Customer Reviews

Cherish the Magic

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Where ever this author has been hiding he needs to be hunted down, captured, locked in a room and forced to write more books. Fear not that Clancy may have peaked and is now on the downward slide... Cherish the Magic, with its main character Gianni Giancarlo will make you ask, Jack Ryan who? Based on an uncommonly enthusiastic recommendation of a friend I ordered Cherish the Magic online and had completely forgotten about it by the time it arrived but was more than pleased when an intended few minutes of reading on a Friday night turned into a reading marathon early Saturday morning. After a few hours of much needed sleep and household chores put on hold the conclussion of the book was not a wanted respite... indeed it accomplished what few others have been able to do...wishing for another hundred pages. Based in the Vietnam time period Cherish the Magic is far from a book about war or its all too well known vulgarities. It's about doing the right thing... even if it's not in your best interest. Perhaps the book is so powerful because it is such a sharp contrast to our declining values or perhaps it's refreshing to see a teenager unashamedly voice his love for his parents or perhaps it's because of a dog that seems to value his master's life as much as his master values his. No matter the reason, whether you're sixteen or sixty-five if you don't laugh until you're blue in the face and cry until you buy stock in Kleenex you're not human. It's a shame that this book came out by a small publisher, I've never heard of iuniverse, had it been promoted by a large, well known house surely there would be countless reviews and at this moment be sitting on the bestseller list. Don't let the 'first time author' moniker scare you... buy, borrow or steal this book, you'll be glad you did.

What a nice surprise! I managed to get my hands on a copy of Giampapa's "Cherish the Magic". Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down, finished it in two days. I'm a romantaic and really wasn't sure what to expect from this author at first. Obviously a story based on the Viet Nam era, I expected a war story, but figured somewhere along the way, boy would meet girl, fall in love and come home from Nam a hero to live happily ever after. Well, I have to admit, the hero's welcome home was indeed a happy ending, but it was nothing like I expected. The relationship young Gianni Giancarlo developed as an Air Force Dog Handler with the German Shepherd, Shadrack, was as heart warming as any Rin Tin Tin movie I ever watched. I would have to say, the author of this book put me right in the middle of the Viet Nam war, with both the Army and the Air Force. Every move he made with the special trained Canine had me making the move with them. His research into this book had to be extensive to describe the scenes so extensively. The talent of this author is sharply displayed. The missions of the search and rescue for downed Air Force pilots were truly amazing. For a writer to hold a woman's interest in a war story as this writer held mine, he has my utmost respect as a talented new big name author. This book had me laughing, crying and mad when the story ended and I couldn't read any more. I'll keep watching for the name of Gioacchino Giampapa in hopes he's writing something else. If he is, I'll be wanting to read the next piece of work this new talent gets put in print.

I ordered 2 books and they both look like no one had ever opened them up. Great experience!

Bought this book after hearing a little about it, after I started reading I couldn't stop.
I don't normally read war story's but this is much more, it's a life of a young man that I'm sure anyone can relate to.
I'm sure a lot of us wish we were as bold and courageous as the dog handler that saw hell and learned how to deal with it.
The story teaches of what life was like for many of our troops and what they went through.
I laughed out loud at some points and was so sad at others I could actually feel the loss.
Family, love, honor and respect, it's all sewn together in a wonderful way that will make you think for days after you finish the book!
Great book I hope to see more from this author !

Bob
"J's b"

Gio, I hope that you read this review. I was given this book as a recommendation from a friend of yours almost two years back from the Orange Park, Fl area. He lived in the apartment across from me at the time. Your signature was on the very first page and he said that I would not regret reading this story. Two years later and I still can not forget this book and the great story that it goes on to tell. It is an excellent adventure front to back and will be buying a copy to hand out to a friend of mine as soon as I finish here. This book touched me, I hope it will do the same to MANY others around this great Nation. Thank you for this story.

Gioacchino (Jack) Giampapa's Cherish The Magic: A Novel Of Uncompromising Honor is the engaging story of Gianni Giancarlo, a Fort Lauderdale teen who enlists in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, hoping that by doing so he can preempt being drafted into Army and thereby avoid worst of the bloodletting. His hopes are dashed as he must endure a terrifying ordeal of the brutal transition to manhood in this solidly written, attention gripping saga of survival against the background of grime war time realities.

It takes a lot to hook me on a book!!! When I read the cover, I wasn't overly excited but after the first page, I couldn't put the book down. It's a book about war that the average female can appreciate. Finally, a book was been written that helped me understand, and have true compassion for the struggles encountered during a war. This book opened many doors to understanding. It's like the first history book I've ever enjoyed reading. Jack opened my eyes to a world I did not know exhisted. Now, just 3 months after reading his book, we have another war on our hands. I'm sure glad I read CHERISH THE MAGIC because this time I'm more sympathetic to the struggles and pains of the people who are out there protecting our country.This book has definitely made a better American out of me!!!! I'd say it's a book for men that women will love as well.You will laugh and cry your way through it. Buy a box of kleenex before you ever start to read! It's wonderful!!!

I had the pleasure of reading this book. The writer takes you into a world unfamiliar to most of us, and shows it to us in a way we can understand. He gives us the life of this boy, Gianni Giancarlo, bringing him to life for us as he grows from boyhood to manhood in war. With Gianni we learn about the horrors of war, as well as the good things that can come from such an unforgivable situation, like lasting friendships.
The story takes you to Vietnam, and shows you the horrors our young children faced there. It gives you hope and takes it away as you experience first hand what it was like to walk through the jungles of Cambodia. It is an action packed, intense novel that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat with anticipation.
Then there is the dog, the unsung hero, showing us the true meaning behind the words `man's best friend'. This story gives us a new appreciation for search and rescue dogs. You'll care as much about the dog as you will the other members of `the squad'.
As a mother, this story gave me an insight into something very few mothers get to see. Through this story we learned what our young men face when they go to fight for our freedom. We learn why this is so important to many of our young men. It is more than a duty to them, it is an honour.
To use an old cliche' this is a must read book. It is gripping from the first page to the last. I thoroughly enjoyed it and believe others will too.

As a result of the 9-11-01 tradgedy I have just completed rereading Cherish The Magic. This book is probably the closest portrayal of what life was like for many of our combat troops,and what they went through during the Vietnam era. I served in the Combat Engineers in Korea during the capture of the Pueblo. Although I did not serve in Vietnam I worked with many of the troops who were wounded there and had to finish their 13 month hardship tour in Korea. I heard many recollections by these soldiers of the bravery and dedication of the handlers and their dogs. There were many military people besides flyers that were saved as a result of the efforts of these teams. This was an extraordinary mission accomplished with little knowledge or recognition by those stateside. Mr. Giampapa not only brings back vividly the trepidation we all felt during that terrible period ie; the worry of parents , leaving girl friends and especially the long airplane ride to a strange culture. Although Mr. Giampapa was a handler in the Air Force it is obvious that a great amount of research was done to so accuratly to desribe the conditions, army lingo, logistics, weaponry, and tactics used by the infantry soldier. Hats off to a superb book, and thank you Mr. Giampapa. This book needs to be on screen.
Gerry Pytko, formerly SGT E5, Camp Stanley,I Corps,Repulic Of Korea
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"Cherish the Magic" is a vivid story of survival and canine companionship in the jungles of Vietnam. Giampapa brings alive the lost story of canines and their important role in small force combat during the Vietnam War. The book also delves into the psyche of a true patiot. We learn that there are some things out there that just need to be taken care of in order to complete one's path of destiny.