Devotions for Boots on the Ground by James W. Visel

Compelling and Personal ; a true testament of faith

From the Publisher

There is possibly nothing more conducive to thoughts of the Eternal than having ones face slammed into red, wet muck, with explosions so close your body arcs and bounces off the ground, hot shards burn in your flesh, and concussions are bright flashes of dirty fire beating a tattoo on the light receptors in the backs of your eyes. Your head aches; throbbing from visual shock waves. Time has come to an end; there is no right, no wrong, only whatever follows a life that is now over. The dark reaper is here. What’s it going to be like on the other side? Is there another side? 

The old timers use the maxim, “There are no atheists in a fox-hole”. Possibly so; I can only give my own experience, and I never had the opportunity to be in one. Combat aviators crash and sometimes burn instead. But close calls almost always give rise to interminable questions; especially when the survived experience is seared into the human psyche. For some, satisfactory answers never seem to come. For myself, may I pro-offer both scorching experience, and incredible life-lessons learned? Then, should you ever fall into similar adventure; you man go into it better prepared than I was.

                                                                                                -- James W. Visel

My Take

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Devotions for Boots on the Ground. Would it be about Visel’s Vietnam War experiences? Would it be a devotional? Or his journey with God? I was quite surprised to find out it was about all of them.

Visel tells stories about combat that may be disturbing to some but they are the truth---a truth that nobody really talks about. Some parts are gruesome but Visel tempers them with bible verses and interpretations of God’s voice. 

I personally know James W. Visel and know that he is a very faithful Christian and always relates life to bible teachings. He does this same thing in Devotions for Boots on the Ground. He constantly looks for God’s lesson in the events described in the book. 

There are also amusing accounts of soldiers letting of some steam interspersed in Visel’s account of a situation. With all the death and destruction in Vietnam, it’s understandable that the solders played practical jokes and made light of certain events. 

One suggestion I would make is to have an appendix or list with all the abbreviations and their meanings. That would have been very helpful for a layperson. The military is full of acronyms and it's hard to keep track of them if the reader doesn't have a military background. 

I give Devotions for Boots on the Ground 4 starts. For new author, James W. Visel, the writing is compelling, sometimes hard to read, but the reader feels part of the story. With a published book under his belt, Visel had a promising future as a writer.

I received this book free for personal use. I am not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

About the Author

James W. Visel is a highly decorated helicopter crew chief who did three tours of duty with the 173^rd Assualt Helicopter Company “Robin Hoods” during 1966, 1967, and 1968. He was shot down or crashed due to catastrophic mechanical failure seven times and wounded twice during the Vietnam War.   

Targeting today’s GIs and their families, and drawing from personal experiences, the author reveals the surprising source of his incredible courage. A maverick whose life experience mad him passionately spiritual-minded; is a decorated combat vet, family man, 40 yr. building boss, skydiver, pilot; who projects refreshing, out of the box perspective to intense situations. Life can get dicey, Jim articulates, but God is faithful. You can trust Him!

Plunging into Green by John Smith

Humorous and entertaining! A fresh look at water conservation and life.

 

From the Publisher

What happens when a plumber decides to start saving water--the very same water he spent most of his career trying to flush down the drain? Join John Smith on his journey to becoming a Green Plumber and follow the transformation of his business and his personal outlook along the way. 

My Take

I was a bit leary of reading Plunging into Green when I was first contacted---green plumbing, how do you make that interesting? When the book arrived, I smiled at the cover. It looked “fun”, not tedious. Then I started into the first chapter and I was happily surprised that it was entertaining. The real-life stories bring the reader into the book because you know everyone has silly questions they want to ask a plumber but are too embarrassed to do so.

Once I got into the second and third chapters, I knew that I was hooked. I looked forward to picking the book up again and reading about the journey to “green”.  It’s amazing what 5 days in a conference can do to change a life.  Mr. Smith took the bull by the horns to change not only his attitude, but his life, his business, and his customers’ lives. it's incredible that something so unpretentious can affect a life so completely.

One of my favorite lines in the book is the description of a conference speaker---that the speaker had “the capacity to interest an audience while imparting useful knowledge”. That’s exactly what John Smith does in this book. I learned a lot about green pluming, the products to use (or not use), and innovative ways to capture a customer’s attention.  I know I personally will be looking at water conservation a lot differently now.

I’m giving the book 4 out of 5 stars—the humor, the information, and escapades of his mom (she's a hoot!) really motivated me in reading Plunging into Green. I only wish the book could have been longer with even more innovative ideas and techniques. Hopefully Mr Smith will be writing another book in the near future to pick up where this one left off.

John Smith has provided me with a complimentary copy of Plunging into Green in exchange for my personal, unbiased review.

About the Author

John Smith was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona.  A first generation plumber, he has worked in the field for over 16 years.  John's passion for the trade has given him the drive to continually improve plumbing practices, all while working to change the image of the modern day plumber.   

But what happens when a plumber decides to start saving water--the very water he spent most of his career trying to flush down the drain?  Plunging Into Green tells the story of John's extraordinary journey to becoming a green plumber, including how his business and personal outlook changed along the way.

UNSINKABLE by Abby Sunderland

 WATERLOGGED!!

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
 A stirring narrative of Unsinkable tells sixteen-year-old Abby Sunderland's remarkable true story of attempting to become the youngest person ever to sail solo around the world. 

More people have flown into outer space than have sailed solo around the globe. It is a challenge so immense that many have died trying, and all have been pushed beyond every physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual limit. In Unsinkable, readers follow Abby Sunderland into those depths. This biography delivers a gripping and evocative firsthand account that starts prior to her departure, travels through her daring (and sometimes near-death) encounters on the open sea, to her dramatic rescue in the remotest corner of the Indian Ocean, and the media explosion that happened upon her safe return to dry land.

Along the way, readers discover what it means to boldly face any challenge, to strive after something great, and to plumb the depths of faith, fear, and desperation only to emerge changed, renewed, and emboldened. In this day and age, when the most productive thing a teenager may do is play videogames, Abby's ambition and tenacity is a real-life parable of what can happen when we choose to exceed our own limits, embrace faith, and strive after what all the naysayers say is impossible.

MY TAKE:
Unsinkable is the autobiography of Abby Sunderland—a 16-year-old young woman whose dream of sailing around the world by herself finally comes true. Normally, I don’t read autobiographies---they just don’t keep my interest. But when I read the overview of Unsinkable, I was surprised at how interested I was to read this book. I love to read about mature, courageous young people who have a clear goal and purpose in life. Many teenagers don’t have these traits and expect the people around them to hand them everything they need without truly working for it.

I enjoyed how the book was laid out—from three different points of view. The narrator helped by filling in the technical information and also giving background on media involvement, family history, and technical sailing information. Abby’s point of view is more detail oriented about how she felt during the preparation of the trip and the day-by-day experiences she endured. After the  grueling premature conclusion of her trip, there is also the point of view of view of those who helped save her. This is a unique way of putting the book together and it was just right for telling Abby’s story.

Abby is a lucky girl to have such a supportive family for her lifelong dream. There aren’t many parents who would let their child go into a feat such as this. Can you imagine sending your teenager out—alone—to navigate one of the most powerful elements on earth? The sea is unpredictable and volatile and there’s no control over its erratic behavior. I’m sure Abby was completely prepared for most contingencies, but let’s face it, you don’t know if you are until the situation arises. 

On the flip side, I’m sure her father was very protective and concerned about her trip. However, I got the impression that he subconsciously pushed her decision for the fame and notoriety that comes with such an attempt. He’d felt it before when his son made the same trip and it’s almost like an aphrodisiac—he wanted that feeling again. You could feel his ego creeping in to almost every decision.

I found the book mostly interesting but it was a very difficult read for me. I have no knowledge of sailing and even though the authors spell out many terms and technical points, parts of the book were like reading a manual. I’d start getting into a section of the book when the authors would throw in paragraphs to pages of detail and I would just zone out. 

You could tell Abby’s point of view was told by a typical teenager with the jargon & lingo inherent in a 16-year-old. I would have liked to have seen more in-depth, maybe spiritual (since they professed to have much faith) insights during her journey. Yes, the experience made her see she was strong and courageous, but what made that happen?

I’m going to give this book 3 out of 5 stars. The overall story was pretty good if you could get through the technical portions and the father’s desire for recognition. However, if you enjoy sailing or more technical reading, I think your rating might be higher.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."