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On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle by Hampton Sides
historytable's review against another edition
5.0
Easily one of the best nonfiction books I've read. Fantastic writing.
qu33nofbookz's review against another edition
4.0
A very well put together bit of history that up until recently most American's skip over. It doesn't read like a text book and it pulls you into what is happening and the people involved so that before you know it, you are finished reading but you want to read more. It is quite fair in its view of both sides of the conflict. Well done.
gimpyknee's review against another edition
4.0
4-stars rather than 5 because how can you write about the Battle of Chosin Reservoir and say so little about Colonel Chesty Puller, the commander of the 1st Marines Regiment, which spearheaded the breakout and march to the south? The most decorated United States Marine, Puller was awarded his 5th Navy Cross at Chosin Reservoir. He famously said "We've been looking for the enemy some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." Puller is almost completely overlooked by Sides. He is only mentioned in a few paragraphs in a single chapter.
Kudos for Sides correctly reporting on Truman and MacArthur's meeting on Wake Island. MacArthur was a pompous ass but he did not make Truman wait for his arrival. MacArthur arrived on Wake Island fully 12 hours before Truman and was promptly at the air strip the next morning to greet him. It's also true that the pompous ass failed to salute his Commander-in-Chief.
Kudos for Sides correctly reporting on Truman and MacArthur's meeting on Wake Island. MacArthur was a pompous ass but he did not make Truman wait for his arrival. MacArthur arrived on Wake Island fully 12 hours before Truman and was promptly at the air strip the next morning to greet him. It's also true that the pompous ass failed to salute his Commander-in-Chief.
larryerick's review against another edition
3.0
Most readers will probably rate this book higher than I did. In my case, I wanted a true history of the battle. This isn't it. That is not to say it isn't worth reading or that it doesn't keep a reader's attention. It most definitely does. Here's the thing: it starts out very dramatically. I could almost hear the patriotic music swelling in the background, with John Wayne just off to the side, ready to make sure the reader was focused on what really mattered. Then it switches to a quite caustic presentation on how America had two of the most vain, arrogant, military leaders who ever existed in charge of the armed forces in Korea -- with absolutely no explanations for why America would have allowed such a state of affairs -- and then, having set the stage for how several thousand lesser ranking military people were going to have to deal big time with this nearly unlimited amount of incompetence, it goes on to explain in quite graphic detail how they did just that. The book from that point is mostly vignettes of various Marines (and a soldier or two.) At times, you will be hard pressed to believe what you are reading, but the author makes it all very, very convincing. Make no mistake about it, what the Marines (and few others) went through in this battle was remarkable. It is regrettable that only a handful of individuals get the first-class attention when it is obvious that others, unnamed, must have done much or nearly the same. In the end, the author makes no excuses about what the book is or is not. It's one of the few times the Acknowledgments section of a non-fiction book helped me to accept the basic, but limited, book for what it was, allowing me to maintain a rather high regard, nonetheless. As an homage to extraordinary effort, the book serves its purpose quite well.
bupdaddy's review against another edition
4.0
Sides provides an episodic account of the invasion from the east coast of North Korea across the middle, and the necessary retreat attack in the other direction necessitated by MacArthur (and his equally arrogant sidekick Almond)'s ridiculous, self-serving, cherry-picked-evidence based assessment of China's presence on the Yalu River (in MacArthur's estimate, it was 0 - he was off by about 250,000).
Each section centers on individuals, which makes the narrative compelling, after all, humans experience life in the microcosm; however, in the end the style maybe glorifies war a bit too much. I guess some people really do find it romantic.
Each section centers on individuals, which makes the narrative compelling, after all, humans experience life in the microcosm; however, in the end the style maybe glorifies war a bit too much. I guess some people really do find it romantic.
ihavenouseforit's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
5.0
cobb_actual's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
An incredible account of one of the least remembered conflicts in American history. The book jumps around from story to story, interweaving them all with expert precision. A fantastic jumping off point for those looking to learn more about the Korean War and sure to spark curiosity to learn more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, and Death
mellowdave's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I bought the book to gain an understanding of the events at the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean Conflict, and I came away with that understanding, as well as a strong interest in learning more. I don't think I can day anything more favorable about a history book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Murder, and Gore