Books I Read in 2023

As I’ve done since 2016, here is my annual look at the books I’ve read this year. Unless my short “review” notes say otherwise, I recommend these books for anyone’s reading pleasure. You may find a title or short review to pique your interest and perhaps get a copy of the book for yourself.

As usual, a few books were repeat reads for me for various reasons—those will be noted in blue. For the most part the titles should tell you what the subject is. The list is in the order in which I read them.

A Matter of Honor. Pearl Harbor: Betrayal, Blame, and a Family’s Quest for Justice, by Anthony Summers & Robbyn Swan. 374 pages of text plus 108 pages of copious end notes. During months leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor both commanders there, General Short for the Army and Admiral Kimmel for the Navy, continually requested equipment and materials to better protect against attack. In the states the Japanese code was broken and information about possible attack on Pearl was not provided to the commanders there. So even though these men didn’t get the things needed nor the information about a possible attack, they were used as scapegoats after the attack; they were removed from command and reduced in rank. This book is about the year of trying to clear Kimmel and have his rank restored. By the end of the book his name had been cleared but they still didn’t get the rank restored. Trump was entering office and it was hoped his administration would restore it. The Resolution to restore both men has been passed long ago—since Clinton—but no President has acted upon it. It’s a fascinating story of inefficiency and incompetence in Washington which prevented a defense of Pearl Harbor.

The Reed Peck Manuscript: An Important Document Written in 1839 Concerning the Mormon War in Missouri and the Danite Band. Typed transcription published by the Utah Lighthouse Ministry. 35 pages 8 1/2" X 11” format.The title sums up the topic. For some highlights, see my article on “The Anti-Mormon Blog.”

A Christian Perspective on the Social Justice Movement, by multiple authors. 196 pages. Excellent examination of how the “social justice” agenda has invaded the church with its lies.  See my review at: What Christians Need to Know About “Social Justice.”

On Desperate Grounds: The Marines at the Reservoir, the Korean War’s Greatest Battle, by Hampton Sides. 525 pages with the accidentally picked-up large print edition.. A solid history of the battle and retreat of the Marines from the Chosin Reservoir. It was a spectacular retreat, even more so than the at Dunkirk.

All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriot. 442 pages, hardbound. Wonderful true stories about an English country veterinarian in the 1930s. Lots of laughter, sorrows, joys, tears, etc. I read this one to Jill so we could both enjoy it. We sure learned a lot about the business!

A City Upon a Hill: How Sermons Changed the Course of American History, by Larry Witham. 295 Pages. A study of many well-known pastors from the 1600s to the end of the book, copyrighted 2007. The various theological and sociological changes in culture was reflected in sermons and often instituted by the sermons, especially when the pastors had the ears of politicians. Fundamental teachings slowly began leaning left and then moved back to fundamental until left-leaning teachings were pretty much established in the end.

The Gospel In Bonds, by Georgi Vins. 205 pages.  True story about Georgi Vins’ 8 years in soviet prisons after being arrested for preaching the Gospel. Interesting story of how he was able to secretly teach the Gospel in prison and how the books of John and Mark were smuggled to him. He was released before his term expired because President Carter traded soviet spies for him and others.

The Training Ground: Grant, Lee, Sherman, and Davis in the Mexican War, 1846-1848, by Martin Dugard. Hardcover, 420 pages. Given to me by another veteran who I meet with, along with 7 others, on Wednesday mornings. He’s a military history buff and a Christian. The title of the book sums it up; solid action story in the several battles in which these men learned their trade.

The Man Who Thought He Could Fly, by J.L. Pattison. Fiction, 205 pages. This author is someone I met on line while blogging. There are 12 stories in this book, each one teaching a lesson about life and culture. Put together like Twilight Zone episodes. Very unique.

Is Easter Unbelievable? By Rebecca McLaughlin. Small paperback of 61 pages given to me for my opinion. It’s an easy-reading explanation of who Jesus was—that he was historical, that his death was ethical, that the evidence for his resurrection is credible, and that his offer of salvation is desirable.

Stonewall in the Valley: Thomas J.”Stonewall” Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Spring 1862, by Robert G. Tanner. Hardbound, 365 pages, plus some good endnotes. The title says it all. Very in-depth study of Jackson’s good decisions as well as his failures. This was another book given to me by the USMC veteran in the group I meet with.

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, LDS publication. 360 pages. Another one read for research; I found it in a used bookstore and decided no one should have it. Sad thing: so much of Young’s teachings sound Christian. Evil thing: they leave out Young’s false prophecies, his teachings on polygamy, and his racist teachings. It’s a whitewash.

Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of U.S. Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan, by Doug Stanton. 362 pages, plus another 18 pages of acknowledgements and resources. The story takes place shortly after the 9/11/01 attack on the USA. By November there are Special Forces (“Green Beret” troops) and CIA assisting and fighting alongside Afghanis against the Taliban. They actually made a cavalry charge. There are some examples of the horrid treatment of women, non-Taliban Afghans, etc; typical Muslim horrors. Very interesting story.

Amana: The Community of True Inspiration, by Bertha M.H. Shambaugh. 322 pages plus 66 pages of notes and an appendix. First written in 1908, it is still being published by Penfield books and for sale in Amana, Iowa. The Community of True Inspiration is a Christian charismatic, legalistic communal group. It originated as a 1714 split-off of the Lutheran Church in Germany. The group migrated to New York in 1842 essentially to be able to practice their faith freely, and they called their community there “Ebenezer.” Their land was purchased from the Seneca Indians and really didn’t pan out to be as peaceful as they wanted. In 1854 they found good farmland about 20 miles west of Iowa City and established a few small villages. This book is a history of the group, their teachings and doctrines, and what their daily life was like. The communal aspect of the group pretty much died out in the early 1930s due mostly to the depression. The communities are now tourist attractions. My family first visited the colonies in the summer of 1995 as a stop on our vacation trip from Geneva, IL to Arizona, etc. Since moving to Iowa in December 1995, my wife and I have gone to the colonies at least once a year for touring and shopping. In October 2021 I finally decided to purchase the book so I could learn all the history, etc, vs what we’ve just picked up. I finally began reading this book in December 2022, taking it with me to all my doctor appointments.

SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story, by Richard H. Graham, Col. USAF (Ret). 221 pages. This was given to me by a friend. Excellent book examining just about everything you ever wanted to know about the Lockheed SR-71, commonly known to the public by the nickname “Blackbird,” but to those who flew the plane it was the Habu.

Lots of stories, pilot training and qualifications, flying the plane on missions, and a whole bunch of interesting technical stuff about the crews and the plane itself.

Problems in “The Godmakers II,” by Jerald and Sandra Tanner. 94 pages, 8.5”X11” format, double columns of text on each page. The Godmakers II, was both a video and a book with Ed Decker as the primary author. The Tanners founded and operated the Utah Lighthouse Ministry (an outstanding ministry to Mormons); Jerald died a few years ago and Sandra recently retired. Is watched the video and had the book many, many years ago and I had problems with the sensationalism and outright lies. I bought the Tanners’ book and 2000 and was surprised just how poorly the book and movie were. Decker and his cohorts cannot be trusted to present Mormonism without sensationalism and lies.  Don’t bother with anything by Decker. I read this book now because I intend to dispose of it and was seeing if there was anything in it I needed for future reference.

All Things Bright and Beautiful, by James Herriot. 378 pages, hardbound. Continuing from the previous book, All Creatures Great and Small, about his veterinary practice in small town England in the 1930s. It ends with him going off to war. Wonderful stories, again with lots of laughter, sorrows, joys, tears, etc. I also read this one to Jill so we could both enjoy it.

We Were Soldiers Once… And Young: Ia Drang—the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam, by Lt.Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and Joseph L. Galloway. 434 pages. Thorough, in-depth history of the battle told by those who were there. Heartbreaking, but leaves one in awe of the courage of those who fought there..

The Viking World, by James Graham-Campbell. 186 pages. A concise history of how they lived, warriors and treasure-seeking, their crafts, religious beliefs, and archaeology, etc.

Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice, by Adam Makos. 422 pages. Story of the first black Navy pilot—Jesse Brown—, and the devotion he had to his wife. It’s also about  his friend who was also his wingman, and how the friend tried to save Jesse’s life and ended up getting the Medal of Honor for his effort during the early days of the Korean Wars. My only complaint about the story is when he described these men’s time on liberty at various ports the author spent too much time describing the sensuality of women’s bodies.

The Chronology of the Old Testament, by Dr. Floyd Nolen Jones. 310 pages, hardbound. I only read half of it and then decided it was just too deep, too much data. However, it is excellent in the way the author demonstrates how a correct timetable for O.T. events could be established.

The Korean War, by Max Hastings. 350 pages plus an appendix of all engaged units. Excellent history of this “police action” and the futility of the whole thing. The Vietnam War was because we didn’t learn the lessons of this one. 

To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. A novel of 281 pages. We acquired this book in the mid-1990s and my wife read it with our son for homeschool high school. Then she read it herself in 2010 but I had never read it before. I’ve seen the movie many times, the first time being when I was in high school, and we own the DVD. I finally decided to read the book to see how well the movie follows it and I chose to read it to my wife because she likes the story. For those who haven’t read the book or seen the movie, the story is set in Alabama from 1932 to 1935. The widower father is a lawyer in a very poor town and he has two children—at the beginning of the story the boy is 10 and the girl is 6. A black man is charged with rape he didn’t commit but the racist town condemns him because he’s black and therefore must be lying. The father is defending him.If I told you any more it would ruin the story for you.

The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens: Beetles, Microbuses, Things, Karmann Ghias, and More, by John Gunnell.  Hardbound, 8.5X11” format, 267 pages. Lots of photos. We’ve always liked VWs. When I met Jill in 1974 while I was in the Army, I decided to buy a car so I could visit her when I got the chance to drive the almost 10 hrs; a friend was selling his 1972 Super Beetle so I bought it. He had put air shocks in the back along with radial tires and mag wheels. It was an auto-stick was gave no end to maintenance headaches. In early 1976, after being a civilian for a year, I traded it in on a new 1976 Beetle, but kept my wheels and tires. We married that year and took it on camping trips; we loved it. In  April 1979 we decided to get a 2nd car and bought a used 1972 Super Beetle which needed body work; I did a whole overhaul of the body and repainted it. We put about 2,000 miles on it to and from work but with insurance and all we couldn’t afford it and sold in in October. In 1980 our daughter was 2-yrs-old and with her child seat in the back there wasn’t much room to load up with groceries so we finally traded it in for a 1980 Mazda station wagon.  In 1986 we bought a Mazda 323 for a second car and in 1989 we traded in the wagon for a Mazda MPV.  In 1993 we traded the MPV for a new Eurovan “Weekender” and traveled the country in that during vacations. Well the book did go that far because that wasn’t a classic. If we had the money we’d buy a fully restored 1972 Super Beetle!

Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad, by William Craig. Hardbound, 445 pages. Outstanding history of a devastating battle for both sides. Hundreds of thousand of both German and Russian soldiers killed or frozen or starved. 99% of Stalingrad was destroyed and thousands of civilians killed. It’s a heartbreaking story which should be learned by everyone to see how both sides were barbarians in their behaviors—POWs even turned to cannibalism to the point of killing people to eat.

The Rational Bible: Deuteronomy, by Dennis Prager.  515 pages of text, 23 pages of endnotes; hardbound. Just as he did for Genesis and Exodus, Prager has an excellent running commentary with the biblical text. One thing I really like with all three volumes is his explanation from a Jewish understanding. Many times he gives a more accurate reading of some words the aren’t always translated right in English versions. Solid excursions into social applications.

Malachy McCourt’s History of Ireland. 399 pages. The title should tell you all you need to know about the subject matter!  The author has an ax to grind with the Roman Catholic Church so outside of just history he makes a few snide remarks. He also says it was the RCC which prevents women from being pastors/priests, not understanding scripture. When he gets to more recent history he shows his LEFTIST leanings.  Otherwise the book is well-written.

Captains Courageous, by Rudyard Kipling. 216 pages. I got this novel in 1970 as part of a collection from the Doubleday Bargain Book Club. The only part of the collection I read before going into the Army was “Barrack-Room Ballads,” which was various poems about the English military in India, probably the most well-known of which is “Gunga Din.”  So this collection has sat on my shelf since 1970! We have the movie, Captains Courageous, starring Spencer Tracy so I finally chose this book to read to my wife right after our last viewing of the movie. Well, only about half the movie follows the book. It’s about a 15-year-old spoiled young man who falls overboard from an ocean liner and is rescued by a fisherman, Manuel, out in his dory. Manuel takes him back to the fishing ship and the young man learns the trade because it they took him back to the states they lose their summer catch. Interesting story of how the lad finally grows up as one of the crew as months go by before they get him back to his family.

The Monuments Men, by Robert M. Edsel with Brett Witter. 430 pages. Excellent story of something I never heard of before and I have studied more books about WWII than I can remember. I heard there was a movie by the same name but figure it was just a made up story! The “Monuments Men” were a unit known officially as Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) sections, and it was their job in Europe to protect historical buildings where possible and also locate, save and protect arts of all sorts which were stolen and hidden by the Nazis, large amounts of which were hidden deep underground in salt mines. Fascinating story.

7 Basic Needs of a Wife, by Bill Gothard. 80 pages. This book was sent to me a few years back—along with a whole of other stuff—by one of my blog followers. I had put the box in the basement to get to at a later time and plumb forgot about it, so now I get to start looking at things. Anyway, Gothard claims the “7 Basic Needs” as follows: 1) To depend on God alone (with no expectation of her husband). 2) To Do Great Works (that will last beyond her lifetime). 3) To inspire might men (with her God-given influence). 4) To be valued and cherished (by doing what no other woman can do). 5) To be cleansed within (as her husband meditates on the Word). 6) To exchange verbal blessings (to be empowered by God). 7) To be free of clutter (to help conquer unclean spirits).

 As usual with Gothard, he throws out Bible verses like confetti and usually totally out of context. As time permits, I will be writing articles regarding the false teachings in this book.

The Book of Beginnings: A Practical Guide to Understanding Genesis, by Henry M Morris III. 717 pages, hardbound. This book was given to me by a retired pastor friend. Excellent commentary but I found two things irritating: 1) Morris says Satan’s name is “Lucifer” and uses that name throughout. Lucifer was NEVER Satan’s name. 2) He says that Melchizedek was a pre-incarnation Jesus. Lots scholars say this but it doesn’t make since because Melchizedek was fully a man, not an apparition. The best explanation I ever read is that Melchizedek was Shem. Other than these two issues, I found the book to be excellent.

Boer War: A History From Beginning to End, by Hourly History. 41 pages, more of a booklet. I was looking on line for books about the Boer War in South Africa, having never read about it before, and this showed up. I thought it was a regular paperback book! It is a good outline of the war; now I’ll be looking forward to the book I bought at the same time1

Atlas of World War II, by National Geographic. 111 pages. More of thick magazine than book. The title tells it all—with 42 maps!

Life Magazine’s Heroes of World War II: Men and Women Who Put Their Lives On the Line. Another thick magazine of 96 pages, sort of “bookish.” Stories of 21 people, soldiers and civilians, who performed heroic deeds.

Gallipoli, by Alan Moorehead. 362 pages. I read this in 2009 and then gave the book away. Then I decided I wanted to read it again so I bought another copy. Gallipoli is on a peninsula on the European side of Turkey and the east border of the Dardanelles strait. During WWI, in 1915, the Allies wanted to open up the strait to the Sea of Marmara to as to get access to Constantinople and two German battleships and eventually open up the Bosporus into the Black Sea to allow the Russian Navy to join the fight. When just the Allied Navys tried to take the Dardanelles the fire from the forts along the coasts and mine in the strait led to great loss of ships so they decided they needed the Army to take Gallipoli and knock out the forts. The Army, especially the Australian and New Zealanders (ANZAC) suffered terribly with horrible conditions. The loss of life was horrible and wounded casualties were just as bad. After several months it was finally decided to call the whole thing off and evacuate.

A Matter of Basic Principles: Bill Gothard and His Cultish Teachings, by Don and Joy Veinot and Ron Henzel. 350 pages plus 30 pages of end notes. I read the 2003 version and after getting this updated version in October I gave my old one away. Bill Gothard is a horrid teacher and his IBLP seminars and teaching books are rife with twisted scripture and legalisms. As a person, he seems to rarely follow his own teachings about character. His followers are like a cult and many individuals and families have suffered emotionally and spiritually from his teachings and the teachings have also led to church and family divisions. This book exposes all of these things.

X Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II, by Leah Garrett. Hardbound, 298 pages plus 32 pages of end notes. One of the most fascinating books about WWII that I’ve ever read. This was a “unit” of which I’ve never heard and yet their members, almost all Jews, saved many lives, faced many dangers and served all over the European Theatre of Operations. These were Jewish refugees from various European countries and so were proficient in different languages—which helped with interrogating prisoners. These men fled to England in the late 1930s and early 1940, some being still young enough that parents sent them there. The problem was, that once England went to war against the Axis, these men were seen as “enemy aliens” and were interned (with what sounded like worse conditions than how the USA interned the Japanese-Americans) and many sent to Australia. For several reasons England decided to request volunteers for a special commando unit and these men received top-notch, strenuous training in many fields, allowing them to wear the coveted British Commando green beret. That’s all I’m telling you, but I highly recommend the book!

War At Saber Point: Banastre Tarleton and the British Legion, by John Knight. Hardbound, 229 pages plus 36 pages of end notes.  Biography of Tarleton and a history of the British Legion during the American Revolutionary War. Tarleton was a rotten human being but a pretty good wartime commander. Most of the battles discussed took place in the Carolinas. Very interesting history of an area I’ve not previously read much about.

Tiger In the Sea: The Ditching of Flying Tiger 923 and the Desperate Struggle for Survival, by Eric Lindner. Hardbound, 302 pages plus 23 pages of end notes.  I had never before heard of this crash, which took place in September 1962. Excellent story of what led to the crash, the piloting skills necessary to successfully ditch in stormy Atlantic waters, about the 48 survivors (out of 76 on board) and how they suffered from crash injuries, and then the rescue operation. The story continues with the investigations of the crash and the future lives of many of the survivors. The author was married to a daughter of the pilot. I do highly recommend the book for its historical record of a spectacularly successful ditching of a Lockheed Super Constellation airliner.

My only problem with the author is that he really hasn’t much of a clue about paratroopers! First, in a note, he confused the WWI 82nd infantry Division, a member of who was the famed Sergeant York, with the WWII incarnation of the 82nd becoming an Airborne division; he noted that the unit York was with were paratroopers! In another note he has jump school lasting “seven months.” Now, I don’t know how they did it in 1962, but it’s possible that they took Basic Training (2 months), Infantry training (about 2 months) and then jump school (1 month) all with the 82nd Airborne Division, but that still only totals 5, possibly 6 months. Jump school itself in 1970 was one month. He cited a jump school pass rated of only 13.85%, which, if including all training from the beginning, would probably be right. I was in the largest class in history (1500) and we washed out 500 (passing 66%), but these troops had already passed Basic and whatever their Advanced training was (my advanced training was Combat Engineer). Then the author notes that the six jumps one of the paratroops made prior to this flight (carrying about 30 82nd troops) were done pulling a ripcord; paratroops have static lines that pull out their chutes as they leave the plane. The only ones pulling ripcords would be Special Forces who jump from high altitude and free fall!

Another mistake the author makes is when discussing the Flying Tigers fighter squadron of WWII, also known as the AVG: he calls them the “All Volunteer Group” instead of “American Volunteer Group.”

Black Ops: Secret Military Operations From 1914 to the Present, by Nigel West. Hardbound, 201 pages.  The title sums it up. About spies and ruses to fool the enemy as well as assassinations and rescues.

The Picts: A History, by Tim Clarkson. 232 pages. Excellent history of this culture, derived from many ancient documents as well as archaeological discoveries. The Picts eventually merged with the Scots and were then absorbed by them.