Eagle Reviews

Roberto Loiederman and Richard Linnett take the reader on a fascinating voyage into a little-known chapter of the Vietnam era. Meticulously researched, the authors manage to pump prose into this account of an armed mutiny aboard an American ship carrying napalm. A former merchant marine, Loiederman lends authenticity and precision grounding to this sea-going narrative. Here is a rare opportunity to get a glimpse into the mind of a mutineer. Move over Bounty - the Eagle has landed!

Thirty-one years ago was way, way back! Another century. Yet Linnett and Loiederman recreate the intensity and frenzy of that era and make it wholly coherent and contemporary. This fresh, comprehensive, recall reveals a turbulent Vietnam era that is both exotic and accessible.

A fantastic story--incredibly true though it reads like a thriller movie--this mutiny not only happened as described, but becomes a metaphor for the political and social transition that color an entire generation. And like Melville, Conrad, London, Nordhoff and Hall, Wauk and O'Brian, Linnett and Loiederman make of their ship, and it's mutiny, a floating cosmos, where the rules are both observed and bent. Where too, morality is debated and diverted.

We are given two young men coming of age in the late sixties. While both wind up as merchant seamen, Clyde slips in from a life of adventure and twilight while Alvin pushes on from the mainstream. The authors bring those hyperbolic days with their hyperbolic people alive in the same way Clyde and Alvin found them vivid and attractive.

And the Columbia Eagle becomes their crucible as the world and the war plunges forward. The powers play the grand game and, in isolation, the mutineers carry out their plot, ignorant and unaffected. When they finally emerge with the ship and its cargo of napalm in Cambodian waters, players are about to change sides on them and their act of protest is swallowed up in the upheaval, the coup that deposed Sihanouk three days after their arrival.

What follows is a tale of increasing strangeness. The relationship between Alvin and Clyde deteriorates. Their capture, incarceration, escape, disappearance and reappearance are all traced. The inscrutability of both U. S. and Cambodian officials concerning the mutineers' fates, gives rise to conjecture. We're also given an overview of the huge cast of anti-war journalists, Thai and Cambodian peasants, soldiers of fortune, scholars and movement people who cross paths with the mutineers. These were dizzying, heady times, and the authors bring them to life with persuasive, exhaustive research.

At last, we are left with a portrait of an age, a time and a set of personalities shaped by that time. Way back, when passions were enough.

Fascinating research by Roberto Loiederman and Richard Linnett into the little-known cases of a trio of American would-be revolutionaries, two of whom later escaped loose detention in Phnom Penh and set off to join the Khmer Rouge. After falling into the custody of Mam Sabun, a Khmer Rouge district chief, their fates become confused with those of Sean Flynn and Dana Stone, the most famous of the American journalists who disappeared in Cambodia during the 1970-75 era of conflict. This work is a valuable addition to Tim Page's ongoing research to resolve the fates of those who remain "unaccounted-for" in Cambodia. Roberto Loiederman's stunningly detailed account of life aboard the the ship make this story one which anyone who loves the sea will find spellbinding. While this book deals with so-called collaborators, those outside the government who remain interested in the PW-MIA issue will find "The Eagle Mutiny" contains some information which provides new insights.

It's been a number of years since I've read Eagle Station, but I've read all of Mr. Berents' books and they were spectacular. The detail with which he describes the characters and scenes made you feel as if you were actually in the field, the enemy attacking you. You could almost hear the gun fire and feel the battle rage. His technique even let you inside the characters minds and understand what they might have gone through. I met Mr. Berents at a book signing at Davis Monthan AB in 1990-91. He autographed Rolling Thunder for me, complete with a Jane Fonda toilet paper book mark! I read Rolling Thunder on the flight to Tuscon from Indianapolis. All Mr. Berent's books are great reads, I wish he would write more!

I have read all the Mark Berent books and find them all to be first rate and full of action, interesting people and story twists. An excellent read.

This is number four of a five book series that follows the adventures of several pilots and special forces personnel through the war in Viet Nam. For those of us who were pilots in that war, it is the best and most accurate description of our experiences. Each book of the series seems both historically and otherwise factually accurate. All in all, one of the best "reads" to be had since Tom Clancy started writing

This is the second of a four volume set. I'm on the last one. They are all incredibly good. Perhaps the best books I've read in my life, and I've read roughly 25 books on Buddhism, Christianity, new age scientific, and spiritual subjects over the last 3-4 years. I've never read a four volume set of anything in my life.
In general each of her books is better than the previous, presumably because she is becoming a better "channel." This second book is notably better written than the first, but I wouldn't skip the first.
Its a very improbable story, her story. Regardless of whether you believe it, the eloquence of the prose and the spiritual message are incredibly powerful. To make a point, not intending to denigrate Patricia's previous proffession in any way, I will say, "you will eventually come to realize that it would be impossible for a medical transcriptionist in Boise to write these books."

Improbable as is the thesis of EAGLES OF THE NEW DAWN--incredible as is its alleged origin on the Blue Crystal Planet orbiting the star Arcturus--this is a book that (like SONGS OF THE ARCTURIANS) I find myself returning to again and again, almost as if I were coming home. Through some wizardry of stylistic innovation--which she suggests has simply to do with their being of an extraterrestrial nature--these otherworldly songs of Patricia Pereira do contain, just as they are supposed to, the vibration of long-forgotten but utterly familiar love between the planets.

Patricia Pereira's books, The Arcturian Star Chronicles, are absolutely incredible on many levels. Eagles Of The New Dawn is the second volume of the series. It is written in the most beautiful, innovative language that one can imagine. Reading this book is like riding a magic carpet through the stars as Patricia transports you with her powerful, lyrical images. It is rare to find such startlingly original use of the English language. Embedded in this wonderful imagery are spiritual and practical messages for an awakening humanity ("eagles of the new dawn"). There is much wisdom revealed here for those ready to move to higher levels of consciousness. As one is engaged with this book, you feel yourself gently drawn into a heightened dimension. This very special book propels you into sacred space. Patricia Pereira is a yet to be discovered master writer of our time. This book is a special treat that you won't want to miss.

As an African American author, who felt the sting of discrimination in my formative years, I solidified my desire to finally tell my story via fiction for children after I read this book and three others. I am so enamored of this one that I took it with me on my first interview for my OWN book. It was never returned which meant I purchased another. I wanted the reviewer to see how skillfully it was written..... No tirades, drum rolls or harsh rhetoric.... just a basic thought of self-esteem.

I don't know which means more, the book or Mychal Wynn himself, who embodies genuine commitment and dedication to the embetterment of children. Actually, they're symbiotic.

BUY this book, READ this book, REFER it to friends, relatives and associates. I would say LOAN it, but it might not be returned.

Despite the technological advances of today... unfortunately, there are still eagles who think they are chickens!

Oustanding work that touched ever fiber of my perfection with children. Hat's off to Mr. Wynn for his commitment to children all over the World.

Everyone should have a copy of this book. It is a wonderful story that is sure to touch every reader and maybe help us find the "eagle" in us all.

Brilliant study about Montenegro and its relationship with Austria-Hungary but also with Russia and Balkan countries, especially Serbia. This excelent book is based on critically confirmed facts and scientific knowledge. Professor Treadway stresses eternal wish of Montenegrins and their king Nicholas I Petrovic Njegos to restore medieval Serb Empire of Dusan Nemanjic: "Ambitious for his dynasty as well as his country and incited by the nationalism of his people, Nicholas dreamed of uniting all Serbs under his aegis and sitting upon Dusan's throne in Prizren" [page 201] I recommend this book to everybody who cares for knowledge.

I was lucky enough to have been a student of Dr. Treadway at the University of Richmond. This book was on the reading list for his class European Diplomacy from Bismarck to Hitler. Treadway's intense teaching style as well as his insightful sense of humor are seen in this work. The events leading up to World War I were both complicated, and filled with lots of "what if's..." Treadway concerns himself with the "Powder Keg" of Europe, the Balkans, and presents a unique and facinating overview of the events surrounding the Annexation Crisis, the Scutari Crisis, the two Balkan Wars, as well as the history of Montenegrin relations with Austria-Hungary, Russia, Turkey, and other Great Powers. How did this small country with virtually no resources come to play such a large role in European diplomacy and politics? Treadway answers this question, making his way to June 28th, 1914 and the assassination of Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo at the hand of Mlada Bosnia. Anyone interested in the causes of World War I would be interested in this book, moreso because it is written from the perspective of "the mouse that roared," the small country of Montenegro.

Treadway has been extremely succesful in writing the dramatic history of Montenegro, its smart king and its brave people. After reading this fine historybook on the "black mountains" the reader will better understand the current trouble on the Balkans. Treadway describes in a detailed way why the two Balkan wars have taken place and what has been the political and geographical outcome of it. The Austrian-Hungarian influence on the European continent at that time as well as the Russian influence makes one see how history repeats itself today. For the current student on Balkan history, for the student on politics in the Balkan and for people who are interested in Montenegrin history this book is an absolute must! Highly recommended

I've read the book Flight of the Golden Eagle and I feel that this book has a lot of hidden meanings. It speaks a lot about war. And how we can work together to solve our differences. That war is not always the answer to our problems. The one part of the book that I liked was when the instructor said to the students, "Everybody has a certain animal inside of us." And that you should try to figure out what animal you are. I feel this is true. I think I have the snake. I also learned that kids know how to stop a war and some adults do not. Children have an open mind and are willing to see the other side of the issue. Another part of the book I enjoyed was when a boy saw a tiger and her cubs in the woods. The tiger was alarmed to see the boy. But then the boy remembered a lullaby he learned from a young boy a long time ago. Then he sang it to the mother tiger. She calmed down and the boy went down the path. This shows how to handle a bad situation with a positive attitude. This book shows that discipline and respect can go a long way.

In this book, "Flight of the Golden Eagle, Tales of the Empty-Handed Masters" there are many stories in one. This book tells about conflict and how to stop it. It also teaches how to clear your mind, and tells how to get out of habits and how habits are bad. It gives advice or wise sayings. This book has stories of different meanings like song of the life facing death is about a boy who wandered off in the woods and faced death then he sang a childrens lullaby he heard as a little boy to soothe the cat and put her guard down, then he kiaied and then the cat and her cubs walked away. The story I really like is the Beast of the Dark Side. This story made me think. It made me think about the beast inside of me and what animal it is and how it fights. This book will help you clear your mind and help you find the inner you...

In this book, "Flight of the Golden Eagle, Tales of the Empty-Handed Masters" there are many stories in one. This book tells about conflict and how to stop it. It also teaches how to clear your mind, and tells how to get out of habits and how habits are bad. It gives advice or wise sayings. This book has stories of different meanings like song of the life facing death is about a boy who wandered off in the woods and faced death then he sang a childrens lullaby he heard as a little boy to soothe the cat and put her guard down, then he kiaied and then the cat and her cubs walked away. The story I really like is the Beast of the Dark Side. This story made me think. It made me think about the beast inside of me and what animal it is and how it fights. This book will help you clear your mind and help you find the inner you.

I highly recommend this book for all ages. The activities in the back of the book is a wonderful idea for children to get more involved. The CD is a great compliment to the book. This story shows that dreams can come true if you work hard enough to achieve them. I loved it.

In this book an interesting and unique activities guide is included for parents and educators. These activities incorporate math, science, social studies, music, language arts, character education, art, reading and English. In addition to James' interactive CD that will engage children in visual stimulation leading to facts about eagles, the activities guide has twelve unique exercises. Each activity is fun, adaptable, and promotes the joy of learning. It is a wonderful addition to the Character Counts program endorsed by many schools.

This book is an absolute most for everyone, whether you are two or ninety two. This book really makes you think about the plight of the American Eagle and many of our other wonderful wild life that is facing or has faced the possibility of being on the endangered species list. Ms. Moorer thank you so much for this wonderful story, and opening our eyes to whats going on around us. Mr. Rogers, thank you so much for your fantastic song and your assistance in helping get this magnificent creature off the endangered species list. My daughter really loves this story and I highly reccmmend it to anyone who loves to read to their children.

I bought this wonderful book for my nephews and loved it so much I'm buying another for my grandson. The story of an eagle that is brought up among chickens and thinks and acts like a chicken until it is encouraged to fly like an eagle has several messages. I'm a prison chaplain and it reminds me of the men and women who could be soaring on eagles wings if they can break out of the mold of their emotional environment. It has a spiritual message - we are children of God and can live a victorious life if only we will appropriate it. It also can illustrate the release of the soul at death. But it is definitely a delightful tale in it's own right.

This African Tale is about a farmer who comes across a baby eagle and decides that he will raise it as a chicken, and so he takes it back to his farm and puts it with the other chickens. The eagle soon learns how to act like a chicken. Everything continues on fine until one day the farmers friends comes over and says this is no chicken this is an eagle and he belongs in the sky. It takes the man three times until the eagle flies away into the sunset. I like this story because it shows how much things change depending on their current environments, and sometimes that environment can hold us back from being the best we can. The author does a great job at portraying the act of finding ones true self and become independent. The illustrations in this book are also great.

I truly enjoyed this children's picture book, which appeals to all ages, because of the inspiration and message it conveys. In Africa a small eagle chick if found lost after a storm. It is taken back to a village where it is raised as a chicken. It talks, walks and eats like a chicken unto one day a visitor notices that amongst the chickens there is an eagle. He tries everything to get it to fly but it believes and acts like it is a chicken, until one day he takes it back to the mountains where it was found as a chick to meet the sun at sunrise. Upon the mountain, once taken from the environment it has been placed in and seeing the bright light of the horizon and the view it realizes it can fly and does so and never lives the life of a chicken again as it soars high in the sky.

I loved the message because it shows that we as a people have been treated like chickens by society, but we are truly royal eagles. Don't be content on being a chicken, but stretch forth your wings and fly! The illustrations are wonderful, and the message is worth attaining the book alone. This is a good book to add to the treasure chest of books within your home or your children's collection to inspire them to spread their wings and fly to reach new heights in the horizon's light! God is Love!

This book gives great advise and is well worth the read. Incredible how many great people give similar advice about leadership, sucess and other subjects.

Colonel Jimmie Coy has searched far and wide to find the thoughts of people who know how to lead under the most difficult of circumstances. In the post Sept-11 world, honor and integrity are replacing selfishness and convenience in the forefront of the American conscience. The thoughts by the leaders quoted in this book clearly show what it took for ordinary people to do the right thing under extraordinary pressure.
Not surprisingly, a substantial portion of the book is focused on military leadership. Interestingly, the lessons learned from military leaders is a topic woefully lacking in most current non-military leadership publications. Even so, Colonel Coy composes some engaging sections on political, social and religious leaders.
This is an inspiring book that should be a part of any leader's library.

This book is an excellent and real guide for officers and enlisted people of all ranks, and all branches in the military; The most important thing about it is the focus on the three most important corner stones of the US military: God, Honor, Country. It is very easy to read, and most importantly, the reader will not want to put the book down.

"If I were an Eagle Book One" deals with teenage pregnancy and secrets. When a young girl (Karen Quincy) loses her virginity for the first time, she is later faced with pregnancy. In addition to her pregnancy, Miss. Quincy struggles to hide it from her strict parents. She knows that she cannot hide the secret too long since she would soon begin to show.

This story takes place deep in the Tennessee Mountains. It will keep you reading with each turn of the page. "If I were an Eagle" is a gripping and emotional story with many twists and turns. At times, you may laugh, and other times you may cry. The characters that Mr. Hale has created in this book are very realistic.

I enjoyed Mr. Hale's book very much. He done a wonderful job writing the story and developing his characters. I believe that "If I were an Eagle" has the potential for a movie. It is one that you're sure to remember even after you have put it down. I give Mr. Hale five stars for wonderful writing, a memorable plot, and great character development. This is one you just have to read!

Highly recommended

The first installment of a trilogy, IF I WERE AN EAGLE tells the story of Karen Quincy. A vivacious, attractive young lady, Karen yearns for popularity and love, filling her needs in the arms of her boyfriend. She uses friends, lies and opportunity to escape her strict home and spend time with Hank. But when he goes off to college, Karen finds herself left behind.

Karen's family reflects the strict morality and staunch religious fervor of her era. Dancing, dating, and especially public shows of affection are forbidden. Karen's rebelliousness leads to a break with her family when they learn of her pregnancy. Hank has disappeared from her life, leaving her to face devastation alone. She decides upon an abortion during a time when it was both illegal and very dangerous. Following her doctor's referral, Karen makes the arrangements. Since the novel begins with her labor, she obviously has second thoughts.

Author David Hale enriches the background and people of IF I WERE AN EAGLE with his own intimate knowledge of the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. With the crispness and clarity of a snapshot he captures the attitudes and the nuances indicative of this novel's time and place, especially the deep spirituality governing the attitudes of Karen's family. Karen's rebelliousness is aptly portrayed not as a deliberate flaunting of her family's morality, but as restlessness and sincere for something "more" that allows the novel to speak to the universal truths that drive some children away from their families even as others remain close under the same circumstances. Hale's crisp writing style and complexity of characterization promises great things ahead for this talented author. IF I WERE AN EAGLE comes highly recommended.

If I Were an Eagle--Book One
D.L. Hale

In his riveting first novel, If I Were an Eagle, David Hale takes us on a journey through the life of a young girl coming of age in the mountains of Tennessee. In Southern Appalachia in 1948, there wasn't much for a spirited young woman to do, besides going to church and to school. And for Karen Quincy, daughter of devout, Southern Baptist parents, there wasn't a soul she could talk to about her dreams and desires. But she was a beautiful young girl, well endowed for her age, and it wasn't long before she attracted the attention of the most popular guy in school.
By the time Karen discovered that she was pregnant, her boyfriend headed off for college, leaving her behind to bear the burden of her condition all alone. Hale spins a tale of woe, for not since the Perils of Pauline has so much misfortune befallen a young damsel, in so short a time. But it was 1948, and the good folk of Karen's rural community, were either piously unyielding in their adherence to what they understood about the teachings of the Good Book, or they were too hypocritical and haughty to let on that they'd ever been anything but perfect. Then there was Frank, who took advantage of her situation to use and abuse her; and Harvey Beason, whose good heart would not see Karen utterly cast down.
The plight of Karen Quincy was not unlike that of many young women in the rural south-- betrayed as much by their own carnal awakening as by the young studs and dirty old men who seduced and abused them.
Worse than a scarlet letter, Karen had to endure the knowledge that she was carrying an illegitimate child, and that she would bring shame and embarrassment to her family. When she went to work in Frank's diner he exploited her vulnerability and raped her. She suffered in silence, telling no one of her pain and humiliation.
Harvey Beason offered her a job in his hardware store, and once again, she found a modicum of happiness, but when her parents discovered the irrefutable truth of her pregnancy, she was turned out of the house-- sent packing down a dark, dusty road on Christmas Eve! What irony.
Beason came to the rescue again, this time, sending Karen to live with his Aunt Flo until she delivered, But fate intervened again, and the house caught fire, stranding Karen on the upper floor. While Aunt Flo succumbed to the smoke and the fumes, Karen jumped from the second floor to the ground in a desperate attempt to save her child's life, if not her own.
David Hale skillfully weaves the details of Karen's bleak existence in this story with a foreshadowing of events to come that leaves the reader anxiously anticipating what might happen next, And that makes for a good read every time.