Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose Literature & Language Book Review (Book Review Sample)
Guidelines for Band of Brothers Review
Theme:
Consider one of the following questions in a five page essay:
1) Why is does this book carry this particular title? How did the men of Easy Company come to consider themselves a “band of brothers”? What happens during training and during combat to bind them closer together? What issues and events resulted in tension or splits within this brotherhood? How did those who had trained together and climbed the mountain at Currahee treat the replacements? How was this ideal of brotherhood tested at Bastogne? How was it maintained after the war was over and the men returned to postwar life?
2) Evaluate the role of leadership in the success of Easy Company. What did Ambrose consider to be essential qualities of leadership? What was the difference in leadership style between Captain Sobel and Lieutenant Winters? How were the officers expected to behave towards the enlisted men? Who did the men consider successful leaders? What role did leadership play in Easy Company’s experiences during D-Day and during Bastogne?
3) Discuss some of the different ways the men of Easy Company dealt with the stress of combat. What characteristics seemed to define an effective soldier? What motivated these men to continue to fight despite the horrific conditions all around them? How did Bastogne threaten the cohesiveness of their unit? Which men and officers were viewed as effective in combat and why? Why did some of these men have a rough adjustment back to civilian life?
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Book Review: Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
The book Band of Brothers written by Stephen Ambrose was published in 1992 by Touchstone publishers and went on to achieve critical acclaims as a non-fictitious account of soldiers’ experiences during the Second World War. The historical accounts of the soldier’s experiences were later transformed into a television series adopting the name that Ambrose used for his book. More specifically, Ambrose chronicles the experiences of the soldiers that belonged to Easy Company and formed the 506th regiment. Majorly, the book caps off by implying that the exploits of the Easy Company during the Second World War were a success. Ambrose was not only inspired by his desire to collect historical pieces of information but also by the bond that he had seen develop among the war veterans. While the book analyzes the entire events starting from training to war participation of the soldiers, Ambrose is able to highlight the individual experiences of the paratroopers through their memoirs. Consequently, readers are able to understand the personality of each character and the role it played in the success of the regiment. An important theme that is evident in the book is that of leadership and its influence on the paratrooper's motivation as well as the relation between leaders and followers which is an essential success component during war periods.
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