Book Reviews

Reviews of books by MWSA members. Reviews appear in reverse chronological order, with the most recent review posted appearing first.
Note: Some older reviews are being reposted to this site and those will appear out of order.

Zarbul Masalha 151 Afghan Dari Proverbs

Title: Zarbul Masalha 151 Afghan Dari Proverbs
Author: Captain Edward Zellem
Genre: Non Fiction, Reference
Reviewer: Bob Doerr

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1475093926

Captain Edward Zellem has served as a United States Navy officer for 25 years. A trained Dari speaker, he worked side-by-side with Afghans every day for a year and a half in Kabul and Kandahar, including a year inside Afghanistan's Presidential Palace. While in Afghanistan he collected and used Dari Proverbs every day in his professional life, in the streets and back alleys of Kabul, and in other parts of the country.

He became fascinated by the colorfulness and cultural relevancy of Dari Proverbs, and began collecting, translating and transliterating them into English. After art students at a Kabul high school created illustrations, his collection became "Zarbul Masalha: 151 Afghan Dari Proverbs."

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Zellem, Edward

Transition to Duty, A Combat Medic's Tour in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles

Title: Transition to Duty, A Combat Medic's Tour in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles
Author: Leo Flory
Genre: History
Reviewer: Candace Thompson

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1886167338

The story is about my personal tour in Vietnam and the men I served
with. It begins in high school and notification of the draft, induction,
military training, orders to Vietnam, being assigned to the 101st. Airborne
Div. as a combat medic, the subsequent tour and returning home.

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Flory, Leo

Sundown Town Duty Station

Title: Sundown Town Duty Station
Author: John Zerr
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewer: Dick Geschke

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1475969287

In March 1968, Navy Lieutenant Jon Zachery has just received orders to report to his new duty station in Meridian, Mississippi, for basic jet pilot training. But after he and his wife, Teresa, arrive in what they are initially told is a friendly little town, they soon learn what it means to live in a sundown town.

When Jon and Teresa attend Mass on their first Sunday in Meridian and enter a pew occupied by a young colored woman “sitting-in” the all-white church, the Zacherys unwittingly step into the middle of a KKK campaign created to discourage civil rights sympathizers. As Jon works his way through six months of flight training with an antagonistic flight instructor, the Klansmen escalate their focus on the Zacherys, soon transforming their threats into violent acts. Near the end of Jon’s tour of duty, tensions escalate further, culminating in a confrontation with deadly consequences.

In this compelling story, a young lieutenant’s faith, patriotism, morality, and love for his family is tested as he bravely battles the evil that lurks within the shadows of Meridian, Mississippi.

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Zerr, John

American Samurais - WWII Camps: From USA Concentration Camps to the Nazi Death Camps in Europe

Title: American Samurais - WWII Camps: From USA Concentration Camps to the Nazi Death Camps in Europe
Author: Pierre Moulin
Genre: History
Reviewer: Mike Mullins

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1477213368

From Pearl Harbor to the Victory in Europe. all the battles in detail through their heroes in a new non-fiction pictorial book.
From the Internment Camps to Camps MacCoy and Shelby, Italy, France ,Bruyeres-Vosges & the rescue of the Lost Battalion, Champagne Campaign, Back to Italy, 522nd Field Artillery first in Dachau Germany, the Niseis honored, the Congressional Gold Medal and more.

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Moulin, Pierre

American Samurais: WWII in the Pacific - Military Intelligence Service: The Best Kept Secret Weapon in WWII

Title: American Samurais: WWII in the Pacific - Military Intelligence Service: The Best Kept Secret Weapon in WWII
Author: Pierre Moulin
Genre: History
Reviewer: Mike Mullins

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0983899320

American Samurais WWII in the Pacific Military Intelligence Service The Best Kept Secret Weapon. by Pierre Moulin. From Pearl Harbor to Victory in the Pacific, all the battles in detail through their heroes in a new non-fiction pictorial book. Nisei soldiers all over with the M.I.S., the O.S.S. and the Counter Intelligence Corps, MIS Linguist schools, Battles in the Pacific, A bombs, Surrender & War Crimes Trials, Occupation of Japan, the Niseis honored, the Congressional Gold Medal and more.

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Moulin,Pierre

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