Band of Brothers

A tough one to judge. Band is Brothers is a terrific tale of extraordinary soldiers, a study in leadership, and a survey of military operations in the European theater of WWll. Band of Brothers is also a case study in deep lapses in authorial objectivity.

Though I found the stories of the 101st, 506, and E Company engrossing and exceptional, Band of Brothers consistently drifts into flag-waving and hero-worship territory. This is an author's prerogative, of course, but when the author proclaims himself an historian, such clear biases are off-putting.

The book is written along a linear timeline, which is sensible, but it presented Ambrose the significant challenge of maintaining narrative tension – a challenge he unfortunately failed to fully overcome. While there are plenty of interesting anecdotes in the final 25% of the book, there's really no compelling drama or narrative tension to move things along.

I did particularly found Winters and Webster to be fascinating characters. In an example of life imitating art, these two soldiers represented total opposite approaches to compulsory service in the war.

As a matter of general, national, or personal interest, this is a worthwhile book. It is simply unfortunate that Ambrose descends to the level of fandom in his narrative.