I am not sure what I thought this book was about when I purchased it, but it was certainly not that. This book discusses some really bold topics, including the state sanctioned murders of Philippine citizens. Police and regular citizens on a vigilante justice kick have gone around killing people as part of the government's war on drugs. The way that people justify their actions in mass murder other crimes against humanity is staggering to me. This book is really interesting from a psychological point of view. I never knew this type of thing was going on in the Philippines. I learned a lot from this book. 

 If you have read The Monuments Men or watched the film, you will be familiar with the contents of this book. This book discusses the activities of a group of men tasked with hunting down artwork stolen by the Nazis. Members of the Nazi Party casually walked into museums and manor houses all over the European continent, taking anything they wanted for their own personal collections or to sell or trade for other things. Churches and other religious buildings were also robbed of their artworks and relics. People who were displaced and sent to concentration camps had their possessions stolen as well. Art theft is still common in this day and age, which is shocking to think about.

During warfare, people often lament the loss of life, as they should. People think less of animals, homes, historical sites, cultural artifacts, and artworks that are stolen or destroyed. Currently, there are tremendous losses occurring in the Middle East. Ancient works have been blown into oblivion, which is a sad thing to see as a historian. Books like this one always hurt my feelings as a historian and lover of art, but it is encouraging to see that people believe that they should be saved. It is also encouraging to see artworks that were stolen being returned to their rightful owners in our modern era. This book was well done. I enjoyed learning more about the artworks and men who attempted to save them. 

 This book was written by an American woman who spent some years in Saudi Arabia. The book does contain a massive cultural bias, which I disliked. It does contain some good information about different cultural and social happenings, which was why I was drawn to the book to begin with. It is also important to note that this book was written about time spent in Saudi Arabia in the 1970s and 1980s. Obviously, things have changed a great deal in the Middle East in general. It is important to note that some things are out of date, as some social aspects do not occur as they once did. I also felt that the book could have been much shorter and more concise. There was a lot of repetition and nonsense filler material that was just simply not needed. 

 This book details the creation of the Special Air Service, a part of the British Army. It was founded in 1941 by David Stirling. While much of the information about the Special Air Service remains classified due to their special forces operations, this book provides a decent history and accounting of some of the activities undertaken by the SAS during World War II. The SAS supported many operations on the ground during the war, embarked on a disinformation campaign, intelligence, and other activities. I didn't know much about the SAS prior to reading this book, but it was full of good information. I enjoy this author a lot and have read several other books by him. 

 The author of this book, Joachim Fest, was a German historian who was very public about the history and actions of the Nazi Party. Having grown up during World War II, he was able to offer a solid perspective on events in addition to his historical research and record keeping. I have read other really solid works by this author and completely forgot that I had this book until I was going through more stuff to get ready to move. This book discusses the growing German resistance to Hitler and his Nazi Party, led by Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg. I read a similar book not long ago, but this one was far better written and researched. 

This book discusses Task Force Pale Horse and their support for ground forces during the attack on COP Keating. If you have not read Red Platoon, you should. This book is another point of view of this event from those in the air. I thought this book was really interesting and moving, as I knew what had happened at COP Keating prior to reading this. 

 Herman Perry was born in North Carolina in 1922. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1941, following Pearl Harbor. He did not attend his first draft board appointment and was arrested for non-compliance. As a soldier in the Army's 849th Engineer Aviation Battalion, he served in the China-Burma-India Theater, helping to construct the Ledo Road. In 1944, Perry's commanding officer was attempting to collect him for dereliction of duty. Perry was not keen to go back to prison, as he was aware of all the mistreatment of prisoners that went on there and hit the officer with his rifle. This blow to the stomach would ultimately kill him. Subsequently, Perry went on the lam, living in the jungle. A manhunt of dramatic proportions ensured to apprehend Perry. Eventually Perry was apprehended in 1945.

This man was determined to flee from justice, and it was amazing to me how he fell in with local tribesmen to helped him. I thought this book was really interesting and I learned a great deal from it. 

 Operation Neptune Spear was conducted on May 02, 2011. During this operation, SEAL Team Six raided the compound where Osama bin Laden was staying. bin Laden, his son, and a couple of other people were also killed during this raid. This book provides a personal account of one of the members of SEAL Team Six who were there. It is important to note that some of the events in this book were disputed by members of the government. Overall, the book was interesting enough to read. 

Disclaimer: I was sent this book as a winner of the Goodreads Giveaways, so thank you for that!

Frank Caprio first came on my radar through Facebook video clips of his conversations with people in his courtroom. He always seemed very kind, respectful, and concerned for the people in front of him. It is nice to see someone who does understand people make mistakes and encounter difficult times. His positive interactions are refreshing. I watch and read a lot of true crime things, and often this is not the case (and often it isn't warranted). I enjoyed learning about his family history and the hardships and determination members of his family faced as immigrants to the United States. I really liked this book, and I am passing it on to my sister to enjoy. 

 

Norman Jack "Dusty" Kleiss was born in Kansas in 1916. During World War II, he was present at Pearl Harbor, though he did not engage any enemy aircraft on that date. He went on to participate in many significant air raids in the Pacific theatre, becoming one of the most legendary dive-bombing pilots the United States had. This book recounts his experience fighting in the Battle of Midway. He takes special care to note those who lost their lives in this battle and strongly resents being considered a hero in any way. In the years after Midway, Kleiss participated in several remembrance days. He also publicly criticized admirals and other commanders for their decisions surrounding Midway. He lived to be 100, dying in 2016. I liked this book, and found it important to the historical record. Eyewitness accounts are vital to understanding the human experience of a historical event.