Blue Rhapsodies: Poems of a Navy Life by Nancy Arbuthnot

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MWSA Review

Nancy Arbuthnot has penned a moving collection of poems about her life as a “Navy Junior.” Blue Rhapsodies: Poems of a Navy Life will strike a chord on many levels. Arbuthnot, one of seven siblings writes stirring passages:

“I pretend sleep on the car ride home so my father will lift me one last time in his arms” showing how she yearns for closeness from her often-absent father, a Navy pilot.

As with many military families who are asked to relocate every few years, the author writes of her always flexible mother:

“…our perfumed mother in flowered sundress, pearls and red lipstick, baby nestled beside her as she checks off boxes the movers carry inside”

Blue Rhapsodies is based on recollections of the author’s life, true to her experience but common to so many. From childhood through college years, she was always a Navy daughter. After college, Arbuthnot took on a new Navy identity, a professor at the Naval Academy. Her poems take on a new point of view “Under blue Annapolis skies.”

Blue Rhapsodies reveals the author’s innermost thoughts over many years. Now a professor at the academy but also a Navy daughter - with aging parents. Poignant lines evoking emotion about the dedicated caregivers for both her mother and father convey what many of us with aging parents have experienced. Arbuthnot writes of her beloved parents’ decline while giving tribute to the life they lived and the experiences they had.

Review by Nancy Panko (May 2022)

Author's Synopsis

In compelling poetic vignettes, Nancy Arbuthnot presents the story of her life that spans a "Navy junior" childhood of constant moves and an often-absent father; a career teaching poetry and composition to midshipmen at the Naval Academy; and her recent years caring for her father, "the Captain," debilitated by a major stroke but still "master and commander."

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Poetry—Poetry Book

Number of Pages: 116

Hammers of Voices Silent by Robert Wood

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MWSA Review

This is an interesting compendium of sixty-six poems that reveal the author's diverse vocabulary and ability to cleverly rhyme and alliterate.

While infused with a lot of free-form style that hints at some deep-seated anger and frustration with people and society, some wonderful gems of phrasing make a strong impact and a jarring mental image, like "slivers of broken glass rafting your veins," and "Conspiracies of imbecility," and "As all wars must inevitably be since reason always dies..."

The poem "Had I Again" is a particular standout hinting at opportunities taken (and in some instances, lost) as one flows down the river of life."

Review by Frank Biggio (June 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

Athens lacked the swarms of gadflies needed to awaken its democracy to the evil of banishing the best, executing scapegoats at will, and denying both merit and reason to squander all that it had achieved and all that it might have achieved. Hammers of Voices Silent suggests the United States would require entire armies of gadflies to make a dent in what has become the silliest and most bizarrely corrupt nation ever to exist. The author considers his work only a token force but acknowledges the obligation.

He had meant to compose some devastatingly wondrous essays but noticed he had not the talent or time deciding rhyme would be quicker off the mark and waste fewer trees in the process. The poems document some eighty years of observation and research into the workings of the human mind which he finds consistently depressing but nevertheless interesting in the way large wrecks on the freeway draw one’s attention even with the best of intentions sought.

The author admits his work may not make the slightest difference in the cultural revolution of idiocy rampant but such phenomena run their course to die with or without gadflies since the utter chaos created must lead to overcompensation in the opposite direction. The patterns within history and individual human beings assure the next stage in the process and it is this stage the author most fears for all too often the new “correct” wastes its new found ascendency to trample all now fallen from grace. He hopes the next victor can lead with honor and reason even with a clear and present mandate of power. If one Epaminondas existed, then the author believes a few more such giants might in time appear though their task the greater with every year wasted in the sound and fury of wrathful indignation and endless hypocrisy. 

The book does hold out hope if only humans can summon the astounding reservoirs of courage, honor and sacrifice some display in moments of peril to maintain in dignity what their sacrifices gained for all rather than allowing such accomplishments to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The author believes the present cultural revolution and the following counter revolution are the greatest threats ever faced by the United States with the specter of politicians attending the unending funerals of REASON, LOGIC, ETHICS, HONOR and KINDNESS. 

Just as individual humans deny their mortality until their last breath, each nation denies even the possibility of demise until the weight of corruption, incompetence, insouciance, hubris and profligacy crush its foundations and another Ozymandias slips beneath the sand. The poems are intended to mirror the knowledge the author has gained from his life’s extensive library of mistakes with the hope such information may make some small difference for the better in a world needing a lot of difference for the better.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Poetry—Poetry Book

Number of Pages: 133

At First Light A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse by Walt Larimore and Mike Yorkey

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MWSA Review

Walt Larimore and Mike Yorkey’s At First Light is the saga of his father’s unending bravery in the U.S. Army during WW ll. Despite being the youngest commissioned officer in the war, Phil Larimore immediately develops into the quintessential soldier: just as good at following as leading. Everyone around him recognizes that he is comprised wholly of tenacity.

A play-by-play of Phil’s training and combat exploits brings us to the front lines with its challenges, accomplishments, horror, death, and cold (literally) harsh realities of war. Phil performed his mission of delivering ammunition to the troops through seemingly insurmountable obstacles, earning decoration after decoration, and probably more important to him, the respect of his troops. They would have followed him to the ends of the earth, and they did just that, time after time.

As we see Phil lead his troops through Italy, France, and Germany, we get a history lesson and a reminder of true American heroes. We get to know the characters, complete with photos, including the animals in Phil’s world. He trains mules to get supplies and equipment to the front lines. He was also highly skilled with horses, but his love for them is what gets him through hard times, even after the war. The usually stark WW II story is humanized by this unequivocal expertise, and his romantic joys and heartbreaks.

Through years of research the author discovered that distinct part of life so many of our fathers and grandfathers couldn’t share. Never before has a book moved me to tears, out of pride—for 2nd Lieutenant Phil Larimore’s legacy, and my own humble service in the U.S. Army.

Review by Sue Rushford (June 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

What makes 2nd Lieutenant Phil Larimore’s story special is what happened in World War II’s closing days and the people—and horses—he interacted with in this Forrest Gump-like tale that is emotional, heartbreaking, and inspiring.

Growing up in the 1930s in Memphis, Tennessee, Phil Larimore is the ultimate Boy Scout—able to read maps, put a compass to good use, and traverse wild swamps and desolate canyons. His other great skill is riding horses.

Phil does poorly in school, however, leading his parents send to him to a military academy. After Pearl Harbor, Phil realizes he is destined for war. Three weeks before his eighteenth birthday, he becomes the youngest candidate to ever graduate from Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Landing on the Anzio beachhead in February 1944, Phil is put in charge of an Ammunition Pioneer Platoon in the 3rd Infantry Division. Their job: deliver ammunition to the frontline foxholes—a dangerous assignment involving regular forays into No Man’s Land.

As Phil fights his way up the Italian boot, into Southern France and across the Rhine River into Germany, he is caught up in some of the most intense combat ever. But it’s what happens in the final stages of the war and his homecoming that makes Phil’s story incredibly special and heartwarming.

An emotional tale of courage, daring, and heroism, At First Light will remind you of the indomitable human spirit that lives in all of us.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 480

Happenstance Farms A New Home by S. McMichael

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MWSA Review

What will Savannah do when her horse trainer moves out of town and her barn closes? S. McMichael in Happenstance Farms: A New Home has the answer. Find new ones! The prospect of change is scary for the young girl. Will she like her trainer? Will her trainer like her? Will her pony, Coffee, like the new barn? Will Savannah make new friends? So many questions. Will she find the answers?

At Happenstance Farms, Miss Ellen and her pup Eli make Savannah feel at home immediately. All her fears disappear when she mounts Coffee for her skill level evaluation. When she is on Coffee, she feels like nothing in this world matters except for them—soaring around the ring and over the jumps.

Putting Coffee in the barn, she meets Sophia, who warmly welcomes her—a great beginning to her new adventure. This book will appeal to young children with like-minded interests. They will finish the story wanting to learn more about Savannah and Happenstance Farms.

Review by Sandi Cathcart (June 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

Change can be difficult, especially for Savanna. When she gets a new trainer at a new barn, she can't help thinking about how much she'll miss Colts & Company. More than that...she's a little scared. What will happen when Savanna swallows her fear and takes a chance on Happenstance Farms?

A fun, relatable story about a girl and her pony, your child will love keeping up with the adventures at Happenstance Farms. With charming characters, lots of laughs, and social-emotional learning, this book is the perfect addition to any home or classroom library

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book

Number of Pages: 32

Vietnam Saga; Exploits of a Combat Helicopter Pilot by Stan Corvin, Jr.

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MWSA Review

Vietnam Saga is an excellent and easy read. It is more than one man's memoir. It has elements of war that are common to all who have served. There is the excitement/terror/emotion of preparing for and ultimately engaging an enemy. There is the frustration of failed plans and the loss of comrades in arms. There is the rapid shift of emotions between the stress in a war zone and the feeling of "escape" during R&R (rest and relaxation/recovery).

The most striking thing I found about the book was the style of writing. I felt as if I were sitting with the author in a small, warm room listening to him recount his stories just for me as a special friend. Throughout the book, the author expresses a deep conflict between his Christian belief and the killing required by the circumstances of war. He has a short-term rationale that sees him through the war years. His ultimate resolution, however, is found in his strong faith in a loving God and forgiveness through grace and faith in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Review by Jerry L. Burton (June 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

"Vietnam Saga" is a very personal story of Stan Corvin’s often perilous times in the U.S. Army as a two-tour combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam. It’s a true-life story of soldiers who fought for freedom and often for their very lives. "Vietnam Saga" is also a story about the meaning of life. Standing back from his war experience, Stan reflects on his ever-present faith and how it carried him through this challenging period of his life. Originally written as a legacy to Stan Corvin’s family—something that will be passed down for many generations—"Vietnam Saga" is now an opportunity for you to share in this legacy and the personal recollections, memories, thoughts, fears and shed tears of a decorated and dedicated American soldier.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 332

In the Year of the Rabbit by Terence A. Harkin

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MWSA Review

In his book, In the Year of the Rabbit, author Terence A Harkin has given us his sequel to The Big Buddha Bicycle Race. That story ends with a terrorist attack that kills our protagonist's friends and sends him to the hospital. Brendan's opposition to the Vietnam war and his continued service in the air force grows. He requests a discharge from the air force that is not taken seriously. As a combat photographer, he is assigned a mission on a Spectre aircraft which is shot down in enemy territory. Brendan and a fellow crew member are injured but survive the crash and finally make it back to Thailand. This event makes Brendan even more determined to leave the service. While his request is finally approved, Brendan knows he is carrying a lot of emotional baggage he can't handle. He decides to live at a monastery and train to be a Buddhist monk, hoping the mental discipline can help heal him. He does so, but after his training, he believes he needs to go back to the wreckage site to finally make peace with his guilt. As a monk, he has to make the trip with no possessions, surviving off the gifts of food from the people he meets along the way. This is a story of a young soldier who has seen too much and has lost his way.

Review by Bob Doerr (June 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

Cameraman Brendan Leary survived the ambush of the Big Buddha Bicycle Race—but Tukada, his star-crossed lover, did not. Leary returns to combat, flying night operations over the mountains of Laos, too numb to notice that Pawnsiri, one of his adult-school students, is courting him. When his gunship is shot down, he survives again, hiking out of the jungle with Harley Baker, the guitar-playing door gunner he loves and hates. Leary is discharged but remains in Thailand, ordaining as a Buddhist monk and embarking on a pilgrimage through the wastelands of Laos, haunted by what Thais call "pii tai hong"—the restless, unhappy ghosts of his doomed crewmates.

In the Year of the Rabbit, a story of healing and redemption, honors three groups missing from accounts of the Vietnam War—the air commandos who risked death flying night after night over the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the active-duty airmen who risked prison by joining the GI antiwar movement, and the people of neutral Laos, whose lives and country were devastated.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction

Number of Pages: 316

The Legend (A Kate Tyler Novel) by Nancy Wakeley

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MWSA Review

Nancy Wakeley’s second book, The Legend, follows up on the everyday heroine Kate Tyler. Now that Kate has moved past the sudden death of her twin, she starts to feel that “travel bug” again. Coupled with some very vivid, repetitive dreams, she is strangely drawn to the small town of Rye, England. While working on her travel blog, she stumbles upon a mysterious book from hundreds of years ago that features a young woman named Arabella.

Kate is shocked when she sees that the picture of Arabella looks exactly like Kate. Though unnerved, she continues her studies of Rye and the surrounding countryside, only to be reminded by the locals at every turn how much she looks like the mysterious Arabella. Drawn into the web of a local legend, Kate is at first intrigued. Soon, however, she is in real danger, and only her new friend Miles has any chance to save her.

It is obvious that the author did extensive research on small town England, as the story she weaves is ripe with detail and an atmosphere that could only come from a small European town. The story features a host of interesting characters, from the villain Virginia to the manly but vulnerable Miles. It is well written and easy to read, ensuring that fans of literary fiction will enjoy this book.

Review by Rob Ballister (June 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

What does it mean to live the life you were meant to live?  Kate Tyler is asking herself this question as she travels to the ancient town of Rye, England on business.  But unsettling dreams of ships and storms, a stolen book of ancient legends, mistaken identity, and the mysterious Corvos Sisterhood all conspire to draw Kate into finding the truth behind the tragic legend of young Arabella Courbain who died in 1766 and who had vowed to return one day to live the life she was meant to live.  

As Kate reads Arabella’s story in the book of ancient legends, she feels a powerful connection to her as if the young woman is reaching out to her from the past, pleading to finally have the truth about her life and death revealed.  

Kate’s unexpected journey of discovery takes her from a peculiar man in a bookstore and the quaint shops and ghostly inns in Rye to the Calloway House and Gardens and its mistress, herbalist Virginia Calloway, whose fervent belief that the prophesy in the legend of Arabella Courbain will come true soon leads Kate down a dangerous path that could change her life forever.  

In spite of warnings from Rye Detective Sergeant Miles Pixley, Kate seeks out the answers to the mystery in the Calloway House.  Will she find the truth before it is too late?  And will she discover for herself if she is living the life she was meant to live?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction

Number of Pages: 316

Q.Fulvius: A Pirate's Life by M. G. Haynes

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MWSA Review

Q. Fulvius: A Pirate’s Life, book two in the Fulvius Chronicles by M. G. Haynes, describes a few years in the life of an escaped Roman centurion and his mates. Fulvius joins a pirate colony on an island in the Adriatic Sea and improves the lives of the Illyrians with his military knowledge, making them safer and more prosperous. He experiences true family support for the first time in his life and is conflicted between his desire for independence and the pull of the community’s needs. After a year of settling in, outside events threaten the colony as it is caught between the Macedonians in the east who want to take over the Greek coast and part of Italy and the Romans who want to stop them. The Romans also want to capture the escaped centurion and punish him. Life is not easy in the third century, but the centurion and his friends have been trained to fight, and their skills save the lives of many in the village. You’ll find lots of plot twists in this very easy read.

Review by Nancy Kauffman (May 2022)

Author's Synopsis

Book two of The Fulvius Chronicles, this installment continues to follow Fulvius and his disreputable gang after their narrow escape from a legionary death sentence during the Second Punic War. Fleeing across the Adriatic Sea they find new allies and a new vocation, piracy. Taking naturally to littoral banditry, Fulvius and his new charges grow steadily in both power and wealth until the wider politics of the region intrude upon their piratical nirvana in a way none of them expected. Fulvius is forced to deal with the sudden return of an old, vengeful enemy, an opportunity for enrichment simply too good to pass up, and ultimately, betrayal within his own ranks just to survive, much less find any way to prosper. In the end, all his schemes come crashing down around him, and the members of the pirate community--to say nothing of Fulvius himself--must fight for their very lives in a massive and swirling battle royale along the Illyrian coast.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 313

Rare Bird: Hispanic Military Pilots of the USA by Rudolph C. Villarreal

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MWSA Review

As an Air Force veteran, I found this book to be a profound "joy of discovery," and it should be read by all Americans. Of these over 100 Hispanic military pilots, there are no less than eleven flag officers (generals or admirals), three astronauts, and eight aces. Also included is Colonel Cesar Rodriguez, a retired F-15 pilot who is one of three pilots, post-Vietnam, who achieved three aerial victories, where there have been no aces since that war. Because the book is written in a precise biographical style, it is possible to appreciate the great accomplishments of many of these pilots and realize the unspoken tragedy and sacrifice of many others who gave their lives in the defense of the United States. This is a great reference for military and aviation history applications.

Review by Terry Lloyd (June 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

They may have been Rare but they were There, serving in every Theater of Operations.  In a society that did not always welcome Hispanics, these men persevered.  Becoming a military pilot was not easy.  One had to be a cut above the average person.  College was a must although this requirement had been dropped during wartime.  And then, only those who were able to pass the stringent physical and mental tests were allowed to begin flight school and subsequently endure a year or more of a stressful training process that would eliminate some of the students.  Those who succeeded received their wings and joined a fraternity of aviators that served the country admirably in peacetime and war.

Tempe, Arizona based historian and author Rudy Villarreal has published his new book which features 101 stories of these pilots, from a list of over 300 who have served in the US military since the early days of aviation.  One of these featured is quite famous in the sports world: Ted Williams considered to be one of the greatest players in major league baseball history.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

A Rock in the Clouds: A Life Revisited by Joseph R. Tedeschi

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MWSA Review

Wars may last for years—or even decades—but they often end in an instant for the individual soldiers who fight them. A Rock in the Clouds tells the story of one such instant, a plane crash in Vietnam that ended the author’s deployment a mere three weeks after it began. It also ended the lives of thirteen fellow service members, and the author never takes his survival for granted as he revisits the entirety of his life before, during, and after that near-death experience.

Any account of a plane crash would be harrowing, but this book’s finest feature is that the author goes beyond a first-person account and provides a painstakingly compiled record that sheds light in a way no single person could. The research also includes interesting nuggets about medical personnel he met during his recovery and, most strikingly, a picture of the airplane’s pilot with three of the sons he left behind after perishing in the crash.

The accident and its aftermath comprise the middle third of the book, with the first portion listing biographical details and the final third largely reprinting correspondence that happened during the book’s creation. Yet the central third reflects an interesting balance of personal narrative and research, with moments that provide welcome texture, sometimes in unexpected ways.

Perhaps the most resonant aspect of A Rock in the Clouds isn’t a particular section but that the book exists at all—that even a survivor whose injuries largely healed, whose military career continued successfully, and whose subsequent life has been nurtured by family, faith, and community still thinks back to a foggy Vietnam hillside in 1966, peering out of a broken fuselage, wondering what had just happened and why his right leg was stubbornly refusing to move.

Review by John McGlothlin (May 2022)

Author's Synopsis

“On 4 October 1966, a C7-A Caribou airplane flying through blinding cloud cover crashed into Hon Cong Mountain near the base camp of the 1st Air Cavalry Division at An Khe. There were thirty-one people aboard the aircraft, an air crew of four along with twenty-seven passengers. Thirteen people died in the crash. I was one of the survivors.”

Joe spends 45 years of his life uncertain of the true details of the crash. And he is always trying to make sense of his survival. In the many years searching for answers he discovers a very human story of faith, compassion, GI grit and humor, and patriotism.

As his journey reveals his faith-based purpose and destiny, he hopes to bring hope and inspiration to other Vietnam-era veterans, their families, and people of faith.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 278

Honor Through Sacrifice by Robert E Lofthouse

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MWSA Review

Honor Through Sacrifice: The Story of One of America’s Greatest Military Leaders is a memoir/biography chock full of history. From World War II through the undeclared war in Vietnam, author Robert Lofthouse gives a well-document account of his highly-decorated cousin, Gordon Lippman.

Lippman, a bonafide hero, came from a farming county in South Dakota with ingrained leadership skills. To have these attributes in a young man who never graduated from any of the service academies is an anomaly. Yet anyone who served with or under his command would say that Lippman was the one they’d follow into battle.

Gordon enlisted in the army to serve his country, carrying with him his faith and the traditional values of his South Dakota family. He served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He earned some of our country’s highest honors: Silver and Bronze Stars, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and three Combat Infantry Badges, to name a few. He was part of the second D-Day landing and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Years later, he served in Korea. In the 1960s, as a brigade executive officer, Lippman led men young enough to be his sons while fighting the Viet Cong in the Iron Triangle.

Much has been written about Gordon Lippman in Readers Digest and Newsweek Magazine. He was eulogized on Paul Harvey’s radio program, and Harry Reasoner told Lippman’s story for CBS news. Gordon was honored by his state in South Dakota Magazine. Robert Lofthouse has pulled articles and interviews together to create a historically accurate memoir in a tribute to his hero cousin.

Review by Nancy Panko (June 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

My debut book tells the story of Gordon Lippman, serving with the US Army from WWII as a paratrooper until his untimely death in Vietnam, where he was deployed as an executive officer with the 1st Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade. 

We need heroes today. Gordon fits this description. His bravery in combat is emphasized along with his zeal to be a servant leader throughout a 22-year Army career.

At the core of the biography is a question that I wonder about: “Where does America get such gallant men?”

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 205

Cocktails With the Admiral by Vic Socotra

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MWSA Review

Cocktails with the Admiral is an informal memoir of the service life of the late Rear Admiral Donald M. "Mac" Showers, USN(Ret), whose thirty-year career spanned the momentous period from the earliest days of World War II to the height of the Vietnam War.

RADM Showers's initial Navy assignment happened to place him at the center of the war in the Pacific with the codebreakers of Station HYPO who enabled the pivotal US victory at the Battle of Midway. His post-war career traces his evolution as a member of the developing US Naval Intelligence community. After retiring from the Navy, he spent more than a decade with the CIA and was later inducted into the NSA Hall of Honor.

The narrative is written by another retired US Naval Intelligence officer, Vic Socotra, as a series of interviews conducted with the Admiral during regular happy hour sessions at a popular Arlington restaurant/bar. First-hand accounts of his role add new footnotes to the well-established history of the conflict. The result is an entertaining and occasionally revelatory viewpoint of key strategic decisions that led to the hard-won US victory over Japan.

The admiral’s personal story also follows the post-war development and maturation of the US Navy intelligence capability and its influence on national security doctrine. Unfortunately, RADM Showers passed away in 2012 at the age of 93, before he could talk about his second career with the CIA.

The book could have benefited from another round of critical editing. Extensive descriptions of the Willow bar and its denizens detracted from the Admiral’s story, as did many of the photographs scattered throughout the text. Nonetheless, in recounting his interviews with the admiral, the author has preserved the legacy of a unique Navy career.

Review by Peter A. Young (June 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

Admiral Mac Showers was the last of the Station HYPO Codebreakers at Pearl Harbor who set the stage for victory at the Battle of Midway. His life in that tumultuous conflict and later in those of the Cold War, Vietnam and Watergate make his recollections amid a 21st Century landscape a roller coaster of a vivid time. Join our 90-year old buddy who chatted with all the f-Star officers and the Queen for a unique perspective on life in the middle of the American Century.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 337

Warfighter by Colonel Jesse L. Johnson and Alex Holstein

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MWSA Review

Warfighter: The Story of an American Fighting Man by Colonel Jesse L Johnson and Alex Holstein is almost unbelievable. Johnson’s service awards include a Distinguished Service Cross, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, three Silver Stars, at least two Bronze Stars (he didn’t keep count in the book), and three Purple Hearts. He completed two combat tours in Vietnam, joined Delta Force at its inception, was on the ground during Operation Eagle Claw (1980 Iranian hostage rescue mission), and served as special forces commander during Desert Storm (SOCCENT).

Johnson had participated in so many battles, won so many awards, and rubbed elbows with so many famous military leaders that he often seemed to be a character in a work of fiction. But Warfighter is decidedly not fictional.

After racing through the book’s 264 action-packed pages, the reader will get to know an extraordinary American warfighter. Johnson’s memoir covers his four-decade-long service to his country and makes for a compelling and well-told story. I highly recommend this book written by the ultimate combat insider–one of the most-decorated US soldiers of all time.

Review by John Cathcart (June 2022)

Author's Synopsis

In WARFIGHTER, Colonel Jesse L. Johnson, one of the most decorated living American veterans, recounts the action-packed true-life tale of a man who stood and fought at the crossroads of history. Spanning forty years of conflict, from the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Iran and Iraq, never has a modern military memoir covered such a vast landscape of all-out warfare. Never has one man fought on the frontlines of so many of America’s most heroic battles. Johnson led the most elite forces on operations that defined eras past and present, mentoring young soldiers who would rise to become some of America’s greatest generals. He held the ear of princes, kings, presidents, and even Hollywood movie stars. With an all-star cast worthy of an epic war film, this extraordinary hero’s journey sheds new light on some of the most transformative events of our time—crises, conflicts and covert operations that have shaped the world as we know it today. More important, WARFIGHTER offers us a deeper understanding of the personal sacrifice and human toll of a lifetime at war, and the honor-bound code of a man whose instinct in battle was to always charge ahead of those under his command—into the fight.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 264

Where You Go, I Will Go by Victoria Terrinoni

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MWSA Review
Victoria Terrinoni’s book, Where You Go I Will Go, is a guide for military spouses. The author combines humor, resilience, marriage, and patriotism into a format that evokes memories of an intimate conversation with a good friend over a cup of hot coffee.

Terrinoni's honest, insightful story of thirty-one years of life with her Air Force chaplain husband will help any new spouse embarking on a similar journey. The lessons learned after each chapter provide a quick recap of the key takeaways to keep in mind and are invaluable.

Where You Go, I Will Go is organized by topic and is easy to read and retain information.  This book provides tools to help a new military spouse acclimate, including an appendix of acronyms and abbreviations vital to know as well as online and on-base resources.

Review by Nancy Panko (July 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
Military life is confusing. You have so many questions. Where will you live? How will you make friends? What happens when your spouse deploys? What about the kids?  Through personal stories, humorous and serious, Where You Go, I Will Go: Lessons From a Military Spouse will answer these questions and more.

In this book, Victoria Terrinoni, a military spouse for 31 years, will show you:

How to handle frequent moves.

How to deal with loneliness and make new friends.

What happens during deployments.

How to help your children adjust.

What those darn acronyms mean.

What resources are available to find answers and support

Where You Go, I Will Go provides valuable lessons on many issues facing military spouses, especially new spouses. Most of all, you will see you are not alone in this journey.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-7368931-04, 978-1-7368931-1-1

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—How to/Business

Number of Pages: 122

Breaking Ice and Breaking Glass by Sandra Stosz

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MWSA Review
VADM Sandra Stosz's Breaking Ice and Breaking Glass: Leading in Uncharted Waters should be a leadership textbook in every leadership curriculum. Not only is it well written and authoritative on the perspective of breaking down barriers for minorities, but for those leaders NOT in a minority group it provides an excellent reminder of just why we need diversity in our workforce and armed services.

The author does an excellent job of relaying how as a junior female officer in a mostly male armed force, she had to challenge the establishment in order to be accepted on her merits. She does so with humor and professionalism in a way that each story is not an accusation but a learning opportunity for those at every level of leadership and supervision. She leaves her audience with several valuable insights and tools (I especially enjoyed the three P’s of power) that any leader at any level in any organization can use. This reviewer is a retired Naval officer and leadership instructor, and I still found many useful talking points to use with my students.

Also enjoyable was her use of very non-standard leadership texts like Mere Christianity and To Kill a Mockingbird to make her point.

Leaders military and otherwise will find a lot of value in this inspiring book from an author who was on the cutting edge of the Coast Guard, both literally and figuratively.

Review by Rob Ballister (July 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
Today, our nation is like a ship being tossed in tumultuous seas. The winds and waves of change have divided and distanced our society, threatening to wash away the very principles upon which our nation was founded. The forces of change are driving us into uncharted waters. Now more than ever, our nation needs leaders with the moral courage to stand strong and steady—leaders capable of uniting people in support of a shared purpose by building the trust and respect necessary for organizations and their people to thrive.

In Breaking Ice and Breaking Glass: Leading in Uncharted Waters, Admiral Sandy Stosz draws upon 40 years of extensive leadership experience leading mostly all-male teams in the US Coast Guard to help leaders navigate complexity and succeed at every level. Character-centered, proven leadership principles emerge from engaging, personal stories that teach leaders how to find, and then become, an inspiring mentor; implement successful diversity, inclusion, and equity programs; successfully lead in a complex environment; and much more.

Leaders eager to make a difference by helping people and organizations be their best will find Breaking Ice and Breaking Glass: Leading in Uncharted Waters their go-to resource.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-64663-525-2, 978-1-64663-523-8, 978-1-64663-524-5

Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—How to/Business

Number of Pages: 312

The Librarian by William Whitson

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MWSA Review
The Librarian: Intrigue at RAF Greenham by W. F. Whitson is a work of fiction based on the author’s personal experiences but written as a mystery/thriller. The first pages of the book offer a list of the main characters, a list of acronyms used, and maps of the area west of London that are relevant to the story. When the United States decides to place ground-launched cruise missiles in England during the Cold War, there is strong opposition not only from Russia but also from British women, who camped near Greenham where they could creatively show their feelings. Russia sent a spy whose cover was as a librarian as well as a few handlers to encourage his work. The spy manipulates various groups and ultimately takes on aggressive acts himself. The book delves into the problem from various views – the US Air Force, British military, local police, and MI 5, as well as the women and some of their families – giving a rich picture of this interesting time in England.
Review by Nancy Kauffman (July 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
In the 1980s, the Cold War heated up  and NATO voted to deploy Ground Launched Cruise Missiles in England to counter the Soviet buildup of SS-20s. Many people around the world protested, and the Soviets sent a spy to stop the deployment by exploding a dirty bomb on RAF Greenham Common. USAF  Lieutenant Colonel Wes Forrest joined with MI-5 to find and destroy the threat.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-950729-11-1

Book Format(s): Soft cover

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 482

Seasons of the Birch by Susan Puska

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MWSA Review
Seasons of the Birch is the story of a young woman who grew up poor in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and left home to enlist in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. By the time Ruth completed her training and deployed to the Philippines, it was April 1945. On returning from the Pacific Theater, she found that war veterans were not always honored, especially if they happened to be women. She returned to hospital work and eventually married a veteran, and that’s when the real troubles began.  Seasons of the Birch follows the family through its struggles with joblessness, alcoholism, and abandonment. While many do not, this book addresses some of the difficulties faced by ordinary men and women who served selflessly and then struggled to assimilate into a society that looked different from the one they left behind.

Review by Betsy Beard (June 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
Seasons of the Birch is a story of perseverance, sacrifice, and resilience. Susan Puska brings realism and heart to a novel that showcases the untold stories of women, minorities, and marginalized men who served their country yet seldom get the recognition they deserve.

Ruth Amundsen grew up poor in Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula during the 1920s and 1930s. As she ventured beyond the village of Big Bay, she left her real home – the shores of Lake Superior. After nursing training, she joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, serving during the last year of World War II in the war-torn Philippines. 

When she returns to post-war America, she finds her independence, sense of contribution, and hard-earned status as a war nurse of little value to a country seeking to get back to an outdated normal, whatever the cost. Her search for tranquility and family is tested as she returns to her beloved Northwoods. Can she adapt to the harsh realities she exchanged for returning north? Will she break from its icy weight or find her resilience like the birch tree after a long winter?

ISBN/ASIN: 9781636768120

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 232

Two Million Steps by Tommy Anderson

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MWSA Review
Two Million Steps is the fictional story of Hamon Jennings, an actual member of the 25th Wisconsin Infantry regiment who fought in the American Civil War. Author Tommy Anderson is Hamon’s great-great-grandson. He tells the story of this famed unit from the dramatized perspective of his relative.

Anderson weaves themes of friendship, family, and fortitude into his story as he describes the ebb and flow of army life. After leaving his family to fight, Hamon must survive the war and return to his wife and new son. Combat is not the only threat he faces. Other dangers lurk in camp. Will Hamon survive? A series of dreams and flashbacks leave the outcome unknown until the latter part of the book. Although Hamon’s survival is a mystery that can keep the reader invested, this book tends to favor repetition over innovation.

Readers interested in the Civil War will understand the significance of the title and appreciate Anderson’s portrayal of the trials and successes of Union soldiers fighting against the Confederacy.

Review by Braden Hall (June 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
Two Million Steps is the story of two men from western Wisconsin who were members of the 25th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company A. It tells their journey from the formation of the regiment through the end of the war. During the Civil War men from both sides rushed to volunteer seeking excitement, adventure, and to defend their state along with their country. This is the regiment's story.

In 1862, the 25th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed in La Crosse, Wisconsin, from mostly volunteers from the western part of the state. The regiment went to war with 1,018 men. The Twenty-Fifth Wisconsin would go on to fight in seven major campaigns and numerous smaller skirmishes with a common motto amongst its men that was coined by Chauncey H. Cooke, a private from Company G, and was picked up by the regiment: "I have no heart in this war if the slaves cannot go free."

During the war, the regiment lost the largest percentage of soldiers from Wisconsin units. They were often called to lead the attacks in Major General Sherman's March to the Sea and to the end of the war because of their ferociousness in battle.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1636496269, 978-1636496276

Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook, Audiobook

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 178

Pandemic Adventures with Pop Pop by Warren Martin

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MWSA Review
Warren Martin tells a sweet story in his children's picture book Pandemic Adventures with Pop Pop. As the recent Covid-19 pandemic swept in and disrupted life, its effects didn't miss the children in
this world. School was canceled, playgrounds and pools were shut down. In this book, the author tells the story of a grandfather stepping in and filling the void with a variety of simple adventures
on which he takes his grandchildren. It's a short book that will appeal to children, especially those who like to be read to.

Review by Bob Doerr (June 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
This third book in the series fast-forwards four years to the 2020 pandemic with a unique approach to that unprecedented year. While activities were restricted for children, parents and grandparents found ways to keep going. Pandemic Adventures with Pop Pop follows the unique way Pop Pop found to entertain his Grandmen Dean and Levi. During the pandemic, or as Grandman Dean called it, “The Sickness,” Pop Pop found fun ways to keep his Grandmen safe, educating them while also creating positive and fun memories.

The Adventures with Pop Pop series of children’s books covers adventures with Pop Pop and his Grandmen. Each book takes us on an adventure to places like Walmart, preschool, and adventures during the pandemic. Future books will cover more adventures, like a birthday party with a surprise visit by Louie the mascot from the St. Louis Blues, Grant’s Farm, the arrival of little brother, and many more.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1955129008

Book Format(s): Soft cover

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book

Number of Pages: 44

Deep State Sedition by Lee Boyland

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MWSA Review
Deep State Sedition by Lee Boyland with Vista Boyland is a fast moving mystery thriller set in multiple locations, which are clearly labeled in the text. There are two previous books in this series, and it would be helpful to read them first. Prior to this series, there are three books in the Clash-of-Civilization trilogy which lead up to this series.

There are many twists and turns in the plot, which takes off from current news and a recent TV show, with whole new outcomes . Very creative thinking. Once you adjust to the fast-breaking beginning chapters, the story will pull you in. Could this happen here? Are we seeing any of these story lines developing currently in this country? Are our intelligence services keeping up this well? Read on.

Review by Nancy Kauffman (June 2021)
 

Author's Synopsis
The concluding book (#6) of the Clash-of-Civilizations and the OAS series. Terrorists and Iran destroyed five American cities including Washington DC while the president was addressing a joint session of Congress. Secretary of Homeland Security George Alexander was the only survivor and became America’s first statutory president. With his appointed Cabinet he put America first and set about saving the nation.

President Alexander plans to have the nation vote on the first of several referendums; followed by a national election to reelect Congress and the president. Alexander’s call to form new political parties that will elect men and women who revere the Constitution and do the peoples’ business gains traction.

Elitists, academics, liberal politicians planning to be elected for life, embedded progressive government employees with cushy jobs, and globalists planning to turn America into a socialist nation realize their plans and existence are threatened. The Deep State is exposed and must take action to preserve its power.

The president’s enemies unite—President Alexander must be stopped. The question is how? So far, all attempts have failed. So what is left: Direct confrontations, false accusations, fake news, violence, and assassination? The president is faced with anarchy, treason, and sedition.

Hollywood and the mainstream media, joined by academia, launch a campaign to take Alexander down. Deep pocket donors dig deeper and turn loose their progressive black shirt thugs and progressive student activists. Assassination is not off the table for some.

The president responds and the Deep State is exposed. 

Teresa Lopez seals the deal with Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay thereby establishing the Tri-Border Territory and is surprised when she finds herself appointed the first governor-general. While she moves from her role as secret ambassador to governor-general, cartels and jihadists plot to remove her. New enemies move into the TBT and must be dealt with. Somalian pirates resume taking ships for ransom. President Alexander confronts the Deep State and proclaims America will not become a socialists nation.

This political and military thriller will keep you turning the pages late into the night.

ISBN/ASIN: B08CRY115M , 979-8639550706

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 374