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ROAR OF THE TIGER

Name: ROAR OF THE TIGER
Author: James H. Howard
ISBN: 0-517-57323-7

FROM FLYING TIGERS TO MUSTANGS--A FIGHTER ACE'S MEMOIR

by James H. Howard ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1991

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The salty recollections of a fighter pilot who not only became an ace in the unfriendly skies of two WW II theaters but also won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Trained as a Navy pilot after graduating from Pomona College, Howard volunteered to serve with the Flying Tigers well before Pearl Harbor. In combat over Southeast Asia, he was credited with shooting down over a half-dozen Japanese planes. Though an admirer of results-minded Claire Chennault, Howard has less fond memories of his storied comrades in arms (notably, Greg Boyington), US diplomats (who accepted Chinese Communists at their word, i.e., as agrarian reformers), and officious squadron leaders. Nor did Howard much care for the British bureaucrats who insisted he obtain a license to overfly war-torn Burma. At any rate, once the Tigers disbanded, Howard wound up as a group commander in the Ninth Air Force, first in England and later in Europe. There, on a mission early in 1943, he came to the rescue of a defenseless American bomber flotilla; he single-handedly fought off an estimated 30 Luftwaffe pursuit planes, earning himself the nation's highest award for valor. The author soldiered on through D-day and beyond. He was mustered back to the States before the Battle of the Bulge, though, to help train airmen for an invasion of Japan. Never having thought of the military as aught but a youthful adventure, Howard eventually resigned his commission and (at 31) gave civilian life a try. While successful, his adjustment was apparently not easy; however, that's another story. A low-key but dead-honest memoir: fine fare for fans of military history on a personal level. (Sixteen pages of photographs—not seen.)

Pub Date: June 1, 1991

ISBN: 0-517-57323-7

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1991

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.