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Anonymous
Posted October 30, 2006
First Half Really Draws You In!
You care about these guys and are afraid that the author might lose one of them. Fortunately, no! The stylistic problem is that the jumping back and forth between the soldiers which works so well for the first half just doesn't hold for the rest of the book. You've got to focus on/identify with at least one character to really care about actually reading any book...and the rug controversy, the hospital, even the horrible loss of the beautiful farmland just don't carry it without any revealing dialogue between people you get to know deeply. We need more from Buddy on Freehold, the U.S., the African American migrants (a confrontation with an inside source would help), and racism. Most of the book is well-balanced - with the singular exception of the jarring, jaw-dropping Hiroshima-was-Cool conclusion with no counterpoint of alternative solutions offered none. My father served in The Marianas - my Mom will love this.
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Anonymous
Posted August 2, 2006
accurate history of freehold, new jersey
although i liked the book very much because it accurately portrayed freehold with all of it's failings, i disagree with mr. coyne's policies when he was a member of the town council. i found it very disappointing that he of all people being the town historian would be a party to persecuting the undocumented workers and their families. that is the same thing that was done to the black citizens of freehold, including open segregation in schools, housing and public places such as theatres and restaurants just a short time ago.
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Anonymous
Posted June 10, 2004
Don't waste your time!
I picked up this book with a rare anticipation. I'm from the same home town written about here, and couldn't wait to read about the familiar places and names it contained. There was only one problem though. Mr. Coyne is such a terrible writer that he makes the book essentially unreadable. I've had it sitting on my nightstand for a year now and I still can't bring myself to get through. I will though! It's now become a personal quest to get through this pile of garbage.
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Anonymous
Posted February 20, 2003
A VERY good book about a little town exactly where I live
It was a very good book even though i only got to read some because I'M HIS DAUGHTER! isn't that cool. But back to the point. It was a very interesting book that i recommend to anyone over the age of 11. It has facts that even I didn't know about ny little American town. I hope you like it too. GOOD LUCK & I LOVE YOU DAD!
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Anonymous
Posted April 17, 2003
Thank You,Kevin Coyne!
The Author has taken a great deal of time and effort in all his research and interviews and has masterfully written this superb book. It's a great war story;and,as a bonus,we read on about how the lives of these men,Freehold,and our Nation have lived on in 'relative peace'afterward. I drove to Freehold the other day,parked my car,had breakfast at the'Chrome Diner',looked at all the War Memorials,and then walked through some of the town. It made the whole reading experience richer for me. Thank You,Kevin Coyne!
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Anonymous
Posted March 3, 2003
One Small Town-So Much About All Of Us
The "Greatest Generation" distilled to the "ham and eggs" real people who lived that generation. To take six representative men from pre-WW II America, to the post war years and be able to be make it cohesive and want you to know how they all fit in is the mark of a good story teller. The way that Freehold and the surrounding area changed after WWII mimics what happened in so many other rural areas. Research was outstanding and the book so readable.
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