Review by Sandy Armstrong -- Shot Down by Steve Snyder
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- Sandy Armstrong
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Review by Sandy Armstrong -- Shot Down by Steve Snyder
Shot Down is a commemorative writing by Steve Snyder recounting his fathers momentous experiences as a US Air Force pilot during World War II.
This fact based story conveys the events of the last flight of the Susan Ruth, a B17 Bomber, and its ten man crew. Howard Snyder, the authors father, and most of the men on this flight impart first-hand knowledge of this terrifying incident and its equally terrifying aftermath.
If you are unfamiliar with the World War II era, this story will illuminate a simpler time when life was anything but simple. This story embodies the fear and truth that the soldiers on all sides had to accept but at the same time struggled to understand.
At times, the many names of the men and women included in this story can complicate the reader, unsure if the abundance of names will need to be recalled later to fully grasp the story. On the otherhand, remembering that this is a factual account of real people that mattered to the authors family and still do, explains their use.
I consider Shot Down to be a 3 out of 4 star read. Steve Snyders story is a personal and powerful retelling of the last flight of the Susan Ruth and her brave crew. At the same time the lead up to the actual event with its descriptive military terms can be a bit tedious, but nonetheless essential to the story.
I would recommend this book to anyone from the World War II generation as another story of bold and heroic people from that time. Anyone not from that generation curious about the War and how people lived back then would not only learn about the Second World War but what it was like for the families left at home waiting for their loved ones. Lastly, I would recommend it to anyone like me born after World War II, who wonders why we let a war get so far. Lt. Hans Berger was a German Officer who served his country in World War II, he offered this years later, "The question that we have now come to ask ourselves today when thinking back on those war days is why on earth did we have to shoot at each other?"
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Shot Down
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- Jasy95
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- Sandy Armstrong
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