Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy-driven, interesting view of WW11 flying.
Review: "My memory," Rochlin writes, "is accurate and false at the same time." So, move over Yossarian. This is a funny view of the terror of being a navigator during WW11. As a navigator myself (in the 8th (England) not the l5th in Italy.)..much of the recollection is germaine. Rochlin must be an interesting, ribald and dirty old man. And that's wonderful. Its a quick read, and an ideal book for anybody who flew in those years.
Rating: 
Summary: I simply could not put it down.
Review: After reading this book, I'm stunned by how easy us Gen-Xers have it these days. I thought about the life or death choices this poor guy had to make before he was twenty years old and it stunned me. The fact that Rochlin is so articulate, witty and charming is actually a bit disarming. He talks about war, fear, sex, survival and lust with such honesty and clarity that I wondered why he waited so long to put this book on the page. Whatever the reason, it's finally here for you to read and I highly recommend it. There's one more thing I'd like to add: some people create incredible stories...other people live them. Hats off to this incredible person.
Rating:
Summary: A Gift For My Father
Review: Author Fred Rochlin implores us in the beginning of his extraordinary memoir to tell our stories. Everyone, not just artists or great thinkers, not just adventurers or philosophers. Five billion people, five billion stories, is the way he sees it. "Tell your story. Tell your story."And with this you begin to read his: poignant, self-deprecating snapshots of a guy beginning with a classic stumble into the war effort and then just trying to survive when everyone else around him is dying, physically and spiritually. There is a fatalistic bent to his humor, self-deprecating, dry, keenly observant but still achingly innocent. Life, as Fred remembers it seems to be a series of incidents, one inexorably leading to another, and another until you either survive, or you die. Fred's mission to us in the forward of his book now makes sense: living with those memories and the loss of innocence that is never recoverable has left him with the belief that all human life is sacred and every life is a memory to be cherished. Perhaps if more stories are told, there will be less of a void left by those who did not survive the bombings, the shootings, the camps and the marches. I know my father, who was given this book for his birthday, and who has never talked of the war, will see Fred as more than just an old guy, but a fellow traveller who blossomed out of the adversity of life and created a miracle out of memories. My father couldn't have a better gift to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday than that.
Rating:
Summary: A powerful storytelling experience
Review: Fred Rochlin has brilliantly achieved the goal of the storyteller: he has endeared his carefully chiseled character to his audience and set him solidly in a time and place to which the audience member can offer his own identification. At once hillarious and poignant, the piercing reality of the horror of war is humanized and tempered when seen through the young, fresh eyes of Rochlin. I found the story so much richer knowing that the author had been holding this story in him for the last 50 years. Really fine storytelling involves a balance between an individual's experience and an universal theme. Mr. Rochlin has managed to share his unique self with us, but at the same time, has chosen to frame each tender, funny, horrific moment of his WWII stint within the larger life concepts such as LOVE, HONOR, EVIL, DEATH. I absolutely loved this book -- I laughed, I cried, I thought about stuff. Fred Rochlin is a masterful storyteller and I feel lucky to have his story now inside of me. Thank you, Fred Rochlin!
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and heartwarming story
Review: Fred Rochlin's account of his experiences as a navigator in WWII are droll and nostalgic, but also a sad reminder of the impact of this catastrophic time in history. His book reminds me of Catch 22 but it's an easier, faster read. This would be a great Father's Day gift even for the non-reader. Reading Rochlin is like sitting at a table where men are exchanging war stories, only these are all Rochlin's, and they are engaging and memorable. He clearly had fun writing it, and you will have fun reading it!
Rating:
Summary: Poignant World War II Memoir
Review: I adored this book. It was about man's cruelty to man told through the eyes of an ex World War II vet who finally told the truth about what he did in the War. Men are seldom this truthful, not to mention sensitive. Read it!
Rating:
Summary: one of the best books about WW2 I have ever read
Review: I didn't know what to expect upon reading this book but it came highly recommended by a person that I know. But I do trust his judgment since he reads a lot of books. I was just bowled over by this book: wildly funny,poignant and a great adventure story as seen by a navigator who flew many missions in "the last good war". Definitely a must read for any book lover
Rating:
Summary: Excellent WWII memoir
Review: I have been a WWII buff since I was a kid and I had a wonderful time reading this book. I am surprised at some of the critics. It appears readers either love or hate his work but I think these critics forget the human experience in war or even daily life. Think about your life when you were 18 and around others your age. This was his experience. Rochlin bares his soul to us and there are few of us who want to be that honest.
Rating: 
Summary: a major letdown .
Review: I was prepared to like this book before I read it but it was a major letdown. I like the memoir form,WWII stories and anything having to do with flying but this one seemed unnecessarily crude, witless and the writing was sophomoric. I am surprised that a major publisher would put out something like this but even more surprised and saddened that some writers whose work I admire would blurb this book on the back cover. God knows what prompted them to do it...they couldn't have read it. This is a bad book and for the first time in a very long time I felt cheated. Usually, even with a bad book one can take away something but not from this one. I can't think of a single good thing to say about this book.
Rating:
Summary: Worst WWII Memoir I've Ever Read
Review: I've been reading WWII vets' personal accounts for more than thirty years and this book JUST DOES NOT RING TRUE. I understand that the author has a stage act where he talks about his experiences. It sounds like he wrote this book with the idea of embellishing his act to (what else?) make money. His adventures come across as the fantasies of a dirty old man, writing what he WISHED had happened. A tryst with his aunt in the back of a truck while his uncle obliviously drives only a foot away? Yeah, right. An affair with a female Yugoslav partisan during weeks of evading Germans in the countryside? Forced to cut a young German prisoner in half with an automatic weapon? Come on! Worst of all, catching a CO (that he obviously hated) in a comprimising homosexual encounter when Mr. Rochlin just happened to peer through the window? Give us a break! It sounds more like petty revenge fifty+ years later. I bought this book at the airport and was looking forward to a diversion during a long flight. How utterly disappointing! Upon my return I expressed my opinion with a friend who'd also just read "Old Man In a Baseball Cap." We were both disgusted and felt completely ripped off. Short, silly and obviously a load of nonsense. Don't waste your money!
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