Pilgrim Days: From Vietnam to the SAS by Alastair MacKenzie is a memoir of the author who served in the special forces of several countries over his life. The book documents his life from serving in the New Zealand Army in Vietnam, to the SAS, South Africa, Oman, and finally as a private security agent.
Germania by Harald Gilbers is a murder-mystery taking place during the last weeks of World War II, following a Jewish investigator reactivated by the Gestapo. This book won the Glauser Prize for the best German crime novel.
Most everything in the book can be found on news websites, or forums. This is still a worthwhile read though, mostly because of the author’s unique experience couch surfing and meeting Chinese people who are a bit more adventurous than the average citizen.
Hitler himself knew that many are out to kill him, he was obsessed with poising to the point where his food had to be specifically grown and was kept under constant watch by men he trusted from the moment it was picked (Hitler was a vegetarian), prepared, and plated. He even had food tasters, just in case.
The grandfather, Meissner, and his exhausted companions are living a nightmare for two and a half years. Somehow barely surviving, committing war crimes and treason as they make their way back home in order to live another day
Primo Levi (31 July, 1919 – 11 April, 1987) was an Italian chemist and writer books about his experiences as a Jewish man during World War II.
The book is well researched, it presents events with historical accuracy without spending time on nuances which will bog down the story. I enjoyed that the author tried to make the story flow presenting relevant facts intertwining with the narrative.
S.Y. Agnon – ש”י עגנון (17 July, 1888 – 17 February, 1970) was an Israeli author, a Noble Prize winner, and one of the central figures in modern Israeli literature.
The author follows several people throughout the book, some famous, some well-known, and others are just trudging day to day trying to survive.
Milo Weaver, the reluctant spy, finds himself facing a CIA analyst about 10 years after the Department of Tourism, CIA’s silent assassins, was disbanded. The two find themselves on the run when a new breed of Tourists tries to kill them both.
