A Bounty of Books

Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by Ben Macintyre is a fascinating look at the beginning of modern special forces as the western world knows them.

The men who created the Britain's Special Air Service were rugged, action oriented men who had little patience for bureaucracy that kept them from the battlefield. David Stirling was part of a unit that was supposed to act as a commando unit but was constantly standing down before actually going on missions due to one bureaucratic reason after another. Frustrated, Stirling sought and got permission to form a unit of his own. It was much smaller and while the hierarchy was sometimes murky at the beginning, operational control would at first remain with Stirling. This unit was formed specifically to attack Rommel and his forces from behind enemy lines. They were successful not only in causing physical destruction on the North African front, but psychological terror as well.

The specifics of how exactly that all came together as well as how the SAS transferred from North Africa to Europe is the content that makes up Rogue Heroes. Certain men who played a bigger role are given more space while others just have their name listed. However, there is a full honor roll in the back with the names and ranks of all the men involved in the original unit. Rogue Heroes also includes many photos of some of the main men as well as some from the SAS diary.

All in all, Rogue Heroes is a fast paced story about men who stood tall in WWII and changed the face of modern warfare. Macintrye's writing flows well and is easy to follow along with. He makes complicated topics easy to understand and allows the reader to almost feel as though one is part of the original SAS crew. Anyone interested in military, WWII, or special ops history will find Rogue Heroes a fascinating and satisfying read.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Legend: The Incredible Story of Green Beret Sergeant Roy Benavidez's Heroic Mission to Rescue a Special Forces Team Caught Behind Enemy Lines recounts the story of Sergeant Roy Benavidez's life, focusing on one extraordinary mission during the Vietnam war. 

Fearless by Eric Blehm is the story of a daredevil, crack addict teen who became a member of the top special forces group in the United States military. Through God's grace, Adam Brown was able to become a husband, father, and special forces operator who gave the ultimate sacrifice for his brothers-in-arms.

Eric Blehm had unparallelled access to Adam Brown's friends and family, as well as primary source documents such as military records, court documents, and letters. This is obvious in his recounting of Brown's life, as he is able to make the reader feel as though he/she knew Brown personally. Fearless seems almost like a novel because of the easy flow with which it reads. The raw honesty of Brown's failures and struggles make it easy to relate to Adam, as well as to root for him. Knowing that his life will be cut short in an act of sacrifice for those he served with made each triumph Brown experienced that much more poignant.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fearless and getting to peek into Adam Brown's life. Blehm treats his life with respect and balance, something I think Brown would have appreciated. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in biographies, special forces, or the power of God's grace in the life of one who is willing to surrender to Him.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers as part of their Blogging for Books book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255