Non-Fiction

Title: Is Anybody Listening?: A True Story About POW/MIAs In The Vietnam War
Author: Barbara Birchim with Sue Clark
Genre: Non-Fiction, Autobiography
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1420837486

Thirty-five long years and I was still seeking answers. If I could make someone in the government listen to the facts, I knew they'd want to act on them. After all, who wouldn't want to find one of our POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War? IS ANYBODY LISTENING? tells of dignitaries, presidents and those involved with the POW/MIA issue as I've known it since November 1968 when my husband, a Special Forces officer, became missing-in-action. The pages reveal my feelings and torment during my many trips to Southeast Asia in search of answers, and my frustrations while wandering the halls of Washington D. C. for help. The book was written to show the issue's insidious cover-up and my commitment to the truth.

Title: My Son Is A Marine
Author: JoAnn Allen
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): ISBN / EAN

After enduring grueling weeks of boot camp, 18-year-old Marine Lance Corporal Aaron J. Allen threw his Class A cap into the air at graduation. He was ready to be deployed to the fiercest battle zone in Iraq, where terrorism has replaced conventional warfare and there is no clearly defined enemy.
Confronted by these conditions and the horrifying nightly news reports of fatalities, what can a mother do to protect her son from thousands of miles away? Jo Anne Allen chose to sustain herself and keep A.J. strong and safe using communication. In this timely book, she reminisces about A.J.'s childhood and the precious memories that are forever embedded in her heart. She uses her words to recreate the wonder of those times and replace the hugs and kisses of the past with stories full of love and faith.

Young Marines fighting for their lives alongside her son also find solace in Jo Anne's spiritual beliefs, nurturing hearts, and incredible peanut butter cookies.

Title: Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, World War II, and the Long Journey Home
Author: Gary Moore
Genre: Non-Fiction, History
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): ISBN / EAN

Part Tuesdays with Morrie, part Field of Dreams—a true American story of World War II and redemption

Driven by word of mouth and the author’s heroic efforts to tell the world his father’s story, Playing with the Enemy was a surprise hardcover hit for its independent publisher. Gary Moore’s book about his father—a baseball phenom whose future in the majors was cut short by World War II and a fateful occurrence during a top secret mission for the U.S. Navy—is a warm-hearted memoir of faded dreams and new hope that is destined for the bestseller lists. Filled with memorable characters from an extraordinary time in our country’s history, it is a truly redemptive story that will be read and reread for generations to come.

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.