Rating: 
Summary: Ryan Derong - War Is Hell
Review: Hampton Sides conjures up a masterpiece in his galvanizing story Ghost Soldiers. The setting of the book is in the Philippines during World War II. Confronted by starvation and depravation of supplies, the American army is forced to surrender to the Japanese. Despite Japanese promises of hospitality, the American soldiers are quickly rounded up and forced to participate in the infamous Bataan Death March. Incarcerated for years in horrid conditions, the prisoners must fight a personal war every day in the fight to survive. Many succumb to sickness or perish at the hands of the Japanese brutality. But, this story focuses on those who made it out alive at the hands of the American Ranger battalion.I strongly recommend this book for it vividly portrays the grim situation of war without omitting lurid details. Sides does not back down from the cacophonous details. For example, in describing the burial of the dead prisoners, he describes how when a new body was thrown into the mass grave, you could hear the "crack of one skull on another." The story will leave a lasting impression which forces the reader to think twice about his fellow country men who fought to protect what was truly precious to both them and us, freedom.
Rating:
Summary: Scott
Review: Thought it was a great book, kinda written in a quirky way, but excellent any way you read it.
Rating:
Summary: Patriotically Moving
Review: Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides is by far the best account of WWII I have ever read. From the first few pages of the foreword one is completely swept away by the description, the details, and all of the destruction beautifully interconnected in the creation of this literary masterpiece. Through his utilization of two perspectives, Sides is able to create the sense of urgency critical in this novel without losing the human aspect of it. Side's method of introducing characters is also to be commended. Although this rescue played a large part in shaping the lives of all involved, it was not the only thing: the short descriptions of the past lives of the Rangers, officers, prisoners, and others who made the rescue a reality allowed the reader to view the characters as people and not just names on the page. The sheer magnitude of the operation is definitely conveyed to the reader through Side's description of each of the individual operations of Prince, Mucci and Pajota. The rescue could not have taken place without any of the Rangers' leaders and without the innovations of Pajota and Prince, like the fly over and the "horse drawn carriages" for the injured. One comes to appreciate the men and women presently overseas and begins to understand the value of true courage and brotherhood in our armed forces.
Rating: 
Summary: Detailed Beyond Belief
Review: Ghost Soldiers is an account of a situation in the Philippines in World War II. A large group of soldiers was being held hostage under harsh conditions at a prison camp. A group of rangers considered to be the elite soldiers set out on a mission to free the soldiers and bring them home safely. The book alternates between the two groups' viewpoints giving the reader a simulataneous look at them. When new characters are introduced, the author often goes into multiple page descriptions of their origin and past experiences. While interesting, these pauses in the plot line may frustrate the reader. Hampton Sides makes an extreme effort to include diction that would convey the horrific conditions that the prisoners were forced to undergo such as when describing the soldiers that "would become grotesquely swollen, assuming an unnatural corpulence of three hundred pounds or more, the skin cracked and oozing with a thin yellowish serum". Overall, this book gives an excellent account of the situation and leaves the reader with a greater sense of understanding of the brutality that war creates, and of the determination that the soldiers had.
Rating:
Summary: Shows Emotion Never Thought to be Perceieved!
Review: Ghost Soldiers, by Hampton Sides, is possibly the best piece of work I have read on any war.It provides an in depth glance at the many tortures and shortcomings that many of our Americans experienced during the battles, surrenders, and prison camps in the Philippines. The book captures the detail and gore around the harsh surroundings and treatment from the Japanese troops. Sides explains the "Death March" to Cabanatuan very vividly. One such event of the march was the fight for the middle positions. If a soldier was noticed straggling on the outsides of the lines, they would most likely be put to death in some way or another. Also, Sides makes a point of showing how material things we feel will always be there, such as food, may someday disappear. At Cabanatuan prison camp, the prisoners valued food more than anything. Ghost Soldiers portrays the human condition under these crude circumstances as feeble and low. Many of the soldiers at the camp lost over one-hundred pounds and gained many diseases such as beriberi. Sides also does an exquisite job on explaining the capture of the prison camp by the American soldiers. He writes about the camp every other chapter and then the raid every chapter in between so the reading will not become stale and boring. The overall worth of this book is excellent. The book takes one on a journey through all the human emotions.
Rating:
Summary: Smply Outstanding
Review: Hampton Sides has written a remarkable story that conveys the essence of human nature, spirit, and sheer will to rise over adversity, in a self sacrificing manner. The historical data is wonderfully crafted into a novel, of sorts, that makes for a rather compelling read. The plot weaves multiple storylines together to create an impressive book that portrays the reality of the American spirit. The reader discovers new realms that are scarcely seen by a civilian that brings pride and honor to veterans alike. Once you become entangled in Sides craftsmanship, you relive this great story full of emotions and peril. Sides has found his calling and allows the reader to ride on an emotional roller coaster that ends where the road to freedom begins. History buffs and avid readers wil both find this an enjoyable read. Ghost Soldiers is an incredible book and a even more wonderful story. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: A great read about an epic mission...
Review: This wonderful book tells the story of the US Rangers who, in 1945, made a dramatic, dangerous mission behind Japanese lines to rescue American POWS who had survived the horrific Bataan Death March and several terrible years in Japanese custody. This story has been infrequently told since the end of World War II, but luckily it has finally recieved the distinction it deserved. The Rangers risked their lives at the very end of the war in order to save the lives of their lost comrades. Truly an uplifting tale and an excellent, exciting read. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Great tale of WWII Heros...makes one proud to be American
Review: Anyone who is interested in WWII or military history should definately check out this book. It's very well written, and the characters are all vibrant and lively (despite the fact that this book is called "Ghost Soldiers").
The beginning starts off quick, with the description of a massacre in a Japanese POW camp, but then it slows down a bit. THis doesn't last long, and the writer carefully intersperces bits about the organization of the rescue mission with descriptions of daily camp life.
I couldn't put this book down once it came to the moments of the resuce mission. The ending was a bit anti-climatic, because everything works out well, but it definately ends on a high note. Especially interesting is the ending where it outlines what happened to each of the main characters in the book, including the Japanese POW camp guards.
When you read this, it's no doubt that our great country possesses some of the best soldiers on the planet.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good Start
Review: I feel this book serves as a good introduction for those who are interested in the experiences of prisoners of war, in the Pacific, during World War II. Hampton Sides competently covers the stories of: American military life in the Philippines before the Japanese invasion, the Bataan Death March, life at the Cabanatuan prison camp, the preparation which went into the eventual liberation of the living survivors, and the march to freedom. There are some details, which are glossed over, but I give Mr. Sides credit for resurrecting interest in a story which hasn't been told for some time. Hour Of Redemption, by Forrest Bryant Johnson, is a fuller accounting of the same events, but since it was first published over 20 years ago I wonder how many readers ever heard of it until they read Hampton Sides's book.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not as good as HOUR OF REDEMPTION
Review: GHOST SOLDIERS is a fine book that tells one of the most compelling stories of the most compelling war. The Rangers, Alamo Scouts, and Filipino guerillas pulled off one of the greatest military operations ever and showed tremendous courage and resolve in doing so. However ... One reviewer asks why this story took so long to be told. The fact is, it didn't take until 2001 (i.e., GHOST SOLDIERS) to tell the story. The story was told in 1978 by Forrest Bryant Johnson in his HOUR OF REDEMPTION. Of all the WW II books I have read, HOUR OF REDEMPTION is unquestionably the best. It will make you proud, make you cheer, enrage you, and, most importantly, captivate you. Between the two books, I would recommend HOUR OF REDEMPTION. Another reviewer refers to the book as a novel, which it is not; it is military history. Sides' book has no notes and no index and, for the most part, simply tells the same story already told by Johnson but which Johnson told, in my opinion, in more detail. Both books have good maps and both have their maps at the front of the books, which I like. Very easy to locate them no matter where you are in the books. Johnson, however, also provides a roster of the soldiers involved in the raid, a roster of the allied prisoners, a glossary, and a bibliography. While Johnson's book unfortunately lacks an index it nonetheless provides a good bit more in the way of extras than does Sides' book, which provides only maps. HOUR OF REDEMPTION was released again in 2002 and is widely available new in paperback, including from amazon.com. Johnson also obtained much of his information from first-hand interviews and much time spent in the Philippines; Sides freely acknowledges that he relied on both Johnson's contacts and advice. I would recommend HOUR OF REDEMPTION over Sides' GHOST SOLDIERS and I would recommend it to anyone, WW II buff or not. The story is one of great inspiration that is truly one you will not be able to put down. Many books begin to drag about halfway through as it seems the authors must be contractually bound to fill up a minimum number of pages. I honestly could not get enough of HOUR OF REDEMPTION ... which is why I bought GHOST SOLDIERS. In fact, HOUR OF REDEMPTION made me want to go back on active duty! Although the raid is a very, very small part of the beginning of the movie BACK TO BATAAN, it is amazing that it has not been made into a feature film (at least to my knowledge it has not). It would in my opinion make an outstanding feature film (so long as it did not star Ben Affleck and Matt Damon!). By the way, another book on the raid at Cabanatuan is THE GREAT RAID: RESCUING THE DOOMED GHOSTS OF BATAAN AND CORRIGADOR by William B. Breuer, published in 2002. I have not read Breuer's book.
|
