Books/Atkinson

[pontiouspilot]

Based on the glowing referrals here I just finished Atkinson's Liberation trilogy. It was every bit as good as suggested here. Has anyone here read any of his other books?

[Mac Linehan]

I finished the Liberation Trilogy at the beginning of May, absolutely First Class throughout.

Have not yet read any of his other books, but intend to do so.

Mac

[Lowpe]

I read in the Company of Soldiers. It was good. I never read the Long Gray Line...but it is on my list to read.

[crsutton]

The Long Gray Line is excellent. Maybe his best. He is now writing a trilogy on the American Revolution. I have posted this before but I am not above shameless self promotion and name dropping at any chance I can get. Here he is with his dog Kelly and me holding my new copy of Guns at Last Light.

[Fallschirmjager]

I cannot wait for his new trilogy about the American revolution.

[crsutton]

Well, it will be a while. Took him ten years to do the Liberation Trilogy.

[Fallschirmjager]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Well, it will be a while. Took him ten years to do the Liberation Trilogy.

It took Shelby Foote 19 to write his epic.

[Stele]

Thanks for pointing this out; just grabbed them at my library.

[Symon]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

You are truly blessed crsutton.

Rick Atkinson is almost a throw-back to classic Journalism. He positions himself in a way that evokes the mold of Hemmingway, Gelhorn, Agee, Steinbeck, Capa, Talese, Carter, Chapelle, Thompson, and Hersey, and he holds his own with all of them.

The 21st century philosophy doesn’t allow comparisons of this sort. But he did it. And did it well and truly righteously. If you are intelligent, or into critical thinking, Anything this man writes is worth reading.

Ciao, JWE

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

The Long Gray Line is excellent. Maybe his best. He is now writing a trilogy on the American Revolution.

Excellent! I'm glad to hear that he's writing a trilogy on the American Revolution! I've tried (unsuccessfully) to find a well-documented read on the AR. I trust he'll do a good job of it.

Not a big ACW buff, but I may just have to check out the Long Gray Line too.

Oh...nice Birkenstocks, crsutton. Hippie. [:'(][;)]

[Eambar]

+1 for the Long Grey Line (West Point Class of '66) and I also found Crusade, his book about the first Gulf War (Desert Storm and Desert Shield) to be an excellent read.

Thanks for the heads-up on the Liberation trilogy, might have to take a look at that.

Cheers

[mikkey]

yes, Crusade is excellent book

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Symon

ORIGINAL: crsutton

You are truly blessed crsutton.

Rick Atkinson is almost a throw-back to classic Journalism. He positions himself in a way that evokes the mold of Hemmingway, Gelhorn, Agee, Steinbeck, Capa, Talese, Carter, Chapelle, Thompson, and Hersey, and he holds his own with all of them.

The 21st century philosophy doesn’t allow comparisons of this sort. But he did it. And did it well and truly righteously. If you are intelligent, or into critical thinking, Anything this man writes is worth reading.

Ciao, JWE

He is truly a nice guy. Autographed all my volumes and brought me a free copy of The Long Gray Line and Guns at Last Light without me having to beg. I have my wife to thank. She is the dog trainer for Kelly. He brought her over for an intro and in the course of chatting I asked him what he did and he said he was writing a trilogy on WWII. My jaw just dropped. My wife said it was like a schoolgirl meeting Sinatra.

He has agreed to autograph a full set of the trilogy for the WWII veterans memorial drive that they have every year at the Advance Squad Leader tournament in Bowie MD.

And you are right. His writing just flows like "buttah." The guy already has two Pulitizer Prizes.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: crsutton

The Long Gray Line is excellent. Maybe his best. He is now writing a trilogy on the American Revolution.

Excellent! I'm glad to hear that he's writing a trilogy on the American Revolution! I've tried (unsuccessfully) to find a well-documented read on the AR. I trust he'll do a good job of it.

Not a big ACW buff, but I may just have to check out the Long Gray Line too.

Oh...nice Birkenstocks, crsutton. Hippie. [:'(][;)]

Merrill shoes, "Cadillacs for your feet"[;)] But "Boy Most Fowl" the Long Gray Line is about the West Point Class of 1966 (the class that lost the most men in Vietnam) and is just excellent from beginning to end.

[rsallen64]

Yes, as well as the Liberation Trilogy, read Company of Soldiers and Crusade. Both very, very good. I love reading about the Revolution as well, so I will eagerly await that trilogy. [&o]

[jmalter]

am I wrong in thinking that Atkinson was gonna do a 4th book to the Liberation Triad, dealing w/ the Pacific War?

I really liked his trilogy, esp. his extensive quotes from Ernie Pyle's work.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: jmalter

am I wrong in thinking that Atkinson was gonna do a 4th book to the Liberation Triad, dealing w/ the Pacific War?

I really liked his trilogy, esp. his extensive quotes from Ernie Pyle's work.

I had that conversation with him, hoping that he would. But he is not as interested in the Pacific Campaign. It is on to the War of Independence.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: jmalter

am I wrong in thinking that Atkinson was gonna do a 4th book to the Liberation Triad, dealing w/ the Pacific War?

I really liked his trilogy, esp. his extensive quotes from Ernie Pyle's work.

I had that conversation with him, hoping that he would. But he is not as interested in the Pacific Campaign. It is on to the War of Independence. But I suspect that he will do it justice.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: crsutton

The Long Gray Line is excellent. Maybe his best. He is now writing a trilogy on the American Revolution.

Excellent! I'm glad to hear that he's writing a trilogy on the American Revolution! I've tried (unsuccessfully) to find a well-documented read on the AR. I trust he'll do a good job of it.

Not a big ACW buff, but I may just have to check out the Long Gray Line too.

Oh...nice Birkenstocks, crsutton. Hippie. [:'(][;)]

Merrill shoes, "Cadillacs for your feet"[;)] But "Boy Most Fowl" the Long Gray Line is about the West Point Class of 1966 (the class that lost the most men in Vietnam) and is just excellent from beginning to end.

Thanks for clarifying crsutton.

The Vietnam books that I've appreciate are those that deal with the military aspect of the conflict and don't devolve (as so many do) into the political machinations of the home front at the time. Sure, I get it, the political goings-on at home dictated our involvement in the war. But, IMO, too many authors lose their cohesive narrative on the fighting so they can (over)focus on domestic politics of the time. One of the few books on the subject that I've read that focused on the American decimation of the Vietcong and the military defeat the VC suffered post-Tet was Unheralded Victory, the defeat of the Vietcong and the NVA 1961-1973 by Mark Woodruff. I thoroughly recommend that refreshing look at the war for those interested in the military aspects of Vietnam.

So, with that being said, does Atkinson's "Long Grey Line" focus on the military aspect of the war or does it devolve and lose focus on domestic politics?

Thanks for your consideration.

[Symon]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy
So, with that being said, does Atkinson's "Long Grey Line" focus on the military aspect of the war or does it devolve and lose focus on domestic politics?

Thanks for your consideration.

If I might interject; I do not know Mr Atkinson's political persuasion. I cannot find it in his works. He was embedded with the 101st for Desert Storm and he is still getting honarary induction to unit membership for his genuine honesty and comradeship.

Long Grey Line looks at the men and their backgrounds, and their interaction with specific circumstances of a specific period in our history; who they were, where they came from, what they had to go through, and why they chose to do so, what their experiences led them to accomplish, and (possibly), why.

This is not a political book. This is a study of human philosophy. Why men study war; and when they must finally must take up the gauntlet, what they do with their philosophy. It is a book about men who must make some very important, and possibly deadly, decisions in a cultural/political whirlwind. It is about men that the contemporary world does not understand. It is about men who believe in honor, duty, and country. It is about men and a time when we still believed in something greater than ourselves.

I could go on and on, but won't. Just that he's not a tiny penis social media wannabe, celebrated progressive moron, or a homo-sex HIV victim screaming for validation.

Ciao. John. Oops, almost forgot... Yippie Ki Yay !!