Prairie Fox Reads

  Book Review:   Strike Hard and Expect No Mercy: A Tank Platoon Leader in Iraq By Galen Peterson My Rating:   ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5 stars) Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, critiques, and analyses presented below are entirely my own. Publication and Context Title:   Strike Hard and Expect No Mercy: A Tank Platoon Leader in Iraq Author:   Galen Peterson Published:   October 18, 2024 (Knight Books) Page Count:   275 pages Format:   Kindle Edition (ASIN: B0DHMS2V3Q / ISBN: 9798990130449) Genres:   Military History / Memoir / Nonfiction / Leadership Contextual Backdrop: The Iraq War has produced a vast array of memoirs, but the specific perspective of armored units in urban combat remains less frequently explored than that of the infantry. Set against the backdrop of some of the conflict’s most intense and volatile periods—Baqubah on the eve of the 2007 Surge and Sadr City during the spri...

Book Review:   Rings of Fire: How an Unlikely Team of Scientists, Ex-Cons, Women, and Native Americans Helped Win World War II   by Larry J. Hughes Estimated Rating:   ★★★★☆ (4.30 out of 5 stars) Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the book from the publisher.   This provision has in no way affected the content, objectivity, or critical analysis of this review. Publication and Context Title:   Rings of Fire: How an Unlikely Team of Scientists, Ex-Cons, Women, and Native Americans Helped Win World War II Author:   Larry J. Hughes Publication Date:   June 18, 2024 Publisher:   Stackpole Books Page Count:   600 pages Format:   Hardcover (ISBN: 9780811773898) Genres:   History / World War II / History of Science & Technology / Nonfiction Target Audience:   Military history buffs, enthusiasts of the history of science and invention, and readers drawn to “untold stories” of the home front. Contextual Backdrop: Published in the...

  Book Review:   Unsung Valor: A GI’s Story of World War II   by A. Cleveland Harrison Estimated Rating:   ★★★★☆ (4.06 out of 5 stars) (Note: As we look back from our current vantage point in June 2026, firsthand accounts of the Second World War are more precious than ever. With the Greatest Generation having largely passed into history, memoirs like this one serve as vital, unvarnished primary sources.)   Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions, critiques, and analyses presented below are completely my own and strictly unbiased. Publication and Context Title:   Unsung Valor: A GI’s Story of World War II Author:   A. Cleveland Harrison Original Publication Date:   February 29, 2000 (Kindle Edition: September 28, 2009) Publisher:   University Press of Mississippi Page Count:   380 pages Format:   Kindle Edition (ASIN: B09SBM3HDW / ISBN: 9781496801821) Genres:   World War II ...