Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers
If Stephen E. Ambrose’s renowned book, “Band of Brothers” was the beginning, then Marcus Brotherton book, “We who are alive and remain” is the bookend that ties it all together. This book is a gem, one that should be read by any Band of Brothers fan or historian.
There are many memoirs out in the world that allow us to live in Easy Companies world. Call of Duty by Buck Compton. Easy Company Soldier, the biography of Don Malarkey. Brothers in Battle, best of friends by Babe Heffron and Bill Guarnere. Thats not forgetting of course the memoirs about and written by Major Richard Winters.
What this book gives you is something that the others lack. This book tells you of everyone else!
This book is a testament to Easy Company, and in many ways, to those lesser known soldiers that we are reading about. What shines through in this book, is the way that it is written. The absolute respect that the company have been given, is clear to see.
As you read, you note that there has been no flowering the words, no prettying it up to make it more readable for a wider market. When you read this book, it is just as if you are sitting next to our subjects, hearing the words directly from them.
What fascinated me most about the book, was hearing from the children of those who had passed, one in particular. Captain Sobel`s son Michael had chance to discuss his father in this book and it was great to read.
While everyone has their favourites in the series, I will happily admit that Captain Sobel was mine. He came across as a complex gentleman, who was perhaps not portrayed in the series as he was in life. Of course, we know from comments through the biographies of others, that everyone had their opinions of him.
I would love the chance to talk to his son and learn more of this man. He fascinated me. I think there was more to this man than maybe we will ever understand.
This book works well. Being the lesser known soldiers, there is an interest there for fans and historians who want to learn more. The short chapters with multiple viewpoints, are a great asset to the book. It adds to the conversational aspect. You can almost imagine everyone sitting around with a cuppa or a beer chatting together.
This book is entertaining and can be moving. It can be hard to read in places due to the subject matter and is raw with emotion. But remove any of those, and the book just would not be the same.
Marcus Brotherton – Thank you for this book. Beautifully written and a pleasure to read.
Relatives of Easy Company Veterans – Thank you for sharing stories and keeping memories alive.
Easy Company Soldiers – 506E, Thank you for your service.
Currahee
