The Nigerian Biafran War, 1967-70 (Five Stars)

Little remembered today, the Biafran War was a fight for independence by the Christian Ibos against the Muslim majority of Nigeria following Nigeria's independence from Britain. The war involved not just ground forces but also air and naval forces by both sides and improvisation was the name of the game. Colorful leaders and colorful characters from the rank-and-file abounded, if the photos and plates are anything to go by. It's a fascinating story and the photographs and artwork of this Osprey book makes for a great reference or for a good read in its own right.

General Sherman's Christmas (Four Stars)

This book looks at the March to the Sea as well as the final assault that resulted in the evacuation of Savannah to the Yankees. It's a fascinating story, if not a bit less detailed than other books on the subject. Weintraub uses personal recollections whenever possible to illustrate both sides of the conflict and the difficulties that the Union soldiers had in making the march, as well as the suffering of the civilians in the path of Sherman's juggernaut. The employs a Christmas theme and is well-written. Illustrated with a map and drawings.

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the Elusive Eden (Three Stars)

Following the Civil War there were some Confederates who decided, for various reasons, to emigrate to the Empire of Brazil. Among them was Frank McMullan, a Texan who arranged to bring over a hundred colonists to one of the last slave-holding countries the Western Hemisphere. The colonists endured the uncertainty of the Brazilian bureaucracy, the sinister machinations of the crew who was paid to take them to South America, and even a shipwreck. Once in Brazil the southerners found that things were not going to work out as they had planned. Many returned, but some stayed.


McMullan secretly hoped to find a lost treasure in the mountains near the colony (in fact, this was why the area was selected). This idea was handed down to two others in the group and would remain an obsession for them.


The writing is good, but slow in parts. It is also redundant regarding some facts. Still, an interesting (and forgotten!) chapter in American history.

Inch'on 1950 (Four Stars)

Hardly ever remembered today, the landing at Inchon brought the Korean War to a new phase, one in which the communists were sent reeling northwards, away from the UN forces within the Pusan Perimeter. This landing had everything going against it: ad hoc units, a short planning period, lack of amphibious landing experience among the troops, a challenging landing site, poor reconnaissance... but when the smoke cleared X Corps controlled Inchon and Seoul and had cut off the main supply artery for the DPRK.




Well written, but just a little redundant because of the way the information is presented, Inch'on 1950 is well-illustrated with photographs, maps and artist renditions. Even if you've HEARD the story of Inchon, this provides a better picture of how the operation was actually carried out.

True Believer: Stalin's Last American Spy (Five Stars)

Noel Field was in idealist who wanted to prevent war, a humanitarian and an American. By the end of his life he was an apologist for Stalin's invasions of Finland and Poland, a supporter of the most repressive state on Earth and a traitor to his homeland.










Marton's book follows Field's life, from the son of an American diplomat to a forgotten pawn of the Cold War. Recruited by the Soviets at the same time as Hiss and Chambers, Field provided the USSR with State Department documents in the 1930s, especially during disarmament talks with other powers. Because of Field's position in the State Department he was no doubt also able to influence AMERICAN policy so it fit in with STALIN's POLICY.










But what I thought was hilarious in this book, in a grim sort of a way, was the untold story of Fields during the last of the Stalin show trials. While Senator McCarthy was revealing the presence of communists in the State Department (an incontrovertible fact, despite the use of the term "Red Scare") Stalin was busy getting rid of those communist leaders in Eastern Europe who did not toe his line. He used Fields, whose work during WWII for a Unitarian aid program enabled many communists to return to their home countries, as broad brush to portray them as spies and saboteurs. While comfortable communists hauled up before the House Un-American Committee refused to name other clandestine communists, Fields named over 500 communists he aided during the war... but not to HUAC. He named them to the Secret Police, who dispatched many of them immediately because they had "suspicious ties to the West." Others got stiff sentences in the Gulag.










Fields allowed himself to be brainwashed into the service of a dictator who had the blood of millions of his hands. He saw the communist system as almost a holy thing and America as a wretched opponent of progressivism. It's a pity the man never devoted a fraction of that enthusiasm towards his country, or at least towards the State Department.

Growing up with Manos: the Hands of Fate (Four Stars)

Any big fan of MST3K is familiar with Manos, the Hands of Fate. To them, the movie is a spectacularly bad product which made for one of the best episodes of Mystery Science 3000 as Joel and the Bots riff hit about ten jokes a minute at some points. But the circumstances of Manos makes for an amusing story in and of itself.

When I started reading the book and Ms. Jones' description of life in El Paso it definitely struck a chord with me. I have lived in El Paso at three points in my life (although well-after the days of Manos) and was familiar with much of the culture described by her in the book. I even recognized the movie as having been shot in El Paso when I saw it on MST3K... which I watched for the first time during my second assignment to Fort Bliss. Manos reinforced my belief that nothing good ever comes out of El Paso.

Jackey Jones, who played the little girl Debbie in the film, hits a lot of high points in her book: the story behind Torgo's knees, the origin of the Temple of Mild Foreboding (Temple of Doom was already taken), the near strike put on by the Wives and The Big Premier. The involvement of her and her family on the film (her father played the Master and her mother made some of the costumes) put her in a great position to provide her own reminisces of the movie as well as giving her the means to find many of the folks involved with the film. The book is well-written, although to be honest I expected a more tongue-in-cheek presentation but God knows, the truth is funny enough.