Book Reviews

Title: THE LADY AND THE TIGER: A memoir of Taiwan, the Republic of China
Author: Patricia Linder
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1418437743

Patricia Linder's newest book The Lady and the Tiger gives the reader and in-depth account of life in a foreign country during a politically uncertain time. The setting is Taiwan, Republic of China during the last days of the Mutual Defense Treaty in 1979. To the west is communist China, determined to reclaim this island it calls "a rogue province" and thereby, impose communist rule on what has been a democracy for thirty years. Rear Admiral James Linder, representing the U.S. government as the Commander of Taiwan Defense Forces, has been given the job of protecting the Republic of China from any such incursion. The Linders, acting upon official Department of Defense orders, take up residence in Taipei and the countdown begins. As the author deals with the challenges of the ways of the Far East, the time grows shorter for the safety of the Chinese and Taiwanese they have come to know and care about. On December fifteenth 1978, the Carter Administration abrogates the Treaty that guarantees Taiwan's safety, thus leaving the Island vulnerable to a communist attack. Riots ensue and lives are threatened.This is the story of a virtually unknown chapter of American history.

Title: Touching the Ancient One: A True Story of Tragedy And Reunion
Author: Rupert Pratt
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1587365812

On February 5, 1954, an Air Force C-47 broke apart over the Susitna Valley of South Central Alaska and fell onto Kesugi Ridge. Six miraculously escaped, survived bone-chilling cold, and were rescued through the efforts of pilots Cliff Hudson and Don Sheldon. Unacquainted with one another before the accident, the Air Force men bonded in the hospital. Forty-two years later, the survivors and their families, the families of the victims, and rescuers came together for a reunion in Dayton, Ohio. It was a meeting that would change their lives.

This is a true story, told by one of the survivors. Rupert Pratt's book celebrates life and friendship—themes set appropriately against the backdrop of Kesugi, "The Ancient One."

Title: My Father's Keeper
Author: Kip Vander Hyde
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0977245101

Synopsis of the book, submitted by the author.

Title: Marines in the Garden of Eden – The Battle for An Nasiriyah
Author: Richard Lowry
Genre: Non-Fiction, History
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): B001OMHTES

On March 23, 2003, in the city of An Nasiriyah, Iraq, members of the 507th Maintenance Company came under attack from Iraqi forces who killed or wounded twenty-one soldiers and took six prisoners, including Private Jessica Lynch. For the next week, An Nasiriyah rocked with battle as the marines of Task Force Tarawa fought Saddam's fanatical followers, street by street and building to building, ultimately rescuing Private Lynch.

Title: Blood Stripes: The Grunt's View of the War in Iraq
Author: David Danelo
Genre: Non-Fiction, Military History
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0811733939

Told from the perspective of the grunts living and dying in the sand, Blood Stripes takes readers behind the headlines into the thick of the fight against the insurgency in the streets and back alleys of western Iraq. From February through September 2004, these Marine warriors deployed to Al Anbar province, a chaotic and confusing world of rocket-propelled grenades, roadside bombs, ambushes, and snipers. Foreword by Steven Pressfield, author of "Gates of Fire"