Rating: 
Summary: Honest and powerful - read it and recommend it
Review: Hampton Sides' brilliant retelling of this incredible true story is writing at its very best. He does not approach his subject as an angry American - he sees some of the Japanese captors as kind, prisoners themselves of the system. He even excuses the Bataan Death March as an accident of logistics, not a planned torture. In doing so he frees the reader's mind to look at what happened frankly and objectively, and in doing so the horror is only amplified. These men were not the victims of a sick mind like Hitler's - they were victims of neglect, supply shortages, and finally cruelty. They were mistreated and starved by the Japanese and, for most of three full years, forgotten by their own country.Parallel to the recounting of the Death March and three years of imprisonment Sides tells us of the two day mission 30 miles behind Japanese lines which saved these men in January of 1945. Again, he eschews John Wayne patriotism and paints the commanders who made the decision to try the raid as flawed human beings. The Colonel and Captain who led the rescuing Rangers are shown with weaknesses and strengths. And again the technique helps the reader gauge the immense courage and character of these men. Sides' frank presentation of what happened leaves us open to occasionally being emotionally over-whelmed just as the subjects of the book were. When the rescuers reached the prisoners I was ready for a joyous reunion. Instead Sides describes the abject fear and shame in the minds of the prisoners and only then did I understand the full horror of their three years as captives, much as the rescuers must have. Finally, Sides' does what only the finest authors can. So much of what he discusses makes the reader look at his own life and values. He recounts Colonel Mucci explaining to the troops in one sentence why he wants no atheists on the rescue mission. The Colonel's logic has me questioning the lack of religion in my own life. Powerful thoughts, powerful writing. An exceptional book; give it to your friends who have never heard of the Bataan Death March. They'll thank you.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding...A MUST read!
Review: I finished it in just a couple days. Made me even prouder to be an American and an American Soldier! I am serving in Eastern Asia now near the most heavily armored line on Earth. The hot muggy, challenging conditions, looking your enemy in the eye now can't hold a light to what these brave men felt. You feel their agony, laugh with them and cry with them. Tears filled my eyes numerous times as my heart swelled with pride. Thank God for these men and millions more who made our country free, and for the opportunity to do my part to keep us free. Read, laugh, weep, pray. American to the Death. Ready, Always Ready!
Rating:
Summary: Ghosts no longer
Review: This book is a must-read. In an age of relative ease and an increasing impatience for the world around us Hampton Sides has given us cause to take stock of the world we currently find ourselves in and be thankful. Too many of the actual facts and minute details of the war have faded from our current era into "the past" and have been minimized with the passing of time. Sides vividly tells us the heroic story of those that fate and time put into a situation that we would now find unthinkable. The book is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. With our modern way of life where food, shelter, and safety are readily available, how would any one of us fair in the same circumstances. For those that find the war was too gruesome and distasteful to relive, for the masses that came long after the war had ended, I think this book should be required reading. The strengths that we so often attribute to ourselves as Americans were forged by the people in this story and the hundreds of thousands like them that did their duty, endured the unimaginable, and were the foundation of where we stand today. This book will make you cover your open mouth at the unspeakable inhumanity and cheer out loud at the remarkable strength of the human spirit. By writing this book Sides has, in some small way, paid hommage to those that fought and suffered, but should also remind us that this story is one of many. Sides does a marvelous job of bringing to life the enormity of the battles and the intricacies of the rescue. This is not a one-sided account of a historical event. Sides has brilliantly incorporated details from both prisoner and savior, and all those that played even a minor role in these astonishing events. Sides reminds up that heroism is not just an individual quality that only the rare possess, but these incredible events were the result of the efforts of the American Rangers, Philippine soldiers, common villagers, and the prisoners themselves. Before all recollection of the events of WWII are gone forever with the passing of our last soldier, stories like this, both great and small, should be passed on to the generations that have followed and that continue to thrive, due in part, to the remarkable strength and uncommon bravery of those that were there.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling Story
Review: As a child of WWII, I have read hundreds of books about this great conflict. Ghost Soldiers is one of the most compelling stories I have ever read. The author has cunningly crafted it in a manner that never palls, but instead maintains its drama from start to end. The POW's, and the Rangers who rescued them, are the great heroes to whom we owe so very much. We owe the author a great vote of thanks for helping us to remember them.
Rating:
Summary: Lively telling of an amazing tale.
Review: The evacuation in 1942 and subsequent return in 1944 of General MacArthur to the Philippines is certainly emblazoned in most American minds. One of his two most famous utterances, "I shall return", places a set of brackets around the years he was in Australia, as though nothing much happened until the cameras immortalized that return. Unfortunately, the war didn't stop for the tens of thousands of Americans and Filipinos left behind under Generals Wainwright and King. Their story was one of decimation on the battlefield, humiliation in surrender, and torture and death in captivity. The book is very readable, well researched and truly a page turner. The real heroes come to the fore, beginning with the bravery of General King (himself the grandson of a Confederate General) in not sacrificing his men needlessly, and continuing with figures such as Captain James C. Fisher, M.D. (KIA) and M/SGT Abie Abraham, the former Army boxing champion who survived whatever the Japanese threw at him along the Death March from Bataan and in Cabanatuan camp. The mission of the Army Rangers (Hooah!) is beautifully detailed, and their daring rescue attempt is far more exciting than anything Hollywood could ever dream up. Read the book and set the record straight; the real heroes never left.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Ghost Soildiers is the best book about war time Philippines I have ever read. I lived in the Philippines working very close to the poorer population and became very familier with there customs, habits and attitudes... Ghost Soldiers does a very wonderful job of taking the reader to the Philippines and into the life of American POW's.
Rating:
Summary: you have to read this book!!!!
Review: I've never written one of these before, but I just finished GHOST SOLDIERS and it was unbelievable. I read this book in 3 days because I couldn't put it down. I've read many books on the war in Europe so I was looking for more information on the Pacific. I bought this book and FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. I would highly recommend both of these books.
Rating:
Summary: A War Saga For All Time
Review: This is a stirring account of the raid to save over 600 prisoners of war during WWII. Through detailed interviews with participants and survivors, the author draws a clear picture of events that pulls the reader in to become a part of the story.
After the Bataan Death March, POWs were sent to a central prision where conditions were deplorable. To the Japanese, the POWs were no longer soldiers or even men and therefore did not deserve proper treatment. The POWs lived in squalor and deprivation for months, malnourished and mistreated. Thousands died from disease, starvation and mistreatment.
But the survivors managed to form a semi-living society with order, discipline and a semblance of sanity. It is truly a testament to the human spirit that these men were able to accomplish what they did for 3 years.
THe Rangers, led by Col. Mucci, were a new breed of soldiers, trained in a different type of war (which has become the way of war in modern times.) They risked their lives to rescue these unknown POWs. Their ordeal is heroic and inspiring.
Lee once said that it is good that war is so terrible else we should grow too fond of it. War brings out the worst and best in people. THis book shows examples of both. Yet it is not condemning or racist in the descriptions of the Japanese. It really was a clash of cultures in which no compromise could exist. It is told in a straightforward, clear manner that makes reading it enjoyable and moving.
Rating:
Summary: God Bless America
Review: We sometimes forget the men and women that fought "WW2-the big one" as Archie Bunker would have said. These were the Grandparents of many of our service men that bear arms today. Strong blood lines run deep and they flow strong in all Americans. When I look on our flag, I feel all those that have given their lives for our country. For all us remaining to live free in all ways. Tears run freely thinking of the sacrifices they have made. Let us all remember them and vow to stand by our beliefs and always honor them, gone but never forgotten, God bless them to the man and God bless America, that land they gave all for.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent war story
Review: This book is written more like a novel, and not like the typical historical account. The characters were thinly developed, but the story more than makes up for it. It is a very good read, that you regret putting down.
|
