Fiction

Title: The Recipient's Son: A Novel of Honor
Author: Stephen Phillips
Genre: Literary Fiction
Reviewer: Betsy Beard

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1612511163

Set at the U.S. Naval Academy in the 1990s, this novel tells the story of a young man's struggle to come to terms with his legacy as the son of a war hero and with doubts about his own courage. Donald Durago's father was killed in the Vietnam War where his actions as a POW earned him the Medal of Honor. That honor provided Durago with an appointment to the Naval Academy, a benefit offered to all children of Medal of Honor recipients. But in his plebe year, Durago struggles under the burden of being worthy of his father s memory. With the help of Master Chief Strong, he begins to identify with his father s sacrifice, his own naval heritage, and Academy life. An incident in his senior year brings on terrifying nightmares that make Durago realize he has not completely dealt with his father s death. However, with the support of his roommate and a pretty JAG officer he finds the confidence to pursue a military career. The Recipient's Son is a stirring tale of a young man coming to grips with the heroism of his father and overcoming his self-doubts to accept the challenge of serving his country on his own terms.

An Academy graduate himself, author Stephen Phillips draws an intimate picture of life in the Yard as he examines the concepts of leadership, honor, service and personal sacrifice in the Navy. Readers of Phillips' award-winning first novel, Proximity, will find his new novel an equally authentic read.

Title: Butterfly Dust
Author: Nubby Grumpins
Genre: Young Adult
Reviewer: Barbara Peacock

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0988503220

BUTTERFLY DUST is a fanciful collection of animal adventures drawn from actual incidents as well as the author's imagination. This book is an entertaining look at our animal friends, sometimes from their point of view, and how we humans often interact with them.

Title: Hamfist Over The Trail
Author: George Nolly
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewer: Edward Cox

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0975436236

It's 1968. Hamilton Hancock is on the fast track to become a fighter pilot. He is slated to fly an F-100, F-105 or F-4 in Vietnam. Then, the "needs of the service" intervenes, and he is assigned to fly one of the smallest, slowest aircraft in the Air Force inventory, the O-2A. Hamilton becomes a Forward Air Controller (FAC) in Vietnam, and picks up the nickname "Hamfist". While Hamfist flies in air combat over the Ho Chi Minh Trail and battles an enemy gunner with a deadly record, on the ground he must also battle his inner fears and personal demons. Inspired by actual events. Contains strong language.

Title: My Corps: Short Stories and Reflections
Author: Gene Rackovitch
Genre: Short Story Collection
Reviewer: C.J. Prince

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1470135477

Mr. Rackovitch gives you his fears and joys in his short stories about the Marine Corps. There is humor and pathos in his recollections. There is also underlying feeling of pride in the men who gave all they had to their country in time of need. He reminisces and draws from memory as he creates both good and evil from that association. From the beginnings in boot camp through the training and the final cessations of hostilities he draws you into the life style and espirt de-Corp of the United States Marines.

Title: Island of the Phoenix
Author: Vic Mills
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewer: John Monteith

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0985252308

Same war, different enemy... Captain Michael Hollands, United States Army Air Corps, is a combat-hardened pilot, battling Nazi fighter planes for control of the skies over North Africa. His life is difficult and sometimes it's brutal, but he understands his place in the world, and he understands the rules. Then an unexpected change of orders yanks him out of familiar surroundings, and sends him half-way around the world to fight the Japanese in the South Pacific. Shuffled to an obscure air base in the Solomon Islands, he discovers that his assigned unit has transferred to a new operating area, taking their aircraft with them. Without planes or official sanction, Hollands must beg, borrow, and steal to build a fighter squadron that will take the war to the enemy's doorstep. But nothing can prepare him for what happens when he crash-lands on an unnamed island behind Japanese lines. Marooned among a handful of heroic survivors, he is about to discover the true meaning of loyalty, patriotism, courage, and love. The Japanese Imperial Navy has no idea what's in store for it. And neither does Mike Hollands...