Trust but Verify by Karna Small Bodman

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MWSA Review

In Russian, “Doveryai, no proveryai” means “trust but verify.” Originally, the aphorism was related to President Ronald Reagan’s arms negotiations with the Soviet Union. Trust but Verify also happens to be the title of Karna Small Bodman’s newest page-turning thriller. But this time, rather than the now-defunct Soviet Union, the main characters in Bodman’s novel are dealing with ruthless Russian mafia criminal organizations and their foot soldiers. In her book, Bodman gives us a much-needed update on the phrase. In fact, her compellingly-told yarn might lead you to change your view of the expression. When applied to the Russian mafia types in that country today, perhaps it would be better to say, “Don’t Trust at All and Verify a Lot!”

White House Homeland Security Director, Samantha Reid knew she had a tough job, but she didn’t think her life was in danger. After a large explosion rips through a high-profile cocktail party she’s attending, the authorities rush to figure out who did it and why. Racing to find clues as to who’s trying to kill her, Samantha teams up with FBI Special Agent Brett Keating. The duo quickly learns that things are even worse than they feared. With help from her conscientious FBI agent collaborator, they race to stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

Will the US economy take a large hit? Will at least some of the bad guys repent? Will these two crime fighters track down the bad guys or will they die trying? You’ll have to read this book to find out!

Review by John Cathcart (April 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

Samantha Reid, the brilliant Director of the White House Office of Homeland Security, is enjoying a rare evening away from Washington at a Florida charity ball when an explosion sends the well-heeled attendees stampeding into the night. Narrowly escaping the blast, Reid returns to the White House where she has been investigating the finances and illicit arms sales of a shadowy group of Russian oligarchs . . . who want her eliminated. But she is not alone. When FBI special agent Brett Keating discovers Samantha was the target of the Florida attack, he resolves to protect her while also endeavoring to unravel a brazen plot that threatens the lives of international financial leaders and stock markets worldwide.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-62157-779-9, 978-1-62157-854-3, 978-17213-5878-6, BO7PODITN9P, BO7BTHHLVX
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Kindle, Audiobook
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 358

Q.Fulvius: Debt of Dishonor by M.G. Haynes

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MWSA Review

Reprieved from the sentence of death, criminal Quintus Fulvius found himself drafted into the Roman Army more than a century before Caesar came to power. Although he had not finished his basic training, he was thrust into combat where fate and fear left him standing while the rest of his unit fled the enemy. This act of bravery thrust him into the spotlight of his superiors, and he gained instant promotion to centurion.

Through Q. Fulvius: Debt of Dishonor, the author writes of the daily duties occupying the Roman legionaries, with Fulvius learning on the job as he schemes to enrich himself. He puts the reader into horrific battle scenes and on grueling marches. When Fulvius’s century is charged with protecting a pass from raiding Gauls, he conspires to collect fees from traders passing through his fortification.

As Fulvius becomes wealthy, his century joins in the scheme until a tribune—a magistrate from Rome—arrives on the scene and attempts to extort excessive funds from the centurion. As Fulvius wrestles between his past as a petty criminal and a future of glory in the legion, he finds it difficult to stay in both worlds.

M. G. Haynes’s extensive research provides a rare glimpse into the life of a common soldier faced with greed and struggling to survive. I highly recommend this book.

 Review by Joe Epley (March 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

In Rome, 216 BC, Fulvius is a murderer, a thief, and condemned to die. Saved by the catastrophic defeat of the Roman Army at the hands of the Carthaginian General Hannibal at nearby Cannae, he’s forced into the legion and an altogether unfamiliar world of soldierly duty and honor. Realizing promotion as the unexpected reward for paralyzing fear, Fulvius finds the Army not so dissimilar to the shadowy Roman underworld he knows so well and schemes to make the experience worth his while. He betrays, and is in turn betrayed, in a whirlwind cycle of threat, violence, and criminality leading to an ultimate showdown and reckoning that could undermine the entire war effort. Hannibal is no doubt coming, but that may be the least of Rome's troubles.

ISBN/ASIN: 1704643015, 978-1704643014, B082H5GKT8
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 335

Persian Blood by M.G. Haynes

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MWSA Review

Author M.G. Haynes does a masterful job of delivering a suspenseful, action-packed tale in Persian Blood.

The story follows a motley group of battle-hardened American soldiers in Afghanistan who unwittingly stumble across an ancient Persian relic overshadowed with a bloody history and a curse. Readers also embark on a colorful journey through time as they trace the ominous artifact—a sagaris battle axe—across many historical landscapes including the ancient empire of Darius to Quetta under the British Raj.

The author’s literary flair, historical research, and detailed knowledge of modern military combat operations result in a highly credible and entertaining story. Vivid and engaging, Persian Blood is a compelling must-read for those who enjoy history, action and creative storytelling.   

Review by Zita Ballinger Fletcher (March 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

 A U.S. Special Forces team, code-named Reaper, is hunting insurgent leaders in the mountains of Eastern Afghanistan when it discovers an ancient artifact. Revered by the local tribes in myth and legend, the relic disappeared from sight two thousand years ago. The Pashtuns call it “Persian Blood” and ownership bestows the mantle of legitimate and indisputable leadership upon its owner. A prize worth fighting for. A prize worth killing for. The harsh winter storm provides a rare opportunity and the local tribe risks everything to possess the relic, with Reaper caught in the middle, neither understanding why they are being attacked nor how they can escape the trap. Betrayed by one of their own, out of water, and running low on ammunition, the team is first hounded, then besieged, and only true understanding of what it is they carry will see them through this mission alive. The war in Afghanistan has always been complicated. It’s just become even more so.

ISBN/ASIN: 1547079622, 978-1547079629, B073NMLMNQ
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 312

Vala's Bed by Joyce Faulkner

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MWSA Review

Vala’s Bed by Joyce Faulkner is a fictional story of a young German woman who married an American G.I. and moved with her two sons to a small town in Ohio right after World War II ended. Her husband, Sonny, readily considers Emo, known as EJ, and Milo, known as Mick, as his own, even they are aren't his biological children. One possession Vala manages to have shipped from Mannheim, Germany, is her ornate bed, which she treasures. But she is haunted by memories of life as a young girl in Nazi Germany, where she lived with her older sister and her parents. Staunch Nazis, her parents had considerable social standing. Elder son EJ has a mild form of epilepsy and sometimes experiences vivid dreams. He ultimately suspects they may not be dreams at all, but memories. However, his mother refuses to speak of her life in Germany and offers no clues. Mick and EJ secretly rummage through their mother’s suitcases of mementos and documents, trying to find out more about their—and their mother’s—past. As they grow from young boys to men, EJ in particular, questions anyone he thinks might have a key to his mother’s demons and real answers to his own history.

Much of the story reveals itself in dialogue and the story is told through EJ’s point of view. The characters in Vala’s Bed are richly drawn and their voices are distinct. Anyone interested in what it might have been like for a German to move to the U.S. right after World War II ended will find this story enlightening. It allows the reader to understand how a parent’s beliefs and actions can affect a child’s life forever. It warmly draws vivid images of life in a small town and deftly weaves together relationships from Vala’s childhood in Germany and her adult life in the U.S. This is a book worth reading…a book that will make your care about what happens to its characters.

Review by Patricia Walkow (April 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

Choosing to marry an American GI and accompany him home to Cold Creek, Ohio, after World War II, Vala Hess manages to escape her past and provide shelter and protection for her two young sons, Emo and Milo. But her tormented, traumatized past doesn’t let go.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN 9781943267231
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 331

There it is...It don't mean nothin' by Charles Hensler

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MWSA Review

A gripping firsthand account of the Vietnam War, Charles Hensler's memoir  There it is…It don't mean nothin' captures the experiences of a young man and the soul of an era. Written in a straightforward and easygoing manner, the book is refreshingly candid. Hensler takes a well-organized approach, giving readers unfamiliar with the Vietnam War a context for events and themes in this rich autobiographical account.

Hensler's vivid and direct writing style is riveting, giving the reader an experience like listening to his storytelling in person. He adds depth and color to the narrative by noting important historical and cultural events, giving a view of the larger world around him as he experienced the war. Other enriching details incorporated into the story include brief guides to military slang and common Vietnamese phrases, which truly make the era come alive.

The book is deeply moving, humorous at times, and very honest. It imparts a deeper understanding of the experiences of young American servicemen during the Vietnam War. For those seeking to enhance their knowledge of the war and the men who lived through it, Hensler's story is an essential read

Review by Zita Ballinger Fletcher (March 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

I served as an infantryman with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam from April 1968 to April 1969. It was a year of transition for the country. America’s support for the war was rapidly fading while racial strife, social upheaval, and political unrest were escalating. The Army was not immune to these changes, and the resulting ramifications rippled throughout the Army. Consequently, my story is not just about slogging through rice paddies or hacking through jungle foliage but integrates how events and changing attitudes back home impacted our morale, discipline, and trust in what we were being asked to do. It was a crazy time in America and no less so in Vietnam.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN-13: 978-1-7239-7074-0, ASIN B07GV4ZPTR
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 291

Bangkok File by Dale Dye

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MWSA Review
Gunner Shake Davis, U.S. Marine Corps strikes again—for the eighth time!

In Bangkok File, author Dale Dye’s hard-core, hard-as-nails, hard-to-kill Marine is back in action. The only thing “former” about this Marine, are his active-duty paychecks.

After a series of pirate attacks start making life terrible for commercial shipping in the Gulf of Thailand, Shake gathers up an eclectic, international team of fighters to help figure out what’s going on and then put a stop to the pirating.

Filled with action, the reader will struggle to keep up with all the action and special fighting forces’ lingo thrown at them. Keep your seat belts fastened; you’ll be off to see lots of exotic locales from the Texas Hill Country to the rough-and-tumble seas off the coasts of Thailand and Cambodia. Although Shake’s been here before—fighting a different, but equally tough opponent who’d like nothing better than arrange a body bag for Shake—there’re plenty of bullets flying and plans going astray.

The only question is, Will Shake really retire or will we soon find book nine in the series on our library bookshelves?

Review by John Cathcart (February 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

He’s unplugged and living the dream at a new Texas Hill Country homestead, but Gunner Shake Davis never really expected that to last. When he gets a phone call asking him to undertake a lazy look-see mission to determine the root of at-sea oil rip offs in the Gulf of Thailand, Shake returns to some old haunts in Southeast Asia. It starts in Bangkok, moves to a sea cruise in a commandeered junk, and winds up on Koh Tang off the Cambodian coast. And that backwater little spit of sand haunts Shake’s memories from the days of the screwed-up Mayaguez rescue mission at the end of the Vietnam War. The bad guys on Koh Tang are oil pirates and just as deadly as the Khmer Rouge that nearly killed him back in 1975. A simple recon mission gets twisted, obscured, and altered—which brings Shake and his crew into a second Battle of Koh Tang Island.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1944353247
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 259

Winds, Waves, & Warriors: Battling the Surf at Normandy, Tarawa, and Inchon by Thomas M. Mitchell

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MWSA Review

Thomas M. Mitchell has provided an exhaustively researched and heavily annotated academic volume on a resolutely esoteric topic—the study of the developing discipline of oceanography and the new war-time skill of wave forecasting—and it often reads like a Michael Crichton thriller. He explains in authoritative but easily understood principles how knowing the nature and effect of ocean currents, winds, and waves helped the success of the World War II and key battles in Korea, saving actual lives.

"With very intricate planning, General Douglas MacArthur used the unfavorable bottom and tidal conditions at Inchon to surprise the North Koreans, who thought no one would dare attack at a location with so many natural obstacles."

This work trembles with the impressive weight of its research authority. The details are copious and vivid, and so extensive as to render this work as an important reference for future scientists, meteorologists, and history buffs alike. It is exhaustively well organized and, though the topic is necessarily technical in nature, the writing doesn't rely on pedantic recitation of wave science; instead, it offers a well-organized and accessible style that not only improves the reading experience but also improves the transfer of information. It's science, but it reads like a novel.

Before WWII, sea conditions were assessed using a system known as the Beaufort Scale that was developed in 1805 with anecdotal observations—based on what someone saw and reported. Hardly scientific. The U.S. Army saw the need to know more, and more reliable, information about winds and waves and how they interacted, and the first warrior meteorologists were commissioned. From Normandy to Tarawa to Inchon, their work affected not only how invaders came ashore during initial assaults, but also how essential follow-on tasks such as resupply and logistical needs were met.

The level of detail is as impressive as it is exhaustive, from tidal times to how many tanks made it to Normandy's Omaha and Utah beaches between 0540 and 0640 on D-Day (twenty-eight of fifty-seven skirted, dual-drive Shermans were swamped and lost).

A history buff will find a new favorite topic in Winds Waves & Warriors, and a new expert witness in Dr. Mitchell. Strongly, unequivocally recommended.

Review by Daniel Charles Ross (April 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

Mention the word ‘oceanography’ in relation to the military, and for most people images of the navy come to mind. Wartime oceanography reaches farther though, to the lives and deaths of foot soldiers and marines. Invasions at Normandy and Sicily during WWII, and at Inchon in Korea, for example, would have been suicidal without knowledge of the ocean’s potential for disruption.

Winds, Waves, and Warriors is not a re-telling of the D-Day weather forecast. That story has been told many times. This book goes beyond the D-Day weather forecast to describe the oceanographic phenomena at Normandy June 6, 1944, and at other locations where US soldiers and marines fought the ocean just to reach the beach.

From America’s first D-Day landing at Vera Cruz during the War with Mexico, through the Korean War, the stories of the soldiers and marines who fought and died in these battles have been told mostly in terms of the military strategy, tactics, and maneuvers used to overcome the enemy. Winds, Waves, and Warriors tells of their struggles with a foe that sometimes was as formidable as the opposing army – the ocean. It explains how the ocean caused the havoc it sometimes did to provide a unique and insightful glimpse into this little-recognized, yet extraordinary aspect of ground warfare.

The challenge was to move men and equipment from ship to shore, through the surf, surviving both the enemy and the sea. Winds. Waves. Tides. Currents. Beach and bottom conditions. Weather and wave forecasting. For example, the oceanography of tides is explored so the reader understands the impact tides had on selected operations. What causes tides? Why is the tide range so great at some places and nearly imperceptible at others? Why do tides vary in range throughout the month and year at a given place? How did these factors affect the Normandy and Inchon landings? Did the enemy think the tides and other natural obstacles protected him at these places?

Clever methods to determine water depth, beach slope, underwater shoals, etc. were developed out of wartime necessity. An Army Air Corps lieutenant dug a hole on the beach at Normandy to help him predict tides more accurately. Decades before we had weather satellites, the Army’s Beach Erosion Board and research groups such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography exploited basic concepts and principles of physical oceanography to develop crude, but effective instruments and techniques for ocean remote sensing and forecasting.

Winds, Waves, and Warriors goes beyond examining the role of oceanography in military operations to tell the stories of some of the people involved in these actions, and how they used the ocean to their advantage. Soldiers, marines, staff planners, commanders, oceanographers and meteorologists, and research institutions all contributed to some of the largest and most important military invasions in history.

The army commissioned courses in meteorology, primarily at UCLA and the University of Chicago, to teach Army Air Corps officers to forecast weather conditions. They later added a four-week course in oceanography and ocean wave forecasting at UCLA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography to teach selected graduates of the meteorology course to make detailed forecasts of beach and surf conditions at planned amphibious landing sites.  Several hundred officers completed the courses and went on to forecast for operations at Normandy, throughout Europe, and in the Pacific campaigns. The author had the pleasure and honor to interview and correspond with three of these remarkable gentlemen and one of the professors at Scripps who taught them.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0-8071-7223-0
Book Format(s): Hard cover
Review Genre: Nonfiction—History
Number of Pages: 154

Unseen Body Blows by William Gay

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MWSA Review

Unseen Body Blows: The Fighting LST 479 and Its Seven Pacific Campaigns, 1943-1945 caught my eye for several reasons. First, because of my father’s service as a 19-year-old Marine on Iwo Jima, I find anything about the Marines or the Navy in the Pacific interesting. On the other hand, the history of an LST? Really? My initial thought was, “Isn’t that kind of like the history of a particular truck in a land war?” I was so wrong.

Alex Gay was a young sailor assigned to brand new LST 479 in 1943. In his later years, as old vets often do, he began a book of personal wartime memories combined with a wider historical background. However, Mr. Gay didn’t finish this project before he died, and his son William took his father’s original book, notes, photos, and stories—and added some serious research. From the concept, design, and building of the LSTs in general—and LST 479 in particular—to amusing images of inexperienced crews tooling around the coast of California in newly designed, built, and delivered LSTs, to early adventures in the Aleutians, to the harrowing Pacific battles in 1944 and 1945, William Gay both educates and entertains the reader. Aside from the young sailor’s wartime adventures, LST 479 herself becomes a beloved “action” character. Her journey from shiny new vessel to a tired-old rusting hulk, to the proverbial scrap heap is both educational and fun—so much so that I was reading sections out loud to my husband.

This book is well written and edited. It’s educational and easy to read. It includes a much-appreciated glossary for landlubbers like me who don’t speak Navy. And even more importantly for fellow researchers, the author included chapter by chapter sources that include published and unpublished papers, after-action reports, historical analyses, and other information. In fact, I got stuck in Sources looking up this or that for a delightful week of curiosity browsing. I wish there was an audio version so I could continue enjoying it while driving.

Review by Joyce Faulkner (April 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

There have not been many books written that are an in-depth look at the brief operational life of a World War Two landing ship tank (LST) in the Pacific Theater and how it fits in into the broader context of the war.

Unseen Body Blows takes a close look at one of the earliest of these unique ships, LST 479, and explores its life from launch to scrapping. It also reflects the ship’s role in the broader strategy of the Pacific War as the U.S. forces island-hopped towards the Japanese homeland. By extension, it also incorporates the history of other LSTs that fought alongside the 479—especially many of the 15 that were built at Henry Kaiser’s shipyards in Richmond, Ca.

Between 1942 and 1945, 1,051 amphibious tank-landing ships were rapidly produced. Even with that large inventory, they have been virtually ignored by historians.

These were anonymous vessels, slow and unwieldy. They had no names—just numbers. In the words of one crewmember, they looked like bathtubs. LSTs had a reputation of being expendable and of relatively low value, and so were bestowed another, less noble, nickname; “Large Slow Targets.”

They were put into service to get troops and equipment ashore. Typical of all early LSTs, 479 crew members on commissioning day, April 19, 1943, were raw amateurs. But over the next 1,046 days, the 479 crew became sailors as they coped with collisions, accidental groundings, navigational errors, lots of mechanical breakdowns—and the enemy. Displaying heroism and ingenuity, they rescued the crew of a crippled landing craft during an Alaskan storm, battled fires aboard a burning LST hit by kamikazes, and fought off air attacks. Through all this, the 479 landed troops and equipment at Kiska, the Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands, New Guinea, the Mariana Islands, the Philippines, and Okinawa.

In gripping, meticulously researched, “you are there” fashion, author William A. Gay, recounts the fascinating history of the 479’s seven Pacific campaigns; from the day-to-day life of the men aboard her to their terrifying encounters in battle as they delivered “unseen body blows” to the enemy that helped win the war in the Pacific. Unseen Body Blows is listed on the suggested reading list page of Navsource.org.

Genre(s): Nonfiction, History
Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-5255-3833-9, 978-1-5255-3834-6, 978-1-5255-3835-3

I'll Lend You My Daddy by Becky King

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MWSA Review

I’ll Lend You My Daddy, written by Becky King and illustrated by Valerie Valdivia, is an exceptional book that addresses military deployment from the point of view of the child whose loved one is absent. Suitable for young children—and fun to read for grown-ups—the book explores activities that the service member is missing (birthdays, holidays, school plays), activities the child can engage in (letter writing, care packages, phone conversations), emotions the child is experiencing (sadness, longing, pride, joy) while also representing the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.

The rhyming text presents a simple meter that is easy and fun to read, with rhyme schemes that fit the age level of the child. Illustrations are appealing, eye-catching, and detailed enough to allow the child to make discoveries along the way. Words and illustrations are laid out on the page so that they flow from one thought to the next.

While this book is a must-read for young children experiencing the deployment of a parent, it would also make a great read-aloud selection for all young school children to build appreciation for the sacrifices made by military families. It would be a great addition to every school library. 

Review by Betsy Beard (January 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

A heartwarming story of love, courage, and comfort during deployment for military families with the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. In I'll Lend You My Daddy, young boys and girls find ways to manage feelings about deployment (from goodbyes, to the first night, to missed birthdays) as they eagerly await their fathers' return. Through the support of family and friends, care packages and calls, these children grow strong with the knowledge of what it means to serve, generating pride from within, that makes glorious reunions all the more sweet by book's end.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1733663038, 978-1733663014, B08165T151
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book
Number of Pages: 32

Vietnam Photographs From North Carolina Veterans - The Memories They Brought Home by Martin Tucker

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MWSA Review

Most people have heard "a picture tells a thousand words," but that doesn't do the pictures in Martin Tucker's book justice. Born from a vision to heal North Carolina veterans, this book has grown to a full-fledged treatment for those who are suffering from unseen wounds in any state. 

The pictures run the gamut from behind the lines to R&R to combat (although there is very little blood), and perfectly capture the Vietnam experience, especially for infantry and ground combat types. The photos themselves are excellently balanced between color footage and raw black and white images. The captions, too, range from short, impactful statements to longer comments filled with humor or amplifying details.  The book itself is very professional, and both the pictures and the text would be well received by any veteran of that war.

Very well done, start to finish, Vietnam Photographs From North Carolina Veterans belongs on every Vietnam vet's bookshelf.

Review by Rob Ballister (January 2020)

Author's Synopsis

"Vietnam Photographs From North Carolina Veterans - The Memories They Brought Home" is based on a national traveling exhibition of photographs - and recollections - taken by Vietnam veterans during their tours. Curated by Vietnam-era veteran and award-winning photojournalist Martin Tucker, the book is the first time the veteran's personal images have been published. Finally, it is their opportunity to "show what they couldn't say". The original exhibition is now in the permanent collection of the North Carolina Museum of History.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN 9781467142199
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Photo Book
Number of Pages: 192

Finnian's Key by Frank Lester

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Author's Synopsis

Kona moves to Finnian’s Key to restart his life, seduced by narcissist Benson Elliott’s wager: live in their lighthouse a year and win $1,000,000. Instead of an easy payoff, he becomes ensnared in Elliott’s subterfuge to launder illicit drug money through the village. Elliott’s success rests on finding the village’s missing 260-year-old deed, his only obstacle, Mary McClinton, the last descendant of the village’s founder. Kona falls in love with Mary, disrupting Elliott’s meticulous plans. Desperate and driven by a deeper ancestral objective, Elliott abducts Mary at gunpoint. Kona must join forces with spectral visitors from the distant past in a final effort to foil Elliott’s evil designs and free Mary from his clutches.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN-13: 978-1796058789, 978-1796058772, ASIN: BO7YDCJWWK
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 278

Off the Hook: How Forgiving You Frees Me by Dana Tibbitts & Patti Goldberg

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MWSA Review
The subject of forgiveness has been written about since the earliest days of communication, as in the old Christian Bible stories. Authors Dana Tibbitts and Patti Goldberg, take a refreshing look from their own religious and spiritual points of view, but use plenty of biblical scripture and stories to illustrate their insights. 

They deliver an overall message of love and hope for recovery from our own unhappiness caused by holding onto old hurts and feelings. Their message is about healing and moving forward and freeing yourself from the past. It is done in both an entertaining and inspired way and avoids getting too preachy. It is written for the normal average reader, easy to read and digest. 

Their book is a helpful tool for getting yourself unstuck and "Off the Hook" so you can grow spiritually and emotionally. Most Christian readers will find value in including this book in their personal library.

 Review by Bill McDonald (February 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

 SO YOU THINK YOU'VE FORGIVEN? THINK AGAIN. Is there something you’ve inadvertently picked up along the way that’s sucking the life out of you? Stealing your peace? Has you stuck? Stuck happens. Much as we think we’ve moved on, hard things have a way of taking root in the heartscape of our lives. Off the Hook shares real life stories of real people who had no idea they were still captive to past hurts—until they walked through deep forgiveness! This way of forgiveness offers healing and freedom you never thought possible. It’s about the power of truly letting go—taking old pain patterns and people off your hook, for your sake, not theirs. No longer hemmed in by the burden of deep hurt, loss and offense, you are free at last to soar above it. Discover what no one has told you about the forgiveness power tool—what it is, what it is not, and how to do it. Rewrite the ending to your true story by retrieving the wellbeing and destiny God has for you.

ISBN/ASIN: 0985097833, 978-0985097837
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, Audiobook
Review Genre: Religious/Spiritual
Number of Pages: 212

Point: Wilderness War in Vietnam and Cambodia- A Memoir by Jamie Thompson

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MWSA Review

Jamie Thompson’s Point, Wilderness War in Vietnam and Cambodia is a unique insight into a combat infantryman’s experience in Vietnam.

Walking point (leading a patrol, platoon, or company), could be the most dangerous job in Vietnam. Sergeant Jamie Thompson doesn’t avoid such duty, he craves it. To him, he has never felt so focused, so alive, as when leading his unit through Vietnam or Cambodia. After he is wounded, he must decide if he can overcome his fear and return to the job he loves, and to the men he feels sworn to teach and protect.

The author has an extraordinary memory, and relays his entire army experience in vivid detail. The book is very technically well written and Thompson does a very good job of mixing combat field experience with tales of fun and camaraderie in the rear areas. This is the grunt’s perception, no strategy or heavy moral points, just survival and love of one another in combat.

I especially enjoyed how the author’s upbringing was reflected in his memoir. His father always taught him to “do the right thing,” and that was clear in his writing. He had several chances to make it easy on himself, but instead took care of his men and his mission first.

Any Vietnam grunt, especially one who was wounded, will appreciate this story and relate. Also, anyone interested in the Vietnam experience because of a family member will learn more about what their loved one endured in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

Review by Rob Ballister (February 2020)

Author's Synopsis

 Jamie Thompson arrived in Vietnam in April 1970, as a newly minted sergeant E-5. In his first month in-country, he became the straight-leg infantry squad leader of 1st Squad, 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 5th of the 7th, 1st Cavalry Division (Air Mobile), serving in that capacity until he was wounded in Cambodia during the Incursion two months later. Following a three-month recuperation, he rejoined his squad in the field. During all but his first few weeks in the field he walked point whenever his squad had the duty. Upon discharge in 1971, he was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal, and other ribbons and medals from both the U.S. and South Vietnamese governments.

Between 1967 and 1986 he had seven freelance articles published in Chicago suburban newspapers, VFW Magazine and the Chicago Tribune. In 2000, he published an article on mining law in the Great Plains Natural Resources Journal, a law review of the University of South Dakota School of Law. Also in 2000, he graduated from the USD School of Law with a JD degree and remains a member of the bar in SD. He edited and wrote the environmental assessment and management plan for the Black Rock Desert High Rock Canyon-Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area; in 2004 this plan won the BLM Director’s “Four C’s Award” and the “Federal Plan of the Year Award” from The American Planning Association.

In 2007 he retired from federal service, mostly with the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. In 2015, after a twelve-year battle, his wife Nancy died of breast cancer. Jamie now lives in the Reno, Nevada, area near his daughter and her family.

ISBN/ASIN: Kindle E-book ASIN: B07Y5Q4JJS, Paperback ISBN: 9781692848842, ASIN: 1692848844
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 506

African American Women Warrant Officers - The New Trailblazers by Farrell Chiles

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MWSA Review
African American Women Warrant Officers shows a fascinating aspect of the modern military. A collection of biographies, the individual stories document how much has changed over the last 70 years, in general and for African American women in particular. The various paths these women took to find and follow their military careers was interesting to ponder. Their wide-ranging accomplishments, despite or because of serious obstacles, were at times astounding. The author/editor did a great service in gathering these inspiring stories.

The book is primarily a collection, with each biography provided by the Warrant Officers themselves, the military, or family (in the case of the deceased). The uneven quality of writing that results is understandable. Unfortunately, the inconsistency in punctuation, spelling and format at times interfered with reading. The photos are also collected from a variety of sources, and some were distorted in layout.

Anyone interested in the changing culture pioneered by these vitally-important members of our nation's military will be interested in the stories in this book.

 Review by Barb Evenson (March 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

African American Women Warrant Officers The New Trailblazers pays tribute to women who have served in the military as Warrant Officers. These unique women have made tremendous contributions to our country and continue to achieve excellence in their careers. This book highlights their contributions and shares HerStories and accomplishments. Whether in the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard or Reserves, each biographical profile reflects the outstanding leadership exhibited by these trailblazing women. There is a ancient African proverb that says, "Until the Lions have their own historians, then the hunt will always glorify the hunter". African American Women Warrant Officers are ensuring that history includes them by telling HerStories. These African American Women Warrant Officers did not hesitate to provide their biographies. Thus, this book is the first chapter of many more books to come. Until HerStory is told, history is incomplete.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-64718-008-9
Book Format(s): Hard cover
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Reference
Number of Pages: 280

Alone In The Light by Benjamin W. Bass

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MWSA Review
The first thing that grabs the reader is the use of two first-person narrators, which allows us to see and feel opposing perspectives of the story. These narrators are equally strong and emerge as equally developed characters. Yet the narrator voices are distinct and believable with one male and one female. They are so believable we must remind ourselves this is fiction. Through the male narrator Josh, the author allows us to experience his PTSD without frill or melodrama. It’s not pretty, it’s sometimes brutal, but it’s real and alive in our face. Through the female narrator Mary, we experience the impact of Josh’s new reality on others. It’s also not pretty, but it’s so human that we relate and cry and get mad and become irritated just as Mary does.

Supporting characters are well done also: Josh’s brother Bill who loves in spite of Josh’s spite, the fragility of friend Tim, the quirkiness of temporary girlfriend Carrie, the coldness of the moms, the warmth of Mary’s dad, the inhumanity of Adam the dick and even the concern of Charlotte the art teacher. Every character in the story brings depth to the story and adds a different perspective, adds complexity.

The next thing that grabs us are the worlds colliding. The author starts with how the world changes for Josh and Mary after Josh loses his leg. Then we see how the world changes for people after seeing combat and how their former worlds back home do not. We see how the military world, especially that of a wounded vet, careens into the civilian world of holiday dinners and parties. We come to live in the internal worlds of Josh and Mary as they struggle to make sense of what is and is not happening. This collision of worlds is perfectly accentuated by the shifting back and forth between the voices of two narrators, the time of both past and present, and the locations of Indiana and Iraq. Sometimes this shifting is confusing. The author uses subheadings to help us keep track of who is talking and where we are.

The craft of the story is subtle, simple beauty. The Prologue is sheer poetry with its details of the mundane, to the horror of getting blown up, to the emergence of a new world: “I open my mouth and it is filled with the saltwater tang of the blackness flooding me. I feel like I am drowning. I fear I am dead. There is a light. It is everywhere. It is all around me. I am alone.” This imagery of light emerges throughout in different contexts.

The writing remains honest, straightforward, and fluid—no straining after metaphors, no overwriting. This might be one of the best books about a post-traumatic reaction. It's a powerful story, compelling, wrenching, and finally uplifting.

Review by Gail Summers (February 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

6,000 miles away from the explosion in Iraq that took his leg, Josh Carpenter struggles to reclaim his former life as a college student. Mary Fischer, a civilian for the first time in years, strikes out on her own to create a new, independent life away from the army, and her controlling mother. The last time Josh saw Mary, his National Guard unit was leaving Camp Wolf, headed north to the war in Iraq. The last time Mary saw Josh, he was unconscious, covered in blood, and headed for a hospital in Germany. On the campus of Indiana University, Josh and Mary's paths move ever closer to a reunion that could help ease the nightmares and heal old wounds... or make them worse.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-7332786-0-7, 978-1-7332786-1-4
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, Audiobook
Review Genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction
Number of Pages: 340

God, Family, Freedom by John Stoeffler & Linda D. Stoeffler - Cover Illustrator

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MWSA Review

God, Family, Freedom by John Stoeffler is filled with dozens of poems that reflect on his family, life, and experiences. Some made me laugh, some brought a tear to my eye, but all were worth reading. The poems told stories, taught lessons, and asked questions. Easy to read, I felt like I was almost in the room with the author, and he was reading me the poems. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who likes to read family-centered patriotic poetry.

Review by Bob Doerr (January 2020)

MWSA's evaluation found a number of technical problems (misspellings, grammar, punctuation, or capitalization) as well as other problems in one or more of the following evaluation areas: content, style, and/or visual. This normally indicates a need for further editing.

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Author's Synopsis

The cover of God, Family, Freedom is from a picture painted by my artist wife. It is inspirational, and I believe reflects the title of the book. One reader described my poetry as "Kind, heartfelt, and, at times heartbreaking." Accompanying each poem is a picture that ties in with and adds to the story each poem relates.

Some poems will make the reader laugh or smile while others may bring a tear to the reader's eye as they are so moved by the story. One example of this is the poem "The Old Veteran." "I AM AMERICA" a patriotic look at the sacrifice many who served from Bunker Hill through today. It is the opening poem in the book and one in which I am most proud. "A bad day at Bong Son" is the true story of the heroic efforts of then 19 year old Bobby Pridmore who risked his life in an attempt to save the life of a downed helicopter pilot. Any parent who has watched their daughter getting married will relate to the feelings expressed in the poem "You'll always be my little girl." Another poem, "Instinct, friendship or love" is the true story of two dogs that will touch one's heart. Virtually every poem will have meaning as they relate to many of life's experiences.

To paraphrase the words of an ad I can recall, get the book and "Read it, you'll like it!"

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1987-03976-4 Book
Format(s): Soft cover
Review Genre: Poetry—Poetry Book
Number of Pages: 171

Seven Wings to Glory by Kathleen M. Rodgers

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MWSA Review
Author Kathleen Rodgers has gotten her writing wings—this book flies and soars with great storytelling that is both entertaining and inspiring. She takes the storyline and weaves into it just enough mystical stuff to make the book sing and dance. Seven Wings to Glory, which is the author's third novel, is also her best to date. She has been growing her literary talent and is flying with the best of novelists.

She takes on the subject of racism and hate but doesn't pound the reader with a long lecture; she takes us down a more compassionate road that feels like a happy ending and a new understanding, thus giving a negative character a chance at redemption so that all of us can cheer the life lessons involved.

Her lead character Johnnie Kitchen is not a perfect cookie-cutter heroine. She has some flaws. She is a human being and that makes the story work even better. The book will make you smile at times, cry a lot, ponder the meaning of life, but always entertain you. Loved this book! I fully recommend this to all adult readers. Both men and women will enjoy this masterfully told from the heart story.

Review by Bill McDonald (February 2020)
 

Author's Synopsis

Johnnie Kitchen is finally living her dream, attending college and writing a column for the local paper. She adores her husband Dale and chocolate Labrador Brother Dog, and they reside in a comfortable home in the small town of Portion in North Texas. Their three children are thriving and nearly grown. But Johnnie is rattled when her youngest boy Cade goes to fight in Afghanistan. The less frequent his emails, the more she frets for his safety. On the home front, Johnnie learns that Portion is not the forward-thinking town she believed. A boy Cade’s age, inflamed by a liberal bumper sticker and the sight of Johnnie’s black friend Whit, attacks them with the N-word and a beer bottle. After Johnnie writes about the incident in her column, a man named Roosevelt reaches out with shameful stories from Portion’s untold history. More tears and triumphs will follow, as Johnnie’s eyes are opened to man’s capacity for hate and the power of love and forgiveness. The sequel to Johnnie Come Lately.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN-13: 978-1603815994, ASIN: B06XPQ5SKF, ISBN-13: 978-1432844806 (library binding large print)
Book Format(s): Soft cover, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction
Number of Pages: 304

I Am Jack and I Am Awesome by Dennis Jones

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MWSA Review

The author of I Am Jack and I Am Awesome is a cat, and the subtitle—The World As Seen Through My Eyes—offers the reader fair warning that this is no ordinary book. Jack's human assistant, Dennis A. Jones, may have helped a bit with the typing, but the message is all cat. And while we human readers may classify the book's contents as meant for older children and young adults, cat owners of all ages will fall in love with Jack the Cat. From his days as a nameless stray, fighting for survival in the household of an old woman with more cats than she can handle, to becoming the cherished member of his chosen forever family, Jack provides daily glimpses into the secret life of the family pet.

The descriptions are not always pretty, and some of Jack’s language may be too explicit for younger readers. Jack picks mouse hair from between his teeth, suffers embarrassing digestive disorders caused by a catch-as-catch-can diet in the wild, endures a scary visit to the vet and his long needle, and agonizes over what’s meant by "getting fixed." But not all his days are unpleasant. He finds a new mom and dad, makes friends with a huge black dog, and discovers a real talent for using his paws and nose to control the TV set in his new home. His ingenuity even allows him to build a hidden set of cat “condos” in the undersides of the furniture.

As a grown-up cat, he discovers new details about the foibles of his humans. He experiences grief with the loss of his best friend and slowly learns to welcome the addition of a new member of the family. But unlike many books for younger readers, Jack's tale never tries to teach a lesson at the expense of his story. With unwavering honesty, Jack is always the cat—self-confident, cocky, impossible to embarrass, convinced of his own immortality, and always awesome.

Have fun with this one! 

Review by Carolyn Schriber (January 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

This exciting memoir is written by a new and up and coming young author, named Jack. Jack is actually a very smart feline that learned how to use the computer while watching his human companion surf the internet. Once he mastered the keyboard, he knew that he must tell his story. Jack's treatise is a fast paced adventure through the many exciting things that have happened in his life. He also introduces the reader to the various personalities that he has met along the path of his life, and provides his observation of what he considers human weirdness. The reader will experience the ups and downs, the speed bumps, opportunities and the challenges that Jack has faced and overcome. While in the end, all of Jack's very positive dreams materialize, and he ends up living the life of the rich and famous. He is Jack and he is awesome.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-945834-09-7
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Young Adult (fiction or non-fiction)
Number of Pages: 174

All Present and Accounted For by Steven Craig

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MWSA Review
For those who don’t know much about the United States Coast Guard, All Present and Accounted For fills a void by explaining some of the history of the branch of service as well as detailing the harrowing near-death experience of the crew of the Coast Guard cutter Jarvis in 1972 when it was in danger of sinking with all hands. 

The Preface sets the stage by adding context to the time frame in which the story takes place. Part One tells the story of the man for whom the cutter was named, an interesting side trail that could be a book in its own right and shows the kind of heroics that result in a ship being named for you. Introductory chapters in Part Two include information about Frederick Wooley, who captained the ship during its time of near annihilation, and a general discussion of Coast Guard history along with the particulars of the building of the high-endurance cutter that became the subject of this book. Those of us who know little about the Coast Guard also get a glimpse of the commissioning ceremony for USCGC Jarvis in Hawaii, before the cutter leaves for its first Alaska Patrol in September of 1972. 

What follows, however, is the type of sea tale that can keep you on the edge of your seat as Craig tells the hour-by-hour account of the blinding snowstorm, high seas, and tempestuous winds that result in damage to the ship—leaving it without power and being driven toward the rocks of Akutan Island, Alaska. Although the final result (spoiler alert is the book’s title) was known, I found myself caring about the crew members, following their thoughts, cringing at their hardships, and wondering if the cutter itself would survive or sink.

History buffs will find plenty of footnotes, documentation, and appendices. More casual readers will enjoy the well-written account which includes quotes and remembrances of the men who served on the Jarvis during this ordeal. Although the maps were somewhat small, I enjoyed using maps online to zoom in on particular areas and follow the voyage in its larger context.  

 Review by Betsy Beard (February 2020)

Author's Synopsis

 IT WAS LATE NOVEMBER – one of the coldest periods to be on a ship near Alaska. The Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis had run aground during a severe storm and was taking on water. The engine room flooded, disabling the engines. Mountainous seas and gale force winds pounded the Jarvis, and to make matters worse, the ship was floating toward a rocky coastline that would surely destroy it and probably kill most, if not all, of the men. The ship’s captain ordered an emergency message be sent to the Seventeenth Coast Guard District Office in Juneau requesting Coast Guard assistance. But there were no Coast Guard assets near enough to provide immediate help. At 7:04 pm, for one of the few times in Coast Guard history, a MAYDAY call for help would come from a Coast Guard vessel. This is the incredible story of the grounding and near sinking of the USCGC Jarvis and how her crew fought to save their ship – and themselves – from disaster.

ISBN/ASIN: 9781555719647
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Review Genre: Nonfiction—History
Number of Pages: 278