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To Hell and Back
The classic bestselling war memoir by the most decorated American soldier in World War II, back in print in a trade paperback
Originally published in 1949, To Hell and Back was a smash bestseller for fourteen weeks and later became a major motion picture starring Audie Murphy as himself. More than fifty years later, this classic wartime memoir is just as gripping as it was then.
Desperate to see action but rejected by both the marines and paratroopers because he was too short, Murphy eventually found a home with the infantry. He fought through campaigns in Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany. Although still under twenty-one years old on V-E Day, he was credited with having killed, captured, or wounded 240 Germans. He emerged from the war as America's most decorated soldier, having received twenty-one medals, including our highest military decoration, the Congressional Medal of Honor. To Hell and Back is a powerfully real portrayal of American GI's at war.
Originally published in 1949, To Hell and Back was a smash bestseller for fourteen weeks and later became a major motion picture starring Audie Murphy as himself. More than fifty years later, this classic wartime memoir is just as gripping as it was then.
Desperate to see action but rejected by both the marines and paratroopers because he was too short, Murphy eventually found a home with the infantry. He fought through campaigns in Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany. Although still under twenty-one years old on V-E Day, he was credited with having killed, captured, or wounded 240 Germans. He emerged from the war as America's most decorated soldier, having received twenty-one medals, including our highest military decoration, the Congressional Medal of Honor. To Hell and Back is a powerfully real portrayal of American GI's at war.
274 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1949
523 people are currently reading
6932 people want to read
About the author
Audie Murphy
5books39followersAmerican soldier Audie Leon Murphy, the most decorated combat veteran of World War II, in later years acted in popular movies and westerns.
Audie Murphy lived in a large sharecropper family as the seventh of twelve children. His father abandoned the family, and as a teenager, his mother died. Murphy dropped out school in fifth grade to pick cotton and to find other work to help to support his family, and his necessary skill with a hunting rifle fed them. His older sister helped him to falsify documentation about his birth date to meet the minimum-age requirement for enlisting in the military.
Murphy attempted to join the Marines and Navy first, but his small size duly caused them to turn him away. Audie Murphy lied about his age to enlist in the Army of the United States at 16 years of age on 30 June 1942. He stood 5'5" tall and weighted 110 pounds.
The 3rd infantry division fought nine campaigns that the military career of Audie Murphy covered: Tunisia, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, southern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland and central Europe. He earned every available award, including the Medal of Honor at the Colmar pocket on 26 January 1945, of Army of United States for valor during his period of service before his 20th birthday.
France and Belgium well recognized him for his service.
After the war, Murphy went to a successful career as writer of country songs. He played in version of his autobiography "To Hell and Back," a bestseller.
Murphy also wrote poetry.
People bestowed civilian honors, including a star on the walk of fame of Hollywood, during his lifetime and posthumously.
A plane crash in 1971 killed Audie Murphy in Virginia. People interred his body with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. People most visit his grave of the sites in the cemetery.
In 2013, his home state supplied him with the Texas legislative Medal of Honor.
Audie Murphy's Awards:
Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross
Silver Star with First Oak Leaf Cluster
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star with "V" Device and First Oak Leaf Cluster
Purple Heart with Second Oak Leaf Cluster
U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal
Good Conduct Medal
Distinguished Unit Emblem with First Oak Leaf Cluster
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and southern France)
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation with German Clasp
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Good Conduct Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge
Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar
Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar
French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre
French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier
French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star
French Croix de Guerre with Palm
Medal of Liberated France
Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm
Audie Murphy lived in a large sharecropper family as the seventh of twelve children. His father abandoned the family, and as a teenager, his mother died. Murphy dropped out school in fifth grade to pick cotton and to find other work to help to support his family, and his necessary skill with a hunting rifle fed them. His older sister helped him to falsify documentation about his birth date to meet the minimum-age requirement for enlisting in the military.
Murphy attempted to join the Marines and Navy first, but his small size duly caused them to turn him away. Audie Murphy lied about his age to enlist in the Army of the United States at 16 years of age on 30 June 1942. He stood 5'5" tall and weighted 110 pounds.
The 3rd infantry division fought nine campaigns that the military career of Audie Murphy covered: Tunisia, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, southern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland and central Europe. He earned every available award, including the Medal of Honor at the Colmar pocket on 26 January 1945, of Army of United States for valor during his period of service before his 20th birthday.
France and Belgium well recognized him for his service.
After the war, Murphy went to a successful career as writer of country songs. He played in version of his autobiography "To Hell and Back," a bestseller.
Murphy also wrote poetry.
People bestowed civilian honors, including a star on the walk of fame of Hollywood, during his lifetime and posthumously.
A plane crash in 1971 killed Audie Murphy in Virginia. People interred his body with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. People most visit his grave of the sites in the cemetery.
In 2013, his home state supplied him with the Texas legislative Medal of Honor.
Audie Murphy's Awards:
Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross
Silver Star with First Oak Leaf Cluster
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star with "V" Device and First Oak Leaf Cluster
Purple Heart with Second Oak Leaf Cluster
U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal
Good Conduct Medal
Distinguished Unit Emblem with First Oak Leaf Cluster
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and southern France)
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation with German Clasp
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Good Conduct Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge
Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar
Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar
French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre
French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier
French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star
French Croix de Guerre with Palm
Medal of Liberated France
Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 413 reviews
June 2, 2019
Ah, i had a crush on Audie Murphy when i was a kid so i read and enjoyed this book back when it first came out.
My crush was short lived as were all my crushes on movie stars, western singers, and boys at school. To this day i still like the looks of a man in a cowboy hat, jeans, and cowboy boots, but i could never live the life unless our ranch was an animal sanctuary.
p.S. I just looked. It was published in 1949 but i rezd it in the 50s. Saw the movie in 1955 first.
List of Crushes as They Come to Mind
1. Clint Eastwood of Rawhide. Saw him in person when he was filming near my home town, Paso Robles, CA. Handsome. Last time I saw him he had an empty chair in his hands, and I was disgusted with him.
2. Clint Walker, Cheyenne. He had a TV western. Good looking guy that aged in a really sad way.
3. Will Hutchins, Sugarfoot TV western. Such a cute guy who came into a saloon and ordered sarsaparilla with a squirt of cherry juice. Shirley Temple’s are one thing, but this drink is a NO for me.
4. James Arnez, Gunsmoke. I loved this show and him.
5. Audie Murphy. I must have seen him in a movie and liked him. It must have been a cowboy movie.
6. Johnny Cash. I loved his music. Saw him in person at the Grand Ole Opry, where I also got to meet him, the Carter Sisters, Granpa Jones, and Loretta Lynn. Cash was giving women hugs, and so I backed off. At that age, 16, I thought only dirty old men hugged other women other than their own. End of crush.
7. Gary Cooper. High Noon, and some other stupid movie, oh, Duel in the Sun. I cried when he died, and then I saw the movie in Berkeley when I was going to college, and we, the audience, all laughed. So corny.
8. Robert Wagner. I must have liked one of his movies, but this was a very short crush. Maybe he made a western.
And that was about it. I thought there were many more, but I can’t find any.
My crush was short lived as were all my crushes on movie stars, western singers, and boys at school. To this day i still like the looks of a man in a cowboy hat, jeans, and cowboy boots, but i could never live the life unless our ranch was an animal sanctuary.
p.S. I just looked. It was published in 1949 but i rezd it in the 50s. Saw the movie in 1955 first.
List of Crushes as They Come to Mind
1. Clint Eastwood of Rawhide. Saw him in person when he was filming near my home town, Paso Robles, CA. Handsome. Last time I saw him he had an empty chair in his hands, and I was disgusted with him.
2. Clint Walker, Cheyenne. He had a TV western. Good looking guy that aged in a really sad way.
3. Will Hutchins, Sugarfoot TV western. Such a cute guy who came into a saloon and ordered sarsaparilla with a squirt of cherry juice. Shirley Temple’s are one thing, but this drink is a NO for me.
4. James Arnez, Gunsmoke. I loved this show and him.
5. Audie Murphy. I must have seen him in a movie and liked him. It must have been a cowboy movie.
6. Johnny Cash. I loved his music. Saw him in person at the Grand Ole Opry, where I also got to meet him, the Carter Sisters, Granpa Jones, and Loretta Lynn. Cash was giving women hugs, and so I backed off. At that age, 16, I thought only dirty old men hugged other women other than their own. End of crush.
7. Gary Cooper. High Noon, and some other stupid movie, oh, Duel in the Sun. I cried when he died, and then I saw the movie in Berkeley when I was going to college, and we, the audience, all laughed. So corny.
8. Robert Wagner. I must have liked one of his movies, but this was a very short crush. Maybe he made a western.
And that was about it. I thought there were many more, but I can’t find any.
October 28, 2015
I have a good friend in the Washington, D.C. area who visits Audie Murphy’s grave every time she goes to Arlington, so this book has been on my to-read list for a while.
I enjoy memoirs that can bring out several extreme emotions, and this one, written by America’s most decorated WWII combat vet, makes the list. Gritty description, witty banter, heart-rending tragedy. I laughed with the men and the way they teased each other, and I might have cried when
It’s amazing Murphy survived the war, but surviving was hard on him when so many of his friends were killed or wounded. After the war, Murphy was haunted by his memories, and it’s easy to understand why.
It was interesting to watch Murphy change from a smart-alec grunt to an experienced, somewhat isolated jr. officer. Here’s a quote from the fighting in the Colmar pocket, when he sent his men back in the face of an overwhelming German advance, but stayed forward himself to direct artillery fire and found a working machine gun on a tank destroyer:
If you’re looking for a big-picture book on the campaigns in Sicily, Italy, and Southern France, this isn’t it. But if you’re wondering what life was like for the men in the foxholes, this is one to add to your to-read list.
Two notes on language:
1) If English isn’t your first language, be aware that much of the dialog involves uneducated lingo, which might make it hard to understand.
2) Typical for troops, lots of swearing, though it was originally published in 1949, so the strongest curses are absent.
I enjoy memoirs that can bring out several extreme emotions, and this one, written by America’s most decorated WWII combat vet, makes the list. Gritty description, witty banter, heart-rending tragedy. I laughed with the men and the way they teased each other, and I might have cried when
It’s amazing Murphy survived the war, but surviving was hard on him when so many of his friends were killed or wounded. After the war, Murphy was haunted by his memories, and it’s easy to understand why.
It was interesting to watch Murphy change from a smart-alec grunt to an experienced, somewhat isolated jr. officer. Here’s a quote from the fighting in the Colmar pocket, when he sent his men back in the face of an overwhelming German advance, but stayed forward himself to direct artillery fire and found a working machine gun on a tank destroyer:
If you’re looking for a big-picture book on the campaigns in Sicily, Italy, and Southern France, this isn’t it. But if you’re wondering what life was like for the men in the foxholes, this is one to add to your to-read list.
Two notes on language:
1) If English isn’t your first language, be aware that much of the dialog involves uneducated lingo, which might make it hard to understand.
2) Typical for troops, lots of swearing, though it was originally published in 1949, so the strongest curses are absent.
July 24, 2009
Update: I read this memoir several years ago and am now about 50% through . Comparisons will be inevitable, I suppose, especially since Winters started as an officer. Both are interesting, but I think Murphy's the more introspective.
It was interesting to read this account of Audie Murphy's travails in World War II (Murphy was one of the most highly decorated soldiers of that war) having read Ambrose's hagiographic Band of Brothers.
Murphy received every major medal, some more than once, that the army has to offer. He joined the army at age 17 to support six siblings after his mother died (his father had left the family earlier), and he doesn't talk about how the war haunted the rest of his life. He portrays a brutal, harsh struggle to survive, where the only thing that matters is keeping oneself and one's friends alive. There are moments of great poignancy, others of humor. Once, hungry, dirty and wet, mired in their foxholes, they notice they are under a tree with ripe cherries. Not daring to stick a head up, let alone climb out of the foxhole, Murphy's buddy gets the idea of shooting down the branches with his machine gun, and soon they are delighted to have cherry branches falling on them, making the day just a little brighter.
Not once does Murphy mention his numerous awards, Clearly, Murphy believed that luck played as much a part in his survival as anything he did. He was however, the kind of person who tried to control his destiny, doing what was necessary and taking the initiative in order to get through the day. A little piece of Murphy died every time a friend was killed, and soon almost all of his friends were gone. He was delighted if they received a wound that would return them to the rear, away from battle. He sympathized and worried for the lieutenant who had been badly injured and returned voluntarily to the front only to lose his nerve under the intense shelling. It must have been horribly traumatic to develop such close bonds and to have them ripped apart.
At the risk of sounding a little chauvinistic, I quote from the last lines of his book:
" When I was a child, I was told that men were branded by war. Has the brand been put on me? Have the years of blood and ruin stripped me of all decency? Of all belief? Not of all belief. I believe in the force of a hand grenade, the power of artillery, the accuracy of a Garand. I believe in hitting before you get hit, and that dead men do not look noble.
"But I also believe in men like Brandon and Novak and Swope and Kerrigan; and all the men who stood up against the enemy, taking their beatings without whimper and their triumphs without boasting. The men who went and would go again to hell and back to preserve what our country thinks right and decent.
"My country. America! That is it. We have been so intent on death that we have forgotten life. And now suddenly life faces us. I swear to myself that I will measure up to it. I may be branded by war, but I will not be defeated by it. "Gradually it becomes clear. I will go back. I will find the kind of girl of whom I once dreamed. I will learn to look at life through uncynical eyes, to have faith, to know love. I will learn to work in peace as in war. And finally - finally, like countless others, I will learn to live again."
It was interesting to read this account of Audie Murphy's travails in World War II (Murphy was one of the most highly decorated soldiers of that war) having read Ambrose's hagiographic Band of Brothers.
Murphy received every major medal, some more than once, that the army has to offer. He joined the army at age 17 to support six siblings after his mother died (his father had left the family earlier), and he doesn't talk about how the war haunted the rest of his life. He portrays a brutal, harsh struggle to survive, where the only thing that matters is keeping oneself and one's friends alive. There are moments of great poignancy, others of humor. Once, hungry, dirty and wet, mired in their foxholes, they notice they are under a tree with ripe cherries. Not daring to stick a head up, let alone climb out of the foxhole, Murphy's buddy gets the idea of shooting down the branches with his machine gun, and soon they are delighted to have cherry branches falling on them, making the day just a little brighter.
Not once does Murphy mention his numerous awards, Clearly, Murphy believed that luck played as much a part in his survival as anything he did. He was however, the kind of person who tried to control his destiny, doing what was necessary and taking the initiative in order to get through the day. A little piece of Murphy died every time a friend was killed, and soon almost all of his friends were gone. He was delighted if they received a wound that would return them to the rear, away from battle. He sympathized and worried for the lieutenant who had been badly injured and returned voluntarily to the front only to lose his nerve under the intense shelling. It must have been horribly traumatic to develop such close bonds and to have them ripped apart.
At the risk of sounding a little chauvinistic, I quote from the last lines of his book:
" When I was a child, I was told that men were branded by war. Has the brand been put on me? Have the years of blood and ruin stripped me of all decency? Of all belief? Not of all belief. I believe in the force of a hand grenade, the power of artillery, the accuracy of a Garand. I believe in hitting before you get hit, and that dead men do not look noble.
"But I also believe in men like Brandon and Novak and Swope and Kerrigan; and all the men who stood up against the enemy, taking their beatings without whimper and their triumphs without boasting. The men who went and would go again to hell and back to preserve what our country thinks right and decent.
"My country. America! That is it. We have been so intent on death that we have forgotten life. And now suddenly life faces us. I swear to myself that I will measure up to it. I may be branded by war, but I will not be defeated by it. "Gradually it becomes clear. I will go back. I will find the kind of girl of whom I once dreamed. I will learn to look at life through uncynical eyes, to have faith, to know love. I will learn to work in peace as in war. And finally - finally, like countless others, I will learn to live again."
December 21, 2017
Jedan od najboljih vojničkih memoara koje sam ikad pročitao. Audie Murphy je najodlikovaniji američki vojnik drugog svjetskog rata. uz 27 američkih odlikovanja (uključujući i kongresnu medalju časti) dobio je i 5 odlikovanja europskih zemalja (uključujući i legiju časti). iz njegovih se ratnih uspomena to uopće ne bi dalo zaključiti. nit jedno odlikovanje nije spomenuo. unapređenje u časnika opisuje kao maltene slučajan događaj.
priču priča na malo. radi seisključivo o odnosima među vojnicima, osjećaju gubitka zbog palih suboraca, vojničkom dobacivanju, cinizmu, umoru ratom. jedan od memoara 'na malo', gdje se ne spominju velike bitke i kampanje, nego doživljaj rata sa samog dna. a rat je prljav. petica.
priču priča na malo. radi seisključivo o odnosima među vojnicima, osjećaju gubitka zbog palih suboraca, vojničkom dobacivanju, cinizmu, umoru ratom. jedan od memoara 'na malo', gdje se ne spominju velike bitke i kampanje, nego doživljaj rata sa samog dna. a rat je prljav. petica.
December 16, 2022
"Daylight reveals that the tree above us is filled with ripe cherries. We are thinking of risking our lives for the fruit when Brandon gets a bright idea. He lies on his back and with bursts from his tommy gun clips off branches of the tree. They fall onto our hole; and we eat."
I was immediately taken back by the humanity of Murphy's experience. The gallows humor and camaraderie seem at odds with the saturation of blood and violence. It is this element, the banter between brothers, that gives To Hell and Back its broad appeal. You don't have to be a WWII historian to latch on to Audie's story. Even after 70 years his courage is still remarkable and his story is still inspiring.
I was immediately taken back by the humanity of Murphy's experience. The gallows humor and camaraderie seem at odds with the saturation of blood and violence. It is this element, the banter between brothers, that gives To Hell and Back its broad appeal. You don't have to be a WWII historian to latch on to Audie's story. Even after 70 years his courage is still remarkable and his story is still inspiring.
December 7, 2017
About 5 pages in "To Hell and Back" I thought the banter between GIs was witty, though a little too planned for a 5th grade drop out like Audie Murphy, not that I'd begrudge him a little editing assistance. Twenty pages in, his squad looked like the prototypical GI movie, something like Sam Fuller's 'A Walk in the Sun', there was an Irishman, a guy from Brooklyn, the American Indian, Texan(Audie) and so forth.
As it was published in 1949, I thought it could well be the bible for all the post war films, but curious, I did some research and it turns out Audie remembered his experiences to a David McClure, a
friend and screenwriter. So that explained why the whole book reads like a script. The banter humorous, if a bit corny at times as it has aged over the years.
There's no mistaking the action is packed and the story makes you feel like you are ducking bullets in the lines with the squad. Things get tense when you realize blessed Audie is going to make it and you're probably not, in one piece anyway, but at least you're not one of the Germans.
Murphy preaches impersonal, unemotional, unhesitating killing, otherwise that one pause may lead you down the wrong path one day, and he is good at it. At times dispatching Germans so brusquely
that it's somewhat disturbing.
Audie Murphy was one of those personae that you felt like you always knew who he was. Perhaps that's more for those of the American baby-boomer era. My father would always watch the old
Westerns in which Murphy acted and he'd always point out, that's the most decorated GI. And I remember as a kid watching the movie 'To Hell and Back' in which the reluctant Murphy was talked into playing himself. Then there was High School English class where we watched Stephen Crane's 'The Red Badge of Courage', so appropriately starring Audie Murphy.
If you live in Texas, chances are you know someone who knows someone who heard someone else tell them a story about Audie, and it just might be true. If you visit the Capitol building in Austin, it is true that you can see Audie's portrait hanging there.
Despite what almost became his full name 'America's most decorated soldier', there is no mention of the medals in his book, no boasting, just a tell it like it was tale, and I wished I'd read it sooner.
As it was published in 1949, I thought it could well be the bible for all the post war films, but curious, I did some research and it turns out Audie remembered his experiences to a David McClure, a
friend and screenwriter. So that explained why the whole book reads like a script. The banter humorous, if a bit corny at times as it has aged over the years.
There's no mistaking the action is packed and the story makes you feel like you are ducking bullets in the lines with the squad. Things get tense when you realize blessed Audie is going to make it and you're probably not, in one piece anyway, but at least you're not one of the Germans.
Murphy preaches impersonal, unemotional, unhesitating killing, otherwise that one pause may lead you down the wrong path one day, and he is good at it. At times dispatching Germans so brusquely
that it's somewhat disturbing.
Audie Murphy was one of those personae that you felt like you always knew who he was. Perhaps that's more for those of the American baby-boomer era. My father would always watch the old
Westerns in which Murphy acted and he'd always point out, that's the most decorated GI. And I remember as a kid watching the movie 'To Hell and Back' in which the reluctant Murphy was talked into playing himself. Then there was High School English class where we watched Stephen Crane's 'The Red Badge of Courage', so appropriately starring Audie Murphy.
If you live in Texas, chances are you know someone who knows someone who heard someone else tell them a story about Audie, and it just might be true. If you visit the Capitol building in Austin, it is true that you can see Audie's portrait hanging there.
Despite what almost became his full name 'America's most decorated soldier', there is no mention of the medals in his book, no boasting, just a tell it like it was tale, and I wished I'd read it sooner.
August 15, 2009
Spoiler alert....
Audey Murphy was always a brave soldier. He began with weigh-the-odds courage, but ended up acting like what can best be described as a 'beserker'.
He was first in action after Salerno, and was a gallant soldier. During the Italian campaign a lot of friends and comrades were killed, the Anzio beachhead being the worst place. He even fell in love with a nurse at Anzio who was blown to bits by Anzio Annie.
By the time of the Allied invasion of Southern France, he had begun to 'lose it'. He was convinced he was going to die, and was filled with hate and rage for the Germans.
Of his two most fabulous exploits; in the first, his last remaining buddy from Italy was killed right next to him by a German machine gun. Murphy then became enraged, ran up a hill, directly at the machine gun position - the Germans presumably too surprised to react. He killed the crew of the weapon, then made his way along the German position, killing the Germans with their own HMG.
He basically wiped out a platoon or so of dug-in Germans, which is a pretty impressive feat.
But the next one went beyond even that. His unit was attacked by a larger German force - I think it was a regiment. Outnumbered, they retreated, but Murphy stayed behind, took up position in a burning tank (tank destroyer actually), alternating between calling in artillery strikes using the vehicle's radio, and using its machine gun to fire on the Germans.
The Germans couldn't work out where the firing was coming from, because they never imagined someone could be inside a burning tank that could blow sky high at any moment!
This action ended up with him calling in artillery fire right on top his own position! So he clearly had a death wish. The Germans were forced to retreat; this is the one he won the Congressional Medal of Honour for.
All of this from an 18-19 year old kid!
He suffered terrible shell shock and psychological trauma after the war. The book he co-wrote is very honest; there's no glorification or melodrama, and he describes his mental state very frankly. It's a real glimpse into what it means to experience battle; and a fascinating study of the state of mind we the guys we call heroes.
Audey Murphy was always a brave soldier. He began with weigh-the-odds courage, but ended up acting like what can best be described as a 'beserker'.
He was first in action after Salerno, and was a gallant soldier. During the Italian campaign a lot of friends and comrades were killed, the Anzio beachhead being the worst place. He even fell in love with a nurse at Anzio who was blown to bits by Anzio Annie.
By the time of the Allied invasion of Southern France, he had begun to 'lose it'. He was convinced he was going to die, and was filled with hate and rage for the Germans.
Of his two most fabulous exploits; in the first, his last remaining buddy from Italy was killed right next to him by a German machine gun. Murphy then became enraged, ran up a hill, directly at the machine gun position - the Germans presumably too surprised to react. He killed the crew of the weapon, then made his way along the German position, killing the Germans with their own HMG.
He basically wiped out a platoon or so of dug-in Germans, which is a pretty impressive feat.
But the next one went beyond even that. His unit was attacked by a larger German force - I think it was a regiment. Outnumbered, they retreated, but Murphy stayed behind, took up position in a burning tank (tank destroyer actually), alternating between calling in artillery strikes using the vehicle's radio, and using its machine gun to fire on the Germans.
The Germans couldn't work out where the firing was coming from, because they never imagined someone could be inside a burning tank that could blow sky high at any moment!
This action ended up with him calling in artillery fire right on top his own position! So he clearly had a death wish. The Germans were forced to retreat; this is the one he won the Congressional Medal of Honour for.
All of this from an 18-19 year old kid!
He suffered terrible shell shock and psychological trauma after the war. The book he co-wrote is very honest; there's no glorification or melodrama, and he describes his mental state very frankly. It's a real glimpse into what it means to experience battle; and a fascinating study of the state of mind we the guys we call heroes.
October 8, 2024
This was a great first-hand account of WWII combat by Audie Murphy. His story is amazing. Murphy was in so many actions where he took incredible risks to protect and save his men. The book paints some very interesting characters, giving the reader some key background on Murphy's soldiers. This helps you connect to them until many are killed or wounded in combat as the book goes on.
This book immediately jumps into the action with the invasion of Sicily. Murphy doesn't name many towns or give us dates, so we never know where he is at any given point. At major points, we do get some names of places that give us the progress of the Army up the Italian boot. Namely the action around Anzio and when they enter into France and later into Germany.
Murphy comes off as a very humble but capable soldier who does not embellish or brag about his actions. He tells the action as he saw it without glorifying himself.
This book immediately jumps into the action with the invasion of Sicily. Murphy doesn't name many towns or give us dates, so we never know where he is at any given point. At major points, we do get some names of places that give us the progress of the Army up the Italian boot. Namely the action around Anzio and when they enter into France and later into Germany.
Murphy comes off as a very humble but capable soldier who does not embellish or brag about his actions. He tells the action as he saw it without glorifying himself.
July 13, 2022
For someone who visits the Arlington National Cemetery every year for 'Wreaths across America', I am quite surprised to find out that Audie Murphy is buried there. Then again, it is a pretty big cemetery. Maybe this year I will try to find where he rests before going home. Other than that, this was pretty eye opening for someone who knew next to nothing about Audie Murphy.
July 21, 2021
I finally got around to reading Audie Murphy's memoirs of his time in WWII. The movie version was a favorite of my dad. It's been a while since I've seen it, but from what I do recall, the book and movie are very similar. Lots of action and jokes. Murphy, I believe, was the war's most decorated soldier. He was one valiant s.o.b. But it's the humor of the men he fought with that is the focus of much his book. War is hell. He did what he had to do. He and his men tried to get through it all by lightening the mood whenever they could. From start to finish, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read by and about a humble but remarkable man.
August 10, 2008
The thing that most set this war story apart from others that I've read is that Murphy neither glorifies nor vindicates the war throughout his memoirs. The pages trudge on like a road march and seep through with exhaustion and pain (peppered with camaraderie) that's grimly accepted until it's over.
In the Army, we're force-fed the name "Audie Murphy" until we're about sick of it. I was glad to find out that he wasn't a bombastic, self-aggrandizing bastard, to be honest. He was just a normal joe in extraordinary circumstances.
In the Army, we're force-fed the name "Audie Murphy" until we're about sick of it. I was glad to find out that he wasn't a bombastic, self-aggrandizing bastard, to be honest. He was just a normal joe in extraordinary circumstances.
August 3, 2016
My completely random thoughts on To Hell and Back by Audie Murphy.
I have a borderline obsessive fascination with Nazis and Hitler. That being said - and I'll get to why here in a second - don't start throwing stones at me, it isn't because I think it's right or think it's even moderately tolerable, it's because how, how is it possible to hate anything that much? How is the human mind capable of such blind hatred that genocide could even be considered?! This I don't understand and because I can't understand it I find it fascinating.
This hatred is not exclusive to Hitler, of course, there are pockets of it to be found even today. It's in the eyes of the old man sitting in the booth next to Chris and I in a restaurant. An old man that neither I, nor Chris, know but still it's there... and I can't help but wonder if it's because Chris is half Chinese and I'm Caucasian. And then I get mad at myself and say, no no that can't be it and think maybe he's lonely and jealous of our companionship or youth or anything else. I delude myself with these unlikely scenarios because I can't understand racism, it makes no sense to me! However, even today it exists and I know in my heart it's in that man's eyes.
Murphy's memoir is NOT about Nazism or racism or genocide, it's about the war that came about in Hitler's rein. World War II, I trust you've heard of it?! Yeah, good. Moreover, it's about the army and the toll it took, and still takes, on an entire generation.
War is another one of those fascinating things for me, again, because I don't understand it. Violence is such a poor solution to any problem but yet, how can you reason with hatred?!? Despite the fact that I believe this:
I understand enough to know that there was little option at the time because the truth is, you can't reason with hatred.
This is Murphy's memoir of his time spent at war and it's jarring and detailed in it's depiction of the horror that is war. And yet, he paints an image of truth where the soldiers at his sides become men rather than numbers and for that reason alone this is an important work. Too often we see the numbers and not the dreams and passions behind each of them. How can anything be won at the price of ours, or anyone else's, sons lives and dreams?! They call Murphy's the lost generation and the more I read this memoir the more I understood that, it's easy to say that the soldiers that came back were changed but it's hard to comprehend the level of damage that war did even to those who "survived" it.
I felt that in the way the men talked about war or metals:
I'd like to be decorated with a discharge.
or
"I've known horses all my life," he says; "and there's not one dirty mean thing about them. They're too decent to blast each other's guts out like we are doing. Makes you ashamed to belong to the human race."
Now I'll take a moment to tell you that there is also a lot of camaraderie and male bonding and funny little antidotes in here as well, after all these were real men's lives. And like an old flame told me "the most common subject of topic the night before a mission is whose bed your wife or girlfriend will be warming that night" a depressing but fair fact, the way Murphy paints his fellow soldiers.
So I finished this book yesterday and I'm on the bus and I couldn't help but overhear a kid, he couldn't have been older than Murphy's 18 when he enlisted, talking about mixing cocaine with sugar and selling it to some girl for a blowjob.... and I'm seething, and all I can think is this:
This is how - any name of a dead or veteran suffices here - helped buy the freedom we cherish and abuse.
I have a borderline obsessive fascination with Nazis and Hitler. That being said - and I'll get to why here in a second - don't start throwing stones at me, it isn't because I think it's right or think it's even moderately tolerable, it's because how, how is it possible to hate anything that much? How is the human mind capable of such blind hatred that genocide could even be considered?! This I don't understand and because I can't understand it I find it fascinating.
This hatred is not exclusive to Hitler, of course, there are pockets of it to be found even today. It's in the eyes of the old man sitting in the booth next to Chris and I in a restaurant. An old man that neither I, nor Chris, know but still it's there... and I can't help but wonder if it's because Chris is half Chinese and I'm Caucasian. And then I get mad at myself and say, no no that can't be it and think maybe he's lonely and jealous of our companionship or youth or anything else. I delude myself with these unlikely scenarios because I can't understand racism, it makes no sense to me! However, even today it exists and I know in my heart it's in that man's eyes.
Murphy's memoir is NOT about Nazism or racism or genocide, it's about the war that came about in Hitler's rein. World War II, I trust you've heard of it?! Yeah, good. Moreover, it's about the army and the toll it took, and still takes, on an entire generation.
War is another one of those fascinating things for me, again, because I don't understand it. Violence is such a poor solution to any problem but yet, how can you reason with hatred?!? Despite the fact that I believe this:
I understand enough to know that there was little option at the time because the truth is, you can't reason with hatred.
This is Murphy's memoir of his time spent at war and it's jarring and detailed in it's depiction of the horror that is war. And yet, he paints an image of truth where the soldiers at his sides become men rather than numbers and for that reason alone this is an important work. Too often we see the numbers and not the dreams and passions behind each of them. How can anything be won at the price of ours, or anyone else's, sons lives and dreams?! They call Murphy's the lost generation and the more I read this memoir the more I understood that, it's easy to say that the soldiers that came back were changed but it's hard to comprehend the level of damage that war did even to those who "survived" it.
I felt that in the way the men talked about war or metals:
I'd like to be decorated with a discharge.
or
"I've known horses all my life," he says; "and there's not one dirty mean thing about them. They're too decent to blast each other's guts out like we are doing. Makes you ashamed to belong to the human race."
Now I'll take a moment to tell you that there is also a lot of camaraderie and male bonding and funny little antidotes in here as well, after all these were real men's lives. And like an old flame told me "the most common subject of topic the night before a mission is whose bed your wife or girlfriend will be warming that night" a depressing but fair fact, the way Murphy paints his fellow soldiers.
So I finished this book yesterday and I'm on the bus and I couldn't help but overhear a kid, he couldn't have been older than Murphy's 18 when he enlisted, talking about mixing cocaine with sugar and selling it to some girl for a blowjob.... and I'm seething, and all I can think is this:
This is how - any name of a dead or veteran suffices here - helped buy the freedom we cherish and abuse.
May 14, 2009
I've read and re-read this book many times. For several years I worked with a fellow who had been a scout in Murphy's platoon (Irv Tischler) and who was present when Murphy intiated the action that led to his Medal of Honor. Anyone with any sense, Tischler said, got up and ran in the opposite direction. Murphy was convinced that nothing would ever happen to him, and he was almost right. A number of times he was the sole survivor (or sole officer survivor) of incidents that killed everyone else.
September 28, 2014
Being the author and actor of the same title is great. It concentrates on the Platoon's growing mature, descriptions of battles and soldiers surviving injuries. Audie Murphy rises from private to lieutenant dealing with "brother" loses (Brandon, Errigan, Novak, Swope and more).
December 29, 2016
Inspirational! This book is what made me start reading WW2 history and military books.
November 29, 2019
This is an incredible tale of war. It follows Audie Murphy’s time in the World War II as the most decorated American soldier. Though he began his time in Africa, the story doesn’t begin until his battalion storms the beaches of Sicily. I was four f-ed out of serving during Vietnam, so I have no experience to compare with. I have read many books about warfare from the Mexican War, to the Civil War, to the Worlds to the Spanish revolution, etc. None of them gave the realistic sense of war like this one.
Murphy drug me through the boredom of waiting, the anticipation of eminent battle, the blood and guts of battle, the exhaustive aftermath. He had several bouts of malaria and was wounded, so he spent time in Army field hospitals getting the best of minimal care and flirting with nurses. His descriptions of getting caught in ambushes and seeing his friends blown to pieces � and his characterizations were so convincing that it was like seeing my friends blown to pieces. At times I had to stop reading to release the laughter when Horse Face would launch into to his ridiculously funny stories that often began with, “I met this girl � …� He vividly describes his reactions with citizens of the countries the army was freeing, often as their hero, but sometimes as the enemy.
After the war, Murphy was an accomplished actor, song writer, and poet. The writing style is one of the best I have read, but I don’t know if that came from David McClure who collaborated with him on the book or Murphy himself. In any case, I give this one a high five stars.
Started: 2019.10.28 � finished: 2019.11.08
Murphy drug me through the boredom of waiting, the anticipation of eminent battle, the blood and guts of battle, the exhaustive aftermath. He had several bouts of malaria and was wounded, so he spent time in Army field hospitals getting the best of minimal care and flirting with nurses. His descriptions of getting caught in ambushes and seeing his friends blown to pieces � and his characterizations were so convincing that it was like seeing my friends blown to pieces. At times I had to stop reading to release the laughter when Horse Face would launch into to his ridiculously funny stories that often began with, “I met this girl � …� He vividly describes his reactions with citizens of the countries the army was freeing, often as their hero, but sometimes as the enemy.
After the war, Murphy was an accomplished actor, song writer, and poet. The writing style is one of the best I have read, but I don’t know if that came from David McClure who collaborated with him on the book or Murphy himself. In any case, I give this one a high five stars.
Started: 2019.10.28 � finished: 2019.11.08
December 2, 2017
I'll have to go back and reduce a star for some other war memoirs, because this one is on another level. That's how good it is. Actually, it's right there with Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer, almost a twin book. One man surviving against all odds on Allied side, the other fighting for Germans. This one has its own specialty though: Insane amounts of humor interspersed with tragedies of war. There's so much wisecracking lines documented from soldiers, one comes to think war is one hell of a catalyst for stand up comedians. I found myself laughing out loud several times. If those dialogues (and monologues) really happened, the humor must be kind of a defense mechanism that enables the mind to hold on to the last traces of sanity. Otherwise, it's damn easy to go down the road to what the soldiers in this book ironically call "battlefield happy" state.
This is great book. Read it.
EDIT: Holly shit! Thinking about how good of a movie script the whole book would be, I just found there's indeed a movie of the same title, with Murphy in the role of himself, from 1955.! And it has good rating on IMDB, and I'm going to watch it in a few minutes. Can this day get any better?
This is great book. Read it.
EDIT: Holly shit! Thinking about how good of a movie script the whole book would be, I just found there's indeed a movie of the same title, with Murphy in the role of himself, from 1955.! And it has good rating on IMDB, and I'm going to watch it in a few minutes. Can this day get any better?
December 13, 2019
There is little pomp here. Murphy doesn’t talk about the decorations that made him famous. He’s just a simple Texas kid good with a carbine. War is hell. His job is war. No time to complain about it. Get a few hours sleep and kill some more Germans. He has no expectation of surviving this conflict and therefore it’s easier to do the job well. Stick your head out of that machine gun nest and you’ll lose that head. Walk down that road too far and you won’t be coming back. Rome probably is beautiful but who has time to notice when you are trying to catch up on your drinking. Pretty girls he’ll never see again. Army bureaucracy. Green replacement soldiers that will surely be killed. Malaria and bullet holes slow Audie Murphy down but they never stop him. This won’t remind you of any other book you are going to read about a 19 year-old. It does a good job though of explaining why my grandfather wouldn’t talk about his Purple Heart and other experiences during that war.
July 23, 2008
Growing up I remember watching Audie Murphy Westerns with my Dad and had no idea of his life before becoming a movie star. That changed when as a teenager I watched "To Hell and Back" and found out that this was his own story! He was the most decorated soldier of WW2. It had been on my wish list ever since.
I recently read this book and it was interesting to read of the war from his perspective. When all of his friends, one by one, are killed you can see why soldiers retreat and isolate themselves from making new friends.
In those days there was no diagnosis of PTS Syndrome, they called it shell shock. Sadly he was killed in a plane crash while only in his 40's.
I recently read this book and it was interesting to read of the war from his perspective. When all of his friends, one by one, are killed you can see why soldiers retreat and isolate themselves from making new friends.
In those days there was no diagnosis of PTS Syndrome, they called it shell shock. Sadly he was killed in a plane crash while only in his 40's.
January 23, 2008
I loved this book. Sometimes I would stop enjoying it as a well written story and remember that this was an auto-biography. When one of the guys killed his good friend by accident it was heart wrenching. The way that these men are so close, honest, and crude when death is always at hand, is a side of life we rarely live. Audie is witty and the characters are incredibly colorful and real. "I have seen war as it actually is, and I do not like it."
June 22, 2009
I learned of this guy while looking for summer activities for AJ and came across the Cotton Museum/Audie Murphy Museum. I looked him up and was intruigued. He was the most decorated soldier of WWII. This is his biography and reads like a war movie. I couldn't put it down. I can't believe people can experience those kinds of things and move on.
January 13, 2008
This is an excellent depiction of what a Soldier and a leader experience in combat, and it comes from the best. If you're going to read any autobiographies or first-hand accounts of war, then read this one.
April 16, 2018
You get a real sense of what it is like to be in the midst of war. Sometimes I felt that it read more like a movie script than a memoir but then it gave the book life.
October 1, 2017
From a historical point of view, this book probably deserves a 5-star. This man is a military hero for doing everything possible to help win the war.
I love American history. But I cannot say that I love this book. It is graphic. It is saturated with foul language. It is down-to-earth and does not mince words.
When I read a book, I hope to develop some sort of connection with the characters---to be able to sympathize with them or cheer them on. I could not do so with this book. It is far beyond my realm of comprehension. I have no idea what it is like to see the brutality of war day in and day out. I have no idea what it is like to watch people die.
So I do apologize for rating this a two-star book, but I honestly can't say that I enjoyed this book and I certainly won't reread it.
I love American history. But I cannot say that I love this book. It is graphic. It is saturated with foul language. It is down-to-earth and does not mince words.
When I read a book, I hope to develop some sort of connection with the characters---to be able to sympathize with them or cheer them on. I could not do so with this book. It is far beyond my realm of comprehension. I have no idea what it is like to see the brutality of war day in and day out. I have no idea what it is like to watch people die.
So I do apologize for rating this a two-star book, but I honestly can't say that I enjoyed this book and I certainly won't reread it.
January 25, 2010
Really different from any other war book I've read. It's all first person, reads more like a series of extended journal entries. There's no backstory, no history, no maps. You're just there, experiencing the war day to day with Audie Murphy. Makes you really appreciate the soldiers that went through this and other wars, and very thankful that I haven't had to.
September 28, 2023
Autobiographical and clear on what War-cost truly are. Brave men-all. Read previously ( 2019) rated did not put remarks on till date listed
July 25, 2023
If you look at the big picture of WW2, major battles, the fall of nations, you can sometimes lose sight of what life was like for the individual soldier. There are probably millions of these firsthand accounts and they’re all fascinating in their own way.
I don’t think I’ve ever read an account of the war that detailed this much firsthand combat experience. Throughout the book Audie Murphy continually puts himself in the most dangerous positions, even disobeying orders at one point to join his unit again on the front lines. He had a fanatical bravery and disregard for personal safety that almost seems to border on suicidal at times. But it does make for some interesting reading.
The picture that he paints is a grim one. An often-frozen hellscape where ordinary men are pushed to, and sometimes beyond, their absolute thresholds for fatigue, sleep deprivation, pain, and fear, and the only way to escape alive is through some crippling injury that removes them from the front lines. It seems that Murphy himself survived partially because of his true aim and quick reflexes, but mostly due to sheer dumb Irish luck. You’ll quickly lose count of how many times he recounts being just inches from death.
When I was in the Army, Audie Murphy was treated as something of a folk hero. A man held in higher regard than famous commanders or generals. My personal views on WW2 have changed pretty dramatically over the years. I don’t consider anyone fighting for the Allies to be a hero. I don’t think that Audie Murphy killing a bunch of Germans on European soil benefited America at all. And I think that if he could see what became of his country in the fallout from that war he wouldn’t even recognize it. But it was never the soldier’s job to worry about politics. It was the soldier’s job to look out for the men to his left and right and to engage and destroy the enemy. He did that job with fierce tenacity and fanatical determination. And as a fellow former warfighter I can’t help but respect it.
I don’t think I’ve ever read an account of the war that detailed this much firsthand combat experience. Throughout the book Audie Murphy continually puts himself in the most dangerous positions, even disobeying orders at one point to join his unit again on the front lines. He had a fanatical bravery and disregard for personal safety that almost seems to border on suicidal at times. But it does make for some interesting reading.
The picture that he paints is a grim one. An often-frozen hellscape where ordinary men are pushed to, and sometimes beyond, their absolute thresholds for fatigue, sleep deprivation, pain, and fear, and the only way to escape alive is through some crippling injury that removes them from the front lines. It seems that Murphy himself survived partially because of his true aim and quick reflexes, but mostly due to sheer dumb Irish luck. You’ll quickly lose count of how many times he recounts being just inches from death.
When I was in the Army, Audie Murphy was treated as something of a folk hero. A man held in higher regard than famous commanders or generals. My personal views on WW2 have changed pretty dramatically over the years. I don’t consider anyone fighting for the Allies to be a hero. I don’t think that Audie Murphy killing a bunch of Germans on European soil benefited America at all. And I think that if he could see what became of his country in the fallout from that war he wouldn’t even recognize it. But it was never the soldier’s job to worry about politics. It was the soldier’s job to look out for the men to his left and right and to engage and destroy the enemy. He did that job with fierce tenacity and fanatical determination. And as a fellow former warfighter I can’t help but respect it.
August 16, 2017
Every so often you find a book that stands above most of the rest you read. I've been trying to go back and read older books that I missed or should have by now in my life, and for the most part great books are great no matter how old they are. But some are simply exceptional, and this is one of those books.
Both hilarious and deeply tragic, fascinating and awful, Audie Murphy's account is very well written and engaging. Its one of those books I read slowly, to savor as opposed to ripped through because they are so fun I can't wait for the next page.
Murphy is incredibly humble and even goes so far as to credit one of his fellow soldiers for a poem he apparently wrote. His accounts of his jaw-dropping heroics come across not as heroics or even jaw-dropping but grim and in the moment, simply someone doing what they had to do often in a moment of madness.
His book is written more as a testimony and honor to the friends and soldiers he served with, to their quiet courage, their raw heroism, and their strength in almost unbelievable adversity. Sometimes it is hard to believe such men could have ever existed, but they were commonplace in the fight against the Axis. Men who did what they had to do, no matter how tired, awful, terrified, or empty they felt. Men who were there and did what was right at all costs.
The interplay between the different characters is simply amazing, often gut busting. Murphy's often unflattering, unflinching portrayal of himself is similarly amazing. I recommend this book to everyone.
Both hilarious and deeply tragic, fascinating and awful, Audie Murphy's account is very well written and engaging. Its one of those books I read slowly, to savor as opposed to ripped through because they are so fun I can't wait for the next page.
Murphy is incredibly humble and even goes so far as to credit one of his fellow soldiers for a poem he apparently wrote. His accounts of his jaw-dropping heroics come across not as heroics or even jaw-dropping but grim and in the moment, simply someone doing what they had to do often in a moment of madness.
His book is written more as a testimony and honor to the friends and soldiers he served with, to their quiet courage, their raw heroism, and their strength in almost unbelievable adversity. Sometimes it is hard to believe such men could have ever existed, but they were commonplace in the fight against the Axis. Men who did what they had to do, no matter how tired, awful, terrified, or empty they felt. Men who were there and did what was right at all costs.
The interplay between the different characters is simply amazing, often gut busting. Murphy's often unflattering, unflinching portrayal of himself is similarly amazing. I recommend this book to everyone.
March 10, 2020
As a child growing up I remember hearing "who do you think you are, Audie Murphy?" and the implied meaning was someone who can do it all, even without knowing who Audie Murphy was. Fast forward a few decades...more decades...more, and I finally read his memoir: To Hell and Back by Audie Murphy, originally published in 1949. I did learn from various sources over the years that he was the most decorated American soldier in World War II. His memoir was an instant hit and was also made into a movie starring, who else, Audie Murphy. He was initially rejected by the marines and paratroopers because of his height but eventually entered the infantry. He saw plenty of action in Italy, France, and Germany and was credited with inflicting casualties on at least 240 Germans by V-E Day, before he was 21. He was awarded 21 medals including the Congressional Medal of Honor, our highest military decoration. His writing forgoes the broad picture of strategies and war planning and he focuses on the front line troop level and the day-to-day combat they experienced including the losses of friends as well as the victories they experienced in taking an objective before moving on to the next. In that sense it reminded me of With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge USMC and his memoir of fighting in the Pacific war. Excellent read; now I need to watch the movie...
March 5, 2013
Audie Murphy was a poor farm boy from a little dirt town in Texas. His mom died when he was young and his dad took off. He scrambled a living until war broke out and he wanted to sign up. Too skinny to be a Marine, too short for a paratrooper, he finally got taken on in the infantry. They shipped him off to North Africa, but by then, most of the fighting was over. So he didn't get in on the war until Italy, but he made up for lost time once he was there. He was wounded several times, but kept running off from the hospital to rejoin his unit. Murphy wound up the most decorated soldier of WWII, ending up as a lieutenant and receiving both the French Legion of Honor and the US Medal of Honor.
This is a raw book, not necessarily full of profanity exactly, but lots of talk about VD (and that's not V-Day, either), chasing women, killing, and getting drunk. It also feels very real. The copy I read has a rather lurid cover, but I'm glad I didn't let that put me off. I couldn't help but feel like I was right in the middle of the fighting. This is going to be another top read of the year. Highly recommended.
This is a raw book, not necessarily full of profanity exactly, but lots of talk about VD (and that's not V-Day, either), chasing women, killing, and getting drunk. It also feels very real. The copy I read has a rather lurid cover, but I'm glad I didn't let that put me off. I couldn't help but feel like I was right in the middle of the fighting. This is going to be another top read of the year. Highly recommended.
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