Customer Reviews

Soldier Boy: A Chronicle of Life and Death and Survival during World War II

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

 

 

Enduring a devastating artillery barrage; the company commander bleeding to death; an American soldier lying dead in the snow just minutes after singing "Silent Night"; an emaciated prisoner thrilled to find a partially rotten turnip; sorrow at the firebombing of Dresden; escaping from the dreaded Russians with the help of his brother -- these powerful images will never be forgotten by readers of this superb memoir of a young soldier taken prisoner by the Nazis in the Battle of the Bulge. The most striking image is the author's own P.O.W. mug shot on the book cover, with his eyes staring at us from across the many decades since millions of Americans fought and hundreds of thousands died during World War II.

Zak's brief memoir tells the story of how he came to enlist in the U.S. Army during the later part of WWII, his arrival in Belgium on the eve of the Battle of the Bulge, his subsequent capture by the Germans and the five months that he spent as a POW. Although maybe not packed with as much raw information as some other books of this genre, Soldier Boy is nonetheless a very enjoyable read. Zak's accounts of combat are gripping and his account of life as a POW is illuminating. From the firebombing of Dresden to his various interactions with German civilians to his liberation by Russian troops, Zak experienced quite a bit, even as a POW.

Zak more or less admits that writing Soldier Boy was a catharsis of sorts for him - a way to come to terms with the fact that so many of his young comrades died while he survived to live a very fulfilling life. Despite the inherent sadness of his tale, I found the book to ultimately be uplifting and fitting tribute to the young men of Zak's generation who sacrificed so much. Definitely recommended.

This is a fascinating, eloquent account of a 19-year old growing to manhood in the middle of a world war. After briefly describing his rigorous training as an infantry soldier, including some semi-comic events while learning to drive a jeep, he and his buddies were finally off to war as well-trained, confident members of the 106th Infantry Division.

After the division was overwhelemd by a massive surprise German attack at the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, Zak snd 10,000 other American soldiers were forced to surrender. He gives a gripping account of the fear, the misery, and the peril of life in three different camps as a prisoner of war.

I was facinated by this book, and I highly recommend it. Once I started it I could not put it down! For starters, the writing is very clear and descriptive. I felt I was right there with him as this young soldier struggled to survive the horrors of a disastrous, bloody battle as well as the misery and danger and uncertainty of life as a prisoner of war.