If you have read Band of Brothers add this to ...
927205
If you have read Band of Brothers add this to your list as well.  The depth of the stories and the way they are presented by Stephen Ambrose is so engrossing.  It is one of those "don't want to put it down" reads!
151704
I personally love the complete Band of Brothers series. I have watched them countless times and also own a copy.
96597
Awesome!

If battle and details of battles are your preferred reading, then this is it.
2801101
I love this book. I put it on the list of best reads of all time. I recommend going on a book binge, read this and "all the light we cannot see," which will give a different perspective on the same war.
1935211
Before you read Band of Brothers read All the Way to Berlin: A Paratrooper at War in Europe.  Book is much better even though it might not be as sexy of a book.
1829642
Having read all of the recent books recounting the history of Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division, I find this an important contribution to the history of that unit and the history of World War II.  I was privileged to be on a Band of Brother' tour accompanied by Frank Perconte, one of the original Tocoa members of Easy Company and a contributor to the book.  The author, Marcus Brotherton takes you on a journey through WWII through the eyes of 20 members of Easy Company.  Each tells his own story of that journey.  If you enjoyed reading the "Band of Brothers" along with the other books about Easy Company, you will definitely enjoy this book.  It is an interesting and easy read.
4068534
I saw this series when it first came out, and it's worth watching again.  I think what sets Band of Brothers apart is that you get to know the guys a little bit (even the real guys via interviews), but it isn't "dramatized" much at all.
135743
Since the movie was based on basically actual accounts by real participants it ranks equal to Band of Brothers. If you like historical military movies this is one to get..
3762402
This book adds to the already great movie.  If you want to read more details on how Jim Kirk became the captain, this book is for you.  I wish Alan Dean Forster was allowed to pen more of these books. I read all his animated series adaptations when I was a kid.  This is the author who wrote the first screenplay to Star Trek:The Motion Picture. Originally it was a plot for the Genesis II series by Roddenberry.

The characters are all seen through a new filter and I hope that ADF gets a chance to write original stories in this new universe.
1232042
At least that's what my father (Co. K, 359th Infantry, 90th ID) called it.  He even went over on the Queen Mary.

I rated this book 4 stars for a good reason, so let me explain myself.  If you sat down at Hobert Winebrenner's kitchen table (like Michael McCoy did) and listened to him tell his story, what you would hear is what you will read in this book.  Is it great literature or great history (history in the sense of what we read in books, rather than the actual events)?  No.  Is it a great story, well-told?  Absolutely.  Is it important?  You're damn right it is.  Hobert Winebrenner is no Stephen Ambrose (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Band-of-Brothers-E-Company-506th-Regiment-101st-Airborne-from-Normandy-to-Hitler-s-Eagle-s-Nest/dp/074322454X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Band of Brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Citizen-Soldiers/dp/0743450159/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Citizen Soldiers</a>) and he would never claim to be.  His introduction to this book could have easily been one sentence:  "This is what happened to me."

Although I am an avid reader of military history, I have never been a fan of memoirs.  Too many are self-aggrandizing.  Even Omar Bradley's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/A-Soldier-s-Story-Modern-Library-War/dp/0375754210/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">A Soldier's Story (Modern Library War)</a>&nbsp;has occasional touches of "If they'd listened to me, the war would have ended sooner."  However, this latest (and perhaps last) generation of WWII memoirs has been written by (mostly) men who went on to be plumbers and postal workers, contractors and car salesmen.  United States Senators and corporation presidents were more the exception that the rule (though there were a few of those).  These are not the men who strategized great plans or organized great armies to save the world.  These are the men who did the actual saving, who did the fighting and the killing and the dying.  And there is a common theme that runs through these memoirs that can be summed up as: "look at the incredibly stupid, lunk-headed things I did in the war and look at the unbelieveably courageous things done by men that I knew."

Do NOT be put off by this book's sparse, straight forward narrative style.  What Winebrenner says is more important than how he says it and both he and McCoy seem to know that.  This is testimony.  Winebrenner wants us to know these men he served with, their names and their deeds.  He wants us to remember them, not merely because they saved the world, but because of what they endured and sacrificed to save it.  And we must remember them, not merely for their own sakes, but for the sakes of our children who we may well call on for similar sacrifices.  The game had better be worth the candle.

Read this book, remember these men.  You won't be sorry.
4359343
Seemingly "just another book" in the BofB series, this book manages to add value for anyone who is a fan of the show or reader of the other BofB books out there.

Compared to some others in the series, this book was written almost right after the war (though remained unpublished for some time), so it is certainly much more vivid in terms of imagery and recollections, as well as personal thoughts.

Stephen Ambrose wrote the intro to the book, and while he admits never having met Webster, he writes that he admired him anyway as one who contributed to help win the war, thought of him as a good soldier, and more pertinent to this review, that he found him to be a "wonderful" writer.

If you can get used to Webster's writing style in the first 10 to 20 pages, you should sail through this interesting book which is really well written and pulls the reader along very nicely with lots of imagery and vivid descriptions. Out of the few others I've read so far (Malarkey and Winters), this book comes across as much more of a first person account than a story/recollection 40+ years after the fact.

The book really adds tremendous detail to events and locations which others have skimmed over or missed entirely. I personally really enjoyed his descriptions of the flight over the English channel on D-Day, his time in Holland, the time he spent in Hagenau (his return to the unit from hospital seemed much less harsh by his recollection than depicted in the show), and finally, their move into Germany and Austria, especially the pages describing the raiding of wine cellars, his time at a checkpoint and the unit's eventual departure. He missed Bastogne altogether and only skims over the liberation of the concentration camp(s), but the other parts were interesting reading and more than make up for these absences. In short, the paperback price was well worth it.

A warning to those who may be overly sensitive to issues relating to patriotism and how one (even veterans) speak of the military after leaving: Webster clearly did not like the military or it's bureaucracy. Putting this into perspective, as with any other job, some like it and some don't, Webster simply makes it very clear throughout his book that while he volunteered to fight and believed in his greater patriotic purpose, he thought the Army... and its quirky ways... sucked!! His resultant rebellious nature (including his self-admitted work avoidance) seeps through to the reader more and more as the story progresses, which may be potentially displeasing to some, though quite understandable for others. If you're a vet (as I) and left uniformed service with mixed emotions (jaded, but with fond memories and lifelong friends), you'll probably find parts of the book quite funny.

In the end, I found the book to be much more realistic in that it didn't unnecessarily wrap itself in the flag or paint an overly idealistic picture of life in the military. Webster just tells it the way he saw it, no holds barred.

On the book itself (mass market paperback): Amazon lists it as 464 pages, but the story only goes to 393. An annex with his letters home to family and siblings runs from pages 397 to 441. The pages are typical mass market paperback (slightly see-through), the print is relatively clear and of good size causing minimal eye strain. There are a few typos in the book but nothing bothersome; there are little to no margins though.
3681328
If you have not read this series, I would urge you to do so. It is a very interesting read. Let me warn you though, once you start, it will be very hard to stop so plan on having the time to read it all when you start it. :-)
2408088
I've read this and the next book... Many I've seen has said this book isn't necessary... And it isn't but it definitely adds to the overall story!
2211148
I was lucky enough to get my preordered copy of this book a couple of weeks early, meaning I could read it right after finishing the previous book, "Honor of the Clan."

For context, the prior books have fallen into three major groups: "Iron Mike" O'Neal's story as the leader of the war against the Posleen (written by Ringo alone), country-centered books set during that war that examine parts of it in depth (written with Tom Kratman), and books centered around his father and daughter about fifty years later (written with Julie Cochrane).  Yes, there's one more book - "The Hero," written with Mike Williamson - but it doesn't really fit into continuity any longer.  It's a good read, but think of it as taking place in a very alternate future.  If you haven't read the Kratman and Cochrane books, you can probably follow along passably when events and characters from them are referenced...but you should really read them first and get the full picture.

"Eye of the Storm" is a major turning point in this series.  It picks up very soon after "Honor of the Clan" and proceeds to tie everything together.  Just when everybody thought the Posleen threat had been decisively conquered, there's a new enemy to deal with...one that changes all the rules.  The Children of the Aldenata will all have to learn to work together under *human* leadership - for if they don't, they will surely be conquered.

These power realignments are particularly satisfying to watch.  The Darhel may have to knuckle under, but they don't like it one little bit.  The Indowy will have to completely reconsider their methods and their ethics.  The Himmit will have to start divulging some of their secrets.  And somehow, the decimated humans are going to have to field another army.  Just when you thought it was safe to retire....

Yes, there's a lot of coarse language and other mature situations in this book.  That's the nature of this being the latest entry in an authentic military SF series.  Soldiers act like soldiers, killing their enemies, making rude comments, and swearing when things go badly.  If that's not for you, save yourself some time and just don't bother with the series.  On the other hand, if you think that sounds neat and entertaining, I heartily recommend it.

One warning to the reader, though: Chapter 6 is The Chapter That Never Ends.  It's about 150 pages that could have easily been split up into smaller bites.  I'll forgive that, though, as (a) the book is good enough that you'll want to read it in one sitting anyway, and (b) the&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Stripes/dp/B0008JIJ2O/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Stripes</a>&nbsp;reference later on makes up for it.

Now to find out when the sequel is due....
360999
This is the first review I've written on any book since elementary school, but I had to write one.

I have read so many books on military history that I cannot even count them. I've read about everything from Agincourt to Iraq, but have mainly focussed on US military history. Mostly first person accounts. I'm also very close to MANY OIF vets. My twin brother as well as some of my best friends were there in the invasion on '03. Many other relatives and very, very dear friends either were there or are currently there right now. I'm the one that picks them up from the airport and also hears a lot of the stories they don't tell others. This book is their stories in print.

In fact, my cousin who was with 3/7 Kilo over in Husayba and Karibala about the same time as the book takes place recommended this book to me. If you know about those places then you'll know that it was pretty hot. He was in the same company as Cpl. Jason Dunham who received the Medal of Honor. For a Marine combat vet to recommend a book about soldiers says something I suppose.

It doesn't pull punches. It tells about the lives of grunts with all the filth, disease, camaraderie, terror, devotion, disdain for certain officers and POGs, macabre humor, sorrow and profanity that my friends and relatives tell me about. It also delves into living with survivors guilt, which I have seen many times now with my buddies. It's dark, desperate and sometimes bleak, but like the author mentions there are shining examples of bravery, devotion and brotherly sacrifice.

It is well written and very detailed. I feel it will stand the test of time, and that it stands on it's own. I also think at some point it should be made into a movie. I don't know who I'd trust to do it right though.

If you liked this book then you should read "Suddenly We Didn't Want to Die" by Elton Mackin, "With the Old Breed" by E.B. Sledge, and "Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien. At certain points House to House sounds like all of those books. Funny how the lives of Grunts sound similar from the trenches in the Great War, to the islands of the Pacific, to the rice paddies of the I Corps area of Vietnam.

As someone who has never been there I would say that this book is very relevant. Some people might whine that this books doesn't try to make a political point or something like that, but I don't think it was meant to. I think it was meant for something totally different. It is a glimpse into the lives of the guys that do the dirty work day in and day out while I sit in my office working on bids or walk job sites.

David Bellavia has done a great job here, and I'd like to thank him. He give us that glimpse.

I appreciate all you guys that have done and are still doing the dirty work. God bless and protect all you guys.

C
4464217
As someone who played Spec Ops the Line it is really good book. It talks about plot and its meaning in very interesting way and also allows you to see things that you could missed and re-feel its dark and heavy atmosphere. The best way to read it is to firstly played the game and after sometime read the book.
PS. it isn't some polygon-equality-bullshit.
2035583
Band of Brothers is without a doubt the greatest war series ever made.  The Pacific is also excellent if you haven't seen it I strongly recommend both!