Band of Brothers Book Review free essay sample

It is written by Stephen Ambrose, a distinguished history professor at the University of New Orleans and noted American historian and biographer. Easy company was involved in almost every major airborne campaign in the European conflicts of World War II, Even so the book heavily covers the training of the men who were from the very beginning pushed much farther than most airborne soldiers from Camp Toccoa where the men were trained.Although later removed from his position from his lack of ability to navigate troops in combat, Captain Sobel is much responsible for physical nature of the men who were in far superior shape. It is also discussed that the strong bond which is a major theme of the book was created during these times in an effort to rise against their subpar leader. From training Easy Company participated in the midnight drops behind the beaches of Normandy, where the next morning then Captain Richard Winters was called on to take out German artillery guns in the battle of Brecourt Manor. This battle commanded by Captain Winters and Captain Speirs became a textbook example of the use of a small forced against fixed gun positions and is still a widely taught strategy at West Point today. This however was just the first of many notable things the 506 parachute infantry became known for, for they soon found themselves involved with the taking of Carentan, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Buldge and the encirclement of the 101st during the freezing winter in Bastogne, and the eventual liberation of concentration camps and taking of Hitler’s Eagles Nest.Before reading this book it is very important for the reader to understand the author, Stephen Ambrose and his writing and investigation methods. Stephen Ambrose is a very thorough and methodical writer who goes through great extents to make sure he writes the most accurate and descriptive scenario possible and has shown this through some of his earlier writings such as his highly acclaimed biographies on R ichard Nixon and Dwight Eisenhower as well as his historical writings on the American Civil War.In order to prep for writing Band of Brothers, Stephen Ambrose sifted through thousands of World War II era files and combat reports and eyewitness accounts, but more importantly personally interviewed almost every living soldier from Easy Company among others and got their full detailed first hand versions of the stories he was publishing. If you combine this kind of research with Stephen Ambrose’s attention to even the smallest detail you are not only left with one of the most accurate pieces of historical writing I have ever read, but a writing so precise it almost reads like a play.This first becomes evident during the assault on Brecourt Manor when Ambrose is describing the line drive grenade thrown by Lt. Buck Compton. It is described so perfectly you can almost see it happening, and it goes on like this throughout every chapter. It is hard to think that anyone who hasn’t already seen the HBO miniseries version of this book could possibly be picturing anything else, to the point where it is questionable whether the actors from the miniseries had a scripts or if they simply carries a version of this book in their back pocket.However it’s not just a book on military tactics but its main recurring theme is the bond that men create during the time of war. Often throughout the book especially during times of non combat the focus turns more onto the friendships amongst the men or between officers and men. A major focus is growing friendships between Captain Winters and Lt. Nixon as well as Sgt. Guarnere, Lt. Buck Compton and Joe Toye and the sometimes tragic ends to these friendships during battle.Even during times of combat it is always refreshed in your mind about the trust and emotions between the men as almost a entire chapter is clustered around the troops being surrounded by German forces in Bastogne and the constant talking about and levels of distrust in their replacement leader Lt. Dyke. The one argument one might make against the book cannot even be blamed on anything and that is the fact that sometimes you get too connected to the characters.Reading this book you might find yourself loving Sgt. Guarnere and Lt. Winters and hating Lt. Dyke simply on the descriptions of the person and their relationships with other people in the book. This might be a little unfair because it may cause the reader to pass judgment on a character who in any other situation might not be the same person. However this is not so much a complaint as much it is a afterthought of a extremely descriptive writing style.It’s a shame that this book is more widely known because of its cinematic counterpart but it’s also a very good thing because it can open up more people to the idea of reading it. Everyone has probably run into somebody who has seen Band of Brothers on HBO, some might even rave about it since it is indeed a excellent program in itself, but the percentage of those people who also read this book is probably significantly low.This is why I must say for anyone that has seen Band of Brothers must pick up this book for several reasons. Not only does the book include some areas of combat and training previously uncovered in the HBO miniseries, but it also goes into lengthy descriptions of the men after the war which might be important with Stephen Ambrose not only leaving you feeling like you know the character, but actually loving them.If you are new to the Band of Brothers story then this should be a even better read for you since you might find yourself seeing the miniseries in your head with the vivid descriptions of battle and troop movements even down to the tiniest step, and eventually open seeing the miniseries after reading the book you will be amazed at the literal translation from writing to screen which is becoming a rarer and rarer thing in the cinematography business.In conclusion this book is a must read for anybody. The descriptive writing practices of Stephen Ambrose will give your imagination a run for its money and it’s so detailed you might find yourself acting it out with your friends in the backyard. The characters in the book will leave you thinking they are your best friend and the story is one must be known in order to understand the mindset, brotherhood and sacrifice that went along with combat in World War II.