Synopses & Reviews
“Why Marines Fight is a candid collection of courage and esprit de corps that serves as a reminder that when America needs a real hero, it doesnt need to look beyond its military.” —The San Antonio Express News
United States Marines, for more than two centuries, have been among the worlds fiercest and most admired of warriors. They have fought from the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan and Iraq, in famous battles that have become the bone and sinew of American lore. But why do Marines fight? Why do they fight so well?
James Brady, to some an unofficial “poet laureate” of the Corps, interviews combat Marine veterans from World War II to Afghanistan, and their replies are in their own individual voices, unique and powerful. What results is an authentically American story of a country at war, as seen through the eyes of its warriors; a story of the motivations and emotions behind this compelling title question. Included are accounts from Senator James Webb and his Corporal son, Jim; New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly; Yankee second baseman (and Marine fighter pilot) Jerry Coleman, and of teachers, fireman, authors, cops, Harvard football players, and just plain grunts.
Why Marines Fight is a ruthlessly candid book about professional killers not ashamed to recall their doubts as well as exult in their savagely triumphant battle cries. A book of weight and heft that Marines, and Americans everywhere, will want to read, and may find impossible to forget.
Praise for James Brady:
Why Marines Fight
“Brady explores both the emotions and motivations of the men who willingly run toward guns. Read this and you'll be steeled to stare down your own fears.” —Mens Health
“For anyone who wants to know how the U.S. Marine team works in war and peace, this book is indispensable.” —Booklist (starred review)
"Brady's book succeeds in delivering honest, front-row accounts of war--the gritty details and the hard realities--and provides a veritable smorgasbord of answers to the question of why Marines fight." --Chattanooga Times Free Press
"These inspirational tales cover as many Marine experiences as Brady can pack in." --Kirkus Reviews
The Scariest Place in the World
“[A] graceful, even elegant, and always eloquent tribute to men at arms in a war that, in a way, never ended.” --Kirkus Reviews
“James Brady has done it again. A riveting and illuminating insight into a dark corner of the world.” --Tim Russert
The Coldest War
“His story reads like a novel, but it is war reporting at its best---a graphic depiction, in all its horrors, of the war weve almost forgotten.” --Walter Cronkite
“A marvelous memoir. A sensitive and superbly written narrative that eventually explodes off the pages like a grenade in the gut . . .taut, tight, and telling.” --Dan Rather
The Marine
“In The Marine, James Brady again gives us a novel in which history is a leading character, sharing the stage in this case with a man as surely born to be a gallant warrior as any knight in sixth-century Camelot.” --Kurt Vonnegut
The Marines of Autumn
“Mr. Brady knows war, the smell and the feel of it.” --The New York Times
Review
“These inspirational tales cover as many Marine experiences as Brady can pack in.”--Kirkus Reviews
“For anyone who wants to know how the U.S. Marine team works in war and peace, this book is indispensable.”--Booklist (Starred review) Kirkus - Anthony Quinn - Gahan Wilson - John Fowles - Anthony Quinn - Gahan Wilson - John Fowles - Jon Winokur - Neil Walsh - Andrew Leonard - Stephen R. Donaldson - Michael A. Stackpole - Glen Cook - Neil Walsh - Andrew Leonard - Stephen R. Donaldson - Michael A. Stackpole - Glen Cook - Neil Walsh - Stephen R. Donaldson - Jacqueline Carey - Glen Cook - Elizabeth Haydon - David Drake - Dr. Lewis G. Maharam, medical director for the New York City Marathon - Danielle Ofri M.D., Ph.D, author of Singular Intimacies: Becoming a Doctor at B - Jane Brody's "Personal Health" column in The New York Times - Ulick O'Connor - Michael Billington - Michael Coveney - Sir Ian McKellen - Oline H. Cogdill - Kristine Huntley - Janet Maslin - Harlan Coben, author of No Second Chance - Andrew Klavan, author of True Crimes - Robert B. Parker, author of Back Story - Nelson DeMille, author of Up Country - Lisa Scottoline, author of Dead Ringer - Daniel Silva, author of The Confessor - Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson - Patrick Anderson - Bill Bryson - Jon Winokur - J. B. Priestley - Dallas Observer - Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes and Little Earthquakes - Jay Leno - Laura Zigman, author of Animal Husbandry, Dating Big Bird, and Her - Liz Smith - Kirkus Reviews - L.E. Modesitt, Jr. - Kevin J. Anderson - Katherine Kurtz - David Farland - Orson Scott Card - Simon R. Green - Kevin J. Anderson - L. E. Modesitt, Jr. - David Farland - Gilbert Taylor - Karen Karbo - Martin Arnold - Jessica Wang - Jessica Wang - Mavis Reimer - Norman A. Lockman - Terrence Hackett - Shannon Mullen - Jessica Wang - Jessica Wang - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - American Historical Review - American Historical Review - Asbury Park Press - Chicago Tribune - USA Today - The Lion and the Unicorn - American Historical Review - American Historical Review - Time Out New York - Time Out New York - Library Journal - Cincinnati CityBeat - The Washington Post Book World - The Los Angeles Times Book Review - Booklist - Washington Post Book World - The New York Times - Philadelphia Inquirer - Newsweek - San Francisco Chronicle - Chicago Tribune - Washington Post - The Associated Press - San Antonio Express-News - Booklist - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) - Library Journal, Starred Review - Romantic Time Bookclub Magazine - Library Journal - Bookpage - Rocky Mountain News - Kirkus Reviews - The New York Times Book Review - The Atlantic Monthly - The Washington Post - Chicago Tribune Book World - The New York Times Book Review - Houston Chronicle - Los Angeles Times - The New York Times - San Francisco Chronicle - Time - Chicago Tribune - Publishers Weekly - Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Library Journal Review - New York Post - About.com - Publishers Weekly - Washington Post Book World - The New York Times - Philadelphia Inquirer - Newsweek - Newsweek - San Francisco Chronicle - Chicago Tribune - Washington Post - The Associated Press - San Antonio Express-News - Booklist - Washington Post - St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Parade - Publishers Weekly - Mystery News - Chicago Tribune - Washington Post - Library Journal - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) - The New York Times - Entertainment Weekly (A-) - USA Today - People Magazine - New Orleans Times-Picayune - Bookpage - Rocky Mountain News - Publishers Weekly - Fangoria - Richmond Times-Dispatch - Booklist - South Florida Sun-Sentinel - Yoga Journal - The Financial Times (London) - The Guardian (London) - The Sunday Independent (London) - Newsweek - Booklist - Kirkus Reviews - Publishers Weekly (starred) - SF Site - The Dallas Morning News - New York Observer - Booklist - Salon.com - SF Site - The Good Book Guide - Publishers Weekly - Salon.com - SF Site - The Good Book Guide - Kirkus Reviews - Booklist - Booklist - Romantic Times Bookclub - Booklist - Kirkus Reviews - Entertainment Weekly - Kirkus - New Scientist - Newsday - Publishers Weekly - Realms of Fantasy - San Francisco Chronicle - The Sunday Times - The Washington Post - Time Out London - Wired - Entertainment Weekly - Kirkus - New Scientist - Newsday - Publishers Weekly - Realms of Fantasy - San Francisco Chronicle - The Sunday Times - The Washington Post - Time Out London - Wired - Interzone - Library Journal - SF Site - Kirkus
Review
“These inspirational tales cover as many Marine experiences as Brady can pack in.”--Kirkus Reviews
“For anyone who wants to know how the U.S. Marine team works in war and peace, this book is indispensable.”--Booklist (Starred review)
Synopsis
United States Marines, for more than two centuries, have been among the worlds fiercest and most admired of warriors. They have fought from the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan and Iraq, in famous battles become bone and sinew of American lore. But why do Marines fight? Why fight so well? Why run toward the guns? Now comes a thrilling new book, pounding and magnificent in scope, by the author some Marines consider the unofficial “poet laureate” of their Corps.
James Brady interviews combat Marines from wars ranging from World War II to Afghanistan, their replies in their own individual voices unique and powerful, an authentically American story of a country at war, as seen through the eyes of its warriors.
Culling his own correspondence and comradeship with hundreds of fellow Marines, Brady compiles a story---lyrical and historical---of the motivations and emotions behind this compelling question. Included are the accounts of Senator James Webb and his lance corporal son, Jim; New York City police commissioner Ray Kelly; Yankee second baseman (and Marine fighter pilot) Jerry Coleman, and of teachers, firemen, authors, cops, Harvard football players, and just plain grunts, as well as the unforgettable story of Jack Rowe, who lost an eye and other parts and now grows avocados and chases rattlesnakes. Their stories poignantly and profoundly illustrate the lives and legacies of battlefront Marines.
Why Marines Fight is a ruthlessly candid book about professional killers not ashamed to recall their doubts as well as exult in their savagely triumphant battle cries. A book of weight and heft that Marines, and Americans everywhere, will want to read, and may find impossible to forget.
Praise for James Brady
The Scariest Place in the World
“[A] graceful, even elegant, and always eloquent tribute to men at arms in a war that, in a way, never ended.”
---Kirkus Reviews
“James Brady has done it again. A riveting and illuminating insight into a dark corner of the world.”
---Tim Russert, NBCs Meet the Press
The Coldest War
“His story reads like a novel, but it is war reporting at its best---a graphic depiction, in all its horrors, of the war weve almost forgotten.”
---Walter Cronkite
“A marvelous memoir. A sensitive and superbly written narrative that eventually explodes off the pages like a grenade in the gut . . .taut, tight, and telling.”
---Dan Rather
The Marine
“In The Marine, James Brady again gives us a novel in which history is a leading character, sharing the stage in this case with a man as surely born to be a gallant warrior as any knight in sixth-century Camelot.”
---Kurt Vonnegut
The Marines of Autumn
“Mr. Brady knows war, the smell and the feel of it.”
---The New York Times
About the Author
The late James Brady commanded a Marine Corps rifle platoon during the Korean War and was awarded the Bronze Star for valor. He captured these experiences in his books The Scariest Place in the World, The Marine, his New York Times bestselling novels Warning of War and The Marines of Autumn, and in his highly praised memoir, The Coldest War. For more than two decades, he wrote the "In Step With" column for Parade magazine.