Book Reviews

Title: Bacalao
Author: J.T. McDaniel
Genre: Fiction, Thriller
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0971220751

When Lieutenant Lawrence Miller first sees U.S.S. Bacalao in the builder's yard in late 1940, the submarine is little more than a pile of curved steel plates. During the next few months Miller watches the boat take shape, and the crew gather from throughout the fleet. By late 1941 Bacalao is in commission and assigned to the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Then, on a Sunday morning, everything changes as the Japanese sneak attack plunges the United States into World War II. The new submarine and her untried crew are immediately thrown into action against the Japanese. And Miller is there through it all, from the disastrous first patrol, when the boat is nearly lost and a pair of surprising heroes emerge, to the deployment to Australia, where a chance encounter ashore will change his life forever. Then, after spending a year in command of an antiquated S-boat in the frozen hell of the Aleutians, Miller returns to Bacalao as her last wartime commander. Written in a simple, straightforward style, Bacalao is destined to become an instant classic of submarine fiction.

Title: CID – Army Detectives in Peace and War
Author: Hubert "Herb" Marlow
Genre: Non-Fiction, Military
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0805995951

CID: Army Detectives in Peace and War focuses on criminal investigations, both funny and serious, conducted by the author and his fellow special agents. The cases range from thefts to murder, including the murders of two special agents in Vietnam, one of whom was a member of the author’s CID detachment. The book contains cases from WWII through Vietnam.

Title: Full Circle - Escape From Baghdad and the Return
Author: Saul Silas Fathi
Genre: Non-Fiction, Autobiography
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0977711781

Full Circle... Chronicles a prominent Iraqi Jewish family's escape from persecution through the journey of one family member: A 10-years old boy who witnesses public hangings and the 1941 Krystalnacht (Farhood) in Baghdad. After a harrowing escape from Iraq through Iran, this boy begins a life-long search for meaning and his place in the world. His journey takes him to the newly-formed State of Israel, then to Brazil and finally to the United States. He joins the U.S. Army and serves in Korea and returns to a fascinating career in three Fortune-500 companies. Following September 11, 2001, he volunteers to work for the F.B.I. Genre: Youth and adult, anyone interested in the history of the Middle-East, the Jewish people, and Sephardic life under Islam.

Title: A Long Hard Ride
Author: Richard Simmons
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1420832476

This is an inspirational story that shows how the author overcame poverty, the lack of education, low self-esteem and alcoholism. These stories come from the life experiences of a man fighting the demons within as he rode the racetracks of America in search of his soul. The book follows his life as he gives up his career as a jockey and joins the U.S. Air Force, eventually taking up a third career in management at the USPS. Hope and inspirations come from many unexpected places as the miracle of recovery and rediscovery of love - for himself and life - change him in ways he never thought possible. He knows that he was fortunate to survive

Title: Thunder in the Night - A Sailor's Perspective on Vietnam
Author: Raymond Kopp
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 189245128X

A personal account of one sailor's experiences in the last days of America's most unpopular war