Review by Twylla -- Back to Serve

[Twylla]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Back to Serve" by CW3 Cesare Giannetti U.S. Army (Ret.).]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Back to Serve: Return of a Soldier by Cesare Giannetti is a fictional memoir about Nico Corretti. Nico was so happy to retire from the United States Army after twenty-five years of service. He had been in the Army since he was eighteen years old. Now he looked forward to living a different life outside of the military. The economy was in a slump, so he didn’t have any serious job opportunities other than with Southcom, a Department of Defense contractor. Nico was “called” to serve. The day he rode the ferry past the Statue of Liberty, he felt that “call” again to do "something more." He would not have been happy working in a civilian job. Anything less than service to his country would not have been fulfilling work.

The night before he was ready to make the long drive home to Florida, he met a Russian woman in a bar. She warned him that he was in danger. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the story of Nadya. I think Nico should have written her off as a kook.

My favorite character was Nico’s father, John Corretti, a retired New York Transit Police Officer. Angie, Nico’s mother, was killed in a car accident when Nico was only two years old. John raised Nico alone in a one-bedroom Bronx apartment. Father and son shared a love of the Yankees and enjoyed attending games together. John’s faith and his emotions ran deep, but he rarely showed that side of himself.

The writing style was vivid, especially when Nico was describing New York City. “The city shone most in the spring and fall. April lent beautiful colors there in the spring, like the emerald-green trees at Central Park Mall, which blocked out enough sky to make it feel intimate yet grandiose at the same time. It was as if it were hiding a magnificent secret from the world.”

I like the way historical facts about the American Revolutionary War and the Civil War were woven into the story. I also liked getting an inside view of what it was like to go through Officer Candidate School, serving as an intelligence contractor for Southcom, and serving in a small clandestine military unit in Iraq.

I think writing this fictional memoir was very therapeutic for the author. I could feel a release of guilt for the men he lost under his command in Iraq and the pride of service to our country in both military and civilian service. This memoir was very well written and professionally edited. I didn’t see any errors. I am giving this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good story about a life well-lived in service to our country. I feel grateful that I had the opportunity to read it. Thank you for your service, Cesare Giannetti.

******
Back to Serve
View: on Bookshelves

[Brenda Creech]

Thanks for the excellent review! This sounds like a very interesting book. I loved the part you quoted from the book about Nico describing New York City! Our military men and women bring back so many bad memories of the time they serve overseas. I'm sure you are right about writing the book was therapeutic for the author. I will have to give this one a look!

[Bigwig1973]

I started giggling when you said that Nico should have written Nadya off as a "kook," and then I had to start over from the beginning! Then, I wondered how things would have turned out differently for him if he had written her off! I think I fell in love with Nico's dad! Can that happen in a story? He seems so friggin' sweet! Reminds me of the "Friends" episode when Bruce Willis played a single father and Rachel was so smitten by him. Suckers for good dads, I guess! I also enjoyed all the information in this book - I felt like I was being taken on a tour, and there are also a couple restaurants mentioned! And, as you mentioned, the writing was vivid. I also like that you thanked him for his service!