aktick

My Dad is 48, and is really interested in WWII and to a lesser extent Vietnam (probably because he lived through it), and I'd like to get him a book on one or the other for Xmas. He's more interested in true stories, not fact-filled, statistical books. For instance he really liked Blackhawk Down and The Terrible Hours. So what are some good books he might like? Thanks a lot for any recommendations.

benedict

Others can jump in but, as I don't have any personal recommendations that spring to mind, I'll say instead that are some picks (fiction and non-fiction) in a couple of earlier threads that may fit the bill:

• best war novels?
• so i've decided to become a ww2 buff ... where do i start?

Beaver

D-Day by Stephen Ambrose
A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan (Vietnam)

If you want something not quite true, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is excellent

aktick

I saw a book called "Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer when browsing Amazon, it looked good. Anybody read this? How was it?

wertent

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose

Enemy at the gate by William Craig

Jalizarin

for Vietnam:

We Were Soldiers Once... And Young
by LtGen Harold G. Moore

my husband's had a dog-eared, old copy of this book for years...long before it was made into a movie. as is common, it is leagues better than the film.

jfoobar

...and Joe Galloway.

Trout

Yeah, and it also tells about the battle that happened after the events in the movie.

funkyryno

That's a great book, but it's really brutal and depressing. It's comparable to "All Quiet on the Western Front," but it's a lot longer and it's an acutal memoir. That book would be a good choice if your father wants something honest and realistic.

aktick

I was going to get him Citizen Soldiers, but I read it's a sequal to D-Day. Should he read D-Day first? Or doesn't it really matter that much? Thanks.

bishop2knight

I know it's fiction, but easily the best Vietnam book I've ever read was THE 13th VALLEY by John del Veccio (sp?). It's amazing.

Deke Rivers

I would read D-Day first..

aktick

Shit. I already ordered Citizen Soldiers. My reasoning for not getting D-Day originally anyways was because there is so much out there about the event, and my Dad has a good knowledge of it already. Was that the reason one should read D-Day first, or to get introduced to characters? Thanks.

Okheresthedeal

Viet Nam based book - 13th Valley by a guy named John Del Vecchio.