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MWSA Review
Captain James "Bluto" Allen, USN (Ret), has had a heck of a life. His earliest dream had always been to live that life in the air as a Naval Aviator (think "Top Gun"), and except for his unshakable Christian faith and a powerful, military-grade level of personal determination, Life itself might have veered him onto a different course. Only an inability to quit chasing his dreams is ultimately responsible for his success, and this is fully debriefed in Plans That Made God Laugh.
Emerging from an early family situation that moved him around in a military lifestyle (his father flew B-52s), Allen prospered in college and flight school, which is not to say it was easy. Indeed, Allen makes it very clear that military aviation is hard, sometimes made harder when his problems weren't his fault. A minor sketchy eye exam kept him from flying front seat in the Navy's then-premier air superiority jet fighter, the F-14 Tomcat, but he was still able to get the back seat as a naval flight officer.
The memoir is a telling narrative that, yes, details his life and times, career set-backs and progressions, and happy times and less happy times. But more than anything, Allen's faith in God and in himself overcame every obstacle until after his active Navy days, he became a civilian airline pilot at the age of 47. The tale begins a bit slowly, with the usual early years depictions of family and college life. But the story, while not a thriller, soon accelerates like an EA-6B Prowler launching hard off the bow catapult.
The phrase "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans" is attributed to movie director and comedian Woody Allen, not believed to be Captain Allen's relation. But author Allen has managed to keep his good humor and optimistic outlook throughout a readable memoir—and a life—distinguished both by his faith and by his extraordinary service.
Recommended—and a must-read for military aviators.
Review by Daniel Charles Ross (June 2020)
Author's Synopsis
“If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”
My plan: As long as I can remember, I wanted to fly.
From humble beginnings in Kansas, to flying as a back-seater in a Navy carrier-based jet, to flying big spy planes and training airplanes, I forged my own path.
After many crushing defeats and unexpected victories, and combat experiences in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, I finally realized my dream of flying as a commercial airline pilot at age 47.
Plans that Made God Laugh is my story. I’m the little guy with the big dream.
It’s an example of what you can do, with God's help, if you put your mind to it.
ISBN/ASIN: B0864YJWXB
Book Format(s): Kindle
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 475