Karl

it was a movie?

Revisado: 07-30-07

OK, i didn't know that until later, but now i don't feel i have to see it. I'm sure the book was better. It is a nice read and the narrator did a fantastic - and i mean a fantastic job.

Great story, amazing character development, very believable in a "story book" way and I honestly just loved the witting style of the author.

My one dig is that it could have been just a bit shorter and we wouldn't have missed anything - but still, i's a great book.

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if you forget how this all started....

Revisado: 07-30-07

I wanted to learn more about what’s gone on in Iraq than you get from reading the paper or catching something on CNN. I'd looked over a number of books and picked this one - maybe not the most read (?), but i liked it a lot. This is not a snapshot of the war as the paper or TV can be, but is a movie... and it was just what I needed. I don’t think it’s too far to one side or the other either – to me it was a very good report on what’s gone on, the choices that were made, how they came to be and why we are where we are today.

If you want a reminder on how we got into the war in the first few years and really understand the issues at hand, I’d highly recommend this one.

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... huh???

Revisado: 07-30-07

Maybe it’s me and this just isn’t my kind of book, but there seemed to be too much violence that – unlike other books I’ve read – was too out there and odd to be believable. I came away thinking the author had an ax to grind with society. Had it been toned down a bit I may have come away thinking about his ideas. I didn’t like the characters, the story, the plot or the level of paranoia.

Had I not been driving 2000 miles, I might not have finished it.

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very much a history book

Revisado: 07-30-07

A good beach book.

This really is a very interesting book that covers a lot of ground but does so clearly and concisely. With a story like this I’d imagine it is hard to decide what to keep in and leave out, and I think that is well done here. I work in public policy in this area (public health) and have been glad I read this on a number of occasions. It most definitely educated me on a topic that translates to today on a number of levels – not just flu.

As a history book, it’s not high drama and ends up a bit dry in a few places – but I did find it all interesting.

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Wow

Revisado: 08-26-06

Wouldn’t it take an entire life to write a book like this?

So 53 hours is a long time, but this book doesn’t seem long. Towards the end I kept hoping it was going to follow history along up to today, even after Truman passed, but I suppose biography’s don’t work that way.

If you are reading reviews considering if you should get this book, you should.

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Snooty, scratchy, stuffy, and - the drums?

Revisado: 08-26-06

I love history books, but - by golly - I never even finished part one of this book.

Here’s the scoop: the audio quality is awful and the reader’s learned accent is right out of a stuffy members-only dinning club. There are all these weird drummers who show up between chapters, and (as I recall) there is also the sound of “solders on the march” blended into the background, when appropriate.

Someone should edit the book to make it a little more fun to read, drop the background noise and have someone read it who can make it interesting. I regret not being able to plow through it because I’m very curious to learn about the topic…. Oh well, not with this book I guess.

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Historical, accurate, detailed, surreal

Revisado: 08-26-06

The story is what you would expect – a calamity of terrible proportions. The author clearly did all the necessary homework and digging to get as much material as possible. The result is a complete start to finish story of everything that happened during this terrible event.

There isn’t a whole lot of really deep character development, though there is an attempt to get you sucked into the life of the weather forecaster and his family. I didn’t really buy into that in the end. The book stands on it’s own as a very complete history. It is not a novel, but it is extremely interesting, and of curse, sad.

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Aint no shoot em’ up western

Revisado: 08-25-06

If you are looking for a typical cowboy book, don’t start here. This is more of a painting with words. It won’t give you the Clint Eastwood bang-bang feeling – but there are guns, horses and big fights.

I followed the story of this “drop out” 1940’s horseback rider and his partner on their ride into Mexico (the reason they depart is still vague to me). I loved it. While I agree with the reader who said the narrator reads in a quiet steady voice (I missed a few lines during the home renovation I was doing at the time), it helps with the personality of the main dude – who is a quiet observant type.

I’ve been to Mexico, used to wrangle horses and hung out with a few real cowboys in my day. This book took me back, and I really enjoyed it.

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An education and inspiration

Revisado: 08-25-06

I’ve read a lot of books from Audible. Few have hit me in the gut like this book does. Greg Mortenson is really an amazing person – and the story in this book, I think, will make even the most outgoing and philanthropic person feel humble. I honestly can’t think of anyone who has given as much of himself to help others. I would agree with the folks who have said this guy is in line for a Nobel Peace prize. Still, with all that aside, the STORY told here is just as captivating as the man and his work.

I hate when I read an audible review and it gives away the ending, etc., so I’ll try not to do that here. That said, Mortenson risks his life and struggles through very hard times to educate children in remote parts of the world. He learns, adjusts and perseveres. The resulting successes are inspiring for anyone who has wanted to do something to help others. The book will make you feel that you should try to climb K2 tomorrow. The story is timely, too. Had Greg worked to build schools, educate children and provide to those in need off in sub-Saharan Africa the book would still have been an amazing read. But against the backdrop of Afghanistan, Bin Ladin and the Taliban, and in the historical context of the book (starting well before 9-11 and ending during our modern day situation in Iraq) the Mortenson story has a lot to teach us all about this remote part of the world.

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everyone on earth should read this book

Revisado: 08-05-06

Well, so I’ve tried to re-tell this story to friends, but I’m not a writer. For that reason, you just have to read this yourself – it can’t be re-told better than it is done here. The fate of these men, the struggles they faced, the human sprit, the will to live, and the STORY found in the pages of this book are truly unforgettable.

I read the book about a year ago and still can’t imagine how they pulled this off.

Keep in mind that the book gets off to a slow-ish start, that the audio is not so great, and the characters don’t really all have a personality (the sailors all meld together in your mind, save one or two)… but I’ll be darned if you don’t get sucked in – and by the end, you can’t believe what they’ve managed to do. Anyone who has been out in the cold for a bit too long and didn’t like it will get Goosebumps. Anyone who’s been on a boat in the ocean will be stunned, and anyone who’s ever wanted to give up on something will be humbled.

Can you tell I enjoyed it?

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