I have read upwards of twenty book about W W I I. This ranks at the top of all lists. I read it at age 17 and was overwhelmed. I read it at age 62 and was overwhelmed.
This is a first hand account of a paratroop division that fought the Nazis for two years, sometimes going for several weeks under fire without beds, warm food, clean clothes or water to bathe in. The hardships are stated simply and frankly without embellishment and they are chilling. The sudden death, the casual and astonishing acts of bravery and the mass murder of war are all presented the same way. And yet there is literature.
The author never speaks of his own conduct in war, he only observes. Fewer than half a dozen men he started out with came back alive. He died of cancer shortly after finishing this book. One of the survivors of his unit visited his grave with the author's brother and said, "The bravest man I ever knew is buried on that hill."
This is as close as you can come to understanding war without being there. The feats of the common men that Ross Carter served with are feats one would only expect of a superman. They laughed about it, lived with it and died with it. The book compares with "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Remarque, with "To Hell and Back", by Murphy and with "Her Privates, We", by Manning.

History books rarely get into the everyday lives and thoughts of soldiers during war. This book does that and more by chronicling the exploits of Company C, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division during its 6 European Campaigns during World War II. The book is a little rough around the edges because Ross Carter, a member of Company C, died of cancer in 1947 before he could rewrite the original draft. Still, it conveys the thoughts and actions of this elite force like no history book can. Especially compelling is the Battle of Cheneux during the Battle of the Bulge which has been compared to the final battle in Saving Private Ryan but with many more casualties.

In two years of researching my father's involvement in the Second World War, I found Carter's personal history to be by far the most honest account of combat I've ever read. In telling the story of himself and the men in his platoon, the author provides the reader with an up close and personal look at the comraderie, the terror, and the horrors of war. From North Africa, to Sicily, Italy, France, and Belgium, where he is severely wounded at The Battle of the Bulge, Carter tells a deeply moving story of a small group of brave, honorable men of the 504 Parachute Infantry Regiment. Casting his fellow soldiers as simply young men doing their jobs, the author's account will bring to frequent tears any reader with a sense of duty, honor, and country.

I got this book from my boarding school roomate, who also introduced me to such endeavours as rock climbing and Zen poetry. Obviously, many thanks to him for broadening my world and pushing my limits. Likewise, this thin book does the same. On the Loose is one of the books I keep handy for reading when things get too dark and I need to get out of the city limits. It's a positive idea - two young men, running wild through the west, productive in the sense that they are becoming conscious of Nature, themselves, and the encroachment if 'civilization' on that fragile world, and remains an inspiration to me to hold on to my own wild places I have found. The combination of grainy photos and wonderful quotes, as well as the poetic prose, inspire and center. I have purchased copies for friends, when it was still in print, and jealously guard my copy, although I am pleased to hear that the book will once again become available, as well as a follow-up. I expect it to be as strong of a work.

My biggest mistake was in buying and loaning out one too many copies of this incredibly moving and inspirational account of two brothers growing up wild and On The Loose. After giving this book as a gift over 20 times, I loaned out my own copy and never saw it again. What will it take Sierra Club to convince you to reprint this book? I have many freinds waiting for me to find a copy of what is my version of the bible. If there is anyone out there who knows how to get a copy, please let me know.

This book changed my life. I was given a copy while in high school in the mountains of colorado. I was, and continue to be, inpired by this book. My days and nights under the open sky of the west have filled my life with joy - and this book helped get me out there after growing up a city boy in california. Buy it, read it, and give copies to everyone you know.

Nolans Operation Buffalo was a very good book, no doubt about that in my mind. But he could have done more research on events leading up to it.

Prior to Operation Buffalo, there was Operation Hastings and Prairie. I was there! It is very hard for people to appreciate the unique terrain, weather, animals and other issues along the DMZ before the build up in that area. Our Maps were from a travel agency, so incomming could be from anyone and mostly was at the time.

He refers to BLT 1/3's Charlie Company as Chickenshit Charlie on Operation Prairie. If he got that information from Wickwire, I am ashamed and outraged that a U.S. Marine Corps Officer would make that statement. I would like someone to go into the area before the defoliant Agent Orange and the tons and tons of bombs that leveled the terrain and say that again.

Definately worth buying and reading, even worth sending copies to all your friends, but I would like to set the record straight anyway.

In the summer of 1967 the USMC found itself engaged in a battle that caught them by suprise and cost them over 180 soldiers KIA and many more WIA. Vietnam was a war where many restriction were placed on American fighting forces, those restrictions were even stricter in the strange terrain of the DMZ. Like other books by Mr. Nolan (Into Laos and Into Cambodia come to mind) there is rich detail and information woven into a story by a chronological telling of event leading up to and through the battle. While there is a very good and informative sitrep of American (particularly USMC) involvement in Vietnam the strength of this book is it's "put you in the foxhole" eyes view of the fight. I had never read an account of where almost an entire American Company was overrun by large NVA forces, it is not pretty. I have read that ear collecting was something that happened in the war to dead enemy soldiers, the NVA put their own sick twist on this sort of war atrocity by collecting USMC tattoos from fallen grunts. There are graphic descriptions of the early M-16 problems which ended up causing the USA and USMC many casualties. This book contains some things that really suprised me, NVA soldiers equiped with flame-throwers looking for suvivors of the initial ambush, NVA artillery support which was accurate and protected from US airpower hitting American forces with a sustained barrage, NVA use of USMC gear such as flak vests and radios, American tanks being blown away like toys. There are many sad twists, if you are looking for a John Wayne type combat read stick to a novel, this one hurts the heart. I can't say enough about this book, if you are a student of the fighting in Southeast Asia get this book, Mr. Nolan really puts things together in this clear and painfully vivid book.

Operation Buffalo should be made into a Movie as it the best written book I have ever read about what the Marines and Corpsmen of Northern I Corps endured in Viet Nam. Time and again the men of the First Battalion Ninth Marines found themselves fighting against numerically superiour forces with very little support available at critical moments. Mention is made in the book that the First Battalion Ninth Marines was marked by the North Vietnames Army for destruction. I can't say for sure that this was true, but "The Walking Dead" nick-name was was paid for in blood. Keith N. Price Former HM3 Disability Retired Bravo Company, First Battalion Ninth Marines

The 2 people that posted negative reviews of this book must be INSANE! First off, this is truly the holy grail of all KISS books for all KISS fans. Never before has such a complete look at the live history of KISS been done. You get rare set lists, incredibly rare and amazing photos and fantastic stories from the people that were there! Not the fake nonsense that Gene and Paul spout but REAL stories, good or bad! Its a wonderful read that takes you along for the ride in the KISS world. Its too bad KISS themselves couldnt put out a quality product like this.

For the gentlemen that felt the book lacked info or was factually incorrect, please do a little research. The Australian/Police issue has been well documented in newspaper reports and even TV reports which are widely available among real KISS fans. As for the photo quality. If you look carefully, many of the photos are not there for quality but for the simple fact that they are RARE photos. Some good examples are Ace on the platform in 1977 and Gene in his RARE Dynasty costume. These are photos that prove or disprove KISS myths that have festered over the years. They also relate to a specific account or detail contained within the associated chapter. Any real KISS fan would realize that.

If you are happy with incomplete and revisionist KISSTORY, then settle for the official publications and tell all rags that have been published in the recent past. If you want THE book on THE band, then pick this up. I promise you a better KISS book will not be found. Kudos to the authors!

After reading online that someone was attempting to assemble a "complete touring history" of the hottest band in the world, Kiss, my interest was immediately sparked. I had no idea what the book looked like, or what exactly it contained, but I didn't care. Being a die hard Kiss fan for several years now, I figured I'd get my money's worth. I wound up getting that and then some. This book, cowritten by Curt Gooch and Jeff Suhs is absolutely incredible. This is a Kiss fans dream come true; I've never seen anything like it. Everything you could possibly ask for is here. Details of every Kiss tour and every individual concert are explained in great detail. Insightful comments are given from members of Kiss' management, and others close to the band, as well as an occasional comment from band members themselves. And don't get me started on the pictures....Some of these have never been printed before until now, for example a picture of Ace right after one of his infamous car accidents which left his face in bad shape. This picture has him in makeup, but only half of his face is painted due to the injury. Casual fans are saying "what's the big deal?" but ... hard Kiss fans know that this type of stuff is just plain cool. Every set list for every show is included, as are the name of the venues and opening and headlining acts that shared the bills with Kiss. 288 pages, 3 pounds, it's a monster! God knows how long it will take me to get through the whole thing, but one thing is for sure.... this is must have for any Kiss fan. Hear the REAL stories behind every concert, things that you may have never heard before and may shock you! All in all, this is a great pick up for any Kiss fan, especially fans who purchased the box set and enjoyed the book that came along with it. I would compare it to this in the fact that they are both extremely informative and chock full of great photos of the band. So, if you're a true member of the Kiss Army, stop reading this and go get the book NOW. You'll be glad you did.

Over the years, there have been various books written about KISS. Some by journalists, some by those close to the band, and some by the band themselves.

This book is by far the best book yet about KISS. The amount of work and research put into this book is just mindblowing. They manage to track down and have stats on nearly every single KISS live show ever performed.

If you're a fan and have never read a book about the band, start here. If you've ever considered getting a book about the band, this is the only book you'll ever need.

I read this book and I loved it so much! It is one of my most favorite books of all time. If you havn't read this book, READ IT ! I'm glad I did, because now I know all there is to know about Kerri Sturg.

Before I read this book, I didn't really ccare for Kerri Sttrug. I thought that she was a media hog. Now that I read the book, it made me look at her in a different way. She is now one of my favorite gymnasts.

This is definitely a great book for Kerri Strug fans. This book tells you everything you wanted to know about Kerri. Kerri goes into great deal about her past hardships and disappointments. After reading about Kerri's endless dedication and determination, you will understand how much she truly deserves her Olympic gold medal and all the fame and attention she has received since her famous vault. This book also lets you get to know Kerri as a person, not just another gymnast. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes gymnastics and Kerri Strug.

In his epic account of America during the Civil Rights Era, Taylor Branch provides a compelling portrait of the rise to prominence of Martin Luther King, Jr. This Pulitzer Prize winning book is historical narrative at its finest. Branch focuses on the life of King, the African American politics of the era, as well as the local, state, and national politics affecting the civil rights movement.

Michael Luther King, Jr., was born to an elite African-American family on January 15, 1929. At the age of five, his father would change his and his son's names to Martin Luther King, in honor of Martin Luther after the elder King traveled to Germany. The younger King was raised with the highest of expectations. Highly unusual in his time, the King family had the means, through their powerful position as a leading Atlanta black family and through the enterprising and industrious ways of MLK, Sr., to put MLK, Jr. through college up to the level of earning a P.H.D. from Boston University. This education both shaped the younger King in the traditional ways of learning, as well as through the social contacts he gained, and through the experience of living in the relatively liberal north.

In 1954 at the age of 25, two weeks after the Warren Supreme Court handed down the landmark decision in Brown, et al., v. Board of Education of Topeka, King gave his first sermon as pastor-designate at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In taking this job, King was defying his father who wanted his son to eventually take over at his own church, Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church. Moving into the deep south, and away from the elite black community of Atlanta, King was in for a rude awakening as he was exposed to the depths and strengths of entrenched racism.

King soon rose to national prominence as the leader of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). With the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat to a white man, the MIA mobilized the black community in Montgomery into what became the largest act of civil disobedience among blacks up to that time. Branch's account of the Montgomery bus boycott, like the entire book, is riveting. Through great bravery, hardship, and persecution, the blacks triumphed and the Montgomery buses were finally integrated. King was just one of many blacks who provided leadership and showed courage through this ordeal, but because of his skills as an orator and his position as the leader of the MIA, he found himself thrust into the national spotlight.

The book culminates with the march on Washington in 1963, and the assassination of President Kennedy that same year. Throughout, King is portrayed as a brilliant leader, a fiery orator, a man willing to go to jail for what he believes in, and a man who is successfully and brilliantly riding the tides and changing currents of his times. However, Branch does not portray King as a solo operator. The events of the Civil Rights Era, starting roughly with the Brown decision, and going through the assassination of King in 1968, are a series of events with multiple personalities and acts of bravery against institutionalized persecution and entrenched bigotry. The southern mayors, governors, police chiefs, policemen, firemen, and the angry white southern mobs are shown as the villains of a racist society. President Eisenhower and to a lesser degree President Kennedy were reluctant participants in the inflammatory racial politics of their time. Attorney General Robert Kennedy took a more active role in civil rights than any of his predecessors at the Department of Justice, but he too was hemmed in by the politics of his own party. Richard Nixon, Ike's vice president and the Republican candidate in 1960, was more in tune with the plight of blacks than Eisenhower was, but Branch portrays Nixon, along with the other leading politicians of both parties as always acting out of political calculation. The most sinister man on the national level was J. Edgar Hoover, the entrenched FBI chief who would stop at nothing in his sick plots of snooping into the private lives of anyone he deemed of interest. King ranked high on that list.

"Parting the Waters" is a long book, but it is an easy and quick read. Branch brilliantly gives the reader a taste of America during the years of 1954 to 1963 from the perspective of the civil rights issue. He also portrays Martin Luther King, Jr., now a national martyr and hero to blacks and whites alike, as an extraordinary human being who rose to the challenges of his times and helped lead all Americans closer to the promised land of equal opportunity.

This book - the first in a projected series of three volumes - begins a comprehensive history of the civil rights movement, focusing on the role played by Martin Luther King. It is not a biography of King per se but Taylor Branch has a lot to say about how King, through personal effort, became a great leader. King was, of course, a great orator, and Branch is pretty adept at analyzing his methods. But almost anyone who has heard King or read him knows that he was channeling something greater than himself.

What King wanted for himself was a life of scholarship. Yet, as Jesus said on the Mount of Olives, "not my will, but yours be done." In a brilliant anecdote, Branch relates how King was elected, almost accidentally, to head the Montgomery Bus Boycott. At a mass meeting that evening, King gave an inspired speech. At the end of the speech, the audience sat, stunned. People reached out to touch him as he left the building. "[King] would work on his timing, but his oratory had just made him forever a public person. . . . He was twenty-six, and had not quite twelve years and four months to live." The obstacles in Montgomery in 1955 were many, and only a few weeks passed before King sat in despair, his face buried in his hands. He prayed, saying "I've come to the point where I can't face it alone." As he spoke these words, he experienced a transcendent religious experience that gave him the strength to continue his struggle. No man is perfect, but King knew his duty, and did it.

Beyond its insights into King's character, this book offers readers a survey of our country at a critical juncture. When the civil rights movement began, the balance of interests in the United States had left the South in the grip of the great evil of segregation. King himself shifted the balance. At the same time, thousands of ordinary Americans, devoted to nonviolent struggle, suffered tremendous privation, loss of livelihood, beatings, and sometimes death, making it impossible for the federal government to ignore the plight of Southern blacks.

Finally, through Branch's history, we meet a large number of what could almost be called interesting minor figures except that they were not minor at all. One of these is Vernon Johns, a brilliant farmer-preacher who preached the social gospel. In a memorable scene, Johns is asked to address a group of white and black preachers who are meeting to discuss the role of the church during a time of racial tension. He says, "The thing that disappoints me about the Southern white church is that it spends all of its time dealing with Jesus after the cross, instead of dealing with Jesus before the cross. . . . If that were the heart of Christianity, all God had to do was drop him down on Friday, let them kill him, and then yank him up again on Easter Sunday. That's all you hear. You don't hear so much about his three years of teaching that man's religion is revealed in the love of his fellow man. He who says he loves God and hates his fellow man is a liar, and the truth is not in him. That is what offended the leaders of Jesus's own established religion as well as the colonial authorities from Rome. That's why they put him up there. . . . I want to deal with Jesus before the cross. I don't give a damn what happened to him after the cross." At this point, no one's too happy that they invited Johns to speak. Lest we think that Johns was just an eccentric, though, Branch also refers us to Johns' "Transfigured Moments," which can be found on the web and shows Johns to be a serious man of considerable understanding and imagination.

In addition to its merit as history, Parting the Waters is a great read, and deserves to be read slowly. If you can do this, the time you spend with this 900-plus-page book will be extremely rewarding.

Presenting an authentic and comprehensive picture of the mammoth civil rights movement in the United States in the post WWII era is a daunting task, yet noted author and journalist Taylor Branch has succeeded masterfully with this, the first of a two-volume history of the struggle of blacks in America to find justice, equality and parity with the mainstream white society. Tracing the rise of the singular leader personified in the young Rev. Martin Luther King, Branch sets the stage for a wide range of events, personalities, and public issues. This is truly a wonderful read, fascinating, entertaining, and endlessly detailed in its description of people and events, and quite insightful in its chronicling of the fortune of those social forces that created, sustained, and accomplished the single most momentous feat of meaningful social action in our nation's contemporary history.

His range of subjects is necessarily wide and deep, and we find coverage of every aspect of the tumultuous struggle beginning in the deep South, and gradually working its way north and west until most of the urban northeast also surrendered to the battle cry for civil rights and justice under the law. In many respects this borders on being a biography of Martin Luther King and his times, yet Branch so extends his coverage of the eddies and currents of the movement itself that it appears to be by far the most comprehensive and fair-minded treatment of the civil rights movement published to date. Whether covering the issue of Martin Luther King's own personal life, his internal philosophical concerns, or his appetite for young white women, the reader is engaged with every element of this and a thousand other personalities, issues, and events that carved out the history of our country for almost twenty years.

One finds a very detailed of the Kennedy involvement in the movement, first as a purely political ploy to help to win the black vote in the extremely tight race for the Presidency in 1960, and then as an administration struggling to do what was right in the face of enormous social, political, and even economic opposition. Here too we find an absorbing account of how the FBI attempted to infiltrate and influence the movement, with J. Edgar Hoover's adroit political savvy and deep-seated racism causing great difficulty and a number of tribulations for the civil rights cause. The names and places and events described here are legion, and one gets the sense that anyone who had a conscience was involved, and many of the names mentioned later went on to greater accomplishment and further noteworthy contribution in their public lives and careers.

This, then, is a stupendous first volume of a wonderful two-volume history of the civil rights movement in the United States, and covers the period from the late 1950s when the first rumblings of the movement were sounded until just after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas in November of 1963. The second volume picks up the thread thereafter, extending out through the Johnson years and including aspects of the coalescence of the movement with the Vietnam anti-war protest. This is a wonderful book, and one I would consider essential reading for anyone with an interest in American history in the 20th century. I highly recommend both books, and I hope you appreciate reading them as much as I did. Enjoy!

Until I read this book, I always considered Gilda Radner's incredible comedic talent to have been her finest attribute; now, I am even more amazed at the courage and tenacity this woman possessed during her all-too-short life. She may have physically lost her battle with ovarian cancer, but in my opinion, her spirit and life-force won out.

I have read this book at least 5 times. I always read it when I'm feeling sad and blue. But no matter when I read it, I end up feeling thankful for life itself. Gilda was truly a remarkable person. Not looking at her professional life, I wish everyone had her strenght and motivation. If only she could have known the number of people she has helped by writing this book! I am personally going through a phase in my life where I must re-prioritize my life and every time I get depressed, I think of Gilda's hardship and then I remember just how blessed I am.

I always watched "Saturday Night Live" as a kid & wanted to be on there because it seemed like so much fun. The "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" lived a charmed life to me. So when I found out Gilda Radner had cancer, I was heartbroken. Now that I have read this, my eyes have opened to people who have this awful disease and Gilda's courage was uplifting & inspiring. Definitely a must-read for all!

I enjoyed this book rather immensely. It was short but was simultaneously gripping. It one man's story of the Vietnam War as he experienced it serving with a LRRP unit in the 101st. For those interested in seeing and understanding the Vietnam War from all the angles necessary to more completely comprehend the goings on over there, this book is an excellent addition.

Having been in the army, served in a war myself, and now turned helicopter pilot, I can truly recommend his book to everybody. Especially readers who are thinking of joining, people who have served and wifes who are trying to understand. Larry Chambers tells it how it is. It's the "real experience" without the politics and the [] Hollywood drama. I personally enjoyed most how the book showes that in the real world, all that was learned in basic and from the handbook, needs to be "slightly modified" to survive a real battle and keep working. You guys are true heroes to me and I thank you, Larry, for a wonderful book I couldn't put down until I was done at around 3am next morning.

If you want to fully comprehend and sense the rigors of that unforgettable war in Viet Nam, RECONDO is a "must read paperback." Larry Chambers' powerfully written book, accurately documents what has been told to me again and again by every one of my buddies who was there.

Being visually impaired myself, I found this book to be a very striking and accurate discription of what life is like for those who cannot see.

Mr Kuusisto wrote this from the heart, thus making this book a very touching and personal work of art. His encounters, from inner coping to inter-personal relationships, parallel many lives of the visually impaired community. He draws the reader quickly and effectively into his world, and never allows the reader to leave it. The book will make an impact on the reader for the rest of his/her life.

I highly recommend this "must read" book for any person, not only to learn about the blind world, but to experience it. Also, this book would be a valued gift to those who are blind to learn that they are not alone in this world.

As a graduate student, who is being forced to look beyond the comfortable world of deaf to an unknown planet of blind, this was a book of frightening similarities. The road of denial, surreptious coping, and ultimate empowerment through acceptance are parallel on both planets.

A definite must read for baby boomers entering on the macular degeneration road to the Planet of the Blind!

As a legally blind person, who had totally blind parents, this vividly written book went a long way in helping me come to terms with my own situation. Like Stephen, for years I was in denial about my own limited vision and tried, successfully for a time, to "pass" as fully sighted. This is no longer possible and I have to face my own limitations head on, as Stephen finally does.

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to understand what living on the "Planet of the Blind" is really like, and for anyone who enjoys beautiful writing.

I went to college long before Steve Hofstetter was born, and I never lived in a dorm. But I saw a copy and thumbed through it and laughed out loud. I'm sure I won't understand all of it, but there are enough funny parts to make it worthwhile. If you ever went to college, or if you know someone in college, BUY THIS BOOK!

I've been reading this guy's column on collegehumor.com for 2 years now. His sense of humor reminds me a lot of Dave Barry. When I heard he wrote a book, I knew I could count on him to make me laugh throughout the entire thing. He did not disappoint! There's even a forward from Rider Strong (boy meets world), but that's only the beginning.

Buy this book for your friends in college, friends on their way to college or your friends graduating from college. Even if you've never been to college, you'll definitely relate to sections such as his "Math of Dating."

Keep watching this guy. I heard he's writing more books. I want more now!

For anyone who has ever been to college, this is a must read book. Steve puts everything that is typical college into this book with a sarcastic spin that you just can't help but agree with and laugh. It is the best of his column for collegehumor.com. It is just a plain old fun book