Last night I logged my books that I got at the book sale on Sunday, and couldn't help but start reading the bio I found about a Marine from the Pacific War, entitled "Goodbye, Darkness". The author's name is William Manchester, and he is well gifted with words. Although what he was describing was horrendous, the way he told it made me laugh with the irony. I think I will enjoy this one. I've found that personal biographies of participants in the World War have enriched my study of it. It's a good way to follow up after reading much of the overview of the battles when I was a teenager. A really eye-opening read was "Soldat", which I found on clearance at Half Price Books last year. I blew right through it. Bill Mauldin's "Up Front" is essential for any study of WWII. I'm biding my time until I get a hold of "A Life Up Front". Also good were "Farewell to Manzanar", "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo", "Rommel: The Desert Fox", "The Hiding Place", "Flags of our Fathers" and "Marine: The Life of Chesty Puller". By chance, I picked up a book called "GI Joe & Lillie" at a give-away at the grocery store. Though it was not very well written, the story was incredible. "To Hell and Back" is waiting on my shelf, along with a bio of a Japanese fighter pilot, called "Samurai". Oh, also waiting are "Guadalcanal Diary" and Ernie Pyle's "Here is Your War".
I've already started "The War" by Ken Burns, and I found it intriguing. I didn't get a chance to see the actual documentary on PBS, but I think I'll try and get in on Netflix. I don't know if I'll like it very much, since it jumps around from topic to topic so quickly. If anyone reading this has watched it, please "comment" on it. I'm sort of wary when it comes to WWII documentaries because I've seen too much of the History Channel. You start out watching something about the history of tanks, and then, all of a sudden you're plunged into Pearl Harbor, followed closely by a scene of Hitler shouting something with vigor.
After the books were logged and the introduction and the first chapter were read, I set about organizing my books more distinctly. The rest of my American history, including South America and Canada were moved downstairs to the library, while the extra shelf in my room could then be set aside for just fiction. I feel much better now, knowing everything is in order. It's also good to not have the big, fat stack of books sitting on the middle of the floor anymore.
Jp
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I have not yet started the book, but we watched The War. We thought it was excellent! Many stories told that you do not usually hear about, including that of a young girl whose father worked in the Philippines; she, her parents, and her brother were imprisoned by the Japanese for the duration.
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