MY FATHER'S SECRET WAR: A MEMOIR

Average customer rating:

A Book You Just Can Put Down

Slow start

Disappointment

Buried secrets

My Father's Secret War: A Memoir

MY FATHER'S SECRET WAR: A MEMOIR
Lucinda Franks
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 140135226X
Release Date: 2007-03-14

Book Description

In this moving and compelling memoir about parent and child, father and daughter, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Lucinda Franks discovers that the remote, nearly impassive man she grew up with had in fact been a daring spy behind enemy lines in World War II. Sworn to secrecy, he began revealing details of his wartime activities only in the last years of his life as he became afflicted with Alzheimer's. His exploits revealed a man of remarkable bravado -- posing as a Nazi guard, slipping behind enemy lines to blow up ammunition dumps, and being flown to one of the first concentration camps liberated by the Allies to report on the atrocities found there.My Father's Secret War is an intimate account of Franks coming to know her own father after years of estrangement. Looking back at letters he had written her mother in the early days of WWII, Franks glimpses a loving man full of warmth. But after the grimmest assignments of the war his tone shifts, settling into an all-too-familiar distance. Franks learns about him -- beyond the alcoholism and adultery -- and comes to know the man he once was.Her story is haunting, and beautifully told, even as the tragedy becomes clear: Franks finally comes to know her father, but only as he is slipping further into his illness. Lucinda Franks understands her father as the disease claims him. My Father's Secret War is a triumph of love over secrets, and a tribute to the power of the connection of family.

Customer Reviews:

A Book You Just Can Put Down.......2007-10-04

After all the hype and with the authors oh-so-impressive cred, one expects a book that you just can't put down. She delivers a nice, warm story, but by all means, you CAN put it down.

Slow start.......2007-09-10

As I read the other reviews, I realized they are all true. In many ways this is a poignant and touching story. But Franks takes so long describing their disfunctional family and getting to the interesting part -- her father's war experiences and the process of finding the information -- that I almost put it down without finishing it. I'm glad I stayed with it, as Lucinda finally gets to the real story and redeems herself. (I didn't like her at all at the beginning of the story but I forgave her for her honesty at the end.)

Disappointment.......2007-06-16

You asked me for comments. Perhaps I was expecting more focus on the father. If one enjoys home videos of other families, this book might be of interest.

Buried secrets.......2007-06-13

I almost wish Lucinda Franks chose not to write this book.It was fairly obvious from the start that her father didn't want to remember his role in war..at one point she even asks him if he was a nazi sympathizer.definitely not.My goodness Ms. Frank,leave the poor old guy alone.The book tells a lot about her father and a lot about his daughter.When one of his old buddies phones her and said her dad needs living expenses, some extra cash, she responds that she and her husband have to maintain 3 houses, she can't send dad a few extra dollars..she visits , sees a pile of rancid leftovers in the refrigerator and proceeds to reheat the freshest one for her dad's meal..Golly Lucinda, buy and roast a chicken, peel a few potatoes, buy some canned vegetables.. how hard can that be? Poor dad wears K-mart clothes, so order something for him from Lands'End, you don't even have to go to a store. Again, this is a book that didn't need to be written.

My Father's Secret War: A Memoir.......2007-05-30

I found this book to be very well-written, powerful and thought provoking. I can't even imagine what I would have done or felt in the authors situation. Reading this book made me re-evaluate some of my thoghts, feeling and actions as my mother was dying of cancer. The historical aspect of this book alone makes it worth reading, but if you are dealing or have dealt with someone afflicted with cancer or alzhiemers, this book can make you both laugh and cry.

The Spy Wore Red: My Adventures as as Undercover Agent in World War II

Average customer rating:

Amazing autobiography
Great books
A counterfeit spy
Fascinating Page-Turner
A Spanish teacher recommends "The Spy Wore Red"...to ALL!

The Spy Wore Red: My Adventures as as Undercover Agent in World War II
Aline Countess Romanones
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Customer Reviews:

Amazing autobiography.......2007-06-12

Aline, Countess of Romanos has written a spectacular book. I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading an autobiography and not a work of fiction. Aline is an agent for the OSS during World War II. She blends into Spanish high society and manages to complete her mission and introduce the reader to the thrills and chills of being an undercover agent. She also gives us a glimpse of Spanish Aristocracy, bull fighting and the inner workings of a nineteen year olds dilemma of befriending people who may be targets of her investigation. I have read all of her books but like this one the best. It is full of action, drama, and even a touch of romance. I have recommended it to all of my friends.

Great books.......2007-03-20

I have purchased 4 books by Aline Romanos. I absolutely love them. The fact that there is truth behind the story and that she really was an upper-class lady as well as a spy excites me. I find myself wishing I lived an adventurous life. She has a talent when it comes to recreating her life and exploits. I could not put it down!

A counterfeit spy.......2006-01-28

The most respected historian in the field of espionage, Nigel West, studied all of Aline's spy books marketed as nonfiction and concluded "...all four of Aline's books should be regarded as fiction, and nothing more..." Read "Counterfeit Spies, Chapter 3, by Nigel West, 1998.

Fascinating Page-Turner.......2005-01-13

Written like a fiction novel, this factual, first-person account of a young woman spy during World War II is absolutely enthralling. You'll get a first-hand look into what it's like to be recruited and trained as a spy, then go on your first assignment, mingling with the highest Spanish society while secretly risking your life to uncover essential Axis secrets. The characters in the novel are rich and compelling, and you never know what's going to happen next to the protagonist/ingenue Aline.

I read this book in the '80s and have remembered it ever since. I finally found it again and reread it. It's just as fascinating now as it was then.

The only drawback: If you read at night, you won't get much sleep because this book is nearly impossible to put down.

A Spanish teacher recommends "The Spy Wore Red"...to ALL!.......2004-04-29

Reading and re-reading The Spy Wore Red is a wonderful experience! Most of your other reviewers agree, but there are two aspects they seem to miss: the richness of Spanish cultural information and the possibility of a change in role for women. Aline Griffiths is bright, well educated, and departs from traditional women's work to lead a daring, adventurous, downright-dangerous job.

As a Spanish teacher, I have recommended The Spy Wore Red to my high school students for years. Several students who later spent their college junior year in Spain have come back to tell me how much this book meant to them and how much more they appreciated it following their sojourn there. They could catch glimpses of the old Spain in the new, simply because they had read this thriller.

World War II began as the Spanish Civil War ended(1936-1939), so Aline Griffiths arrived as huge social changes were about to occur in Spain. This book provides a superb peek into the "old" Spain, the Spain of high romance and extraordinarily traditional, now-antiquated values. Yet it is described in context of a delightfully novel-like autobiographical tale. Although it reads better than most spy fiction, one can take notes on Spanish culture on virtually every page. It is engrossing, culture-rich, and shows a young American girl from Pearl River, New York, doing the kinds of things of which only a grownup Nancy Drew type might have dreamed.

On My Swedish Island: Discovering the Secrets of Scandinavian Well-being
Average customer rating:

10 stars and one of my top favorite books.....

She has some good points

Excellent!!

I am definitely recommending this book to my friends!

I feel like I've been to the spa

On My Swedish Island: Discovering the Secrets of Scandinavian Well-being
Julie Catterson Lindahl
Manufacturer: Tarcher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1585424145

Book Description

An exploration of the integral relationship between nature and personal development and how this manifests itself in the Scandinavian lifestyle-from outdoor life and relaxation to design, cuisine, gardening, and herbalism.

On my Swedish Island is a rich collection of ideas about how we can improve our quality of life with a fresh philosophy that is Nordic-inspired, but can be used in any climate.

Part memoir and part self-help book, On My Swedish Island combines the story of the author's transformation from urban jetsetter to wife and mother living on a small Swedish island with practical suggestions for living a simpler, more fulfilling existence.

Customer Reviews:

10 stars and one of my top favorite books............2006-11-29

This has become one of my top favorite 5 books because of the wisdom the author shares. Everything from simply living spaces, simple food, the outdoors, being content with less and more observant about the world around us. Call it Scandinavian zen or simply wise living.

The author hits the nail on the head when she shares how our choices can make our lives better and that these choices often have to do with being still and observant and not allowing big business or hurried people to sway us from taking the path less traveled.

Its a book that I read and then set down, then pick up and read some more, and set down. I savor the lessons I have learned from the book and have recommended it to simple living group friends who like myself try and live a self sufficient lifestyle void of so many of the 'must haves' that American society pushes.

Living here in the Sierras I also appreciated the authors wonderful stories about what the outdoors offers. Be it walking for fitness, or enjoying the fresh fish and vegetables it offers.

So much to be learned from the author and cannot recommend the book highly enough.

She has some good points.......2006-10-03

The suggestions in this book are not expensive. It is always good to get back to the basics. This book has sent me back out doors to enjoy my own little slice of nature. I don't think she is suggesting others to recreate her experiences but to consider your own. This book is a very good buy.

Excellent!!.......2005-07-22

I thought the book was entertaining,enlightening, comprehensive, and useful. It made me dream of my very own 'away from everything' cabin in the woods living with nature. The references were especially useful and I am already using some of the products mentioned in that section. A very good book for anyone who cares about health and keeping our planet as it should be.

I am definitely recommending this book to my friends!.......2005-06-02

For anyone who is interested in travel and culture, or for anyone who wants to improve his or her life to achieve a better lifestyle, this book is excellent. I myself fit into both categories, so I am very happy with it. I love this book with its very personal voice and several simple, practical ideas on how to enrich my life, (such as through recipes and tips) based on Scandinavian traditions. Also, it is a great read! I am definitely recommending it to my friends and relatives.

I feel like I've been to the spa.......2005-05-27

I took a journey to Sweden from my deck in CT! Most impressively, the author is able to take me through her journey in discovering her inner voice through discovering the Scandinavian outdoors and all it has to offer. This story really made me look at my own patch of green to realize that I can find my own island right here at home. I came away from her story refreshed, informed and well travelled!

The Bomb in My Garden: The Secrets of Saddam's Nuclear Mastermind

Average customer rating:

A glimpse inside Iraq under Saddam's regime
Facinating Account
Model of an Illicit Program
Genuine truth from a wonderful man !
#66 Most wanted man in Iraq once, tells his story

The Bomb in My Garden: The Secrets of Saddam's Nuclear Mastermind
Mahdi Obeidi , and Kurt Pitzer
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471741272

Book Description

Acclaim for the Bomb in My Garden

"This one book will tell you more about Iraq's quest for weapons of mass destruction than all U.S. intelligence on the subject. It is a fascinating and rare glimpse inside Saddam Hussein's Iraq-and inside a tyrant's mind."
-Fareed Zakaria, author of The Future of Freedom

"The Bomb in My Garden is important and utterly gripping. The old clichÃ© is true-you start reading, and you don't want to stop. Mahdi Obeidi's story makes clear how hard Saddam Hussein tried to develop a nuclear weapon, and the reasons he fell short. It is also unforgettable as a picture of how honorable people tried to cope with a despot's demands. I enthusiastically recommend this book."
-James Fallows, National Correspondent, The Atlantic Monthly

"One of the three or four accounts that anyone remotely interested in the Iraq debate will simply have to read. Apart from its insight into the workings of the Saddam nuclear project, it provides a haunting account of the atmosphere of sheer evil that permeated every crevice of Iraqi life under the old regime."
-christopher hitchens, Slate

"Mahdi Obeidi describes in jaw-dropping detail how Iraq acquired the means to produce highly enriched uranium, the key ingredient to building a nuclear weapon, by the eve of the first Gulf War. . . . [His book] offers insights into how a determined dictator, backed by sufficient resources, can come within reach of acquiring the world's most horrific weapons."
-The Washington Post BookWorld

Download Description

A news-breaking inside look at Saddam¿s nuclear program¿by the Iraqi scientist who ran it

No one knows more about Iraq¿s nuclear weapons program than Mahdi Obeidi, the man who headed its successful uranium enrichment effort. In the aftermath of the 2003 Iraq War, Obeidi voluntarily turned himself into American intelligence. Among the revelations reported by CNN at the time: In the early 1990s, under orders to hide the core of the program from U.N. weapons inspectors, Obeidi had buried in his backyard the capacity to build uranium-enriching gas centrifuges.

Now, at last, Obeidi tells all, taking us inside Saddam¿s regime and revealing the truth about its quest for nuclear weapons. He explains how he traveled abroad incognito though the United States and Europe in the 1980s and gained covert assistance for the Iraqi nuclear effort from scientists and manufacturers. He tells how he was forced to orchestrate Saddam¿s cat-and-mouse game with U.N. weapons inspectors in the early 1990s. And he captures what life was like in Saddam¿s inner circle¿the intimidation, the paranoia, the impossible deadlines. Most significantly, Obeidi discloses that Iraq never reconstituted its nuclear weapons program after the first Gulf War; the critical elements¿including the centrifuge¿remained buried in his garden until he voluntarily turned them over to U.S. forces last year.

Written with the pace and drama of a spy thriller, this eye-opening book shows how easy it was for a rogue regime to acquire nuclear technology¿and helps answer still-lingering questions about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.

Mahdi Obeidi oversaw Iraq¿s top-secret centrifuge program and later became director-general of Iraq¿s Ministry of Industry and Military Industrialization under Saddam Hussein. In late 2003, Obeidi was granted asylum by the U.S., where he now lives. Kurt Pitzer (New York, NY) met Obeidi in Baghdad and helped him turn his secrets over to the U.S. He has reported out of the Balkans, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Iraq and written for the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, and numerous magazines.

Customer Reviews:

A glimpse inside Iraq under Saddam's regime.......2007-04-10

Once you get started you won't be able to put this book down. This oral hisory shows how honorable, intelligent people with the best intentions can be forced to do the work of a corrupt regime. Thank you, Mr. Obeidi, for coming forward with your story revealing the individuals and countries (including our own) that made the acquisition of nuclear-producing components possible, in spite of the nuclear ban. It makes the current situation of nuclear fuel enrichment in Iran and North Korea all the scarier. Thank you, Kurt, for organizing this story so well and making the scientific jargon so easily understood.

Facinating Account.......2006-11-10

The Bomb in My Garden was very easy to read and held my interest throughout. Although I did not know Dr. Mahdi as a student at Colo School of Mines, he was in school at the same time as I, graduating three years after me. That added to my interest in the book.

It gives an insight into the kind of goverment Dr. Mahdi had to work under and give in to.

Model of an Illicit Program.......2006-10-09

The book provides excellent insight into the Iraqi program throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. The most insightful portion is how they pulled it off. They needed and acquired materials and expertise from Sweeden, Italy, and even the United States. It tells in detail how they used cover stories to get their hands on sensitive items and would then use front companies to ship those items back to Iraq. Once the program was discovered, the book details how the regime attempted to cover it up. In one case, they literally tore down a building, rebuilt it, and moved the top layer of dirt from all the way around the area to cover any traces of nuclear material at that location. It is a truly facisnating book!!

Genuine truth from a wonderful man !.......2005-11-25

This is not only a trilling read, in part due to it's non fictional aspect but also it's a wonderful book because it reflects the character of it's author.
To me it is genuine and believable for two reasons:

- The facts, details and timelines are cross checkable giving the reader an insider's view of Saddam's infamous regime.
- It has the fingerprint of a critical and clear thinker - a scientist, sometimes naive but always good intentioned who gets sucked into Iraq's nuclear program.

So in addition to being a fascinating account and a lesson in political science it also contains a good R&D story !
Science has always being of great interest to me and on that note , the most memorable point of the book was where he describes the gifted hands of a fellow scientist which delivered the works at a tense and critical moment
"...and I realized that all the theory in the world can never replace an experienced hand."
But I don't want to lose sight of the book's importance in the context of the US invasion of Iraq. I am in no doubt that Bush had no choice except to invade Iraq. After 9/11 he was not going to take a chance of leaving this erratic regime in place to spray havoc on the west at some future date in cohesion with Al-queda.
Of course that's a hard thing to say after all the bloodshed that has been in Iraq since the invasion but if Democracy prevails it will have a positive ripple throughout the Arab world.
What would have been the alternative?.. I have no doubt.

#66 Most wanted man in Iraq once, tells his story.......2005-05-29

"This is the man who will deliver the enriched uranium," Hussein Kemal said to his father-in-law Saddam, nodding at Mahdi Obeidi. "He has already made great strides." "In less than 3 years," Dr. Obeidi writes in this book, "our staff of only 200 talented men and women had progressed from almost total ignorance of centrifuge technology to the successful enrichment of uranium and to the verge of large-scale production." How he accomplished this feat (beginning in 1988) is he story of "A Bomb in my Garden"; so entitled because of his hiding of a test centrifuge---the single most dangerous piece of nuclear technology---& detailed blueprints on its manufacture for over 12 years (buried in his backyard) while UN inspectors searched Iraq for just such proof that Saddam was a lot closer to acquiring a nuclear device than he was willing to conceed (an ability, moreover, he could reconstitute fairly rapidly when desired). Dr. Obeidi explains herein how centrifuges draw the heavier isotope uranium-238 from the lighter uranium-235 "in much the same way that water is drawn out of laundry in the spin cycle of a washing machine." In this way natural uranium---which contains less than 1% uranium-235---can be accumulated & progressively enriched until it reaches lethal quality (at over 90% purity). Centrifuges, however, need to rotate at over 50,000 revolutions per minute to facilitate this process; an engineering miracle in of itself. Only certain materials can bear the stress of such force and have to be manufactured to such precise tolerances that Dr. Obeidi sent dozens of his engineers & researchers to train undercover in the world's best institutes & high-tech companies once he was able to procure the requisite classified plans for such; as he (simultaneously) "put together a strategy for acquiring parts, materials, and know-how on the international black market." This he did in total secrecy, under direct command of Saddam Hussein's son-in-law. "It is difficult to describe," he writes, "the sense of total fear we lived under" trying to meet arbitrarily imposed deadlines from above---the penalty being prison and/or execution for failure. It's an amazing story; and the details of meetings and events of interest are fascinating: details of meetings with Qusay Hussein & Saddam Hussein, being threatened by Saddam's son-in-law, watching Colin Powell address the UN on satellite televison, dodging American bombs during the invasion, wooing German & Swiss industrialists and scientists to provide classified materials & so on. Once he even had to tear down half of his development facility---walls, floor, etc. and remove tons of topsoil surrounding it before UN inspectors---having surprised him by taking samples---would be expected to return once those samples (as he expected) tested positive for radiation. If you are interested in the Iraq War, Saddam Hussein's dastardly doings---or need to be convinced of such, this is the book for you. Even if you don't need convincing, this book is a rare glimpse into Iraq that you will read cover to cover with keen interest. It is well written & hard to put down. Cheers!

My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York 1941 (Dear America Series)

Average customer rating:

My Secret War rReview
What I thought of My Sedret War
Perfect for WWII unit study
My Secret War
Great book!!!

My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York 1941 (Dear America Series)
Mary Pope Osborne
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0439555124

Customer Reviews:

My Secret War rReview.......2007-03-16

"The navy regrets to tell you that our husband lieutenant commander David Beck has been critically wounded...we will furnish more details when available..." This was the telegram that Maddie Beck and her mother got from the U.S. navy. The K3F, her and her friends' war aid club, hadn't been enough to stop her dad's injury. The stress of being a tweenager with a father in World War Two was on Maddie's shoulders, and she managed to handle it. Though she had to leave her boyfriend and her life in Long Island, New York, Maddie's father was okay, and she later married her junior-high school sweetheart. Straight-forward and attention-grabbing, My Secret War was a great diary-form book to read.

It was pleasurable to be able to predict in part what was going to happen. Before the telegram reached Mrs. Hawkins's Mansion-by-the-Sea, I was anticipating that Maddie's father would die, and though he didn't, I was partly right because a telegram told them he was hurt. I also predicted that the "Coast Guard" who caught Maddie on the beach at night were really Nazis. It kept me on the edge of my seat, however, when Johnny told Maddie that he didn't really like Maxine, head of the Star Points-the popular girls-when I assumed that he liked her and not Maddie.

The author did an exquisite job of making Maddie look real through things like Maddie trying to break the habit of biting her nails or the feelings that she wrote in the diary. It was realistic that telling Johnny off would help her feel better, because people often feel that way when they are upset and blow off some steam on other people. Even when she kissed Johnny days before she left for California to see her dad, she needed a tissue and had to stop, which I found very real at the same time as humorous.

One component that made this book so effortless to read was the short chapters. Because they were usually only about a paragraph, you could read one in a spare minute, unlike other books whose chapters take at least ten minutes. Also, as well as the history, there was romance and drama so that the book wasn't completely obsolete and boring. The aspect of the book being the diary of a girl around the age of the book's targeted audience made you understand the way she was thinking so that you could understand and enjoy the book.

My Secret War allowed me to view history in a more nonchalant and less snore-intriguing way. The excellent unity between characters such as Johnny and Maddie, though their main topic of conversation was war, and the clever workings of the author's mind wove a magnificent story for its readers. Nazis working on Long Island were foiled by Johnny and Maddie, tin cans were collected left and right, and doggone it was the phrase of the day. It is definitely a five-star book.

What I thought of My Sedret War.......2006-12-19

I had to read this book, called My Secret War, for a US History book report. At first I chose this book because I noticed that is was on World War II. I have always been pretty interested in World War II because I know people that served in the army forces during it. As I began reading this book, it wasn't my very favorite. Once i got into it though, I thought that it was interesting and my opinion filp flopped. It is about a young teenage girl, and her life when her dad is sent to fight in the war as a Navy Commander, and how she and her mother deal with the compications of their lives. This book was written as a diary , and I found it easy to realate to because of the same age factor. I liked, and would recommend this book to any student around the ages twelve to about fourteen, because it is easy to understand due to the perspective that it is written in.

Perfect for WWII unit study.......2006-12-11

I let my children read these types of books for our unit studies. They bring them into history quite well.

My Secret War.......2006-05-10

I read the book My Secret War. This book is great. It is funny and exciting because you never know what's going to happen. I learned some interesting facts, and they are unbelieveable. I learned that all the contries fought in WWII. Madeline Beck's dad was in the war, but he got wounded in the war. I would recommend this book for three reasons. One is that you can look in the back of the book for amazing pictures. It's also interesting to read. The last one that you can learn about WWII. My Secret War is an amazing book.

Great book!!!.......2006-04-16

I loved "My secret war" by Mary Pope Osborne. I enjoyed reading about 13-year-old Madeline who was a lot like me. If I had actually met Madeline in person, we could become friends. I like World War 2 a lot because I know about the Holocaust. This book was very good but rushed in some ways. I liked the fact that Maxine and the popular girls were SO drama-queenish it is like girls today. You should read this book it was very good.

White Tigers: My Secret War in North Korea (Memories of War)

Average customer rating:

A story long un-told
Excellent Book -- 40+Years in Coming
Cloak and dagger in the Korean conflict

White Tigers: My Secret War in North Korea (Memories of War)
Ben S. Malcom , and Ron Martz
Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1574886053

Book Description

Operating from a clandestine camp on an island off western North Korea, Army Lt. Ben Malcom coordinated the intelligence activities of eleven partisan battalions, including the famous White Tigers. With Malcomâ€™s experiences as its focus, White Tigers examines all aspects of guerrilla activities in Korea. This exciting memoir makes an important contribution to the history of special operations.

Customer Reviews:

A story long un-told.......2006-03-05

In the world of foreign military advisors, Ben Malcom's name is not a household word in comparison to Joe Stilwell, John Glubb, Edward Lansdale, and, of course, T E Lawrence. His short memoir of life with North Korean guerrillas during the Korean War deserves to be read along with those of his more famous colleages.

Ben Malcom was trained as a traditional military officer, but was thrust into a highly unusual role as an advisor to a small group of North Korean guerrillas fighting against the North Korean government. Until the 1990s, the missions the so-called White Tigers undertook were still classified. While their contribution to the overall war effort can be disputed, Malcom's lessons cannot be ignored for what they teach us about the US Army and its abiding discomfort with non-traditional warfare.

Malcom demonstrates convincingly that the US Army forgot many of the lessons derived from working with partisan forces from Burma to Greece to France during the Second World War. Those lessons would have proved invaluable to young Lieutenant Malcom as he took on a role he was not trained for, but for which he demonstrated great aptitude. His book takes us from his ROTC days, to instructor at Fort Knox, through his time in Korea, and finally to Vietnam, where he experienced a nasty case of de ja vue. His memoir is short, but exciting and written with great verve.

Much has been written about the current conflict in Iraq and how the the US military is adapting to re-learn the lessons it forgot after Vietnam about insurgency, counter-insurgency, and partisan warfare. Many authors have applauded the adaptability of the US military; Malcom's book is a cautionary tale that shows we have been down this path before and failed to institutionalize the lessons of previous conflict. For that alone, his memoir is worth the price.

Excellent Book -- 40+Years in Coming.......1999-06-14

(Note: Part of the details furnished here are based on my discussions with the author shortly after White Tigers was originally released)

First, I'll have to say I'm a bit prejudiced toward Ben Malcom. COL Ben Malcom was the post commander at Fort McPherson, Georgia in the late 70's and I commanded his military police company. In fact, Ben was instrumental in my career -- first he allowed me to command a company as a first lieutenant, something his predecessor would not do. Second, he literally pushed my application for a regular army commission through and made sure it was approved. Ben is a true gentleman and was a fine Army officer.

On to the book. White Tigers recounts Ben's story, from ROTC to the Infantry, and shortly after his commission, to Korea. Ben was scheduled to be a rifle platoon leader in Korea, but was somewhat randomly selected to train North Korean partisans --- behind enemy lines. What was so remarkable about Ben's selection is that he is over 6', has no oriental features, and did not speak Korean.

Ben found himself behind enemy lines where he trained a battalion-size North Korean force, and managed to get to the mainland on more than one occasion to recruit and do combat -- where he was awarded the Silver Star.

My favorite portion of the book is Ben recounting how he left Korea after a year wearing the Silver Star, but no combat patch (his unit did not have patch) and no combat infantryman's badge (his unit was not recognized as a line infantry unit that qualified for the CIB). When Ben reported in to his next unit, his superiors asked how it was that he was wearing a silver star, but no combat patch or CIB. Ben's answer: "I'm sorry, I can't disclose that because it's classified."

And Ben's operations were classified -- in fact, for more than 40 years. Ben had started a book in the mid-50s, but terminated his efforts because of the classification of the operations in which he was involved. Once the operations were declassified in the early 90s, Ben dusted off his 40-year old manuscript, which served as the basis for White Tigers.

I will have to say that White Tigers is not an accomplished thriller -- however, what it is is a fine personal account of Ben's exploits in a very unusual operation. Many of the activities that Ben was involved in -- and many that he directed ad lib due to the lack of training and doctrine --have become the basis of some special operations today.

Ben deserves a huge well done for an outstanding effort in documenting a very unusual experience. I would highly recommend his work.

Charles D. Childers Colonel, US Army

Cloak and dagger in the Korean conflict.......1997-10-16

This is an interesting addition to the military history collection. The book is an account of indigent intelligence gathering and sabotage operations behind the lines in North Korea. A few U.S. Army Officers and Enlisted men were tabbed as advisors to assist North Korean nationals in the disruption of the Communist forces north of the DMZ. For the most part well written, the narrative is most worthy by demonstrating the reluctance, if not downright obstructionism shown by senior Army members toward unconventional warfare in this period. The young officers selected for the mission generally had little if any training or background for the job and were given minimal support. A good accounting of the initiative and ingenuity of our young college grads when thrown in a difficult position.

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Everyone has secrets ...
The Secret Under my Skin
The Secret Under My Skin
Distopia and government control meets knowledge lover
Real sf for teenagers

The Secret Under My Skin
Janet Mcnaughton
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 006008989X
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Book Description

In the year 2368, humanity struggles to recuperate from a technocaust that has left a generation of orphans in its wake. Strict government regulations convince people that technology is dangerous; confusion and fear rule the earth.

Blay Raytee is a government work-camp orphan. Her future seems as bleak as that of the world around her. But when she is chosen for a special mission by a guardian of the environment named Marrella, Blay begins to discover that all may not be as it seems. The secrets she uncovers could hold the key both to the healing of the world and to her own past. What she learns may just empower her to join those who struggle to restore democracy -- and to discover at last who she really is.

Master storyteller Janet McNaughton vividly imagines an all-too-believable future where one child's brave search for the truth could restore a broken world.

Customer Reviews:

Everyone has secrets ..........2007-05-18

Imagine yourself in the near future. You don't know where your parents are, or who you truly are. If you can picture that, you can picture Blay Raytree's story. The story begins with Blay in practically a sweatshop-orphanage in the year 2368. She ggets picked out of all of the other orphans to assist a bio-indicator. While she is in the house he bio-indicator is living in, she realizes something. Whenever she runs her wrist near the kitchen scanner, it beeps. Blay asks a friend, Lem Howell, an electronics genius, to help her. They find out it is an information chip with her age (sixteen years od), real name (Which is Blake Raintree), and other important information. In return, Blake helps Lem Howell and his son, Fraser. After Lem's wife was kidnapped by the Commission, Lem went insane and was unable to care for his son, so the town took up that duty. However, when Lem recovers his sanity, he can remember everything but the birth of his son. Blake helps to reunite them, and they then decide to live together.
Blake then realizes that Marella, the bio-indicator, has to go on a task by herself, which means she wouldn't be able to use Blake's special knowledge. Because Blake worried about what would happen if Marella failed the last test. Blake runs to the Masterr and tells him everything that she has dne for Marella to help her to complete the tasks. Instead of being scolded or punished like she expected, she was praised for her knowledge and love for all things Science. After that, the book begins to wind down, and it shows the world healing from the Technocaust, the very war that caused so many children to be parentless and not know who they were, or where they came from.
I give this book five stars and two thumbs p, because Janet McNaughton did a wonderful job weaving a story about the future into things that have happened in the past (the Holocaust, Hitler's invasion, most of World War II, just in a different year, and on a greater scale of damage).She obviously scrutinized over the amount of detail that wat put into it. Anyone who is into science-fiction books, books about what could happen in the future due to the way humans are behaving in the present, or just want a good, heartrending book that you can cuddle up with, then this book is awesome. I would recommend it to people ages fourteen to sixty.

*C.S. Larochelle

The Secret Under my Skin.......2006-06-04

Blay Raytee wants to find her identity. When she gets the chance she takes it. She looks into her past and finds horrible things that happened to many citizens of Toronto her home city. The Technocaust was the cause of all this and she wants to do something about it. She meets an old man who finds out her identity and the rest goes on from there. This book was an amazing look into the future and told me about differences. This book is the all-time best book ever!

The Secret Under My Skin.......2006-05-05

The Secret Under My Skin
Janet McNaughton

Blay is chosen to help a bio- indicator accomplish a special task. As she begins helping, she also uncovers keys to both the healing power of the world and to her past.
In the year 2368, confusion and fear rule the Earth. In this world, everyone is under strict government control. Blay Raytee, a government work camp orphan, is no exception. She is told the same lies the government tells everyone. However just when she starts believing that she will live out the rest of her life in a work camp, she is saved. As she helps Marella, the bio- indicator accomplish her tests, she also learns more about herself with help from her new friends. For one thing, her name isn't Blay, but Blake Raintree. Her friend, Lem Howell, also finds out who her mother was and was able to locate one of her friends that is still alive. In return, Blake helps Lem and his son, Fraser, out. After Fraser's mom was taken away by the Commission, Lem went into a mental state. He was not able to take care of his son, so the town took care of him. However when Lem recovered, he could remember everything about what had happened except the birth of his son. Therefore, in return for all the help Lem has done for her, Blake reunites the two and they finally move in together. Blake also learns that she has made a mistake. She has allowed Marella to abuse her gift. Blake was giving her all the answers to her tests because Marella really didn't know them. Luckily, she hears what is planned for Marella and knows that it should be her doing that, so she finally gives in and tells. Instead of being punished, Blake is praised for having the gift of loving science. All is well in Blake's world, and the healing of the world has also begun. This was a good book and a good look into the future.
The author tries to use terms in the book like some of the terms associated with World War II. During the Holocaust, millions of Jews were killed, and in this book, the author calls the time when thousands of techies were killed the Technocaust. The book also refers to places where the techies where taken to after being captured as concentration camps. In the book, there is not a president or a king, but a Commission, who wants to have total power over the people, just like Hitler. Another way this book used events from WWII was when they explained how the Commission took over. Hitler took over because Germany was politically unstable after the First World War In The Secret Under My Skin, the Commission was able to take over because the governments couldn't cope with the effects of global warming. They tried to cope with floods, forest fires, hurricanes, ice storms, and the droughts and famines, but they couldn't and so they allowed themselves to be controlled by the Commission.
This book gives us a look into the future. It tells of what global warming could do to the environment and the effects it could cause to future generations. It also shines light on what could happen after the storms, when the whole world is in a state of emergency. By foreseeing what could come of this world, it also shines light on the world's past. The same types of things are happening repeatedly. Many of the things that happened in WWII happened during the Technocaust, and like in the Cold War, there is tension, brewing for war between the Commission and the Way.
This book also gives good guesses to what technological advances we could have in the future. Blake had a microchip in her arm. It told her what her name was, where she was born and her birthday. Blake also had a panel in her room, on her wall that she could set. It was like an alarm clock, radio, television and thermostat all in one. The house also had many panels throughout it that did various things such as turn the lights off and tell them when the food was running low. There are also things called last books that you have to pot into things called biblio-techs, so that you can read them.
The Secret Under My Skin was a great book. When reading you can experience how the world might be like in 2368, with all of its technological advancements. That world was not great at all, but at least we know that if the world ever did get that bad, there will still be people out there who want to make the world better and actually take a stand.

S.Gore

Distopia and government control meets knowledge lover.......2005-02-21

It's always a shock when you find what you've believed since you were young is not what everyone else in your community believes to be true. Blay Raytee can't remember her parents or where she was from. She was placed in a government-run orphan work camp where they learn how technology users are evil and have to die in order for prosperity to return to the earth. She is afraid to go outside without a protective radiation suit. Things all change when she is chosen by the "bio-indicator" to be her assistant as she prepares for her trials. Blay begins to learn how different the world is from what she was taught in the work camp. She is drawn into a secret world as well as learns how to love for the first time. She also grows to understand her own value and her own hidden secrets. If you like "The Giver" by Lois Lowry, then you should enjoy this book.

Real sf for teenagers.......2004-03-04

Set in the far future in a world wrecked by exploitation, there is no airy fairy mysticism, just sensible plotting and an attempt to get to grips with scientific and technological possibilities in poor circumstances.

Book Description

Brian Jones has been hailed as one of the truly influential pioneers of modern music. As a founder of the Rolling Stones, Brian's music style and personality made him a star. But his arrest on drugs charges in 1967 sent him into a drink-and-drugs fuelled depression and his life slipped out of control. It was then that he met Anna Wohlin. He pursued her relentlessly, and they fell in love. How could they have guessed that a trivial domestic dispute would result in the most puzzling death in rock 'n' roll history? Anna was a witness on that tragic summer evening. In this book, she breaks her silence to tell the truth about July 3, 1969—the night Brian Jones was killed.

Customer Reviews:

re the wild and wyked world of brian jones.......2007-09-27

i enjoyed the romance part of it and hope it is true. but not sure if the real Brian could fall for one girl. but it was very romantic and then of course sad
debbi

Same Book, different Tittle.......2007-01-10

It's the same Identical Book. Same contents of the other "fantasy with Brian Jones Book".
What a loser ! Profiting on the death of her one night stand type of relationship with all that mushy wishful thinking.

If you read the other Anna Wohlin book don't buy it again.......2006-04-15

I'm rather disturbed to see this 2001 book being repackaged under a different name with a different cover since the release of the film "Stoned". This is probably the reason there are so many copies of this book for sale used. We've all read it before.
I found the book self-indulgent and improbable the first time and I'm still finding it that way, although I am looking forward to seeing the film.
Again, if you read the 2001 Anna Wohlin book, don't buy it again.
It's exactly the same.

The Ashley Madison Diaries: My Secret Journey into the Scandalous World of Infidelity

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The Ashley Madison Diaries: My Secret Journey into the Scandalous World of Infidelity
Sharon Sharalike
Manufacturer: Burman Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0973909757

Book Description

Written by an actual member of the cheaters' meet-up website www.ashleymadison.com, this tell-all account from the world of online infidelity is a fascinating slice of relationship voyeurism. The author delves into her own cheating adventures, as well as those of her fellow online thrillseekers, providing compelling details of the day-to-day lives of people in unhappy relationships, and the risks they take in pursuit of pleasure.

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