your enjoyment of the mini-series would be derailed by every "that is not how it really happened" or "it was not Person A but Person B who did X." However, if you start with the mini-series and then read the book you will discover how most of the episodes were based on the skimpiest details (the first two episodes are far and away the ones that most rely on the details of Ambrose's book). I found that my reaction to the book was basically the same as it had been to the mini-series: I have tremendous respect for Dick Winters and I wish there was much more to what I was reading/watching. When I got this book I was surprised "Band of Brothers" was "only" 333 pages long. One of the strengths of the book is how Ambrose takes advantage of the dual perspective of his sources, who not only recall what they were doing and thinking during World War II, but also what their thoughts are today about what happened back then. However, Ambrose does tend to repeatedly make some key points in his editorial commentary on the historical narrative. It might be some sort of heresy, but it does not especially matter to me whether or not Easy Company was the premier unit of the United States military during World War II. What is of importance here is the story of the war told from the perspective of "common" soldiers. For the most part when I have read war books they have been big picture books and usually about the Civil War (e.g., Catton, Foote, McPherson), but there is certainly something to be said for the more personal memoirs (e.g., Sam Watkins' "Company Aytch"). That might be why I liked the sections where the actual soldiers provided first person narratives of their story; I would not have minded at all if this had been more of a cut and paste job where Ambrose linked his collection of interviews, letters, and memoirs. However, the thing I would stress is that if you liked the mini-series you should still read the book and get more of the true story of Easy Company.
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Story
Review: Ambrose is a master storyteller, and this is an amazing story to tell. In lean, terse prose similar to Hemmingway's, Ambrose follows Easy Company of the 101st Airborne from basic training to Hitler's bunker with first-hand testimony and first-rate military analysis. Easy Company is able to overcome an incredible amount of adversity and get out of tough situations because they simply refuse to give up for the sake of the men around them. This is a powerful tale of personal sacrifice for a selfless cause. Of all Ambrose's works, this is perhaps the most difficult to put down. This book should be read for the sake of its historical significance as well as its unforgettable narrative.
Rating: 
Summary: Great tale marred by rah-rah style
Review: What these guys went through and accomplished is simply
astounding. However, the style of the book alternates
between unchecked cheerleading and dry "field report"
excerpts. I read this immediately after "We Were Soldiers
Once, And Young" and found the other book to be much
better written, even though this one is by a known "good"
author. There are plenty of great WWII books and movies
out there. This book ain't one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Band of Brothers Review
Review: I thought this book was interesting and unique in every way.
It was so good, I wasn't able to put the book down until the end. Band of Brothers explains in great detail what WWII was like in creative fashion. I recommend it for any teen or adult to read.
Rating:
Summary: Band of Brothers Book Review
Review: When I first saw the bioghraphy of The Band of Brothers it brought a tear to my eye listening to the members of the 101st talk about their memories of the front and here them say how their commrades die saving their lives, I just had to see if the book would bring me the same emotion. I have always ben a fan of war books and history so I thought of a true war story and decided to read The Band of Brothers.
This book is about a group of jumpies from Tahoe finally getting their brake and going to war.At first they thought that Captian Sobel would lead them into war (wich they all thought that sobel was a poor leader who would get them killed in the front) but Sobel was showed up by Winters who became X.O. of their regiment. He took them from the shores of Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest were they captured more than 1,000 german Prisoners and took all of Hitlers shampane and all of his other personal items: his gold, watches, cars, guns ect... After they won the war and settled in back home they hold aniveseries of the 101st Airborne Division and the 506th Regiment.
I would recomend this book to 8th and older because this book might be to mature for younger people. If you are interested in war history and do not want a fiction book I would highly recomed this book.
Rating:
Summary: Gives you a feeling of pride
Review: I served at Ft. Campbell back in 1989 for only 6 months before my service was over. I got my air assualt badge while there, but I never really had time to research the history of my departing station. 13 years later I have become so proud that I too have a screaming eagle on my btu's. The soldiers of Easy Company had a hell of job to do, and did that job well. This book gives you the feeling you are there with the troops. The circumstances these troopers where put in is well described in this book , and leaves you with the understanding of who our heros really are! I couldn't put it down.
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