Military

Title: No Good Like It Is
Author: McKendree R. Long lll
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewer; Bonnie Toews

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1450580785

1858, Fort Gibson, Indian Territory. 2d Lieutenant Dobey Walls meets and bonds with veteran Corporal Jimmy Melton. As the Civil War begins, they leave to join the 8th Texas Cavalry in Houston, then take part in the first and the final charges of the Army of Tennessee. Between those events, they ride with Nathan Bedford Forrest, play an honorable role in the Fort Pillow Massacre, harass Sherman with Shannon's Raiders, and visit the second best brothel in Atlanta. As surrender looms, they're released to search for Dobey's long-missing family in the Texas Panhandle. Their efforts are hampered by destitute farmers, lonely widows, dangerous militia, freed slaves, and runaways, who increase their numbers and excitement. In the process, they save a quadroon and her daughter from Yankee deserters who have stolen a Union payroll. This act of mercy brings them romance but puts Pinkerton detectives and a renegade lawman on their trail. Confederate Cherokees and Cheyenne Dog Soldiers add to the chaos.

Title: Soft Cap Chronicles
Author: J.E. Buck Ballow
Genre: History
Reviewer: Lee Boyland

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0741468018

The oral history of a unique unit in the Korean War, where they were known by many names but the enemy simply referred to them as the dreaded Soft Caps.

Title: Miss You To Pieces
Author: Donna M. Purkey
Genre: Childrens
Reviewer: Jim Greenwald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1470158035

Riley’s dad is in the Navy and deploys for 6 months. To help Riley count the days, his mom introduces a unique puzzle project in which he also finds comfort, strength, and encouragement. Children experiencing a temporary separation from a loved one will identify with Riley’s story and will learn that while we are challenged, we also grow and become stronger. We build ourselves as Riley builds his puzzle, and we stay connected to our loved ones as Riley’s family, and his puzzle pieces, stay connected. The puzzle project can be easily adapted for any family experiencing a temporary separation. The book includes tips for creating your own puzzle project!

Title: Burn the Town and Sack the Banks: Confederates Attack Vermont
Author: Cathryn Prince
Genre: Non-Fiction History
Reviewer: Betsy Beard

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0786717513

On a dreary October afternoon, bands of Confederate raiders held up the three banks in St. Albans. With guns drawn, they herded the townspeople out into the common, sending the people of the North into panic. Operating out of a Confederate stronghold in Canada, the raiders were young men, mostly escapees from Union prison camps, who had been recruited to inaugurate a new kind of guerilla war along the Yankees' unprotected border. The raid, though bungling at times, was successful ând the consequent pursuit of the rebels into Canada. The celebrity-like trial it sparked in Montreal and resulting diplomatic tensions that arose between the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain, left the Southern dream of a second-front diversion in ruins. What survived, however, is a fascinating tale of the South's desperate attempt to reverse the course of the war. Burn the Town and Sack the Banks is a tale filled with dashing soldiers, spies, posses, bumbling plans, smitten locals, lawyers, diplomats, and an idyllic Vermont town, set against the backdrop of the great battles far from the Northern border that were bringing the Civil War to its bloody conclusion.