Surviving An American Gulag [Paperback]

Edward C. Patterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2008

Welcome to Ft. Gordon, Ga - the Special Training Unit. It's 1967, the height of the Vietnam War and Private Winslow Gibbs has been drafted. He's two-hundred and seventy pounds and a bundle of nerves. He also has issues of a different nature, but in these days before the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, these are dealt with in the American Gulag, the Army's answer to the problem. What they don't count on are the ones like Private Gibbs, who want to survive it and serve. Based on the author's own experiences, Surviving an American Gulag is a story that the military would prefer remain a footnote. However, it is a defining moment and should not be lost to posterity. Also included with this work is "A Dime a Dip," a tale of the author's grandmother and her considerable efforts on behalf of thousands of migrant worker children.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edward C. Patterson has been writing novels, short fiction, poetry and drama his entire life, always seeking the emotional core of any story he tells. With his eighth novel, The Jade Owl, he combines an imaginative touch with his life long devotion to China and its history. He has earned an MA in Chinese History from Brooklyn College with further post graduate work at Columbia University. A native of Brooklyn, NY, he has spent four decades as a soldier in the corporate world gaining insight into the human condition. He won the 1999 New Jersey Minority Achievement Award for his work in corporate diversity. Blending world travel experiences with a passion for story telling, his adventures continue as he works to permeate his reader's souls from an indelible wellspring.

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (June 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1438247230
• ISBN-13: 978-1438247236
• Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 8.9 x 5.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,965,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Edward C. Patterson has been writing novels, short fiction, poetry and drama his entire life, always seeking the emotional core of any story he tells. With his eighth novel, The Jade Owl, he combines an imaginative touch with his life long devotion to China and its history. He has earned an MA in Chinese History from Brooklyn College with further post graduate work at Columbia University. Born in 1947, a native of Brooklyn, NY, he has spent four decades as a soldier in the corporate world gaining insight into the human condition. He won the 1999 New Jersey Minority Achievement Award for his work in corporate diversity. Blending world travel experiences with a passion for story telling, his adventures continue as he works to permeate his reader's souls from an indelible wellspring.

His novel No Irish Need Apply was named Book of the Month for June 2009 by Booz Allen Hamilton's Diversity Reading Organization. His Novel The Jade Owl was a finalist for The 2009 Rainbow Awards.

The 22 published books by Edward C. Patterson include No Irish Need Apply, Bobby's Trace, Cutting the Cheese, Surviving an American Gulag, Turning Idolater, Look Away Silence, The Jade Owl (Jade Owl Legacy Series Book I), The Third Peregrination (Jade Owl Legacy Series Book II), The Dragon's Pool (Jade Owl Legacy Series Book III), The People's Treasure (Jade Owl Legacy Series Book IV), In the Shadow of Her Hem (Jade Owl Legacy Book V), Southern Swallow Series (Book I - The Academician, Book II - The Nan Tu, Book III - Swan Cloud), Oh, Dainty Triolet, The Road to Grafenwöhr, Come, Wewoka, The Closet Clandestine, Are You Still Submitting Your Work to a Traditonal Publisher? and A Reader's Guide to Autor's Jargon and Other Ravings from the Blogoshere, Belmundus (Book I of the Farn Series) and Pacific Crimson - Forget Me Not.

Coming soon: Boots of Montjoy (Book II of the Farn Series), The Adumbration of Zin (Book III of the Farn Series), Southern Swallow Series (Book IV - The House of Green Waters and Book V - Vagrants Hollow), Dearest Flower of My Heart - Mail Call from Two Generations and Green Folly.

Edward C. Patterson is the proud founder of Operation eBook Drop, a member of Kindleboards, Publetariat, The Independant Author's Guild, The Gay & lesbian Writers and Readers Group. He is a Veteran, US Army 1966-68 and a member of Veteran's Historic Archive Roundtable (Lehigh Valley). He has guest blogged extensively and has appeared on the Bobby Ozuna - Soul of Humanity Show.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Perspective on Military Life July 10, 2008

By Michael R. Hicks

Format:Kindle Edition

Having served in the Army myself, I thought that this book provided a rather fascinating perspective of what for many is a very pivotal point in their lives: military basic training.

The story is told from the point of view of Private Winslow Gibbs, who seems totally unsuited to the military, particularly in the Vietnam-era draft: he is terribly overweight, emotionally soft and - although unbeknownst to himself at the time - homosexual, at a time when being "queer" in the military could land you in prison.

Patterson's telling of the story conveys the primitive conditions and harsh life experienced in basic training, from the total lack of privacy in the barracks to the grueling physical fitness training and the terror of night-time battle drills. Anyone who has ever had to spend time in one of the Army's many "splinter villages" will know from Patterson's words that he's been there himself. And those who haven't experienced the trials and tribulations of military training can gain a better understanding - and respect - for what our young service members experience before they even place themselves in harm's way; and while those of Patterson's generation had no choice during the draft, young men and women today volunteer for such hardships to serve their country, which is something so many of their countrymen do not truly appreciate.

Like those men and women, Patterson's hero - Private Gibbs - learns that he is more than he ever thought he could be. The training he endures, while harsh, reveals his inner strength, which is tempered and honed by his drill sergeant and the members of his platoon.

As for the gay aspect of the story, to me it was almost incidental. Patterson is clearly trying to portray the extreme hardships borne by gay men in the military at the time, and this book certainly does that well in a very non-graphic way.

But the bottom line, in my opinion, is the same as for any other tale of men (and, today, women) who prepare for the ultimate test of war: it's a story of comradeship, a tale of survival against what so often seems to be overwhelming odds.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spending Time in an 'American Gulag' July 21, 2008

By Esmerelda Luv

Format:Paperback

What I expected from this book was a behind-the-scenes look at life in military basic training. What I got was an education of human nature in it's purist form. Through Private Gibbs, I met each character, I learned to accept and be accepted by all of them, I made mistakes and I corrected them, and I learned to love myself and then broadened that love to include others. Failures and successes were ever present and I learned to pick myself up when necessary and when to raise my hands and cheer. I ask myself, "Did I feel what the author wanted me to feel?" The answer is yes, his writing is that good.

Patterson's novelized memoir read just as that, a memoir. When I opened the first page, I felt as though I was sitting next to him, and when I closed the book, I shook his hand and thanked him for sharing the memories. It was easy to read, the story flowed, the characters were easy to keep track of, and the author never strayed from the path. All in all, I enjoyed my time spent in the 'American Gulag'.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Glad I'm the First July 6, 2008

By flippy flop

Format:Kindle Edition

I have been reading Edward C Patterson's entries on the various Kindle forum threads and decided to try one of his books. I read Surviving an American Gulag in just 2 days. It is very well written, with descriptions that make you feel you are right there in Georgia. As the story unfolds, Private Gibbs grows, and shrinks, before your eyes. You feel for his fears, both the fears of the known and the fears that are buried deep in his heart, and you cheer for him as he conquers those fears.
I really did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did as I am neither male or gay. But the story is about so much more then being a gay male in the army in the 1960's. It is a universal journey of being forced to face your fears, no matter what they are or how they paralyze you and working through them to become the best person you can be.