Review by Abacus -- A Police Action by A. A. Freda

[Abacus]

[Following is a volunteer review of "A Police Action" by A. A. Freda.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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A Police Action is a 1960s love story between an Italian boy from the Bronx and a preacher’s daughter from Lorenzo, Texas. The Italian boy must face his fears of war and life, while the preacher’s daughter struggles to achieve independence and love.

Specialist Fourth Class James Coppi, out for the evening with his fellow GI’s, meets Samantha Powers in the Country Honky Tonk near the center of Colorado Springs. Samantha takes the lead and engages James in some disarming conversation. Before the night is over, James and Sam know each other much better and Sam blurts out that she is pregnant. James realizes she needs a friend to talk to and tries to be that person.

James is an intelligent guy and he learns to hustle. He makes money from other GIs by lending money to them at 150 percent interest. He is an interesting character as he understands people very well and only lends money to honest people. James is going to Vietnam in a couple of months. He is not like a first timer in a war zone; he understands the dangers and intends to look after himself. He also recognizes untrained or untrainable soldiers and is that lucky kind of person who most often lands on his feet.

Freda writes well: his personal experience of Vietnam comes through every line of the story. Experience in a war zone and the courage to act upon it separates the professionals from the amateurs in Vietnam. Being in the war zone among rats, rain, mud, and sand is realistically presented. If you have not experienced living in your clothes for days on end, being hungry enough to eat bad food, and feeling dirty and longing for a hot bath; you will understand the feeling after reading about conditions in Vietnam.

Freda tells a story of 4 GIs who steal a can of highly condensed soup intended for at least eighty people. The four eat it all, knowing they will get diarrhea and terrible stomach pains for days. If you are hungry and have to be fit to fight, you eat what you can get, especially if rations are late getting to camp. That’s the way it is.

James and Sam are not today’s “Me” generation. Even though James has not committed to Sam, he cares about her security while he is in Vietnam and provides her with money, a flat and a car. Before meeting Sam, James had just walked away from a commitment to someone else. Will he do the same with Sam? What effect will this posting in Vietnam have on James?

The Vietnam dialogue is spot-on: the joking, joshing camaraderie between the GIs. James seems to get away with talking back to senior officers more than I would have thought possible, but they also recognize him as a valuable asset.

Overall, The Police Action is a book about true-to-life people and credible war in Vietnam. I enjoyed reading it very much. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars for being authentic, and relaxed. I do not rate it 3 out of 4 stars as it is professionally edited and I found no errors. I recommend it to people who value a satisfying, heartfelt story with great characters and emotional warmth. It has a few sexually explicit scenes, but they are not overwhelming. I would not recommend it to people who are uncomfortable with war stories.

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A Police Action
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[Prisallen]

This sounds like a very interesting book that gives you a look at what life was like during the Vietnam War. I think this is a book that I would enjoy reading. Thanks for the review!