LIFE D-Day: Remembering the Battle that Won the War - 70 Years Later by Life Magazine.

"With stunning photography and graphic, detailed accounts of "storming the beaches of Normandy" and the following campaign, this magazine depicts the strategic and decisive planning needed to run a successful military campaign but it also shows how truly horrible war is."

3 Stars.

Pros: Absolutely stunning photography.

Cons: Some of the maps of the D-Day invasion and the following months campaign, as well as the Battle of the Bulge, were a bit confusing and hard to follow.

Full Review:

From the beginnings of the Allied forces gathering together to plan out "Operation Overlord" to the actual day of storming the beaches at Normandy, this magazine described it all in great detail. With stunning and horrifying photographs of the conflict and aftermath, these visuals bring home the difficulty that the Allied forces encountered. D-Day didn't just take place on June 6th, it lasted for months with heavy casualties on both sides.

From the first time I watched "Saving Private Ryan" and saw the opening sequence, which accurately depicts the horrors of Omaha Beach, I was morbidly intrigued. The other beaches were taken with far fewer losses but Omaha was a slaughter. Still, the Allied troops pushed forward and managed success. To see how it all came together, how Eisenhower, Truman, McCarthy, Patton even Stalin, worked together to shift the tide of World War 2 to the Allies favor, it was informative and educational.

But the end of the magazine served as a humble reminder of how many lives were lost on June 6th 1944 and the following months. The land, the beaches on the coastline of France may no longer be riddled with bullets and bodies but they will always serve as a reminder of the horrors of war.

Comments

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

"Obviously targeted to writers but honestly, anyone could benefit from Bradbury's practical yet poetic advice, this was a collection of esasys by Bradbury about his writing process and reflections on some of his greatest works." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Bradbury, duh, though I'm biased, to me, the man's prose is pure poetry, every word beautiful/Since writing is not my career, it was an interesting way to view Bradbury's life. Writing was his job and he was the only income. If he did not produce material, he would not get paid. It help put things into perspective. Cons: The man can go on for a bit 😂/Bradbury's insane work ethic and endless endurance to just produce story after story seems insane and overwhelming but then again, this was his livelihood, so I'm sure it was insane and overwhelming. If he didn't write and get paid, they'd starve, so, it was a life or death situation. Full Review: This was essentially a collection of essays written by Bra...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end." ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific. Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd. Full Review: Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

“The tale of Andy Dufresne and how he served his time at Shawshank prison, as told through the eyes of his friend and fellow inmate, Red. Dark and disturbing but also compulsively readbale. I finished it in 2 days. Also enjoyable is Frank Darabont's 1994 film adaptation, "The Shawshank Redemption." ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros : Red has a soothing, drawl, making the reading easy and flowing/Since I saw the film first, I couldn't help but compare the book though I was pleased to find that the two were very similar. Cons : Things got a bit rambling a bit at the beginning/Since I saw the film first I couldn't help but compare the book but this ended up not being a con. Full Review: The state of Maine has a prison. Shawshank Redemption. And Red is the guy that can get you things. He also happens to be the only guilty man in Shawshank but that's netiher here nor there. He meets Andy Dufresne for business purposes at first and he finds him to be a calm, cool man and Red likes him i...

All the Books.

Search This Blog