Synopses & Reviews
James Webb, author of andlt;I andgt;Fields of Fireandlt;/Iandgt;, the classic novel of the Vietnam Warand#8212;former U.S. Senator; Secretary of the Navy; recipient of the Navy Cross, Silver Star and Purple Heart as a combat Marine; and a self-described and#8220;military bratand#8221;and#8212;has written an extraordinary memoir of his early years, and#8220;a love storyand#8212;love of family, love of country, love of service,and#8221; in his words.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Webband#8217;s mother grew up in the poverty-stricken cotton fields of Eastern Arkansas. His father and life-time hero was the first of many generations of Webbs, whose roots are in Appalachia, to finish high school. He flew bombers in World War II, cargo planes in the Berlin Airlift, graduated from college in middle age, and became an expert in the nationand#8217;s most advanced weaponry.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Webband#8217;s account of his childhood is a tremendous American saga as the family endures the constant moves and challenges of the rarely examined Post-World War II military, with his stern but emotionally invested father, loving and resolute mother, a granite-like grandmother who held the family together during his fatherand#8217;s frequent deployments, and an assortment of invincible aunts, siblings, and cousins. His account of his four years at Annapolis are painfully honest but in the end triumphant. His description of Vietnamand#8217;s most brutal battlefields breaks new literary ground. One of the most highly decorated combat Marines of that war, he is a respected expert on the history and conduct of the war. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Webband#8217;s novelistand#8217;s eyes and ears invest this work with remarkable power, whether he is describing the resiliency that grew from constant relocations during his childhood, the longing for his absent father, his poignant goodbye to his parents as he leaves for Vietnam, his role as a 23-year-old lieutenant through months of constant combat, or his election to the Senate where he was known for his expertise in national defense, foreign policy, and economic fairness. This is a life that could only happen in America.
Review
and#8220;The sweep of this wonderful book makes it the alpha and omega of the Cold Warand#8217;s truest children. It begins with pride and patriotism that comes from living with warrior fathers and ends with illusion dispelled by a bloody little war in Vietnam. Itand#8217;s a brilliant personal recollection that also brings alive a forgotten period of American history.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Webb is a terrific writer, a great war novelistand#8230;a compelling book.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;An eloquent military memoirand#8221;
Review
and#8220;Webb writes not only of his life but also, of course, the forces and people who shaped him. He describes his memoir as and#8220;a love story and#8212; love of family, love of country, love of serviceand#8221; and#8212; and he supports those words with the candor and grace of this readable and revealing memoir.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;andlt;i andgt;I Heard My Country Callingandlt;/iandgt; is emblematic of many other Americansand#8217; life stories, reflecting a sense of honor and patriotism that thankfully knows no generational bounds.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;andlt;iandgt;I Heard My Country Callingandlt;/iandgt; rings with unvarnished dictums . . . Without flinching, he tells us of the grisliness and heroism he witnessed as a Marine in Vietnam. . . . his narrative offers an inside, no-punches-held look at the life of a man to whom independence was more important than money or power. . . . riveting.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;A fascinating account of [Webband#8217;s] early life. . . . anintensely personal narrative that traces his development from sometime-studentto Naval Academy Midshipman, Marine officer, novelist, and political figure. .. . Fellow military brats will take particular delight in his description oftaking to the road with an impatient father and three siblings jammed into an automobileand#8217;sback seat . . . Webband#8217;s wonderfully written book is more than a personalaccount; it is the story of a patriotic American who and#8220;heard his country calling.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Deeply moving . . . a delightful, mentally therapeutic, and engulfing book.and#8221;
About the Author
James Webb,andnbsp;former senator from Virginia, has been a combat marine, a committee counsel in the Congress, an assistant secretary of defense and secretary of the Navy, an Emmy Awardand#8211;winning journalist, a filmmaker, and the author of ten books. Mr. Webb has six children and lives in Northern Virginia with his wife Hong Le, who was born in Vietnam and is a graduate of Cornell Law School.