Category: .

Available for pre-order. Release date: February 28, 2023.

Frank Murphy was a World War II pilot, shot down over enemy territory. His story is quite similar to other accounts, with minor exceptions. Unlike the books that chronicle the brutality of life in a German POW camp, Murphy’s time of incarceration seems more like an episode of Hogan’s Heroes. He played in a band and took part in skits and plays. He received letters and packages from home and the Red Cross. Only toward the end of the war when the fleeing Germans marched their POWs through the snow did conditions become cruel, with those unable to keep up left to die in the snow.

Perhaps most interesting, Murphy was in the same POW camp that inspired the (based on fact) movie, The Great Escape (1963), starring a motorcycle-riding Steve McQueen. However, Murphy lived in a different sector of the camp and was not part of the prison break.

Murphy requested a transfer with two friends to that sector, but he had just joined the band and he didn’t want to disappoint his bandmates. Murphy made the hard decision to decline the transfer.

Of the 76 who snuck out of the camp, only three made it to England. The Gestapo captured and executed 50 men on direct orders from Adolf Hitler. Twenty-three were recaptured and returned to prison.

The title of Murphy’s book, Luck of the Draw, underscores the idea that he could have been killed on any mission, but luck played out for him to return home to his family after the war.

Murphy’s story is short. Evidently, it was published previously and is being re-released with a forward by family members, a list of his crew members, pages and pages of acknowledgments, an introduction, an extensive prologue, a broad back-story leading to WWII, including the history of military aircraft. My husband and I listened on a trip in our car for over an hour and the actual story about Murphy still hadn’t started. When it did, it began with his ancestors and his formative years. After Murphy relates his story, seven appendices and a bibliography are added at the end. Most of the information that bookends the meat of this volume are tedious facts, more suitable for a reference book.

For lack of enjoyable content, I can only offer three stars for Luck of the Draw.

#WWII #POW #TheGreatEscape #fighterpilot #militaryaircraft #FrankMurphy #NetGalley #arc #StMartinsGriffin

@StMartinsPress

Available for pre-order. Release date: March 28, 2023

Clancy Martin says he is addicted to suicide. He has wanted to kill himself at least from the time he was two or three-years-old. Martin’s first suicide attempt occurred when he jumped in front of a bus at six. He has made several attempts, most of which he describes in detail.

Martin compares his suicide addiction to alcohol addiction, with which he freely admits he struggles. Martin likens some AA catchphrases to suicide, such as, “Relapse is part of recovery”, and, “Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic”. He also notes the high correlation between alcohol and suicide.

Martin claims he wrote this book to show what it is like to want to kill yourself but go on living, to persuade those with suicide ideation not to follow through, for those near someone who has attempted suicide to treat that person gently, and for those left behind not to blame themselves.

Martin admits he wouldn’t refer someone considering suicide to the books of Anne Sexton, Edouard Leve, David Foster Wallace, or Nelly Arcan; these writers wrote about suicide and eventually killed themselves. Yet, Martin refers to the writings and lives (and deaths) of these authors in this book.

Martin, a Canadian philosophy professor, quotes, among others, Buddhist teaching, Goethe, Schopenhauer, Alfred Adler, Nietzsche, Freud, William Styron, and Eastern thought.

Is this really a self-help book for those afraid of giving in to the urge to kill themselves? Despite Martin’s 9-point list of what he applies when he feels suicidal, Appendix I: Tools for Crisis, and Appendix II: In Case of Emergency, I believe this book may be the impetus that give someone the courage to kill themselves. Martin talks about others who have committed suicide, quotes them, and aggrandizes their irrevocable act. Martin self-indulgently wallows in suicide. The book would be more helpful if he cut all but his list and the two appendices.

As of the writing of this book, Martin says his drinking is under control and he does not desire to “[hang] myself from a cedar beam in the garage”, a vivid phrase he uses more than once. He has overcome the dysfunctional family situation of his boyhood, excessive drinking, drug abuse, and multiple marriages. I sincerely hope that Martin can stay in his present healthy mental state and die what he calls a good death, not by his own hand.

I cannot recommend this book.

#suicide @PantheonBooks

Now available for pre-order. Release date: February 28, 2023.

Derek Leebaert suggests that four members of Franklin Roosevelt’s administration were outsiders, and somehow crippled, as he would become, yet they implemented the programs of the New Deal, leading America out of the Great Depression and to victory in World War II.

Roosevelt’s top advisors were Harry Lloyd Hopkins, Harold Ickes, Henry Wallace, and, uncharacteristically for the times, a woman, Frances Perkins. Each of these men and woman struggled with obstacles such as poor physical health, depression, alcoholism, complicated married life, questionable mental health, and ruined personal finances.

I don’t agree with Leebaert’s premise that Roosevelt purposely recruited wounded outsiders who brilliantly carried America from depression to thriving post-WWII. Time enhances history with a more intimate examination of a public individual’s private life. If we could look through the same lenses at four top administrators in today’s White House, I’m sure we would see the same sordid and sorrowful circumstances which plagued those of this book. No one is without problems.

Yet, if you are a student of American History, and especially of the period covered here, you will find this book to be a detailed look at the inner-workings of the Roosevelt presidency.

#FDR #WWII #NetGalley #arc

@DLeebaert @StMartinsPress

Jennifer Dobbs tells the story of the early part of her childhood, an idyllic life in China. At 6-years-old, she was the middle child and only girl of her British father and American mother, living in a western-style house in China. Servants and coolies attended to their needs, leaving her father to work and their parents to socialize in the evenings. Amah and, later, an au pair cared for the children. Still, Jennifer idolized her father and loved her mother. The time her parents spent with her and her younger brother (her older brother was at boarding school) was fun and adventurous, and even scary, as they moved several times to escape war.
War caught up with them at the end of 1941, while Jennifer’s parents were on a business and shopping trip in Hong Kong. Jennifer’s father was likely killed in a bombing, and the Japanese captured and imprisoned her mother in a POW civilian internment camp. During this “lost” period, adults shuffled Jennifer and her younger brother from Chinese servants to family friends to boarding school. The whole time, the children thought their parents would still come for them.
A prisoner exchange repatriated their mother to America in 1942. Mrs. Dobbs was now a mere 85 pounds and a widow, living with her mother and brother in Pennsylvania.
A kind-hearted pilot flew and escorted the children thousands of miles in a series of long and short flights from military bases and refueling stations along the wartime ferry route until they finally reached Washington, DC.
Disembarking the plane in DC, Jennifer didn’t recognize her mother at first; besides the weight loss, she wore a black mourning dress and veil. Her younger brother asked where their father was, and their mother gave them the clipped answer, “He’s dead.” She gave no explanation and didn’t speak anymore about her deceased husband.
Jennifer’s mother attended school, and after she graduated, she worked. She also began dating. Jennifer’s grandmother cared for her and her brother, now nine and seven-years-old. They saw very little of their mother.
It was as if Jennifer had lost both her parents. She could not process her grief and became disobedient. She acted out even more when her mother married a man who beat Jennifer with his belt. The rest of the book summarizes Jennifer’s life from high school graduation forward.
The book left me feeling sad. Based on Jennifer’s telling of this story, if her mother could have set aside her own grief and lovingly focused on her children, much of the heartache and emotional damage Jennifer experienced would have diminished. The book doesn’t mention any lasting impact of these experiences on Jennifer’s brothers, but clearly Jennifer did not receive the support she needed during this time.
It seemed the author sometimes attempted to write from a child’s perspective, but the result instead was those parts of the book could have targeted children readers. She repeated to exhaustion the “bump, bump, bump” of riding in the sedan chair, and the imitation of the air raid horn.
Even though the book left me sad, it was still interesting to read about China just before and during WWII.

#LostinChina #NetGalley #ARC

The Blackbird Girls is a Middle Grade, Historical Fiction book with dual timelines running during World War II and the disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Difficult circumstances thrust together two girls from different backgrounds, who have a history of not getting along. Through the love of a Jewish grandmother, one girl overcomes her prejudices, and the two girls become best friends.

Besides accepting those of other cultures and religions, secondary themes of child abuse and government oppression unfolding in the two settings give the reader a broader understanding of the world and its peoples, history, geography, and possibly even self worth.

I enjoyed the audio version of The Blackbird Girls, 10 hours and 6 minutes. The two narrators for the different time periods help the listener clearly follow the storylines.

Blankman masterfully melds the timelines near the end of the story, showing that human kindness can come from anyone, be needed by anyone, and may just save a life. This is a timeless message! Thanks to my Aunt Esther for recommending this book to me!

@AnneBlankman #VikingBooksforYoungReaders #historicalfiction #childabuse #paidlink

Alex Kershaw writes masterfully about Americans awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during World War II. Can you name a WWII Medal of Honor recipient? Unless you are a history buff, your guess is probably Audie Murphy.

Murphy came out of WWII with a limp, but few other lasting physical wounds. He also had a chest full of medals as the most decorated man of the war (including the Medal of Honor), and plenty of mental and emotional battle scars.

Maurice “Footsie” Britt, former pro football player, was the next most decorated soldier. He lost an arm in the war. Britt earned the Medal of Honor.

Michael Daly washed out at West Point, and couldn’t seem to earn his soldier father’s admiration. But as one of the youngest leaders in battle, Daly earned the Medal of Honor.

Keith Ware was normally a behind-the-scenes tactician, but when he got word that German soldiers had pinned down his men, he led a charge up “Bloody Hill” in the face of artillery, mortar, machine gun, machine pistol, and rifle fire, earning the coveted Medal of Honor.

Kershaw profiles other men’s heroics in this book; they also earned the Medal of Honor. The one thing all the recipients shared was unflinching courage in the face of certain danger. Some of these men saved many lives by their actions; some made the ultimate sacrifice of their own life.

If you’d like to learn more about the Congressional Medal of Honor recipients in the context of World War II as it progressed, you’ll enjoy this book. And if anyone asks if you can name any WWII Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, you’ll have all the answers.

@duttonbooks #MedalofHonor #WWII #paidlink #NetGalley #ARC #AlexKershaw

Dan Hampton, pilot and military aviation expert, has a new book being released May 3 by St. Martin’s Press, Valor: The Astonishing World War II Saga of One Man’s Defiance and Indomitable Spirit.

Valor is the true story of Lt. Col. Bill Harris’ life and military career. Ordered to surrender to the Japanese in the Philippines, Harris was immediately and brutally mistreated. He hatched a daring escape plan, barely avoiding the Bataan Death March.Hampton records perils Harris encounters as he tries to escape the Philippines and rejoin the Marines, including sharks, natives loyal to the Japanese, recapture, and surviving in a POW camp.

Hampton has done academic-quality research to preserve Harris’ story, with an impressive bibliography. Besides dozens of historical books, Hampton accessed Harris’ personal correspondence and exchanged phone calls and emails with survivors of Harris’ family.

This isn’t some dusty tome; there’s plenty of action, a dash of romance, and loads of inspiration in reading about Harris’ experience. Available for pre-order now from Amazon.

@StMartinsPress #preorder #paidlink #DanHampton #WWII #USMC #Valor #NetGalley #ARC

Katie McKenna, a physically fit, early 20s, NYC dweller decides to go for a quick bike (bicycle) ride before work one morning. At a light she signals she is she is turning, and she thinks the truck driver in front of her sees her in his mirror. He doesn’t, and McKenna is horribly crushed as both front and rear tires roll over her and her bike.

That doesn’t sound funny, but McKenna (who narrates the audiobook) had me laughing out loud during the first part of the book. If anyone is going to overcome these types of injuries, it will take a personality like hers that can see the funny side of tragedy, and a support system like she had. Her family was THERE for her through long months in the hospital and after discharge. They were so attentive and supportive; it seemed too good to be real.

McKenna and her family consumed a LOT of alcohol. She enjoyed bar hopping before the accident, and her parents began sharing a bottle of wine with her in her hospital room each evening. I don’t have anything against drinking in moderation, but nowhere was there a hint of warning against mixing booze with the strong, constant, necessary pain meds she was on. After discharge and still on pain meds, the drinking continued. I hope no one gets the wrong idea from this book that this is okay; it can be deadly.

McKenna made an attempt to answer the question, What about the truck driver? Although she devoted an entire chapter to this topic, she mainly discussed her feelings of being bitter or not toward him. No resolution was mentioned. Did she take legal action against him, or decide not to? This was never addressed. Her injuries left her in permanent pain and fundamentally changed who she is. McKenna should have let us in on how she came to terms with this. All we see is an unflagging determination to be positive.

This is a riveting book that I stayed up way too late listening to. 

@Inkshares @katiecmckenna #HowToGetRunOverByATruck #paidlink

Mention “Pediatric Neurosurgeon”, and the first thing that came to my mind (before reading this book) is Dr. Ben Carson, who performed the first pediatric hemispherectomy, and was famously involved in the separation of conjoined twins. I have read about and watched a movie about the now-retired Dr. Carson.

Thankfully, I didn’t have any children in need of a pediatric neurosurgeon. If I had, I’m sure I would have learned about Dr. Jay Wellons, who practices at Vanderbilt. Wellons, an inveterate southerner, is a talented writer, having also published op-ed pieces in the New York Times. Wellons titled his book, All That Moves Us, with a dual meaning, since we can move because of nerve impulses.

Wellons advanced progress of pediatric neurosurgery beyond what it was in Dr. Carson’s time. Significantly, Wellons is part of a team which corrects spina bifida in utero. Dr. Wellons relates stories about this as well as brain surgeries, nerve repair, and ironically, coming to terms with his father’s ALS.

Now available for pre-order. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advance reader copy!

#paidlink #pediatricneurosurgery #vanderbilt #bookreview #NetGalley #ARC

@VUMC_Neurosurg @JayWellons5 @randomhouse @MaryVogelsong

Chances were, John Luckadoo wouldn’t make it back. “Lucky” needed to complete 25 bombing runs before going home or taking another assignment. Most bomber crew members only accomplished ten missions before being wounded, shot down, or killed.

Lucky’s original crew completed the required number of missions before he did, so he had to make his last few flights as the senior man with an unfamiliar crew. This made the odds of Lucky completing all 25 missions even steeper.

Lucky’s memoir, written by Kevin Maurer, explores the relationship dynamics of B-17 bomber crews, as well as Lucky’s personal fears and loss of faith.

Lucky and his boyhood friend dreamed of being fighter pilots. His friend enlisted first, joining the Canadian RAF before America’s official involvement in World War II. Lucky enlisted after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and then almost washed out in his quest to become a pilot. On the brink of failure, Lucky got the backing of a patient instructor, and Lucky found the confidence to complete the qualification requirements. This instructor would again figure prominently in Lucky’s life.

Lucky dealt with a cowardly leader who thrust him into harm’s way, and experienced red tape that stymied him in the progress toward his goals. Lucky also experienced devastating loss, and so avoided becoming too close to the men he worked with.

At times, the text has more tell than show, conveying facts and setting up for snippets of dialogue. But if you enjoy military memoirs, you’ll like Lucky’s story.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the #ARC!

Now available for pre-order on Amazon.

#WWII #memoir #paid link #bookreview

@ScribblerSix @StMartinsPress