Book Description
Andrew Z. Adkins, Jr., graduated from The Citadel in May 1943 and immediately attended the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School, where he was commissioned and sent on to the 80th Infantry Division, then undergoing its final training cycle in the California-Arizona desert. Upon reaching the division, 2d Lieutenant Adkins was assigned as an 81mm mortar section leader in Company H, 2d Battalion, 317th Infantry Regiment.
When the 80th Infantry Division completed its training in December 1943, it was shipped in stages to the United Kingdom and then on to Normandy, where it landed on August 3, 1944. There, Lieutenant Adkins and his fellow soldiers took part in light hedgerow fighting that served to shake the division down and familiarize the troops and their officers with combat.
The first real test came on August 20, 1944, when the 2d Battalion, 317th Infantry, attacked high ground near Argentan during the Allied drive to seal huge German forces in the Falaise Pocket. While scouting for mortar positions in the woods, Andy Adkins ran into a group of Germans and shot one of them dead with his carbine. This baptism in blood taught him the answer to a question every novice combatant wants to hear: He was cool under fire, capable of killing when facing the enemy. He later wrote, "It was a sickening sight, but having been caught up in the heat of battle, I didn't have a reaction other than feeling I had saved my own life."
Thereafter, the 2d Battalion, 317th Infantry, took part in a succession of bloody battles across France. Ineptly led through the tentures of several battalion commanders, the unit suffered grievous losses even as it took hills and towns away from brave and well-led German veterans. In the course of fighting graphically portrayed in this soldier's memoir, Andy Adkins acted with remarkable skill and courage, placing himself at the forefront of the action whenever he could. His extremely aggressive delivery of critical supplies to a cutoff unit in an embattled French town earned him a Bronze Star Medal, the first such award in his battalion.
You Can't Get Much Closer Than This is at heart a young soldier's story of war. In vibrant, piercing terms, a junior officer's coming of age in battle is the compelling focus of page after page of action sequences that add up to a solid description of what modern warfare is really all about. Before his death in 19--, Andy Adkins was able to face his memory of war as bravely as he faced the war itself. He set it all down on paper, honest, unflinching, and straightforward. In 1944 and 1945, young Lieutenant Adkins did his duty to his men and his country, and much later he did his duty to his readers. Indeed, you really can't get much closer than this.
Customer Reviews:
Good honest memoir but not a great read.......2007-06-18
"You Can't Get Much Closer Than This: Combat with Company H, 317th Infantry Regiment, 80th Division" by Andrew Z. Adkins Jr. and A.Z.A. III represents a non-homogenized non-sterilized look at the Second World War from foxhole level. Nearly everything in this book comes from A.Z. Adkins Jr's wartime journal, and thus presents a view of the war from one individual's perspective. If you're looking for a 'bigger picture' tied into this story (somehow this reviewer thought that because A.Z. Adkins III brought his fathers journal to life he might provide some 'filler' to tie together items - no such luck). The book can be broken into four basic parts (not the chapters of the book though) representing four chronological periods that fall naturally along lines of major events in the ETO. The first period is the Normandy/bocage fighting period, the second is the Breakout, pursuit and initial West Wall (Siegfried Line) action, the third is the Battle of the Bulge and following action leading up to the Rhine crossing, and the forth is the Rhine crossing to V-E day. Of all these sections the third is by far the best in terms of visceral impact and readability. The other three sections unfortunately suffer from a dull prose that is only infrequently livened by an engaging story or writing style. Fortunately, Adkins and Adkins do not candy coat combat and in presenting an un-sanitized version of events do give the reader some less common in the genre. Still this positive does not sufficiently outweigh the negative of style (not to mention the numerous typos and other editorial issues).
As "You Can't Get Much Closer Than This" is one mans story of the Second World War with little of the 'bigger picture' woven in it is hard to review (positively or negatively) the historical value of the book, rather it seems appropriate to review it from the standpoint of whether it is a good read or not. Regarding this latter criteria this reviewer would have to break with the praise given in nearly all other reviews and say that this is a good 3.5 star read at best. The book is short enough to get through quickly, readers will get a truer picture of war than in most 'memoirs', but the reading will not always be easy or fully engaging and enjoyable. 3.5 Stars.
Well done!.......2007-01-16
This is interesting first person account of World War Two from the perspective of a soldier from my area of Florida! That alone made the book a pleasant surprise. But besides that, I found this book a well written account of a young man taken from college to fight with the 80th Infantry division.
The book reads like a great war story rather than a war-time biography or diary. It's a quick, informative, read that does not overwhelm the reader with details. You really don't have to be a WWII historian to really enjoy this fine book.
What I think is unusual about the book is it mentions cities not normally mentioned in the history of other units and events not commonly written about. For example, the author goes into great detail regarding the use of motors in close action with the infantry. The fact the author received an absentee ballot for an election, voted and mailed it back home (that's a first in over 300 WWII history books I've read).
It also has an excellent short history of the 80th Infantry Division, including cities and counties it "visited" along with attached units and other statistics.
A 'you are there' atmosphere .......2007-01-07
Andy Adkins Jr. was a Second Lieutenant and served in Company H, 80th Infantry Division during World War II: his regiment landed at Normandy in 1944 and fought they way on foot across France and into Germany. If you want a riveting, hard-hitting memoir which recreates the moment of a soldier's experience, the title says it all: YOU CAN'T GET MUCH CLOSER THAN THIS: COMBAT WITH COMPANY H, 317TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, 80TH DIVISION. First-person memories of war experience assume a 'you are there' atmosphere as the author speaks with comrades and experiences battles, rough conditions, and struggles.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
VESTED INTEREST.......2006-10-26
My uncle, Harry Goldsborough, served in CO. F, 2nd Battalion, and I had heard a few stories from my Mother about her brother's experiences in World War Two. The stories were few and and unpleasant, and I gather that he did not speak much of the war. The reading from this book gave a great insight to where my uncle was during his time in the 80th and what he probably went through. I found the reading very easy and it made me proud of his service to his country.
required reading.......2006-07-20
I wish this book were made required reading for high school and college students. I am well aware that even my generation are unable to comprehend the dedication, loyalty and honor of military men flawlessly portrayed in this amazing diary, let alone the ignorance and apathy so prevalent in our younger generation of today. I am SO proud of my dad and grandfather, WW II and WW I vets respectively, whose pride and sacrifice for our country allowed me to enjoy SO many freedoms I NEVER take for granted. Thank you to the Adkins family for sharing this poignant diary from a man I never met BUT, nevertheless, will never forget.
Book Description
Cambrai Battle of Surprises; Anzacs Great Record; Battle for the Channel Ports; Conquest of Palestine and Syria; Breaking of the German Wings; The Surrender of Germany; Founding of the League of Nations; For Valour, Heroes of the Victoria Cross
Book Description
We are walking too quickly down the road to physical and psychological utopia without pausing to assess the potential damage to our humanity from this brave new biology.
Download Description
In "Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity," Dr. Kass has written a book that grapples with the moral meaning of the biomedical technologies now threatening to take us back to the future envisioned by Aldous Huxley in Brave New World. In a series of meditations on cloning, embryo research, organ sale and the assault on mortality, Kass questions the wisdom of trying to break down our natural limits and remake the human body into an instrument of our will. He charts a course for avoiding the dehumanization of biotechnical "re-creationism" without rejecting modern science and its contributions to human welfare.
Customer Reviews:
Ambitious in scope, thought provoking, at times repugnant.......2007-01-21
Admirable in its scope, Life, Liberty, and the Defense of Dignity is an accessible, thought provoking text which is bound to hold any readers interest; Luddite or techno-enthusiast. Biologist and Chair of the President's Council on Bioethics, Leon Kass, discusses the impact of biotechnology on every phase of human life, from embryonic beginnings to the technological possibilities of immortality. No stone is left unturned. Despite his own conservative viewpoint Kass presents oppositional arguments in a balanced non-vindictive manner. Because of this, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Dignity serves as a very helpful introduction to the pursuits and accomplishments of biotechnology as well as to the challenges posed to bioethics.
Kass's own position is not always persuasive and many, including myself, are bound to find his all too frequent appeals to Biblical authority out of place in this particular genre. Still, this approach serves Kass's overarching project of undermining undue confidence in technocratic rationalism. In the tradition of C.S. Lewis in The Abolition of Man, which Kass frequently cites and serves as an essential compliment to this text, Kass works from outside the rationalist framework in order to subvert it. A position, Kass admits, which is difficult to argue from. Because of this, many of his arguments rely on pathos appeals, in particular the "ick" factor evoked by many of the desired ends of biotechnology, such as cloning. Further, Kass's conception of human nature which he seeks to defend in the name of human dignity comes right out of the book of Genesis and is therefore bound to ostracize many modern secular readers. Despite these debilitating flaws, Life, Liberty, and the Defense of Dignity is a worthwhile read. Though the particular arguments it advances may be revolting to many readers, it is bound to expand the horizons of thought on the very controversial, relevant, and worthwhile topic of biotechnology and its ethical implications. Recommended.
Heart Felt Discussion of Life Issues.......2006-05-04
Life and dignity of it concern this author. As well, science and its advancement concern him greatly. What this book concerns itself with are the intersection of the two.
What Kass fears are that the two are moving in opposing directions, i.e. that science has moved beyond boundaries of investigating life in a dignified, respectful manner of life into an self fulfilling control and power over life.
He offers some foretaste of what could come in this statment: "Genetic technology, the practices it will engender, and above all the scientific teachings about human life on whit it rests are not, as many would have it, morally and humanly neutral. Regardless of how they are practiced or taught, they are pregnant with their own moral meaning, and will necessarily bring with them changes in our practices, our institutions, our norms, our beliefs and our self-conception. It is, I submit, these challenges to our dignity and humanity that are at the bottom of our anxiety over genetic science and technology."
He summarizes his concerns with the future of science in terms of boundaries and limits: pursuring limitless goals which many in culture has concerns about; props up artificial boundaries that are not true to life, thus working out of touch with reality; unsensitive to defeiencies of human reason and mysteries of life, its very subject.
He writes with concern that is balanced, spending time to put forward the other side's opinions and objections and desires and rights. And that's his real point, that we consider his main concern of life and its dignity.
Worth the read, although it is somewhat tedious at points, especially first half till get to current euthanasia and abortion.
Moral, ethical and spiritual dilemma..........2005-04-02
Sometimes unfortunate sequence of events unfolds where things reach a boiling point and there are no obvious winners such that hearts end up being deeply wounded on both sides of the debate. The vicious cycle of mistrust and hate then keeps propagating, bitterly dividing people who in essence have similar noble intentions of compassion and upholding dignity of life and to mitigate human suffering but are looking at the same goal from different directions and are deeply caught in passionate emotions such that rational thought and desire toward compromise is relegated to the background. In times like these one needs to stand back and look at the big picture and at all the factors in play, not with the intent of vindictiveness and finger-pointing, but with the intent of bringing people together and to determine the direction in which a nation is headed.
Both scientific and religious considerations meet face to face at the beginning of our lives, through our daily lives and should therefore be considered together during the process of dying as well. During times of illness what constitutes medical intervention sustaining life and what in considered an unalienable right of every living being has to, unfortunately, be defined by mortal human beings. In this regard people of faith may differ from secular individuals and even religious bodies have to narrowly define these boundaries out of necessity of not leaving unambiguous guidelines.
1. If a person facing questions regarding end of life decisions has a living will or a durable power of attorney or when a person entitled to make decisions by proxy exists then in a democratic society the individual's wishes should trump all other considerations.
2. For patients who are not terminally ill, the moral argument to end life prematurely loses credibility and also one reaches a very slippery slope where the risk of things going awry is immense. On a secular level the argument boils down to individual rights vs. the responsibility of an individual towards people who would be personally affected by the decision and also towards common good of the society as a whole. Even if immense suffering can be demonstrated in the case of an individual inflicted by a chronic debilitating illness, this may serve as an example to others justifying suicide and legal precedence in this regard would open up the chances of people falling through the cracks. Ultimately, for any given society and nation, the law of the land reflecting the wishes of the majority of its people and upheld by an independent judiciary must be respected.
3. In the case of an unconscious person facing life and death issues where there is no reasonable hope of recovery (as evidenced by unbiased objective and subjective medical evidence) the patient's spouse followed by parents and siblings would be required to make the decision regarding actively initiating medical intervention to sustain life or to withdraw continuing medical interventions and therefore initiate the process of dying. Withdrawal of medial support certainly invokes more ethical and moral questions than the initial decision to not initiate support. In this regard the first priority would be the duty to honor the patient's implicitly or explicitly expressed wishes and the enormous burden of proof in this regard rests with the legally responsible family member making the decision. A consensus among family members after weighing in on the medical evidence presented to them by the physician regarding the overall prognosis is critical in order to obtain closure for all involved people. If there is a dispute among family members and the judiciary is involved in determining the patient's wishes and to exclude possible conflict of interest - an independent judicial system strictly interpreting the law and being completely independent of influences from the other two branches of the government is vital in upholding justice not only for the family members but ultimately for honoring the patient's wishes. The focus should never shift from the patient. If there is any reasonable doubt then a culture of erring towards life is desirable but has to be very carefully weighed against the grave concern of not honoring the patient's wishes and this burden lies with the responsible family member or members. Part of this burden of proof shifts to the judiciary when there is a dispute regarding the patient's wishes. However the legal process should never be influenced by the other branches of government and intervening for one individual opens up several ethical and moral questions regarding conflict of interest for those branches as well. At the end of the day if one truly believes in the dignity of every human life then no single individual should be used as a tool for religious, political or economic gains no matter how big the stakes. Rather, it should be a non-confrontational discussion at an ideological level.
4. What constitutes medical intervention is always debatable especially with rapidly advancing medical technology and new procedures and interventions being available. In terms of withholding food and water given my mouth, there appears to be little justification but when the same is accomplished by a medical procedure then that would appear to qualify as a medical intervention but probably morally justifiable for basic needs such as food and water and even for supplemental oxygen administered by non-invasive means. Ultimately religious or secular moral beliefs combined with weighing in on the overall prognosis and inevitability of death should be considered before either initiating or withdrawing support. Again taking into account what that person's implicitly or explicitly expressed wishes would trump all other considerations. In this regard ending the suffering and therefore preserving the dignity of the individual at the end stages of life when death is inevitable could be argued as a noble cause and prolonging the process and stalling the inevitable could be argued as going against the wishes of God for people of faith. For patient's lacking perception of pain (as collaborated by the medical evidence) then the argument of initiating a painful process of dying would also not be valid and if a person is believed to feel pain despite contrary medical evidence then debating that in a public arena would only compound the person's pain and suffering and undermine the dignity of that individual's life. For people of immense social and religious stature, love and respect for the individual would inculcate the desire to sustain life by artificial measures but the overall prognosis and hope of recovery to a point where that person would be able to regain the ability to resume the responsibilities would also need to be taken into consideration. If the process of dying is inevitable and drawing near then it is comforting to see serenity and calmness in letting go and to be One with the Creator.
Hope for the future.......2005-04-01
Moral questions regarding sanctity of life are sometimes larger than life itself. The debatable question is how to define life itself. Is a person in persistent vegetative state not alive? That depends on whether you consider life as being synonymous with the seat of consciousness - which is highly debatable. Yes, the mind defines our thoughts and shapes our identity but it can also be argued that the cerebral cortex should not be taken as what determines the distinction between life and death since the mind is only a part of every living individual. On the other hand questions regarding quality and dignity of life are not mutually exclusive from the question of end of life issues. Every individual should have the power to determine their end of life choices but only within the realms of the law of the land. It agains boils down to the urgent need for religion to meet with the realities of an ever changing modern world in a non-confrontational manner and if the need be, redifine the law of the land by the appropriate process.
Paperback edition blues. Time for a new editor........2005-03-21
There are so many publishing errors in the first paperback edition (2004) of Leon Kass's book that it is almost unreadable. It is obvious that no one even bothered to look at the book before sending it to retail.
Do a quick read of Chapter One and you will see what I mean. Sentences are left entirely unfinished from one page to the next, leaving the reader wondering how much other text has been omitted. Although page 35 starting with the word "nogoly" is pretty classy, my favorite example is the transition from page 37-38. Here, Dr. Kass is begins to frame an argument, but the sentence is never completed. Then, the next paragraph begins, "Crudely put, the argument could be stated this way." What way? Of course the irony is all the more poignant because this series of publishing mistakes follows Dr. Kass's meta-observation about the technology used in producing this very book. Good stuff.
I would not be nearly as concerned had this book not been a god-send for my present research project. But $17 later, I guess I have to track down a hardback copy in the hopes that I can actually read what Dr. Kass has written.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, published by Institute on Religion and Public Life on February 1, 2003. The length of the article is 2317 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Altering the face of humanity.(Life, Liberty, and the Defense of Human Dignity: The Challenge of Bioethics)(Book Review)
Author: Marc D. Guerra
Publication:
First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (Refereed)
Date: February 1, 2003
Publisher: Institute on Religion and Public Life
Page: 59(5)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Hastings Center Report, published by Hastings Center on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1434 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Excoriating technology.(Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenge for Bioethics)(Book Review)
Author: Alastair V. Campbell
Publication:
The Hastings Center Report (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: Hastings Center
Volume: 34
Issue: 1
Page: 44(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
In the late sixties, as the world was waking to a need for Earth Day, a pioneering group founded a small non-profit research and education organization they called the New Alchemy Institute. Their aim was to explore the ways a safer and more sustainable world could be created. In the ensuing years, along with scientists, agriculturists, and a host of enthusiastic amateurs and friends, they set out to discover new ways that basic human needs--in the form of food, shelter, and energy--could be met. A Safe and Sustainable World is the story of that journey, as it was and as it continues to be.
The dynamics and the resilience of the living world were the Institute's model and the inspiration for their research. Central to their efforts then and now is, along with science, a spiritual quest for a more harmonious human role in our planet's future. The results of this work have now entered mainstream science through the emerging discipline of ecological design.
Nancy Jack Todd not only relates a fascinating journey from lofty ideals through the hard realities encountered in learning how to actually grow food, harness the energy of the sun and wind, and design green architecture. She also introduces us to some of the heroes and mentors who played a vital role in those efforts as well, from Buckminster Fuller to Margaret Mead. The early work of the Institute culminated in the design and building of two bioshelters--large greenhouse-like independent structures called Arks, that provided the setting for much of the research to follow.
A Safe and Sustainable World demonstrates what has and can be done--it also looks to what must be done to integrate human ingenuity and the four billion or so years of evolutionary intelligence of the natural world into healthy, decentralized, locally dreams hard won--and hope.
Customer Reviews:
The Evolution of an Important Ecology Research Organization.......2006-07-31
Nancy Jack Todd eloquently relates the history of her and husband John Todd's New Alchemy Institute (NAI) for ecological design starting in 1969 to the present day incarnation of Ocean Arks International. This book has many photographs and drawings showing systems, buildings both at their research facilities and installations around the world and many of the dedicated people who have worked with the Todd's over the years.
The original focus of their research was to develop sustainable organic food production, bioremediation, off-grid energy production, and efficient building construction methods for a virtual stand-alone closed-loop system capable of self-sufficiency without any toxic side-effects, especially, effluent. Through trial and error and much research they met their goals and became internationally recognized for the high state of efficiency their various systems achieved. NAI became a successful format and influence for many colleges to replicate on campuses all over the U.S. and abroad.
Eventually, they turned their focus almost exclusively to natural effluent and pollution remediation techniques developing the "eco-machine" system that utilizes plants, micro-organisms and fish to convert sewage to re-usable water and fish for food production.
The Todd's contributions to solving many of the world's toughest environmental problems and influence on ecological study cannot be understated, especially in the area of bioremediation. If every municipality, farm, and industrial site in the world were join the ranks of those who have already installed "eco-machine" type water purification systems to clean-up their toxic run-off, a huge chunk of global pollution could be eliminated.
This book is a must have for all those interested bioremediation and that should be everyone- a clean environment requires it.
An Education & Inspiration.......2006-03-20
This book is written for those of us who are not architects or engineers. It illustrates how to live more sustainably on this fragile planet. The process described of incremental learning based on experimenting with small changes over time to find the most efficacious approach to sustainable building, agriculture, food production and zero waste is a lesson in itself. Learning came from doing, carefully recording results, applying lessons learned and improving results. In addition, the book describes how sustainable practices can also be economic engines for new product development and cost reduction.
I've recently been in Tanzania looking at community development projects and I plan to send this book to several of the people that I met. It's the way to build and live for the future survival of our species.
What can be done and what should/will be done .......2005-07-06
Ecological design issues were in the news in the late 1960s, the height of ecological understanding; yet today it remains relatively in the background. A Safe And Sustainable World: The Promise Of Ecological Design provides a personal account of those who set out to discover more sustainable methods of shelter and energy - and comes from research and work of a couple who served as sustainable leaders of ecological design for thousands. What can be done and what should/will be done is discussed in chapters defining elements of success and ecological failure.
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- Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life
- Angelina Jolie: Angel in Disguise (Star Biographies)
- Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary - A Photographic Remembrance
- Awakening the Virgin
- Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts
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General
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| Books
Unless Victory Comes: Combat With a Machine Gunner in Patton's Third Army
Taught to Kill: An American Boy's War from the Ardennes to Berlin
Bootprints
Descending From The Clouds: A Memoir of Combat in the 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division
From Omaha Beach to Dawson's Ridge: The Combat Journal of Captain Joe Dawson
