BOOKSTORES: How to Read More Books in the Golden Age of Content

We Were Soldiers Once....and Young by Harold G. Moore and Joseph Galloway

We Were Soldiers Once... and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle that Changed the War in Vietnam by Harold G. Moore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

(Listened to Audible version) I'd say this is one of the most intense war time narratives I've ever read or listened to. Attention to detail has not been spared here. I listened on audio and I had to take frequent breaks as it was exhausting with all the action going on at the same time. Like many I had seen the movie this was based on but it was many years ago. I was born a year after the battle happened so I don't have first hand knowledge of the era but had uncles that were in the service(usually Marines) and one was wounded severely. You could say I grew up in the shadow of the Vietnam War era. Even my own service in the army in the 80's we'd encounter someone with the famous 1st Cav shoulder patch and it carried an aura of respectability.

Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Associated Press)

I've read or listened to war time accounts from many perspectives from individual soldiers, platoon leaders, Generals all the way to White House. Lt. Col. Moore’s account gave a rare accounting from a field officer from battalion level. His attention to detail is incredible, so much so it almost is a distraction at times , at least when listening to the audio version as hearing everyone's full unit description in the midst of the firefight each time someone is introduced but I digress too much.

The book focuses on the battle of Ia Drang valley in November of 1965. The battle is narrated not just by authors Lt. Col. Moore and Joseph Galloway but also others that were there too including testimony from the North Vietnamese commander. The story is intense, fast paced and raw. The book gives a glimpse into the beginnings of what was to become a drawn out war. An excellent narrative of the American war experience in Vietnam.

Thanks to all who served there.

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The Korean War by Christopher Chant

The Korean War by Christopher Chant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book on the Korean War is part of a larger series called the "The Military History of the United States". It is relatively short in length with a mix of text, illustrations, maps and photograph. As the series title may foretell it focuses primarily though it does give some historical background that lead up to the war itself. At a relatively short 136 pages it seems to give a concise summation of the war rather than a thoroughly comprehensive history of the war. It does provide the basics of what happened for those that are unfamiliar or new to the subject. It provides a decent starting point for those looking into this event. After this I'd recommend "The Korean War" by Max Hastings and "The Coldest Winter" by David Halberstam which are more in depth.

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Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump by Dan Pfeiffer

Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump by Dan Pfeiffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As an avid listener of Pod Save America I was immediately drawn to this when I saw it on the book store shelf(along with the colorful graphics). The book is roughly drawn into different segments. First is a personal memoir of how Dan's political life grew and how he ended up in the Obama administration. Secondly is a look into the inner workings of the Obama Administration. The third is his personal insight into how we ended up going from Obama to Trump and the chaos we have in today's politics. Also thrown in is his directness(curse words and all), workaholicism, neuroticism, and how he met his wife. It isn't your typical droning preachy political book meaning as seriously as subject matter there are lighthearted moments and a bit of self-deprecating humor to let us know he's human and not just another faceless Presidential advisor. For those looking for some insight on what it was like inside the Obama years, this is a good place to start.

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