Customer Reviews

A Prisoner's Duty: Great Escapes in U.S. Military History

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Great Escapes" sounds like a collection of exciting escape stories, but you might be disappointed if you buy it for that purpose - most of the individual stories are one page long or less. It's a scholarly look at every documented escape by an American from the frontier wars until the present, and the psychology of the escapers. If you're into the escape genre, this should be a great reference for the big picture and a huge listing of related books. Here's an overview:

Introduction - 30 pages - the history of escapes; Chapter 1 - why people escape; Chapter 2 - frontier war; Chapter 3 - mexican war; Chapter 4 - escapes from American slavery; Chapter 5 - Civil War; Chapter 6 - World War I; Chapter 7 - World War II - Europe; Chapter 8 - World War II - Asia; Chapter 9 - The Korean War; Chapter 10 - Vietnam; Chapter 11 - Civilian escapes (e.g. Iran); Chapter 12 - Rescue Raids; Chapter 13 - Reflections, and experience of enemy POW's held in American camps from frontier to present.

With apologies to the Bard, but, to escape or not to escape, that is the question. Robert Doyle does an outstanding job of describing a subject that does not get much publicity unless it is in a movie that usually is all glamour and fiction and nothing near the truth. This book is a wonderful introduction to describing how man reacts to the loss one's basic right, the right of freedom. Many take freedom for granted, and it takes the harsh reality of imprisonment to make many realize what they have lost. I am a prisoner, do I risk death and try to escape? Or do I sit and wait and hope to be freed? A wonderful book on the subject of "escape."

On the plus side, this is the only comprehensive look at US Military escapes available. It ranges from the American Revolution to our experiences in Beirut and Somalia. It's extraordinarily well researched and documented, with nearly 50 pages worth of sources listed. On the minus side, it's sort of an anecdotal look at escapes, and sort of a scholarly historical study. There's just enough of a first hand account given to gain your interest, but then the author trails off and heads somewhere else. The author is very repetitive, providing the same thoughts several times in a chapter, and sometimes across several chapters. There is also a fair bit of extraneous material, from the Underground Railroad to the experiences of foreign POWs in US custody. Interesting areas, but not related to the book's title. There is some great information here, but you have to do some slogging to get it. I'd recommend you buy the book, mark the references of the more interesting first-hand accounts, and then read those books for the more in-depth look at an individual escape.