my daddy is a sailor by Tahna Desmond Fox

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

my daddy is a sailor is an excellent book to share with the young children of deploying sailors.  It uses clear, rhythmic language to define to young children what sailors do in a way that will make the children proud of their parent.

I especially liked the way Tahna Desmond Fox paid tribute to fallen sailors from the copyright year, using almost an ""Easter-egg"" technique to recognize the sailors lost in the USS MCCAIN and USS FITZGERALD accidents, as well as a C-2 Greyhound mishap.  It's very appropriate, and serves as a reminder to all the sense of sacrifice that goes with service, without being at all morbid or ""dark.""

The illustrations are clean and support the story, and it will resound with any child who has a Daddy getting ready to ship out.  Similar to MY SAILOR DAD by Ross Mackenzie, this is a necessary work to help children understand why Daddy has to be gone.  Well done to the author.

Review by Rob Ballister (March 20118)

---

Author's Synopsis

Learn the words Daddy knows about his ship and where he goes, in the Navy. Daddy is a sailor in the United States Navy. Learn the words Daddy knows about his ship and his mates. Join Ollie the Octopus and travel with Daddy as he sails on every sea in a great, big ship, watch what he does on board, and see the sights he sees. Due to the naval tragedies that occurred while creating this book in 2017, I paid tribute to our fallen sailors aboard the USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), and the C-2A Greyhound (VRC 30). Each lost sailor is represented by a golden bird in flight or a star in the heavens, signifying they have passed from this world but their memories remain. My heart and love go out to the families, friends, and loved ones of these twenty sailors, and every sailor who never made it home.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-938505-34-8
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover
Genre(s): Picture Book
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book
Number of Pages: 38
 

Bradley vs. BMP: Desert Storm 1991 by Mike Guardia

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Mike Guardia’s “Bradley vs BMP: Desert Storm 1991” does an excellent job comparing two of the world’s most well-known Infantry Fighting Vehicles during their first major conflict against each other.

The author organized the book well, comparing attributes such as mobility, protection, and firepower in short, easy to understand paragraphs.  In some cases the comparison was augmented with side by side looks at the interior of the vehicle, or the optics each crew had at their disposal.

I especially enjoyed how after the technical comparison of the vehicles, the author launched extensively into the more human side, detailing how the training of the US vehicle crews allowed them to better use the strengths of their vehicles (and diminish its shortcomings), while the Iraqi crews struggled due to lack of training and education.  Guardia used this as a platform to discuss the benefits of a professional, all-volunteer force over a mostly conscripted army.

I also appreciated how the author talked about the actual combat between the vehicles by using extensive quotes from the men that fought the battle.  Especially interesting was that virtually all the commentary was from junior officers and NCO’s; this made the combat coverage of the book much more realistic.

A well-researched yet easy read, this book will appeal to armor enthusiasts, Desert Storm vets, and professional military officers who enjoy the study of modern warfare.

MWSA Review by Rob Ballister (March 2018)

---

Author's Synopsis

In the mid-1960s, the Soviet Union unveiled the BMP, the first true infantry fighting vehicle. A revolutionary design, the BMP marked a significant departure from the traditional armoured personnel carrier, with a lower silhouette and heavier armament than rival APCs. One of the most fearsome light-armoured vehicles of its day, it caused great consternation on the other side of the Iron Curtain as the Americans scrambled to design a machine to rival the BMP. The result was the M2/M3 Bradley.

These Cold War icons first clashed – not on the plains of Europe, but in southern Iraq during the Gulf War of 1991. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this is the absorbing story of the origins, development and combat performance of the BMP and Bradley, culminating in the bloody battles of the Gulf War.
 

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1472815200
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Nonfiction, History, Reference
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Reference
Number of Pages: 80

Hal Moore on Leadership: Winning When Outgunned and Outmanned by Harold G. Moore

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Mike Guardia’s collaboration with General Moore is an outstanding primer of “boots-on-the-ground” leadership, chronicling the general’s development from West Point cadet to three star general.  Besides biographical details about Moore’s life, there are quotes from Moore, and stories related personally by Moore that speak to his common sense style of leadership.  

I especially liked how through each chapter there were simple boldfaced statements that reflect the tenets of Moore’s leadership style.  For example, (page 35) “Wherever possible, solve problems at the lowest level.” These bold statements are collected and reprinted at the end of each chapter, making this almost a reference book for any young leader, corporate or military.

The book is written with a military slant, but can be adapted to the corporate environment as well.  The language is clear and straight-forward, the book is well organized, and the section of photographs is both relevant and interesting.

As a retired military officer who taught leadership at the US Naval Academy, I would have loved to use this book in my classroom.  Young military officers or those new to the business world will find useful leadership guidance here. In addition, service academy graduates, those interested in the Vietnam War, or those who have an interest in military biography will find something meaningful and memorable in this book.

MWSA Reviewer: Rob Ballister (Mar 2018)

Author's Synopsis

Hal Moore led his life by a set of principles - a code developed through years of experience, trial-and-error, and the study of leaders of every stripe. In a career spanning more than thirty years, Moore's life touched upon many historical events: the Occupation of Japan, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the refashioning of the US Army into an all-volunteer force. At each juncture, he learned critical lessons and had opportunities to affect change through measured responses.

"Hal Moore on Leadership" offers a comprehensive guide to the principles that helped shape Moore's success both on and off the battlefield. They are strategies for the outnumbered, outgunned, and seemingly hopeless. They apply to any leader in any organization - business or military. These lessons and principles are nothing theoretical or scientific. They are simply rules of thumb learned and practiced by a man who spent his entire adult life leading others and perfecting his art of leadership.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1548305109
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, Audiobook
Genre(s): Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Reference, How to/Business, Anthology
Review Genre: Nonfiction—How to/Business
Number of Pages: 168
 

Uncommon Bond by John House

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

John House’s Uncommon Bond is a unique and interesting story set in the jungles of Vietnam.

Captain Hanson is a flight surgeon who finds himself shot down shortly after arriving in Vietnam.  He is quickly captured, and finds himself in the care of a surgeon of the North Vietnamese Army in an underground hospital.  Both the captor and the prisoner, though patriotic and loyal to their respective countries, realize that they are more medical professionals than soldiers, and build a friendship based on mutual respect.  Soon, however, that will be tested when Hanson faces a poignant dilemma.  Does he follow the code of conduct that forbids giving comfort to the enemy, or does he honor his Hippocratic Oath to alleviate suffering wherever he finds it?

I especially enjoyed the character development in this book.  House calls upon his own experience in Vietnam to enhance Hanson’s character, and does an equally wonderful job with the NVA doctor.  Both jump from the pages as people deserving of good fortune, so much so that I found myself wanting a happy ending for both of them, which is difficult in a book that features two “enemies.”

Well-written, authentic, and entertaining, this is a fast-moving, enjoyable read about the more human side of war.  Those interested in the medical profession, military medicine, or the POW experience in Vietnam will find plenty to appreciate in this book.

MWSA Reviewer: Rob Ballister (Feb 2017)

Author's Synopsis

Solitude in an underground medical complex, tied to a pole embedded deep in the ground, did little to quell the cavorting demons in Captain David Hanson's mind. Less than a year ago he had worked twenty-hour days in his second year of surgery residency. Now, a POW in South Vietnam, he whiled away long empty hours watching insects burrow into the earthen walls. Two things prevented total insanity; friendship with his enemy, a surgeon, Major Duc Phan Thiet of the North Vietnamese Army, and the never-ending desire to escape. The first was improbable and the latter impossible.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN-10 1635540534      ISBN-13 978-1635540536
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 266
 

Tiger Bravo's War by Rick St John

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review
If you have never read a book about the Vietnam War, I recommend that you read this one. For that matter, if you’ve read fifty books about Vietnam, I still suggest that you read Tiger Bravo's War by Rick St John. Engagingly written, Tiger Bravo's War draws you into the maelstrom of war, one step at a time. It provides context and understanding of a divisive time in our nation’s history. It honors the men who lived and loved; laughed and cried; sacrificed and bled or died.

Civilians like me who have never experienced military life will be led through one company’s train-up to deployment, in-country training, year-long deployment, and homecoming without feeling disenfranchised by their lack of knowledge of military terms, acronyms, and special jargon. (Veterans will likely find enjoyment in the way that St John is able to define the experiences and vocabulary without condescending or over-explaining.) 

Tiger Bravo is nonfiction military history covering a year in the lives of the soldiers of B Company, 2/506 of the 101st Airborne Division. It recounts the life and death struggles, the battles, the strategies, the humor, the horror, the victories, the defeats, the gains, and the losses during the company’s 1968 combat tour in Vietnam. St John allows us to see and feel what is going on through his superb writing, meticulously researched details, and seamlessly transitioned first-hand accounts of soldiers who were there. The numerous maps of battle plans allow us to understand how it went down from a bird’s-eye view. And the photos help us to realize that these were real people, not statistics—fellow citizens who were part of the Tiger Bravo company that year. 

This is not an easy book to read. But it’s important. There were several times I had to put the book down, just to take some time off to absorb the difficulty and the horror of what our fighting men endured. And there were a couple times I just wanted it to end; the book seemed too long. However, I felt compelled to continue reading in honor of those who actually lived through the experience. If they could persevere and endure for a full year, I reasoned that I could continue reading for a few hours. No doubt they would have liked the luxury of time off to absorb the difficulty and horror. And no doubt they just wanted it to end. But they soldiered on. I could do no less.

MWSA Reviewer: Betsy Beard (March 2018)

Author's Synopsis

Tiger Bravo’s War is an extensively researched, nonfiction account of a company of young paratroopers (B Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 506th Infantry), from the very same battalion in the 101st Airborne Division as portrayed in Stephen Ambrose’s World War II best-seller Band of Brothers, during their first year of combat in the Vietnam War - - - from a bayonet charge in a legendary VC stronghold and street fighting during the Tet Offensive of 1968, to a rescue mission to save a surrounded platoon and rock and roll in the company mess hall, and much more. Thirty of its soldiers would be killed in action, and collectively it would amass 150 Purple Hearts. 

It is also a soldier’s tale of the young men of Tiger Bravo - - - the son of a World War II Japanese fighter pilot, who wins a Silver Star fighting as an American infantryman; the tough kid from rural Texas, who leaves a job cleaning astronaut offices in Houston to volunteer to be a paratrooper; the medic, abandoned by his mother, who would find in Tiger Bravo the family he never had, and over a dozen more with their own unique stories. 

“If anyone wants to feel the fast-paced tempo and dangers of combat, read Tiger Bravo’s War. The vivid descriptions of the soldier’s daily struggle for survival and love for each other . . . is a must read for anyone who wants to understand combat at its most fundamental level.” Lieutenant General David E Grange Jr (US Army, retired).

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN 13:9780998854205, ISBN 13:9780998854229 (ASIN:B075LZ3L83), ISBN 13:9780998854236
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Genre(s): Nonfiction, History, Memoir
Review Genre: Nonfiction—History
Number of Pages: 331
 

Syllables of Rain by D. S. Lliteras

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

D.S. Lliteras' Syllables of Rain is both subtly jarring and comforting in nature. The imagery evoked by Lliteras—by combining his emotionally charged, yet succinct prose with impactful haiku — leaves the reader wanting more, but fulfilled just the same.

In Syllables of Rain, Lliteras welcomes us to follow the journey of Llewellen, a Vietnam veteran, as he attempts to come to terms with many aspects of his past so that he may embrace his present life and love. He reconnects with Cookie, also a veteran, to reconnect with life itself. Syllables of Rain churned emotions within me—I cried, I contemplated, and I empathized.

 D.S. Lliteras skillfully takes us on an poignant journey with a gratifying conclusion in this unconventional novel. I recommend Syllables of Rain whole-heartedly.

Review by Sandi Linhart (March 2018)

---

Author's Synopsis

Syllables of Rain by D.S. Lliteras
Two Vietnam veterans are determined to confront their war-time pasts and discover that they must also struggle to claim a future with the women they love.

Syllables of Rain is available on-line, at bookstores, and at public libraries. Please inform your librarian that this book is endorsed in Library Journal if your local library doesn't have it.
The VVA Veteran—“Syllables of Rain is a novel of pure genius by D.S. Lliteras....My favorite kind of Vietnam War book is short, poetical, and filled with hard-fought truth....This is that book. D.S. Lliteras brings his unique genius to bear on the world of the Vietnam War veteran.”

https://vvabooks.wordpress.com/2017/10/26/syllables-of-rain-by-d-s-lliteras/

Library Journal—“Lliteras has created a compact, emotionally charged snapshot of two soldiers trying to make sense of the world around them. Combining prose and poetry, this slim novel [Syllables of Rain] will leave a lasting impression on anyone who is or has known a military veteran.”

Publishers Weekly—“The author models his book on Japanese haibun—it’s a slim volume in a prose style full of figurative language and interspersed with haiku. This touching book has some lovely phrases and a satisfactory resolution.”

The Echo World—“Syllables of Rain is a story about two Vietnam veterans. What is most stunning about this book, however, is the style. It is simple, approachable, bittersweet and poetic. Many veterans suffer from post traumatic stress, get addicted to drugs and alcohol, and even end up homeless. This book tells of two of those veterans, and follows their struggle to pull themselves back together. This book touches your heart, expands your empathy and inspires you to go on, no matter the odds.”

The Virginian-Pilot—“Syllables of Rain is a tripwire-taut account of two tough combat vets and their troubled attempts at re-entry into civilization. But make no mistake, Lliteras's stubborn lighthouse-turn to art and literature leaves his readers with one thing more: Hope. Wounded eagle or fallen angel, this raging writer stubbornly remains his brother's keeper.”
 

ISBN: 978-7-937907-52-5
Format: Soft Cover
Review Genre: Literary Fiction
Number of Pages: 155
 

"Syllables of Rain is a brilliant work of pure genius by D.S. Lliteras . . . My favorite kind of Vietnam War book is short, poetical, and filled with hard-fought truths . . . This is that book. Distilled from the water of a career of writing books like nobody else can write, D.S. Lliteras has brought his unique genius to bear on the world of the Vietnam veteran . . . Viet Man was the gritty in-country novel, but Syllables of Rain is the poetic novel of a lifetime of coping with war, of struggling to make peace with Vietnam . . . I'd thought that D.S. Lliteras' previous book, Viet Man, was untoppable, but I was wrong. His new book did the trick and more besides."—The VVA Veteran

"Navy Corpsman and Marine Corps League Member D. S. Lliteras uses a Japanese-style of writing called 'haibun' to express the journey of two combat veterans who struggle living life after war . . . offers a glimpse of the struggle many [veterans] seek to overcome. Many veterans do not find a way to deal with the struggle and a glimmer of hope can mean a great deal. This is an easy read with direct and eloquent text."—SEMPER FI (The Magazine of the Marine Corps League) - Vol. 74, No. 2, Spring 2018

"An inherently compelling and fully engaging read from beginning to end, [MBR'S Internet Bookwatch] reviews novelist D.S. Lliteras as having a genuine flair for originality, deftly crafted characters, and a distinctively poetic style of storytelling. The result is a novel that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself is finished and set back upon the shelf . . . very highly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections."—Midwest Book Review ("Internet Bookwatch")

"[A] sparse yet vital new novel from acclaimed writer and returning Vietnam vet D. S. Lliteras . . . Syllables of Rain attempts and achieves something far richer than yet another war story. The book is itself a survivor of the Viet Nam War—a starkly soulful testament to grief and renewal possessed of deep yet airy nuance, and a shadow world of unspoken rage and unseen thought. A carefully provocative stylist, Lliteras ups his game in this new work by marrying his prose with short etches of Zen-drenched poetry presented at the end of each short chapter in the Japanese 'haibun' style most akin to haiku. Less is certainly more throughout, as the short poems serve to exemplify and sometimes contradict what characters say and do across each smooth chapter.

There is also a great amount of poetry in the prose as well. Seemingly simple, even mundane, words like 'okay,' 'alright,' 'yes,' and 'no' are repeated both in dialogue and description throughout the book in a way that feels more like rich incantation than bored repetition. In a subtly earned way, this hypnotically spare novel of only 176 pages stands as the mirror opposite of protagonist Leopold Bloom's single day evoke over more than 700 pages in James Joyce's 1920s classic Ulysses. Both books can be said to be about heroes—and both books are heroic in each authors' style and method . . . how lucky we are that this small miracle of a book has been put down on the written page."—Literary Heist (Ontario, Canada)

https://www.literaryheist.com/articles/coming-home-to-the-poetics-of-war-and-peace/

"D.S. Lliteras' approach in this brave new novel is both very Miles (as in Davis) and also very Kerouac (as in the Beat Generation novel The Dharma Bums). Syllables of Rain is a book that delivers what is most artful and true in Lliteras' writing."—The MacWire (TMW) Worthy Entertainment & Celebrity News 

Soft Target by John D Trudel

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review
Gripping military techo-thriller...

From the moment Gerry Patton enters the Pentagon office of General Mike Mickelson, John Trudel's Soft Target grabs the reader and doesn't turn him loose until the final page.  Mike is reassigned to the NSA on a top secret project by the President of the United States.  The project has one employee, Ms. Patton, the great-granddaughter of General George Patton. The president is afraid of a coup and a new bioweapon unlike any the world has seen. Mike is one of the few people with unique skills that President Carson Hale can trust with a mission critical to the survival of the nation.

The culprit is a terrorist nation in the Middle East called Bukhari. It is creating a bioweapon that makes the black plague look like the sniffles. In this country, Bukhari is aided by ambitious Senator Harriet Stiles who is working quietly, plotting the overthrow of the government, but first must get a vaccine to counter the disease being developed by Bukhari.

Mike was a special operations Marine destined for a career behind a desk. The president needs his special skills to lead the black operation. Key to the project is an Oregon software company working on an impenetrable program for NSA to allow members of Congress to work from their home. Mike knows nothing of computer operations or of the intricacies of the NSA, but can be trusted. He is sworn to secrecy by the President.

Author John Trudel skillfully weaves a thriller that links the once wheelchair-bound Marine General, his NSA project leader, and a savvy SEAL team assigned to protect them on a chase to Oregon where a Bukhari hit-squad raids a NSA contractor, kidnapping Gerry's father in the process. Then Mike goes to Israel and Saudi Arabia, two countries that help him conduct a clandestine raid on a Bukhari lab where a devastating bioweapon is being created.          

In the meantime, Senator Stiles steps up her plot as Mike races against time and the odds of getting out of Bukhari alive.

The story is full of action—terrorists, firefights, and intrigue, with a dash of romance—written in a way that keeps the reader excited and in the heart of the action.  Soft Target is a book difficult to put down, and one that will scare the hell out of you.

MWSA Reviewer: Joe Epley (March 2018)

---

Author's Synopsis

Soft Target: A Cybertech Thriller

The 21st Century started off dangerous and got worse. America is working its way back, wounded, but recovering and rebuilding.

Exceptionalism is a memory, but embers glow in the darkness. Hope is alive. A maverick scientist, GERRY PATTON, works alone behind tight security.

Her wild card project could ensure government survival if Washington was destroyed, but it’s being sabotaged. MIKE MICKELSON (“Twenty Mike”), a Marine, was gravely wounded when his command post in Yemen was overrun. Now unfit for combat, he’s assigned to help Gerry.

Unknown enemies are watching. A bioweapons attack is planned, a coup orchestrated by officials in our own government. Gerry’s program could hamper their plans.

Why take a chance? She’s a Soft Target.

Can Mike save Gerry? Can she help him heal? Can they prevent a paralyzing WMD attack?

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0983588610
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Genre(s): Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 322
 

Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Author Jackie Minniti weaves a poignant tale of fear, friendship, hope, and faith in Jacqueline. This novel is based on the true story of ten-year-old Catholic Jacqueline and twelve-year-old Jewish David, during the final years of the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. It is set in the town of Rennes and is a tale for both young and old.

Through bombings, air raids, ever-present hunger, constant fear, and death, Jacqueline, her widowed mother, and David live through the war. One day, when Jacqueline and David are away from their apartment building, the Nazis round up David’s family and ship them off to a transfer camp before their likely shipment to a concentration camp, and Jacqueline’s mother takes him under her wing and into her home.

War stories are not totally about armies and battles. They are about ideas, implementation of those ideas, and how that implementation affects ordinary people. Jacqueline lets the reader see the war through a child’s eye, which is perhaps the purest version of war…and the most touching. Among other heart-wrenching events, the great tragedy for Jacqueline and David may have been losing their childhoods.

The text is written in a way that flows smoothly, and the dialogue seems quite realistic. I think children of middle grades and beyond would find the book both enlightening and interesting. It is also a touching read for adults.

Minniti’s story resonates for all children, regardless of nationality, and is especially relevant for youngsters who find themselves in the midst of strife around the world today. It is a gem to read, and the author unequivocally allows the reader to feel the impact of war on young people. I would read it again and recommend it to friends, young and older.

MWSA Reviewer: Patricia Walkow (Feb 2018)

Author's Synopsis
When ten-year-old Jacqueline Falna hears her mother’s scream, she is unaware that
the axis of her world is about to tilt. Her father’s plane has been shot down by German fighters. In the midst of poverty, food shortages, air raids, and the grinding hardship of  daily life under Nazi rule, she forms an unlikely alliance with David Bergier, a twelve-year-old Jewish neighbor who poses as her cousin after his family is “relocated” by the Nazis. When Rennes is liberated, Jacqueline meets an American soldier and becomes convinced that he has been sent to reunite her with her father. 

Based on a true story, “Jacqueline” is a tale of family, faith, unusual friendships, and
the resiliency of the human spirit set against the backdrop of occupied Rennes in
1944. With the drama of fiction and the authenticity of personal history, “Jacqueline” 
is both a story about family and a family’s story.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN-10: 0996329080, ISBN-13: 978-0996329088, ASIN: B011SCVPJS
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Chapter Book
Number of Pages: 219
 

My Dad Got Hurt. What Can I Do? Helping Military Children Cope with a Brain-Injured Parent by Brunella Costagliola

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Inspector Harry Callahan once said, "A man's gotta know his limitations."  And when it came to reviewing My Dad Got Hurt. What Can I Do? Helping Military Children Cope with a Brain-Injured Parent by Brunella Costagliola, I figured I better ask the experts.  Since this book is intended for elementary-school-aged children, and your reviewer's elementary school days are 50 years in the past, it was clear that some outside help would be appropriate.  So I brought the book to my local Great Falls Elementary School (where I do volunteer work), read it aloud to the members of the fourth grade class, and then asked for their opinions.

Although none of these kids had parents in the military—much less one who had suffered traumatic brain injury—they were quite interested and willing to read/listen, discuss the details, and share their opinions about this book.

Just as MWSA does with all its reviews, I asked these fourth-graders to evaluate the book's cover, its artwork, and its content.  Was it appropriate, attention-grabbing, directed toward the targeted audience; and did its message come through?  The answers to these questions were almost uniformly "yes."

The book points out "Seven Cs" (seven words beginning with the letter C, such as cause, control, cure) that can help kids understand what's happening to his or her parent, and suggest various coping skills to help them deal with the difficult challenges they will face.  The "Seven Cs" were integrated into short and easy-to-understand phrases, which can serve as a discussion guide for the entire family.  The fact that the words all start with the same letter also makes them easier to remember.

Having heard from the experts, I can now highly recommend this book to families trying to cope with this incredibly challenging type of injury.  The cover artwork and illustrations are indeed top-notch; and the writing definitely geared toward the targeted age group.  With a little bit of discussion to better understand some of the details, this book would be extremely helpful as a "training aid," or simply a way to guide and focus a family's discussion.

MWSA Reviewer: John Cathcart (Feb. 2018)

Author's Synopsis:
"My Dad Got Hurt. What Can I Do?" is a juvenile fiction book aimed at helping military children learn how to cope when Mom or Dad come home from deployment suffering from traumatic brain injury. Sponsored by the National Academy of Neuropsychology Foundation and illustrated by Disney cartoonist Valerio Mazzoli, this book was written by Brunella Costagliola, best-selling editor, writer, and proud Air Force wife. Dr. Johnson, a neuropsychologist, along with her mischievous side-kick Mr. Brain, introduce the Smith Family, made of Mom, Dad, Jackson, who is 9 years old, Isabella, who is 7, and Sally, their adorable dachshund. Dad is in the military and he wears his uniform proudly. They love to spend time together and we see them playing outside while Mom cooks. One day, however, the children see Dad pack up. He has to deploy. Even though they are sad to see him go, they know they will be able to see him via computer and they will count down the days till his return by eating a cookie from the "Daddy's Goodnight Kiss" jar. While deployed, Dad is in an accident that leaves him injured. Once his wounds are healed, he is able to go back home to his family. While everybody is happy to have him back, something is off. Dad's behavior has changed. Once a happy, patient, and caring father, he is now moody, short-tempered, and aggressive. The children notice a big difference and wonder, who is this person who came back home? He may look like Daddy, but he is not the same person. Even Sally can tell something is different. The children, not sure of why Dad is so angry all the time, begin to blame themselves for this sudden change: should I have cleaned my room better? Should I have eaten more vegetables? Just when the children are about to give up hope after Dad yells at them for losing a baseball game, Dr. Johnson and Mr. Brain come to their rescue! They explain to Jackson and Isabella that Dad's brain, specifically the front lobe, was injured in the accident. She also gives them a poster to bring home with them that explains the "7Cs", which are "rules" for children to remember. These rules remind them that, "I didn't Cause it"; "I can't Cure it"; but, "I can help by taking Care of myself" and "Celebrating myself". Soon after, the children run back home feeling happy and empowered by their newly-acquired knowledge of what is wrong with Dad and how they can help not only him, but especially themselves. And Dr. Johnson? Well, she and Mr. Brain are ready for another adventure, helping children understand how the brain works! The reason why this book was written is to help military children understand traumatic brain injury. While there is plenty of literature catered to adults and the affected service member, there is very little for military children. Hence, the team behind "My Dad Got Hurt" set out on an a mission to fill this literary gap. When dealing with a stressful situation as the one described in the book, children have a tendency to internalize feelings, since they are not capable to properly express them and verbalize them. One of the most common reactions is for children to blame themselves and feeling guilty over something they have no control over, such as Dad suffering from TBI. This book aims at providing children with the proper vocabulary so they can understand what happened and their role in helping the whole family adjust to their new normal.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1483472577
Book Format(s): Kindle, Soft cover
Genre(s): Fiction, Picture Book
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book
Number of Pages: 38
 

Lighthouses of America by Tom Beard

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Lighthouses of America is a splendid and diverse pictorial collection of the American “castles” guarding our coasts.  In addition to nearly 150 breathtaking photographs, Tom Beard (Editor-in-Chief) and Tom Thompson (Graphics Editor), in conjunction with the United States Lighthouse Society, accomplished a masterful job compiling a treasure trove of historical and often humorous tidbits.  The book educates and delights the reader and leaves him/her hungry to discover more.

Lighthouse construction was the first public-works project of our new nation.  These guardians of the coast were essential for our fledgling shipping industry, making our ports safer for commerce.  Many are still in operation today, serving to guide vessels to safety and to warn of danger.   Many are shrouded in mysterious and romantic legends.  Many have been destroyed or damaged by nature or war.  Some have been rebuilt on the same location, some have been moved, and some have been left to the elements.

The Preface by Wayne Wheeler (Founder and President of the Board of Directors, US Lighthouse Society) and The Forward by Captain Robert Dash, US Coast Guard (Retired) provide useful and detailed information on the organizational, architectural, and technological journey lighthouses have taken through their 300-year existence on our shores.

The book is divided into five geographic regions:  New England, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic and Gulf Coast, Great Lakes, and West Coast.  Information is provided on Fresnel lenses, which in the 1840s greatly improved the structures’ light magnification—saving even more souls and cargo.  These days, many lighthouses are powered by solar panels and use light-emitting diodes.

Lighthouses of America is fascinating and would be a welcome addition to any library or coffee table.  The book teases the reader to seek these treasures out and visit first-hand.  It is the perfect gift for those who love the sea and all things nautical, and even for those who will just want to appreciate their unique history and beauty.

MWSA Review by Sandi Cowper (Feb 2018)

Author's Synopsis
Through gorgeous photography, this spectacular collection of America's most iconic and stunning lighthouses celebrates these unique and magnificent beacons and their history. The construction of lighthouses began as this new nation's first public-works project in 1789 and established the United States as a maritime world power by making ports safe for navigation. Early lights shined from reflectors bouncing the flickering flames from multiple lard-burning lanterns. Towers boosting the lights high, making them visible over the horizon to sailors, came in hundreds of architectural designs and construction materials. Then, in the early 1800s, came the amazing Fresnel lenses, first boosting light from the oil flame and later by electric lamp Today, LED science has become the light for navigational aids in this country. From Maine's West Quoddy Head to North Carolina's iconic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Alaska's Eldred Rock to Southern California's Fort Point Lighthouse, and Michigan's Holland Harbor, these structures--many still active and serving their original purpose--are living museums and popular tourist destinations.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-59962-140-1
Book Format(s): Hard cover
Genre(s): History
Review Genre: Artistic—Pictorial
Number of Pages: 176

 

Battle Scars; by David Salkin

MWSA Review
Unbelievable believability meets the reader of Battle Scars, from the first page to the last. With a depth and detail worthy of any combat veteran's memoirs, David M Salkin weaves a fictional story of a young soldier's experience that is so raw and unabashedly emotional, the reader has no choice but to take the journey with the men portrayed.

It is difficult to believe this is a work of fiction rather than a first-person retelling of the humanity hiding in plain sight on and off the battlefield. Those who have been in combat will recognize themselves in these pages, and those who have lost someone they love in combat will relive that experience with this young Marine and the families he meets.

Battle Scars may be a work of fiction, but the story it tells is all too real. It is the story of the men and women from all eras who have upheld their oath to defend this nation. It is the story of those left to mourn the fallen, and it is a reminder to all of the tremendous cost of freedom.
Review by Barbara Allen, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
Marine Corporal Sean Nichols is wounded in a devastating ambush that takes the lives of his three friends and leaves him an amputee. If not for the heroism of his sergeant, Deke Tilman, who pulled him out of the road, Sean would have surely died with his fire team. With the help of Deke, Sean now embarks on his next mission—recuperate from his serious injuries, and visit the families of his fallen comrades as he tries to make peace with such profound loss.  

Battle Scars is a thought provoking drama with compelling characters that illustrates the resiliency and strength of the human spirit, the power of love and friendship, and the ability to overcome even our darkest moments. Gritty realism and original storytelling breathe life into Battle Scars as it inspires us with a surprising tale of heroism and the great sacrifice made by our modern war fighters. 

“Battle Scars is an incredible story of brothers in arms and the bonds formed in combat. The struggles that are faced by combat veterans returning from war are real and nothing I've read brings that story to life like Battle Scars. This is a must read!”
LTCOL T. Kevin White "TK"
150th Special Operations Wing

"This book is a gut check for those who have worn the cloth of the nation. For those who have not it is a testimonial for those who have served and sacrificed. As Americans we are blessed with freedom. It comes at a price."
James E. Livingston
Major General USMC (Ret)
Medal of Honor Recipient    

"This book was a tough read, and at the same time I couldn't put it down. Salkin got this one right! Every now and again you come across a book that is as much cathartic as it is entertaining. At a time when we are losing way too many Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, it struck a chord with this Old Soldier."
COL William L. Peace, Sr.
U.S. Army National Guard

“David Salkin has fired at close range and with unerring accuracy with this tale! He takes a tough situation that is all-too-often neglected and gives it life. This story is for all veterans and their supporters. His first-person writing style makes the reader feel present throughout the story. It's a quick read that will leave you thinking long after completion. I most strongly recommend it to all who are interested in understanding better the true costs of America's conflicts—past, present, and future. "
Major General GT Garrett, USA (Ret)
42nd Infantry Division

“Dave hit the nail on the head with this one. It’s a quick read simply because you don’t want to stop turning the page. This may be fiction but it certainly doesn’t read that way.”                      
Neil T. Roeder, LTC, MS USAR

“David Salkin’s story is a must-read for all Veterans and supporters. This book not only entertains you, it educates you on the price paid by those who have the guts to walk the walk.  His first-person writing takes you on a ride which seems to bring out all emotions and it also places you right on the battlefield. Maybe it’s just my love of heroic deeds but it sure knocked me on my knees. The read is overall life-like and is very consistent with the actions taking place every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kudos to Dave for really knocking this one out of the park”                                                                                                                              Christian S. DiMeo (Ret) SFC.
USMC / Embassy Marine Cairo/Beirut/Geneva - ARMY NG / Operation Enduring Freedom

“Battle Scars” hits like an RPG!  Camaraderie, adrenaline, fear, loss, hope and redemption all in one exhilarating and disturbingly beautiful tale. Hard to believe David hasn’t been on the battlefield, because this tale rocked me back for days! A must read for everyone who is, has been, or supports our warriors!”                                                                                                Wayne Emery CPT, USA
Military Assistance Command Vietnam, I Corps Team Leader, Advisory Team 1 and Advisory Team 3

"For anyone who's ever been there, this book brings back all the sights, sounds and smells of deployment like none other. Take care in the reading because Battle Scars is real. An often painful, always enthralling reminder of what we give...and what we lose...whenever we send our men and women to war. Mr. Salkin brought to life the pain and struggles of our fellow veterans and showed an accurate account of their bravery off the field."
S/Sgt Nicole Rosga, U.S. Air National Guard

ISBN/ASIN: B0718WJ751
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Religious/Spiritual
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 120
 

The Third Reich's Last Eagle; by Bob Mustin

MWSA Review
This is the story of one German flying Experten from June 1941 through the summer of 1945.  Hans Ulrich Rudel (Uli) was the most highly decorated member of the German Armed Forces during WWII.  This fictionalized account is based on information from German Archives, Rudel’s own writings, and media reports.  Rudel flew an incredible 2,530 combat missions, some after losing his left leg below the knee while his right leg was still healing from an earlier wound.  As the war developed, Rudel became much more aware of strategy and the errors that were being committed by his superiors.  He was repeatedly ordered to stop flying by his superiors, including the Fuhrer, but he was always able to convince them that his leadership and strategic knowledge were needed in the eastern front.  He work ethic came from his preacher father, and his endurance came from his athleticism.  He did not drink, but he did like his sweets.  

The author always makes clear where each section of the book is taking place.  And pages that are not directly part of Rudel’s story (such as on location with Hitler or Stalin) are italicized.  At times, I wished for a map to show the locations where the wing was located and where it was attacking, but then I accepted that this is not a history book.  Rather, it is a story of a dedicated warrior.  

The Prologue, the Epilogue, and the cover of the book are well designed to give the full story of a flying ace from a point of view not usually studied.
Reviewed by Nancy Kauffman, MWSA Reviewer
 

Author's Synopsis:
The Third Reich's Last Eagle is a fictionalized account of Hans Ulrich Rudel, the most highly decorated member of the German armed forces during WWII. Rudel was a Stuka pilot on the Eastern Front credited with 513 tanks, one battleship, two cruisers, four destroyers, four armored trains and sufficient artillery and transport vehicles to equip a few Russian divisions. In addition, he shot down nine Russian fighter aircraft flying a bomber with the aerial possibilities of an 18-wheeler. He won the equivalent of five medals of honor along with numerous other decorations while flying an incredible 2,500 combat sorties. On six occasions he landed behind Russian lines to pick up downed pilots and crews. He was wounded six times and shot down thirty-three times by ground fire, never by another aircraft. His last wound severed his leg below the knee. He got the plane back to his base and was flying again in less than a month using a home-made prosthesis.

Rudel was a man like no other. The German word Experten defines his flying skills, his incredible loyalty to his comrades, his bravery under the most adverse of situations, his refusal to bemoan the hand fate dealt and his unending desire to excel no matter the odds. Rudel was an Experten---the best of the best in all that came his way.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0-9985759-1
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 247
 

The Oath; by Dennis Koller

MWSA Review
An intriguing plot and artful writing make Dennis Koller’s The Oath an entertaining read. Readers will appreciate the author’s ability to bring a scene and its characters to life with just enough detail to make it all pop, without becoming bogged down in over-descriptive narratives. Adventure and thriller fans’ appetite for a rush will be well satiated with the twists and turns throughout this book.

Koller displays an innate understanding of the plight of Vietnam POWS as well as the intricacies of police work. He weaves these experiences together to create a plausible and compelling picture of the immense struggles attached to both. That the homicide investigator who survived the same prison camp as the killer he now seeks creates a clear conflict as he must choose between his allegiance to the law and the oath he and the killer once took. The tension builds as readers are drawn into both Tom McGuire’s character and the man he reluctantly hunts.

The Oath’s suspense pulls its readers through each page with a force of its own.
Review by Barbara Allen, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God." A lifetime ago, a young naval aviator took the Oath. Tom McGuire, now a San Francisco PD Homicide Inspector, hadn’t thought about the Oath in years. That was all about to change. A famous San Francisco newspaper columnist has been murdered. Some would say “executed”. Shot through the head, her arms tied behind her, knotted together from shoulder to wrist. McGuire feels an eerie chill of recognition. After being shot down over North Vietnam, he suffered seven years as a Prisoner of War in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, enduring rope torture many times – his arms tied in exactly the same way. A lifetime ago, another young naval aviator took that Oath. He also was shot down over North Vietnam, and joined McGuire as a POW in Hanoi. Almost forty years later, their lives were about to intersect once again. This time with explosive consequences. “A dying former POW, four dead women, a world-weary homicide cop and the Vietnam War are expertly woven together in a masterful piece of storytelling that will leave you guessing right until the last few pages of 'The Oath.' This is an excellent book with just the right amount of social commentary woven into its pages to make it not just another murder mystery. Mike Billington Author and Army veteran who spent two tours in Vietnam (awarded Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman's Badge).

ISBN/ASIN: 9780692656730
Book Format(s): Soft cover, ePub, Kindle
Genre(s): Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 325

The Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood; by Terrence McCauley

MWSA Review
Award-winning author Terrence McCauley scores again with his short but memorable THE DEVIL DOGS OF BELLEAU WOOD.  This quick read centers around a group of Marines, all from different units, who stumble upon each other after a major German barrage has caused chaos and confusion.  From different backgrounds and with vastly different levels of experience, they bond together with a common goal of surviving just a bit longer in Belleau Wood, the famous World War I battle that made the letters “USMC” feared around the world. 

This story is a prequel, told in first person by Corporal Charlie Doherty, who later becomes the cop hero of two of McCauley’s 1930’s NYC novels, PROHIBITION and SLOW BURN.  A first-person story can be hard to pull off because many authors will slip up and let some form of omniscience slip in, but McCauley pulls it off very well.

I was especially impressed by how McCauley develops his characters in so short a space (entire book was 130 pages) and also with his gripping combat sequences.  He obviously researched WWI combat, and did well with the technological specifics of that conflict.  

Fans of WWI, the Marines, and infantry combat stories will find this enjoyable, memorable, and entertaining.

By Rob Ballister, MWSA Awards Director and Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
***PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SEMPER FI FUND***

A WORLD AT WAR. A LONE MARINE FIGHTING TO SURVIVE.

Charlie Doherty, the hero of PROHIBITION and SLOW BURN returns in a novella of World War I.

1918 –As a corrupt patrolman in New York City, Charlie Doherty had the ward bosses of Tammany Hall and other political cronies to watch his back. But in the hell-storm that became known as the Battle of Belleau Wood, only his rifle and his training keep him alive.

After taking cover behind a fallen tree during the worst of the German shelling, Doherty links up with a brave Marine captain and a ragtag crew of survivors who realize the only way out of danger lies not in retreat, but in marching toward the sound of the gunfire. They fight the enemy wherever they find them, hoping to hold back the advancing German tide long enough for the shaken American forces to regroup and re-enforce them. They lean forward. They dig in. They fight back.

Doherty and the others began the day as Marines. But by the time it is over, they will be part of a battle that helped secure the reputation of the United States Marine Corps as one of the most feared fighting forces in the world.

They will become known as THE DEVIL DOGS OF BELLEAU WOOD.

ISBN/ASIN: 1943402159
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 144

The Lone Wolf Agenda; by Joseph Badal

MWSA Review
This 4th novel in the Danforth spy family is again inspired by timely concerns of the ways in which enemies of the United States might operate.  Antagonists who are smart and devious make these stories even more suspenseful.  As current law enforcement personnel have learned, the hardest enemies to combat are those who work alone – the Lone Wolfs.  When intelligence agencies work together, they are able to proceed more quickly.  However, as in real life, you are not always sure of who might be working against you.  A wonderful political and intelligence community thriller.
By Nancy Kauffman, MWSA Reviewer

Synopsis:
The Lone Wolf Agenda, a 91,000-word thriller, is the 4th book in the Danforth Saga, which includes Evil Deeds (#1), Terror Cell (#@),The Nostradamus Secret (#3), and Death Ship (#5). This novel was awarded the 1st place prize for fiction in the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards. It is based on current events, and melds the dynamics of oil and gas markets, the threat to OPEC of increased United States oil and gas production, lone wolf terrorists, and the introduction of a new CIA/DELTA Force initiative called Operation Lone Wolf.

The Lone Wolf Agenda offers another roller coaster ride of action and suspense as Bob Danforth returns to the CIA to manage a new program titled Operation Lone Wolf, created to combat single terrorists who infiltrate the United States. The story reintroduces Bob’s son, Michael, who is a senior officer with DELTA. It also introduces Carlos Garcia, a State Police Officer from New Mexico, who is recruited to play an integral role in the investigation of a terrorist attack that destroys the Santa Fe Airport and a private jet carrying a group of influential U.S. oil and gas executives.
Part I deals with the terrorist attacks and the initial investigation into those attacks. It follows the actions of a lone wolf terrorist who moves from Philadelphia, to Santa Fe, to Flagstaff, to Fresno, and, finally, to Bismarck. His ultimate assignment is to murder hundreds of energy company executives and politicians attending a dinner in Bismarck. 

Bob Danforth is recruited out of retirement to head up Operation Lone Wolf, which is managed by the CIA and supported by DELTA Force. 

Bob’s son, Michael, is a brigadier general with DELTA and is assigned the mission of tracking down the terrorist that perpetrated the attacks in Santa Fe. This assignment takes Michael and a DELTA team to Bismarck, where intelligence has tracked the terrorist. 

The terrorist is captured by Michael’s team and sent to a secret CIA location in Panama for interrogation.

Part II of The Lone Wolf Agenda brings in intelligence-generated information that the terrorist captured in Bismarck is only one of eight such terrorists will be infiltrated into the United States through Mexico, with the assistance of the head of the Guadalajara drug cartel. This drug lord, Jacobo Alvarez, is a vicious, powerful criminal, who is also the estranged uncle of Carlos Garcia, the New Mexico State Police Officer working with the anti-terrorism unit in Santa Fe.

Carlos works with Michael’s DELTA unit, which enters Mexico  to find the terrorists on his uncle’s estate outside Guadalajara. Backed by sophisticated communications systems and drones, the team has expectations of success. But when the President of the United States learns of the CIA/DELTA operation, he pulls the team’s support out of fear of political fallout, abandoning the team and leaving it exposed to Alvarez’s huge, well-armed personal security force. Jack Cole, the Director of Central Intelligence, and Harry Nicolo, the President’s National Security Advisor, disregard the President’s order to abandon the DELTA team and do what they can to prevent the team from being slaughtered. The team suffers casualties while discovering that the drug lord has already transported the terrorists across the U.S. border. But the team captures the drug lord and an Arab who is the liaison with The Black Gold Brotherhood terrorist group.

In Part III, political intrigue threatens to undermine Operation Lone Wolf, Jack Cole, and Harry Nicolo, as they continue to support the CIA/DELTA effort to track down the terrorists who are now in the U.S. The initial assumption is that The Black Gold Brotherhood is supported by Saudi Arabia and is targeting U.S. refineries. But CIA analysts question this as they make the case that non-operating refineries would do damage to Saudi Arabia. Without refineries, the U.S. would have no need to import Saudi oil, since it would have no place to refine that oil. 

Spencer Andrews, a deputy director at the Department of Homeland Security, is a political hack resentful of the “cowboy” tactics employed by the CIA. He begins a campaign to undermine Operation Lone Wolf for personal political gain. He leaks information about the program and DELTA’s incursion into Mexico to a friendly U.S. Senator and to one of his contacts in the media. 

The Black Gold Brotherhood, with the assistance of Hezbollah sleeper cells in Texas, finalizes preparations to attack seven major targets in the United States. Despite reservations, the CIA is still operating on the assumption the targets are the seven largest oil refineries in Texas. DELTA units have been stationed in the vicinity of all seven refineries. But the Company continues to question its assumptions and, just in time, comes to the conclusion the terrorists are targeting oil pipelines, not refineries. By destroying some of the largest pipelines in the U.S., the country will be denied crude oil for its refineries, necessitating increased oil imports from OPEC.

When Jack Cole and Harry Nicolo discover Spencer Andrews is behind the leaks about Operation Lone Wolf, they implement a “false flag” operation in which a video is created showing the Guadalajara drug lord holding captive the DELTA team, threatening to murder all the team members and releasing information about their capture in Mexico. Andrews takes this false information to the President and to a newspaper reporter. As a result, Andrews is discredited and fired.

Part IV deals with the political fallout from the President’s actions, the intended recruitment of Carlos Garcia by the CIA, Harry Nicolo’s retirement, and the re-establishment of normal life for the Danforth family.
 

ISBN/ASIN: B00LXG9QMI
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 385

The Nostradamus Secret; by Joseph Badal

MWSA Review
A "lost" section of Nostradamus' quatrains in the hands of a narcissist steer current events and the United States into a spiral of destruction, deception, and terror in Joseph Badal's The Nostradamus Secret.

Badal pulls his audience in, and holds them captive until the last page is turned.  The author builds on layers of interactions, decisions, and deceptions to reveal a tapestry of suspense in The Nostradamus Secret.  His plausible course of events gives credibility to the plot; his characters are real and engaging, which adds integrity to the events as they unfold.  The reader becomes entangled, unable turn away as the seemingly imminent conclusion unfolds.

The Nostradamus Secret takes us on a horrifying rollercoaster of greed and trickery. Full of action and adventure, the reader is drawn through myriad emotions.  I found myself at the edge of my seat and couldn't wait to see what happened next.  I look forward to reading Joseph Badal's other works.
Reviewed by Sandra Miller Linhart, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
The Nostradamus Secret, the 3rd book in Joseph Badal’s Danforth Saga, is an 118,000-word “secret history” thriller based on the lost quatrains of Michele Nostradamus. These quatrains from Nostradamus’s 7th of 10 centuries (writings of 100 quatrains) have never been found. The author weaves their discovery into the novel and creates the missing quatrains.

The Nostradamus Secret brings Bob Danforth back to the CIA from retirement after his successor there is murdered. That murder is apparently perpetrated by the same group behind the assassinations of hundreds of American celebrities, politicians, and business people, as well as hundreds of ordinary American citizens. These killings occur at the same time that Iran becomes ever more threatening to the United States. What Danforth does not know is that a world-class-wealthy Iranian is behind both the assassinations and Iran’s war plans — all because he believes his rise to power was preordained in the writings of Michele Nostradamus’s “lost quatrains,” which he secretly possesses. 

In the midst of an assassination campaign that targets American icons of industry, banking, sports, politics, and entertainment, the CIA Special Operations boss is murdered. The Agency brings Bob Danforth, the former Special Ops boss, out of retirement to identify the mastermind behind the assassinations. But Danforth’s assignment proves more complicated when Iran becomes intransigent about backing away from its nuclear weapons program, and when an Iranian missile site fires nuclear missiles at Israel and at American troops in the Middle East. The Iranian government claims it did not authorize the attacks.

A shadowy group named The Sons of Ali takes credit for the assassinations. But neither the CIA nor the FBI can identify the organization’s leader. In the meantime, the U.S. President responds to the Iranian missile attacks by first ordering the destruction of the missile site that launched the missiles, and then declaring war on Iran. The President orders an invasion of the country to  overthrow the Islamic government and install in its place a democratic government headed by an Iranian sponsored by the U.S. Vice President and senior officers in the CIA and the State Department. What the President of the United States doesn’t realize is the man he is about to put in power in Iran, Ali Reza Naimzadeh, is the leader of The Sons of Ali, is responsible for the missile attacks, and is the owner of Nostradamus’s lost quatrains.

Naimzadeh is a world-class- wealthy individual who believes his destiny is to rule Iran, to take over the Middle East oil fields, and then to dominate world events. He has arrived at this belief because of the writings of Michele Nostradamus, the 16th Century visionary who prophesied in quatrains from his Seventh Centurie that a leader would rise from Persia and aspire to world domination. (The historical footnote here is that, in actuality, the 43rd-100th quatrains of Nostradamus’s 7th Centurie have never been found. Scholars believe these verses were either lost or destroyed. The author finds them and uses them in the story). These “lost” quatrains have been in the hands of the Naimzadeh family since the late 1500s.

Danforth comes to the conclusion that whoever is behind the assassinations wants to destabilize the U.S. economy and the U.S. government. Then he realizes there may be a traitor in the CIA working with The Sons of Ali, and this traitor has a highly-placed State Department ally who is promoting Naimzadeh as the next President of Iran.

Naimzadeh’s spies make him aware of Danforth’s role. He attempts to neutralize Danforth by sending an assassin to threaten the lives of Danforth’s son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. 

The U.S. launches an invasion of Iran, including sending Delta Force teams into the country. Among these units is Danforth’s son, Michael, who has been ordered to protect Naimzadeh until his installation as President of Iran. The invasion is successful and Naimzadeh is about to be installed as the country’s leader when Danforth realizes the web of deceit orchestrated by Naimzadeh and his allies could result in the deaths of tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers and in Naimzadeh’s control of Middle East oil and gas reserves. 

Danforth uncovers the participants in Naimzadeh’s plot – including the U.S. Vice President – and foils it. He discovers Naimzadeh has interpreted some of Nostradamus’s writings as prophesying his success, but only if the U.S. President is eliminated.  Assassins target the President, but are defeated.

The United States assists the new Iranian government, which confiscates Naimzadeh’s fortune. Naimzadeh is arrested by Iran and put on trial.

The U.S. President directs Bob Danforth to deliver to Naimzadeh, who is in an Iranian jail cell awaiting trial, a copy of several of Nostradamus’s quatrains and verses from the Book of Jeremiah of the Bible that appear to predict the downfall of a Persian tyrant. 

The President asks Danforth to take a high level position at the CIA, but Danforth realizes sitting behind a desk would be a fate worse than death, and that his wife can no longer handle his performing field assignments. He decides to retire again and spend more time with the family he has ignored for too long.

ISBN/ASIN: B00R3GTLVI
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 468

The View from the Rigging: Memoirs of a Coast Guard Career; by Richard Marcott

MWSA Review
The View from the Rigging is a fascinating and fun memoir of Captain Richard Marcott’s twenty-eight-year career in the Coast Guard. Born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania far from the ocean, Marcott is accepted into the Coast Guard Academy and shortly after arriving, off he goes to see the world! And, boy, does he! His decision ultimately takes him around the world and back and forth across the country. His encounters and experiences with people ranging from Okinawan peasants to Ernest Hemingway—as well as numerous personal ups and downs—are richly told. Marcott’s experience as an instructor is a great “teaching moment” (pun intended) for those unfamiliar with the depth of thought and work needed to successfully train individuals from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. At every level, The View from the Rigging is a success.
Review by Dwight Jon Zimmerman, MWSA President & Reviewer

Synopsis:

Captain Marcott, a dyed-in-the-wool story teller, reflects on twenty-eight years of intriguing Coast Guard stories that span the cold war, the turbulent sixties, and the period of détente with Russia. More than a book of seagoing adventures; you will warm to his tales of family and friends.
    His scenic descriptions are crisp and real. You will feel you are with him in an Atlantic hurricane, and when he boards a Russian Factory vessel in the Bering Sea. 
    Share his encounters with Ernest Hemingway, Perry Como, Jacques Cousteau, Ambassador Eliot Richardson, and discover how Nikita Khrushchev interrupted his life.    
    Laugh as he outfoxes a Navy blockade and when he stumbles to explain to a Japanese artist why his wedding portrait is wrong.
    Feel his family angst when their infant daughter requires delicate surgery.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-5356-0395-9
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Creative Nonfiction, Memoir
Number of Pages: 343

    “I never cease to be amazed as to how much I learn from Captain Marcott’s memoirs of a fascinating world I never knew existed. The stories are a tribute to his service that he sells with beautiful detail, humor, and pathos.” 
    Dr. Dani Weber, Writing professor.

“If you’ve ever been to sea, you’ll enjoy my friend Dick Marcott’s tales of Coast Guard duty. If you haven’t, this book might count as your first deployment!”
                  David Poyer, author of TIPPING POINT and ONSLAUGHT 

“In my experience, the very best way to learn something is to find a teacher who blends historical facts with the art of story-telling. Dick Marcott proves he’s the master of this approach in The View from the Rigging.  Those of us who paralleled his Coast Guard professional life can smile often remembering our own experiences as Dick reviews his career.  Those who have not, are introduced to the extraordinary professional and personal commitments, made by both service members and their families, to public service in the uniform of their country.  It’s a story told well and highlighted with very real moments of serious accomplishment. We should all be so fortunate to have such stories to tell our grandchildren.”
        Admiral James M. Loy, US Coast Guard (Retired) Commandant 1998-2002

    Captain Marcott graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1957 with a BS in Engineering. He received an MA in Personnel Management from George Washington University. He held commands afloat and ashore, and he was the chief of the Training and Education Division in CG headquarters. Four chapters of his memoir have been published in the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s award winning literary journal, Baily’s Beads.

Passages: A Corrales Writing Group Anthology; by Jim Tritten

MWSA Review
An anthology, by definition, offers readers a collection of unique and differing points of view and writing techniques. The Corrales Writing Group members take it a notch higher by presenting different genres as well. Whether you like humor, fiction or nonfiction, you’re sure to find something to enjoy from these writers. With a well-thought out design, the stories mesh well and the reader easily transitions from one story to the next.

The writers titled the book, Passages, to connote the constant change in their lives, the New Mexican culture and the times. Their connection to their local heritage shines throughout the book. In addition to their writings, they worked with Corrales artists to enrich the book with their creative works.

I especially liked the Entr’actes used as transition pieces. They focus on New Mexico’s culture and as the introduction states, are “highlighting New Mexico quirks, or showing local distinctions in attitude.”

From Jim Tritten’s 21st Century Illustrated Man to Patricia and Walter Walkow’s Our 9/11 Story, the reader is exposed to laughter, thought and a myriad of emotions.

The book left me with a desire to visit New Mexico in the near future.
Review by Pat Avery, MWSA Reviewer

Synopsis:
This anthology is created by members of the Corrales Writing Group, located in central New Mexico. From humor to tragedy, from a remembrance of 9/11 to the ways people perceive New Mexico, from a scathingly funny rant on Christmas letters to a magical experience in healing, these writings engage emotions.

Jim Tritten (Navy veteran and MWSA member) wrote four chapters: The Perfect Woman challenges the reader about what constitutes perfection in the fair sex. Sauna Gus describes a Danish sauna and Jim says if you don’t laugh out loud, you don’t have a sense of humor. 21st Century Illustrated Man is creative non-fiction/memoir and documents the author’s anxiety attack while traveling by air in a commercial jetliner. Finally Round Engines is a tongue-in-cheek look at flying aircraft with reciprocating engines with propellers and flying jets.

Thomas Neiman (Army veteran) wrote four chapters: A Clown’s Story is heart-warming memoir of Tom’s volunteer work as a Shriner clown. Overture is the introduction to a hardboiled detective work still in progress. Grasshopper Rant and Hooked contain humorous interchanges between husband and wife.

Patricia Walkow (MWSA member and military spouse) wrote five pieces. A Christmas Letter is a rollicking commentary of how our friends and family communicate with us once a year. Three chapters provide commentary on her experiences in the professional work world as a woman. Pat also includes an extract from a novel, The Far Moist End of the Earth, still in progress. A sixth chapter outlining their experiences after 9/11 was co-written with her husband (Army veteran): 

Chris Allen wrote four pieces: Two humorous short stories detail the trial of introducing a new puppy, Ember, into her home. One wonders why the dog is still in their house after what it did. Booked! Is a humorous account of her difficulty in getting to work as a film extra. The final piece, Horse Wreck, deals with an equine accident and her on-going recovery.

Sandi Hoover wrote one essay: Small Discoveries-Small Delights is a reflection on the seasonal changes noticed in local birds, animals, and plants in our village of Corrales.

Maureen Cooke wrote one chapter: Together Apart: Lily and Her Mother is an extract from a novel still in works. Interpersonal relationships are the subject matter.

Five of the authors wrote very short observations about life in New Mexico that separate the different sections of the anthology. In addition, the group partnered with nineteen local artists and included photographs of paintings, sculpture, etc. used as spacers to separate chapters. These show up in gorgeous color in the Kindle version.

ISBN/ASIN: 1539502279
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Fiction, Nonfiction, Creative Nonfiction, Memoir, How to/Business, Anthology
Number of Pages: 316

A Shau Valor: American Combat Operations in the Valley of Death, 1963-1971; by Thomas Yarborough

MWSA Review
A Shau Valor, by Thomas R Yarborough—a veteran of 600 combat missions during the Vietnam War—focuses on a relatively small but significant part of Vietnam War: the A Shau Valley.  The valley is located in the northern section of what used to be South Vietnam and lies along the border with Laos.   For most of the war, it was a major entry point for North Vietnamese military personnel, equipment and supplies into the south.  Because of its location and proximity to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, it was an area of consistent, large and bloody battles. Perhaps the best known was the battle for Hill 937 or “Hamburger Hill.”

The book concentrates on the nine years the US fought in this valley, providing a detailed and unflinching look at the US operations in an area often referred to as the "Valley of Death." In doing so, Yarborough provides us with a well-researched and valuable contribution to the historical record.

Yarborough's work is replete with repeated references to the valor of those who served in this hotly-contested section of Vietnam.  In many cases, the details of combat heroism seem to be taken almost directly from the medal citations themselves.  However, given the almost unbelievable bravery these citations document, it’s very appropriate to do so.  It's not Yarborough’s writing that is repetitious; it is the consistent and conspicuous valor of those who fought… and died there.

Highly recommended for those interested in this important part of the War in Vietnam.
Reviewed by John Cathcart, MWSA Awards Director & Reviewer

Synopsis:
Military historian Tom Yarborough has written a thoroughly researched and documented study that chronicles the battles and the associated courage, sacrifice, and valor in and around the remote and lethal A Shau Valley, one of the most deadly battlegrounds of the Vietnam War.  Other works have focused on individual battles or units, but A Shau Valor is the first to study the nine year campaign chronologically and within the context of other historical, political, and cultural events.  In addition to covering the strictly military aspects of various campaigns in the A Shau, the author shows how events in both Vietnam and the United States became inexorably linked as domestic dissent and a lack of realistic, viable military strategy ultimately led to America’s first lost war.

      To flesh out the story the author combed numerous military archives for individual cases of conspicuous gallantry in action, to include Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, and Air Force Cross citations.  In effect, those heroic deeds, those incredible acts of valor, provided the framework for the story he wanted to tell.  That methodology ultimately suggested the title for the book: A Shau Valor. 
 
     For Yarborough, author of the critically acclaimed book, Da Nang Diary, the challenge was to communicate not only the essential elements of the battles but also to supply a sense of the sights, sounds, and even the smells of the battlefield so that the reader feels engaged and, at least figuratively, experiences the mosquitoes, the mud, the oppressive heat, the leeches, the agony, the frustration, the fear.   

      As a compulsory underpinning for understanding the individual unit operational summaries and after action reports, perhaps the most indispensable documentary sources in A Shau Valor are the inspiring gallantry citations themselves, riveting accounts of the heroes who defined the battles.  Consequently, the author included recollections and interviews with many of the warriors---the grunts, marines, and airmen who did the fighting and the dying in the A Shau.  They consecrated the ground known as the Valley of Death with their blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifices.  This book is their story.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-61200-354-2
Book Format(s): Hard cover
Genre(s): Nonfiction, History
Number of Pages: 336
 

Soldier for Life: Leader Lessons From The 12th Sergeant Major Of The Army Jack L. Tilley, by Jack Tilley

MWSA Review
A proven formula for leadership

"Soldier for Life" is more than a memoir of an American soldier who advanced through the ranks to become to most senior enlisted man in the U.S. Army. It also contains real life lessons that benefit managers who lead teams of people in any military and civilian workplace.

Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) Jack Tilley, now retired from the military, began his story as a 17-year-old high school student who joined the Army as something do after graduating from high school. At the time, he had no goal in life. His lessons began with basic training, Airborne School and on into Viet Nam as tank crew member during the intense fighting of the 1968 Tet Offensive. He left the war zone as an escort for the body of his best friend.

Tilley candidly described the emotional highs and lows of his career — from duties as a basic training drill sergeant, tank commander, platoon sergeant, first sergeant, chief instructor, and sergeant major at the battalion, brigade, division, Central Command and Department of the Army levels. Through each of these assignments, SMA Tilley learned and applied critical lessons in working with others; some lessons from his own mistakes, others via sage advice from peers and higher ranking mentors. Essential to earning respect and superior performances from subordinates is through one's personal actions, he wrote, rather than just with authoritarian orders.

During his 35 year tenure as a soldier, Tilley experienced an Army in constant change, the most significant included becoming an all-volunteer force, significantly enhancing educational standards for NCOS, and the controversial adoption of black berets as the standard headwear. As a division command sergeant major, he later served along the Iron Curtain in Germany during the Cold War, with the peacekeeping force in Bosnia during the breakup of Yugoslavia, and in the early years of the Global War on Terror. He was the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army when a commercial airliner deliberately crashed into the Pentagon where he was serving.
Tilley and his co-author, retired Command Sergeant Major Dan Elder, tell Tilley's story in a well-written narrative of an Army and a soldier in transition. Through this book, they share many lessons learned in getting the best results from others working in your organization.
"Soldier For Life" is must reading for every soldier —enlisted, NCO and officer—and every civilian who want to develop leadership abilities that are essential for success.
By Joe Epley, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
This book is more than just an autobiography of Jack L. Tilley, the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army, it is a series of leadership lessons based on selected stories from his more than 35-year career. The last Vietnam veteran to serve in that position from 2000-2004, SMA Tilley was at the Pentagon when terrorists crashed a plane into the nation’s largest "office building" on September 11, 2001. He and his co-author, Dan Elder weave a story beginning with Tilley's enlistment into the United States Army in the summer of 1966, his deployment to Vietnam, his ascension to positions of great responsibility, and describe influential events leading up to his eventual selection and assignment as the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army. Unique to his story are the "Understanding Tilley" segments that close each chapter where Tilley reflects on the chapter events, describes how those events influenced him, as well as explore lessons that the reader can use in their own journey.

ISBN/ASIN: 0996318100
Book Format(s): Hard cover
Genre(s): Memoir
Number of Pages: 242