Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point by Elizabeth D. Samet
This was an interesting book by a civilian English teacher at West Point. She shares her initial impressions of the school and how she adapts to the military lifestyle ... gives some history of the school and its alumni ... and shares her experiences getting to know her students, both while they are at school and also after they have entered active service.
It was interesting to see which books she chose to teach and how she connected the themes in them to the experiences of the cadets, the military, and current events. In addition, she includes insights shared with her via email by former students serving in Iraq. I also loved that she included discussions of classic movies as well as books. (I added several titles to my Netflix queue as I read!)
Overall, it was a good read although it dragged in parts for me. I never quite clicked with her writing style and found myself somewhat annoyed at having to stop and re-read sentences that just didn't "flow" for me.
Review originally posted to LibraryThing (LT review, 6/20/09) as part of its Early Reviewers program
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Book Review: Beat the Reaper
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
This is the story of Dr. Peter Brown ... a former mob hitman, now in the witness protection program, and a hospital intern. His former life and his current life collide when a former mob associate comes into the hospital as a patient. While the story moves along in the current day, we also learn through flashbacks about his early life in the mob and his search for answers to his grandparents' murder.
It is an incredibly violent story at times but it was a fun read. I had to suspend disbelief through much of it, because one person could not possibly experience all this ... but it was certainly entertaining.
Review originally posted to LibraryThing (LT review, 6/20/09) as part of its Early Reviewers program
This is the story of Dr. Peter Brown ... a former mob hitman, now in the witness protection program, and a hospital intern. His former life and his current life collide when a former mob associate comes into the hospital as a patient. While the story moves along in the current day, we also learn through flashbacks about his early life in the mob and his search for answers to his grandparents' murder.
It is an incredibly violent story at times but it was a fun read. I had to suspend disbelief through much of it, because one person could not possibly experience all this ... but it was certainly entertaining.
Review originally posted to LibraryThing (LT review, 6/20/09) as part of its Early Reviewers program
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