Father’s Day coming up. I’m definitely getting this with the Amazon card I always get.
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It’s a short Osprey book, so I’m waiting until it comes out in paperback.
Oh, this looks GOOOOD!
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INTO THE VOID, From Birth To Black Sabbath and Beyond - Geezer Butler
non-fiction.
A lot of interesting details about his upbringing and how he met the rest of the original band members. His favorite FC. Tony’s ego, Ozzy’s antics. And my favorite, drug fueled - rock star stories - jamming with Van Halen, John Bonham. English gangsters.
next up:
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut - fiction (with factual elements) I gotta get some of the classics in when I can 
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When I was in college back in the 70s I lived in room 8 . My roommate and I scribed Slachthaus above the room number.
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Interesting book. Over the years I have enjoyed taking titles from the banned book list and reading them. 
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I didn’t know this one is on the ‘banned books’ list. Just picked it up from the local library branch used book shop.
Yes, it has long been a controversial book. Me being me, I like to read books that have been banned at one time or another just to see what the big deal is. So a few years ago I read Slaughterhouse-Five. Honestly, I didn’t see the big deal. 
I got this off of Google.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five is one of the most frequently challenged and censored books in American literature. Published in 1969, this anti-war classic has faced numerous bans and restrictions due to its profanity, references to sex, violence, and unconventional views on patriotism.
History of Bans and Challenges
The novel has faced pushback from schools, libraries, and religious groups for decades:
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The Book Burnings (1973): One of the most infamous incidents occurred in Drake, North Dakota, where the school board voted to remove the book from the curriculum and infamously burned 32 copies in the high school’s coal furnace.
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Supreme Court Case (1982): In Board of Education v. Pico, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of students after the Island Trees school district in New York removed Slaughterhouse-Five and other books from its libraries, citing them as “anti-American” and “filthy”.
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Recent Restrictions: The book continues to face challenges. Recent years have seen the book restricted to older students or pulled from library shelves entirely in places like Florida, Wisconsin, and Tennessee under broader book review legislation.
Why Is It Banned?
The objections to the book generally center around a few key themes:
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Obscenity and Language: The novel contains profanity and blunt language typical of soldiers in wartime.
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Sexual Content: Critics have targeted the book for its explicit references to sex and sexual situations.
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Anti-War Sentiments: The book is a scathing critique of the military and the bombings of World War II, causing some administrators to label it “un-American” or “anti-Christian”.
· A Literary Symbol of Free Speech
· Despite—or perhaps because of—the controversy, Slaughterhouse-Five remains an essential read. It is widely celebrated for its profound exploration of PTSD, trauma, and the futility of war. You can learn more about its history and legacy on the American Library Association website.
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sounds like people want it banned incase people read it and start questioning the current narrative.
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Interesting a book would be banned that was authored by someone that wrote a story about where and when they were actually serving. Sure an opinion but an expert opinion.
Yes, this.
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Maybe I’m too much of a lawyer but “no longer included in the (government-funded) library’s collection” and “banned” are two very different things, in my opinion.
A certain crowd here in the States likes to argue that various books are “banned” simply because they’re disfavored by someone or other, or not included in childrens’ school libraries, yet you can readily buy them on Amazon.
Not much of a “ban” if you ask me!
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(fiction) Slaughterhouse-Five was a quick read for me. If I can finish a book within 4 weeks then that’s a quick read for me. Wow, that’s why it’s a classic. The humor that is carried throughout does not cheapen the horror story. This was my first Kurt Vonnegut but will not be the last.
Next up:
(nonfiction) Water Mirror Echo _ Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America by Jeff Chang
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One I actually finished already:
Damn, this book really gets to you, specially the last part. I had a hard time putting it away and actually stopped reading it for a few weeks. I usually read these books before going to sleep, but it was so gripping, I could not fall asleep.
The title tells who, but not what. Evans was, in the latter part of his career, commander of the destroyer USS Johnston, who participated in the battle of the Java sea (though, much to his chagrin, could not do anything as he was on the far side of the formation and could only watch how things unfolded), several landings where they put down very effective support fire and, eventually, the battle of Samar (Philippines) where the ship engaged (almost single handily) a Japanese battle fleet (including Yamato) in order to protect 4 US escort carriers. More than recommended!
Now reading:
The history of Crete. I started it a couple of weeks ago, since we were going on holiday to that magnificent Greek island with its’ turbulent past.
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Reading The Damian Solution, written by one of my mates that used to fly helos in the British army. A fiction book based on some real-life experiences, apparently. But knowing the bunch i hang around with that he’s part of, it may not include the drunken debauchery and womanising 
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Just picked up Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific by R. V. Burgan
It’s “kind of” a companion novel to With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie. Burgin was in the same mortar section as Eugene “Sledgehammer” Sledge & Merriell “Snafu” Shelton on Peleliu & Okinawa, and they’re supposed to be in the book, but I haven’t gotten that far yet.
Jim
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Thanks. Another one for the reading list!
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Got this during Amazons prime day. Reprint of the Auroras catalogs from 1960 to 69. Brings back a lot of memories. Amazing how many kits they put out in the early sixties. Several kits previewed that never went into production and some that were only released for one year. You can see the progression of box art from crude to beautiful (and misleading). The only weakness is the quality of the reproduction. I have an original 67 catalog, and the colors are much brighter. I got the hardcover hoping it would be higher quality then the paperback, but it still uses cheap paper. Recommended, but only if you can get it at discount.
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Then you might enjoy the granddaddy of the subject: The Art of War in the Middle Ages, by Charles Oman.
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