Book Review #1 - A More Elite Soldier, by Chuck Holton
"GET READY!"
The jumpmaster shouts over the roar of aircraft engines, stirring me from deep thought. It's almost 1 A.M. on December 20, 1989. I'm one of nearly one hundred Airborne Rangers who, four hours ago at Fort Benning, Georgia, packed into this C-130 transport plane - built to carry no more than sixty-four jumpers.
That's the first paragraph of the book 'A More Elite Soldier', by former Army Ranger Chuck Holton. This book was given to me as a gift from former Army Ranger Jeff James, a good friend and business associate of my Father. Mr. James is a wonderful friend of mine as well, and has been a wonderful resource for information on all things military.
A More Elite Soldier details author Chuck Holton's experience in the United States Army's 75'th Ranger Regiment, from RIP (The Ranger Indoctrination Program) to combat in Panama, to his home, twelve years later. Though the book is an autobiography of sorts, Holton brilliantly ties all of his most important experiences into valid spiritual parallels, making even more evident the military nature of Christianity. He details one account where he let a troubling matter with his girlfriend distract him from his mission as a Ranger, and nearly got seriously injured because of it. He then points out that Satan doesn't have to kill us. He just needs to distract us from our mission for Christ. Such points are made throughout the book, sometimes subtly, other times, they're the focal point of the tale.
The work in the book is creative, inspiring, and convicting. Every story is amazing, and contains a lesson aimed directly at Christians. His storytelling had me on the edge of my seat until the conclusion of each adventure, where he drew a brilliant connection between what he did wrong in the physical realm, and how to avoid the same mistake in the spiritual sense. The reading is light, fast, and simple, which would make it great for family read-aloud time. The book is a short read, and a concentrated reader (which I sadly was not, on this book) could eat through the book in a couple hours, easily.
The book does have a downside or two, such as the authors view of dating and college, but in all, it didn't hurt the book too badly.
Theology? Well thought out and logical. Many convicting scriptural points are brought up through the analogy of his life, and left me amazed that I was doing exactly what he described in Ranger school, but in a different area of life.
Technique? Holton's writing style is effective, easy to read, and feels very much like reading his mind rather than his journal.
Technology? The book is designed for reading, not for setting on a shelf. It's a nice size for carrying around, and it's a paperback, which makes for folding into small locations.
A More Elite Soldier has many wonderful tales of sacrifice, determination, and trials of manhood. I recommend this to any man, particularly if he's considering joining the military. I'm actually so impressed with the book, that I look forward to buying Holton's other books, and reading his tales of bravery, endurance, and combat.
Official John Moore Rating: Four out of five Dog Biscuits. The loss of one dog biscuit is due to the slightly anti-climactic ending, and the dating material.
Where to Buy? I recommend buying it directly from Multnomah publications, as this means more money to the publisher and author, and less to the middle man. I haven't read any of Holton's other books, but I'm interested in buying the latest two he's written, 'Bulletproof' and 'Allah's Fire'. I'll make sure to let yawl know how they turn out. ;-)
The jumpmaster shouts over the roar of aircraft engines, stirring me from deep thought. It's almost 1 A.M. on December 20, 1989. I'm one of nearly one hundred Airborne Rangers who, four hours ago at Fort Benning, Georgia, packed into this C-130 transport plane - built to carry no more than sixty-four jumpers.
That's the first paragraph of the book 'A More Elite Soldier', by former Army Ranger Chuck Holton. This book was given to me as a gift from former Army Ranger Jeff James, a good friend and business associate of my Father. Mr. James is a wonderful friend of mine as well, and has been a wonderful resource for information on all things military.
A More Elite Soldier details author Chuck Holton's experience in the United States Army's 75'th Ranger Regiment, from RIP (The Ranger Indoctrination Program) to combat in Panama, to his home, twelve years later. Though the book is an autobiography of sorts, Holton brilliantly ties all of his most important experiences into valid spiritual parallels, making even more evident the military nature of Christianity. He details one account where he let a troubling matter with his girlfriend distract him from his mission as a Ranger, and nearly got seriously injured because of it. He then points out that Satan doesn't have to kill us. He just needs to distract us from our mission for Christ. Such points are made throughout the book, sometimes subtly, other times, they're the focal point of the tale.
The work in the book is creative, inspiring, and convicting. Every story is amazing, and contains a lesson aimed directly at Christians. His storytelling had me on the edge of my seat until the conclusion of each adventure, where he drew a brilliant connection between what he did wrong in the physical realm, and how to avoid the same mistake in the spiritual sense. The reading is light, fast, and simple, which would make it great for family read-aloud time. The book is a short read, and a concentrated reader (which I sadly was not, on this book) could eat through the book in a couple hours, easily.
The book does have a downside or two, such as the authors view of dating and college, but in all, it didn't hurt the book too badly.
Theology? Well thought out and logical. Many convicting scriptural points are brought up through the analogy of his life, and left me amazed that I was doing exactly what he described in Ranger school, but in a different area of life.
Technique? Holton's writing style is effective, easy to read, and feels very much like reading his mind rather than his journal.
Technology? The book is designed for reading, not for setting on a shelf. It's a nice size for carrying around, and it's a paperback, which makes for folding into small locations.
A More Elite Soldier has many wonderful tales of sacrifice, determination, and trials of manhood. I recommend this to any man, particularly if he's considering joining the military. I'm actually so impressed with the book, that I look forward to buying Holton's other books, and reading his tales of bravery, endurance, and combat.
Official John Moore Rating: Four out of five Dog Biscuits. The loss of one dog biscuit is due to the slightly anti-climactic ending, and the dating material.
Where to Buy? I recommend buying it directly from Multnomah publications, as this means more money to the publisher and author, and less to the middle man. I haven't read any of Holton's other books, but I'm interested in buying the latest two he's written, 'Bulletproof' and 'Allah's Fire'. I'll make sure to let yawl know how they turn out. ;-)
posted at
4:56 AM
