ARA Review by Mohamed ahmed 63 of Shot Down

[Mohamed ahmed 63]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Shot Down.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Truth is stranger than fiction. You can't make this stuff up," -Steve Snyder. An exceptionally apt statement from the prologue launches the reader directly into the world of a WWII B-17 bomber pilot and his flight crew. Encompassing all of the various aspects of training, deployment, flying missions, waiting, life on and around a war-time military base both stateside and abroad, including the toll on family members back home, Shot Down: the True Story of Pilot Howard Snyder and the Crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth by Steve Snyder gives the reader an eye witness account of one of the most turmoil laden times in modern history. One can almost smell the fumes from the fuel, feel the percussive booms of the bombs exploding, and imagine the intense range of emotions and physical stresses endured by pilots and flight crews alike!

At only two chapters in, it was immediately apparent that the level of research behind Shot Down was extremely thorough and the writing style has enough sense of professional detachment that the reader isn't bogged down by the author's personal emotions and opinions. That certainly is not to say that the book is devoid of emotion; on the contrary, Mr. Snyder does a wonderful job of conveying the probable emotions of his subjects. He is aided in this by the clever inclusion of many letters home that were written by said subjects.

The author points out and praises the non-combat roles at the war-time air bases, including mechanics, cooks, laundry and PX workers, and the myriad of often overlooked positions that are nevertheless essential to the war effort. The men and women filling these rolls and the emotional support from friends and family back home was quite literally all that "kept 'em flying."

Shot Down is billed primarily as the description of the events surrounding each of the crew members of the B-17 Susan Ruth after she was shot down. Unfortunately this is not entirely accurate. While interesting and educational, the first two thirds of the book focuses on training, various moves between bases, life aboard base, etc. Once the author gets to the plane going down, for the most part, the accounts were fairly brief. The author included many trivial facts (such as "this person was from the same home town as this celebrity" or "this person and that person shared a birthday") which again, while interesting, were not pertinent to the story so became a bit of a distraction.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. The author is a solid technical writer and constructs a detailed vision for the reader. A few minor grammatical errors and distractions are all that keep me from giving a full five stars.

This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in military and/or aviation history. It is suitable for adults and young adults alike.

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