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juliaisreadingg's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
5.0
"I get cold in December, even though Oregon rarely gets below thirty-five degrees. And I remember the guys we left behind. Every day, I remember."
This is probably my new favorite book from the men of Easy Company. Don Malarkey's story and voice just flow so well. I'm always humbled reading anything by Easy Company men, but I'd be lying if i said I wasn't shedding tears in parts, especially him speaking of Warren "Skip" Muck.
May we never forget these man and what they did.
This is probably my new favorite book from the men of Easy Company. Don Malarkey's story and voice just flow so well. I'm always humbled reading anything by Easy Company men, but I'd be lying if i said I wasn't shedding tears in parts, especially him speaking of Warren "Skip" Muck.
May we never forget these man and what they did.
dtab62's review against another edition
4.0
This was not the best of the Easy Company memoirs, but still worth the read. Malarkey seems to have had a real problem with David Webster which, although touched on in the Band of Brothers movie, doesn't show up in any of the other memoirs. And I've read them all except for Webster's.
I'd still highly recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII history. But it wouldn't be the first I'd recommend to someone who saw the Band of Brothers movie and wanted to learn more about the men of Easy Company.
I'd still highly recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII history. But it wouldn't be the first I'd recommend to someone who saw the Band of Brothers movie and wanted to learn more about the men of Easy Company.
corvidcordelia's review
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.75
I haven't read very many WWII memoirs, but I was surprised by how emotionally honest and intimate this was--and it also had some very lovely turns of phrase. It's clear from the letter excerpts that some of that is Malarkey himself, though I'm also impressed by his cowriter. The descriptions of the rivers and forests of Oregon, and the way he longed for them, particularly in places like Bastogne, felt so palpable you could almost see the water sparkling.
It's a very different perspective--if you're looking for details on "what happened when" during xyz battle to supplement Band of Brothers, Dick Winters' books, etc., you probably won't get much, but you will get a deeper sense of who (some) of these men were, particularly Joe Toye (who knew they were so close?!) Skip Muck (that one we knew), and of course Malarkey himself. These are guys who had their own insecurities and challenges--which, of course they did, but it's surprising to see them talked about so openly, when most of the time these guys tried to keep their upper lips as stiff as boards. Malarkey even talks about that, how it's necessary in war to shove down your emotions, and how it haunts you.
It's a very different perspective--if you're looking for details on "what happened when" during xyz battle to supplement Band of Brothers, Dick Winters' books, etc., you probably won't get much, but you will get a deeper sense of who (some) of these men were, particularly Joe Toye (who knew they were so close?!) Skip Muck (that one we knew), and of course Malarkey himself. These are guys who had their own insecurities and challenges--which, of course they did, but it's surprising to see them talked about so openly, when most of the time these guys tried to keep their upper lips as stiff as boards. Malarkey even talks about that, how it's necessary in war to shove down your emotions, and how it haunts you.
sarahd3's review against another edition
3.0
The story of Easy Company told through another voice. Not quite as in depth as Dick Winters autobiography but still nice to hear some new stories. It amazes me still that this group of guys were able to make it through the Battle of the Bulge as well as they did. Granted they probably couldn't forget it either. Very easy reading for a quick read, read it in a day. Would recommend it to those who want to complete their library of easy company soldiers.
robgob89's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best accounts of WWII I have ever read. Nearly brought me to tears at multiple points. A must-read for anyone with any interest in history
meganhart92's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
swetzel9's review against another edition
5.0
A great companion to "Band of Brothers" in that it goes into details that Ambrose's book can't. It also contains much more opinion than a historian like Ambrose put in his book. If you liked "Band of Brothers" you'll also like this
shoshannah's review against another edition
5.0
The emotions in this book run too deep for me to even fully process right now, so I may have to come back and write a more full review later. All I can say at this moment is that I appreciate Malarkey's commitment to honesty and vulnerability in this memoir. And also, he is a fantastic writer.
"But for all the attention, the darker side of war follows you. The wave is always there, building behind you, never going away. Ever since the march to Atlanta, I've had trouble walking at a quick pace or running. I get cold in December, even though Oregon rarely gets below thirty-five degrees. And I remember the guys we left behind. Every day, I remember. But once, while walking the beach near Astoria, I saw these birds --puffins, I think--floating amid these giant waves that were about to break on them. And they did the damnedest thing: Knowing they couldn't ignore those waves or outswim them, they turned and faced the swells head-on, dove right into them, realizing they'd be safer that way. It was a good lesson for me" (pg. 250-251).
"But for all the attention, the darker side of war follows you. The wave is always there, building behind you, never going away. Ever since the march to Atlanta, I've had trouble walking at a quick pace or running. I get cold in December, even though Oregon rarely gets below thirty-five degrees. And I remember the guys we left behind. Every day, I remember. But once, while walking the beach near Astoria, I saw these birds --puffins, I think--floating amid these giant waves that were about to break on them. And they did the damnedest thing: Knowing they couldn't ignore those waves or outswim them, they turned and faced the swells head-on, dove right into them, realizing they'd be safer that way. It was a good lesson for me" (pg. 250-251).