More Than A Battle Tale

Keith, Philip.  Fire Base Illingworth: An Epic True Story of Remarkable Courage Against 
        Staggering  Odds.  New York: St. Martins Press, 2013.  ISBN: 978-1-250-02495-4

In Fire Base Illingworth, Philip Keith provides a window into the chaos that was the Vietnam War in 1970.  Keith sets the scene with chapters discussing the strategy of using fire bases as magnets for the North Vietnamese Army and the remnants of the Viet Cong.  These chapters provide the information needed in concise, easily-understood terms.

Keith next provides a brief life story for Private Illingworth, the namesake of the fire base along with a summary account of what happened at Fire Base Jay a few days before the attack on Fire Base Illingworth.  But the heart of the book is the tale of the defense of Fire Base Illingworth.  In describing the defense Keith provides an almost minute by minute account of the heroic actions of the many heroes that barely managed to hang on when confronted by a strong, reasonably planned and decently executed attack by the NVA.  When reading the account you can almost picture the action as if viewing a movie, except that neither video  nor prose can place the reader in the midst of the action as does the voices of those involved.

The one gripe I have with the book is the lack of a map of the fire base which would allow the reader to easily place the players and follow the action.  But with that one caveat, I would highly  recommend this title for anyone interested in the Vietnamese Conflict.

A Great Lakes Hurricane?

Schumacher, Michael.  November’s Fury:The Deadly Great Lakes Hurricane of 1913.
        Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, November 2013.  ISBN: 978-0-8166-8719-0

Coming out on the 100th anniversary of the storm, November's Fury provides a narrative account of one of the most destructive storms to hit the Great Lakes.  On November 7-10, 1913, two fronts collided to generate hurricane force winds that lasted for hours.  Twelve ships were sunk (eight in one day), thirty-one others were grounded on beaches and rocks while other boats were severely damaged.  Over 250 men and women died as a result of the storm which also isolated Cleveland, Ohio in a blizzard that cut train service, disrupted food supplies and wracked the city with storm surges.

Michael Schumacher provides a day by day account of the storm as it hits Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, then spreads to Lake Huron and Lake Erie. The author uses diaries, contemporary newspapers, official reports, and secondary sources to bring to life the tales of the men, women and ships involved.  The reader is also provided many photographs of the ships named in the narrative, which also helps set the tone of the tale.  Readers are introduced to ship captains and crew as they make their struggle against the storm and lake.  We cheer and groan as disaster is averted or strikes with deadly consequences.  The author provides closure by letting the reader in on what has been discovered since 1913 in regard to the wrecks.  He also provides an appendix which summarizes all the ships involved with details regarding cargo, size, deaths involved, etc.

Despite growing up near the Great Lakes, I had not heard about this storm.  I found the book to be an interesting, informative and, despite the subject matter, an enjoyable read.  The narrative tone is  spot on to involve the reader in the story while providing just enough details to not overwhelm us.  I highly recommend this book for those interested in maritime and Great Lakes history.

The King in the Car Park

Langley, Philippa, and Michael Jones.  The King's Grave: The Discovery of Richard III's Lost 
         Burial  Place and the Clues It Holds.  London: John Murray, 2013.  
         ISBN: 9781250044105

The King's Grave is two short, intertwined books sharing a common cover.  The authors alternate chapters with Philippa Langley focusing on the search for the grave and Michael Jones the history of Richard III.

Philippa Langley opens the book by laying out how she became obsessed with Richard III.  She takes the reader with her as she walks the car parks in Leicester and experiences the feeling that she is standing on Richard  III's grave.  The whole process of arranging the funding, getting the permissions, finding archeologists willing to conduct the dig, etc. is all detailed.  Philippa Langly provides an immersive  experience for the reader  as she attends the dig, with all the emotions of finding bodies, disappointment regarding dating and placement, the thrill of possible identification and finally the acknowledgement that Richard III had been found and seeing the reconstruction of his features.  

Micheal Jones provides a more scholarly tone to the book with his chapters on the life and death of Richard III.  He provides a setting for Richard's life, placing him in his time rather than viewing him in isolation.  He takes the time to walk the reader briefly through Richard's life looking at the experiences that shaped and molded his character.  Micheal Jones then sets the scene for Richard's taking the throne after the death of his brother.  Richard III's brief reign is examined leading to the climax with the Battle of Bosworth Field.  The chapter on the battle provides one of the clearest account I have read of the fight and clarifies how and probably why Richard III ended up a loser in the battle. 

I found the two entwined tales interesting for the first-hand look at how archeology is done in modern England and the careful summarization of Richard III's life.  The two appendices were the only disappointing part of the book.  The first was an argument between the two authors regarding the fate of the princes in the Tower of London and Richard's role.  The second is a summarization of an article on the psychological profile of Richard III which had appeared in the March 2013 issue of Richarian Bulletin.  If you have an interest in Richard III or are intrigued by the finding of his grave in 2012, read The King's Grave to satisfy your itch for knowledge.

 

American Culture and Christmas Songs

Lankford, Jr., Ronald D.  Sleigh Rides, Jingle Bells, and Silent Nights: A Cultural History of  
       American Christmas Songs.  Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, October 2013.

Ronald Lankford, Jr., does not provide a standard history of Christmas songs.  He does not discuss in detail who wrote a particular song.  That type of history can be found in books such as Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas by Ace Collins.  Lankford instead studies how Christmas songs fit into and reflect American culture especially in relation to movies and television shows.

After an introductory essay on the American Christmas song tradition, Lankford examines Christmas songs in relation to nostalgia for earlier times, Santa Claus and gift giving, Christmas as carnival time, the poor and hard times in relation to American celebratory practices, and Christmas satire songs.   Lankford finishes the book with a return to nostalgia beginning in the 1980's.

If you are interested in the culture of Christmas, Lankford will not disappoint.  He provides plenty of evidence to back his claims, using movie stills and reference material to illustrate the book.  He provides a serious, yet entertaining look at a  timely topic.

An Operational Look at Kursk, 1943

Showalter, Dennis E.  Armor and Blood: The Battle of Kursk - The Turning Point of World War
        II.  New York: Random House, August 2013.  ISBN: 9781400066773.

In Armor and Blood,  Showalter synthesizes for the general reader the standard and more recent scholarship available on the greatest tank-on-tank struggle of World War II.  He provides an operational level (not a tactical or strategic) look at how the Germans and Russians fought to a bloody stand-still at Kursk.

Showalter lays the groundwork by briefly covering Barbarossa up to 1942.  He then examines the rationale that Model used to persuade Hitler to attack the Kursk salient while examining the Russian plans to counter a German attack and lay the groundwork for their own offensive.   The chapters that cover the attack are arranged chronologically with attention given to the relevant armies/fronts with both Russian and German units getting appropriate attention.  He then finishes with a look what came out of the battle and how it shaped the rest of the war, including the myths of the battle.

Showalter is not afraid to use a historian's 20/20 hindsight in regard to missed opportunities and pointing out mistakes made by commanders, soldiers and leaders while highlighting the fighting spirit of both the German and Russian soldiers.  He also does a very good job of explaining how the Germans repaired their armored vehicles overnight while Russians lacked that ability and the effect this had on various units fighting strength.

I found Armor and Blood an intriguingly detailed examination of the last great German offensive on the Eastern Front.  I encourage anyone with an interest in WWII and the Eastern front to read this book.

Not Just a Role Playing Game!

Ewalt, David.  Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play
       It.  New York: Scribner, August 2013.  ISBN: 978-1-4516-4050-2

You do not have to have been a nerd, geek, played D &D, read Conan the Barbarian, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, or other sword and sorcery books to appreciate Of Dice and Men.  But it does help with the jokes. 

David Ewalt takes the reader on an enjoyable, whirlwind tour of Dungeons and Dragons from the beginning in 1974 to the introduction of the newest rule set in 2012.  Along the way, he introduces you to all the major personalities in the evolution of the role-playing system.   This is a book of how a concept became a phenomenon that swept the country and the world before the age of the Internet while showing how it had changed to fit the times.

Like Man of War and Leaving Mundania, David Ewalt mixes his personal involvement with D & D into the history and stories using excerpts of his gaming sessions to introduce chapters and clarify concepts.  He is not afraid to discuss problems the D & D may cause in a life, but he also illustrates how it can help.  The book reminded this reviewer of the fun times he had with D & D in college and brought back many memories.

Highly recommended for readers interested in brand creation, company histories, gaming history, and role-playing.

High Tide of the Confederacy?

Tucker, Phillip Thomas.  Barksdale's Charge: The True High Tide of the Confederacy at 
        Gettysburg, July 2, 1863.  Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers, 2013.
        ISBN: 978-1-61200-179-1

Like most readers of history, especially American Civil War history, any time I see a book about Gettysburg, I resist adding it to the stack of books I want to read.  Most visit the same ground, emphasizing the same fights, and retelling the same stories.  I am glad that I made an exception with Barksdale's Charge.  Phillip Tucker makes a very convincing case that the often overlooked Mississippi Brigade's charge, routing a large part of Sickle's Third Corp, came the closest to splitting the Army of the Potomac which could have led to its defeat in detail.

 Tucker did not write your standard book on the Battle of Gettysburg.  Instead, he wrote a well-documented study of on particular unit (Barksdale's Mississippi Brigade of McLaws' Division in Longstreet's Corp) and the pivotal, but forgotten, role it played in almost defeating the Army of the Potomac.  Tucker sets the stage with two chapters discussing Barksdale and the other leaders of the Mississippi regiments, the units and their men.  He follows this with a chapter on the previous engagements of the Mississippi Brigade.  Chapter four sets the scene with narration of the battle for July 1 and July 2, 1863, as all the actors take their places.  Finally, in chapter five, the Mississippi Brigade is unleashed upon Sickle's men.  For the next eight chapters, Tucker uses quotes from letters and diaries, well-laced with maps to put the reader on the battlefield with the participants.  We can thrill with the enthusiasm of the Confederates as they overcome one obstacle after another only to fall into grief as the Confederates finally ran into a fresh unit they just could not overcome.  Then the "romantic" disaster of Pickett's Charge, state prejudice in the Army of Northern Virginia, and the death of Barksdale cast the role of the Mississippi Brigade into obscurity.

Take the time to read the book.  Your understanding of the Battle of Gettysburg will be changed as a result.

Not Just Another Battle of the Bulge Title

Collins, Michael, and Martin King.  The Tigers of Bastogne: Voices of the 10th Armored Division
     in the Battle of the Bulge.  Philadelphia: Casemate, June 2013.

The Tigers of Bastogne is about the fight conducted by Combat Command B of the 10th Armored Division alongside the 101st Airborne Division against hordes of Germans that laid siege to Bastogne.  The tale is told in largely in the words of the veterans that the authors had interviewed supplemented by unit after-action reports and citations for medals earned during the fight.  The authors provided a framing chapter that provided background on the 10th Armored and introduced some of the veterans.  The heart of the book is the day by day description of events beginning with December 15th and lasting to December 28th.  A final chapter provides a brief summary of the part played by the 10th Armored in the rest of World War II.

Michael Collins and Martin King have done Battle of the Bulge aficionados a great service by highlighting the role played by the 10th Armored in defending Bastogne with the 101st Airborne especially using the voices of the veterans.  However, there are issues of fact checking (mislabeling Panthers as Mark IV's for example) and proofreading (using fair instead of fare when referring to food) in the framing portions  written by the authors that should have been caught.  Non-aficionados will not grasp the full significance of this tale as the authors present the fight for Bastogne in isolation without relating it to the whole Battle of the Bulge campaign.  Also novices to the battle will be disconcerted regarding the disjointedness of the tale as one brief portion of a fire-fight is given, then there is a quick switch to another location with a different veteran with very little connection provided.  The maps provided are helpful, but few. 

Overall, despite the short-comings listed,  Michael Collins and Martin King are to be greatly commended for writing this book and letting the readers in on a little heard story.

Who Lost America?

O'Shaughnessy, Andrew Jackson.  The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American
        Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire.  New Haven: Yale UP, 2013.  ISBN: 978-0-300-19107-3

This title provides an interesting take on the War for American Independence by providing a collective biography of all the major players on the British side in this debacle  that nearly lead to the destruction of the British Empire.

 Starting at top with King George III and working his way down through government officials (Lord North, Lord Germain, and the Earl of Sandwich) to generals (Howe, Burgoyne, Clinton, and Cornwallis) and admirals (Howe and Rodney), O'Shaughnessy provides a brief life story of each man  placing their life in context before concentrating on the role each played in the war.  He also provides information regarding what happened to each person after the war.

By the end of this well documented and illustrated book, the reader has more understanding of the role each British leader played in the conflict and sympathy for their difficulties during the War for American Independence than one would think possible out of one book.

Not just another Arthur book

Halsall, Guy.  Worlds of Arthur: Facts and Fictions of the Dark Ages.  Oxford: Oxford UP, 
      2013.  ISBN: 9780199658176

 Guy Halsall sets out to provide a cure-all for the books that purport to reveal "new" knowledge about King Arthur.  Since the medieval times, tales and stories of Arthur has grown until he is a cult figure starring in numerous books, movies and legends.  But what is actually know is minimal.  The sources from close to his time period provide little concrete information and, as Guy Halsall points out, are not the most credible of witness.

The book presents four worlds of Arthur.  Part I is the world of post-Roman Britain leading into Anglo-Saxon Britain looking at the medieval sources that form so much a part of "pseudo-histories" of Arthur.  Part II is a look at the present knowledge that scholars have of the medieval sources and archeological evidence of the period.  Part II is an examination of how the writers of the "pseudo-histories" seek to avoid the evidence of scholars.  Part IV is Guy Halsall using the evidence currently available to provide his take on Arthur.

Overall, Guy Halsall provides a scholarly, readable look at what is currently known about 5th century Britain.  The book is recommended for academic and public libraries as well as for all readers wanting more than the latest pseudo-history on Arthur.

What is a librarian to do?

What is a librarian to do whose ambition (at least one of his ambitions) is to have book reviews published in academic review sources?

Well, that has been one of my goal listed in my annual review for several years.  Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't.  But I keep trying.  Now review source editors want to know what a possible reviewer has done in the past, so a want-to-be reviewer had better have material to share.   So my blog here is in part place for my practice reviews. 

So where can you get the books to review?  Well, there is always the local library, but those are already published, so reviews already exist.  Conundrum, conundrum, what to do?  These days, sites such as NetGallery allow many the opportunity to read and review forthcoming titles. So that is my source for the reviews found on this site.  I hope you will read, enjoy and join in any conversation that may ensue.