In the grand tradition of John Keegan’s enduring classic The Face of Battle comes a searing; unforgettable chronicle of war through the eyes of the American soldiers who fought in three of our most iconic battles: Bunker Hill; Gettysburg; and Iwo Jima. This is not a book about how great generals won their battles; nor is it a study in grand strategy. Men of War is instead a riveting; visceral; and astonishingly original look at ordinary soldiers under fire. Drawing on an immense range of firsthand sources from the battlefield; Alexander Rose begins by re-creating the lost and alien world of eighteenth-century warfare at Bunker Hill; the bloodiest clash of the War of Independence—and reveals why the American militiamen were so lethally effective against the oncoming waves of British troops. Then; focusing on Gettysburg; Rose describes a typical Civil War infantry action; vividly explaining what Union and Confederate soldiers experienced before; during; and after combat. Finally; he shows how in 1945 the Marine Corps hurled itself with the greatest possible violence at the island of Iwo Jima; where nearly a third of all Marines killed in World War II would die. As Rose demonstrates; the most important factor in any battle is the human one: At Bunker Hill; Gettysburg; and Iwo Jima; the American soldier; as much as any general; proved decisive. To an unprecedented degree; Men of War brings home the reality of combat and; just as important; its aftermath in the form of the psychological and medical effects on veterans. As such; the book makes a critical contribution to military history by narrowing the colossal gulf between the popular understanding of wars and the experiences of the soldiers who fight them.Praise for Men of War“A tour de force . . . strikingly vivid; well-observed; and compulsively readable.â€â€”The Daily Beast “Military history at its best . . . This is indeed war up-close; as those who fought it lived it—and survived it if they could. Men of War is deeply researched; beautifully written.â€â€”The Wall Street Journal “A brilliant; riveting; unique book . . . Men of War will be a classic.â€â€”General David H. Petraeus; U.S. Army (Retired) “The fact is that Men of War moves and educates; with the reader finding something interesting and intriguing on virtually every page.â€â€”National Review “This is a book that has broad value to a wide audience. Whether the reader aims to learn what actually happens in battle; draw on the military lessons within; or wrestle with what actually defines combat; Men of War is a valuable addition to our understanding of this all-too-human experience.â€â€”The New Criterion “A highly recommended addition to the literature of military history . . . [Rose] writes vividly and memorably; with a good eye for the telling detail or anecdote.â€â€”Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Using the firsthand accounts of brave soldiers who fought for freedom; Rose sheds new light on viewpoints we haven’t heard as widely before. It’s a welcome perspective in an era where most people have no military experience to speak of.â€â€”The Washington Times “Rose poignantly captures the terror and confusion of hand-to-hand combat during the battle.â€â€”The Dallas Morning News “If you want to know the meaning of war at the sharp end; this is the book to read.â€â€”James McPherson; Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The War That Forged a NationFrom the Hardcover edition.
#681711 in Books 2009-12-03 2009-12-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .80 x 5.31l; .70 #File Name: 0547247788352 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Greatest Story Ever ToldBy Ralph D. HermansenThe Greatest Story Ever ToldThe title of the book is "Remarkable Creatures" and the author is Sean B. Carroll. I have read other books by this author and my appetite for a worthwhile reading experience perks up whenever I learn that he is the author of a book; which I have not yet read. I gave this book five stars because I believe the author beautifully achieved his objective of telling the story of the evolution of living things in an engaging way. Essentially; he has selected key pioneers in advancing mankind's knowledge of our origins and told their stories in a compelling manner. Within each biographical sketch is an important breakthrough event in the overall story of evolutionary understanding. I believe that Carroll thought very carefully about which stories; from the thousands before him; to include to give the reader a condensed; yet broad overview of man's unearthing of the greater picture. He selected the stories well and arranged their sequence of presentation to progressively educate the reader; so that he/she could appreciate the science underlying the more recent and more technical stories. For example; the discovery of DNA's structure allowed major breakthroughs. Yet; you will need to know some basics to follow the stories. Carroll guides you along skillfully.These evolutionary pioneers were highly dedicated and heroic in my estimation. Many of them had to endure discouragement from the contemporary scientific world; endure personal hardship; poverty; and self-doubt while attempting to prove their beliefs. Even after compiling the evidence and presenting it; they were too often ridiculed by the old school experts; whom they had hoped to impress. It seems that part of the process of the advancement of knowledge includes the dying off of the old regime and the rise to power of the more youthful. Many of the stories involve the fierce battle of ideas. Yet; conflict is the keystone to compelling literature. If these heroes were not appreciated in their time; at least we can appreciate them now by hearing their stories.I believe that "Remarkable Creatures" is written in a style such that almost any reader will benefit from it. If anything; it would probably be of greatest benefit to those who know very little about evolution. It is like an intriguing sampler; which should motivate the reader to want to know more about the subject. If you are already an advanced student of evolution; you may already know many of these stories; yet may still appreciate the delightful way Carroll presents the material. Some potential readers may be hesitant for religious reasons. They would benefit the most because this is a story of the scientific process in action. It is a story of the intellectual conflict; which is the crucible of the scientific process. It is a story of the never-ending search for the truth. It is a true story about us and that makes it the greatest story ever told.Ralph D. Hermansen; June 8; 20130 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I had no ideaBy kristinLoved the progressions of discovery through time. This is a book I could read without needing much background. My only background being a basic knowledge of Darwin; I found the progress of scientific exploration educational and necessary knowledge.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. REMARKABLE BOOKBy Glen R. BleakA good book that provide me with more details of the great scientists that made scientific history. Most the characters in this book; most people that follow science have heard of and read about there accomplishments. This book bring out there personal lives; struggles and hardships along with excellent details of there discoveries and ideas from great scientists. To mentioned of a few that fascinated me was of :Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace; where two men came to the same conclusion; separately.Eugene Dubois probably the luckiest; found the Java Man. Father and son of the Alvarez’s shows science can work in mysterious ways; where it so happens that these two working in different fields of science that so happens to find of a clay layer that had no signs of fossils sandwich between Cretaceous and Tertiary periods layers that they so happen to ask a question; “What is it and where did it come from?†Doing some testing that so happen to contain a high concentration of a mineral that is rare on the Earth and with there analysis along with several scenarios; so happen to come up with a scenario that is still standing within the scientific community. This is the luckiest of the “So Happens†discovery for the Scientific Community.The Louis and Mary Leakey persistence and dedication along with there hardships; gave us the greatest discoveries of the ancestors of Mankind. They showed us who we are and were we came from and it didn’t require any Devine help.The Fishapod shows how Evolution; geology and the history of earth can be used to make predictions; search the right age along with the right environments in the rock formations to look for and find a fossil that is transiting from a fish to an amphibian can be the most verification of the Evolutionary process. Science can’t get better than this.Now the part of your book of the Neanderthals (Nea) and Homo Sapiens (we) has been a constant confusion to me. I had a scenario by which the Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens were separate species each evolving from an earlier Hominid separately and independently from each other. Now I never got clear if the Sapiens and Neanderthals had evolved from the same earlier Hominid or different ones; whatever; in either case; this would makes them separate species. Now I watched a program called “Decoding the Neanderthals†that claimed that we share some genes like 1 to 4 %. If we got these genes directly from Nea through sexual activity that made fertile offspring; then we would not be separate species; but only different races. If this is the case; then who came from who? Since Nea is older (300;000 years old ) than we are (180;000 years old); then we would had to evolve from them or some race between us and them. How does this work with Out of Africa scenario? This 1 to 4% statistical analysis; what is the degree of error. It would have to be extremely small for +/-2% would make it invalid. Now these genes that we are sharing has something to do with resistance to diseases that both we and Nea were exposed to. Then could it be that we solved an old problem; the same old way. In other words; with repeatable mutations; we came up with the same solution of resisting these diseases. If this is the case; then of course we would be carrying the same genes as Nea; but not directly.The only science that I wished this book would have addressed was Plate Tectonics. This is a fantastic story that evolved a weather scientists; ocean explorations; the Cold war; magnetic polarity; rifting mountain ranges; trenches all working separately and independently from each other that took many decades that eventually came together with a scenario of a dynamic Earth. This dynamic Earth is the driving force of Evolution. Another process that illustrates how science can work in mysterious ways. I hope his next book will include this fantastic story.
