A Gift From Bob by James Bowen

Anybody who reads this blog regularly, or knows me even a tiny bit, knows I love reading Christmas books.  Nothing beats curling up with a seasonal book on a cold day.  I also enjoy books about animals.  A Gift From Bob fulfills both criteria.  I admit at first I was a little leery of a book about a man on the streets.  I wondered how on earth a book about a man who is one minuscule step above homeless could possibly make for good holiday reading.  I'm glad I took a chance on this book.  A Gift From Bob truly is one of the most uplifting books you could read this season.  And the best part?  It's non fiction!

I have to admit I like the author's writing style.  James Bowen's style is not pretentious nor is his style elementary.  I would say Mr. Bowen's style is simple but compelling.  At no time did I find myself distracted by the author's style.  I appreciated the fact that it felt as though he were sitting in front of me telling his story.  This conversational style pulled me in and really helped me enjoy the book.

I especially enjoyed how well he enabled me to know the other people populating his story.  Not only did he do a very good job of helping me visualize where this part of his life took place, he also made it very easy for me to make a connection with the people who were an integral part of his life. 

The story itself, if you will, had me completely engrossed.  I can't say that I know anything about the struggle of the homeless.  I certainly never gave much thought to how, or even if, they celebrate the holidays.  Neither have I considered how one goes from sleeping in the park to reintegrating into a more traditional mode of living.  Mr. Bowen's story gave me a glimpse into the life of the homeless and certainly made me far more aware of the role I can play in assisting those that I encounter.

Additionally, A Gift From Bob made me think about what "Christmas spirit" really means.  This book also helped me to refocus on the important things of the season.  It really is less about the price tag on the gift and much more about the thought that goes into it.  And truly, when things look as though they are at their worst, if you just slow down for a moment and refocus, it turns out things aren't ruined after all.  But most of all, this book helped me remember that the gifts really aren't that important.  It's all about who you spend your Christmas with.

All things considered, I would recommend this book to everyone.  There is nothing at all bad in this book.  In fact, I would encourage everyone to read this book regardless of the time of year.  Of course if you can read the book during the Christmas season, I would certainly encourage you to do so.  I will be reading this book again next Christmas and I will probably do so first thing in the season.  Just like A Christmas Carol, this book should be read every year and should kick off the beautiful season that is all about love, joy, peace and the greatest gift man has ever known.

My Men Are My Heroes by Brad Kasal and Nathaniel R. Helms

This is one of those books that manages to succeed despite its failings. The story this book has to tell is one everyone should hear. Yes, the book’s poor execution detracts from the readability of the book, but I would encourage you to slog through the antiseptic prose and lack of personality to reach the important underlying story. Understand that this book isn’t as much about Brad Kasal as it is about his men. The title of the books is My Men Are My Heroes. It is not I Am My Own Hero. If you can remember that as you read the book, the book starts to make a little more sense to you and becomes more readable.

Kasal’s story is one that reminds us of those things that are truly important in life. This book does not focus as much on the actions in which Kasal took part, but more on the life beyond those actions -- both before and after. Sitting comfortably on our couches at home, it is easy to forget that the time a Marine spends at war is quite limited compared to the number of years in which he lives outside of the war. Yet that time becomes a defining moment for these men that inevitably affects every aspect of their life and the lives of those who interact with them. And that is where this book succeeds.

This book does a good job of helping the reader better understand the Marine as a whole. This book takes you from the young man who dreams of becoming a Marine to the battle tested warrior and beyond. It gives a fuller picture of the Marine and his mindset. And that mindset isn’t an egocentric “it’s all about me” mindset. Again, reference the title of the book.

Take the time to read this book and consider what Kasal’s story is really about. This isn’t a war story so much as it is a life story. Of course when you’re a battle tested warrior, I suppose it is safe to say that your life story is indeed a story of war and its far reaching affects on your life. That my not be a war story in the classic sense, but it is still a story of war nevertheless.

One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick

This book has garnered some scathing reviews due to its unflinching look at how the military really works. Some reviewers have had some rather unflattering things to say about Mr. Fick. To those reviewers I would say: Don’t read this review. I found this book to be very interesting and I appreciated the author’s decision to tell it the way it is and not the way people think it should be.


I found One Bullet Away to be written in such a way that it didn’t come across as just a recounting of a time period in Mr. Fick’s life. While, yes, the book did recount Mr. Fick’s journey in the Marine Corps, the author’s writing managed to imbue that recounting with a life of it’s own that made it interesting and easy to read. The author used details and his own thoughts regarding each story he told to make it personal for the reader. Through his writing style, the reader could enter Mr. Fick’s world and see the things he wrote about for themselves.

I also found the brutal truth Mr. Fick used in telling his story to be refreshing. While I support our military, I am well aware that those who lead aren’t always the paragon of virtue they would have us believe them to be. I’m fine with that too -- so long as they are honest about it. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen often. Thus it was refreshing to read an account of Mr. Fick’s time with the Marines that told the story with unflinching honesty. It might not always be pretty, but at least it was real.

I will say this book is not a weekend book. I took the time to read the book over the course of about a week and was glad that I did. If you read this book too quickly you will lose the whole essence of the book. Take the time to read the book carefully; and before you make any rash judgments, take a moment to think about what is really being said by the author.