One Man's War

By: Tommy LaMore, Dan A. Baker

Narrated by: Patrick G. Lawlor

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's Summary

Escaping certain death, not once but several times, lies at the core of this riveting, real-life story of an American soldier during World War II. In One Man's War: The WW II Saga of Tommy LaMore, a B-17 airman vividly details his experiences in war-ravaged Europe, from the horrific to the romantic and beyond.

He tells what it was like to be among the first airmen in the B-17s, to prepare oneself for long missions over enemy territory, to be in heavy aerial bombardment by German fighters, to be shot down, finding oneself first in friendly hands and then in enemy hands, to be at the mercy of merciless German guards, to be one of the few American to enter, much less escape, an infamous death camp.

He tells of the relationships formed, not only with fellow crewmen but also with French Resistance fighters, with Polish prisoners, with a young and pretty survivor of a women's camp, and, surprisingly, with a bigger-than-life Russian officer with a heart set on revenge. There are fascinating descriptions of the bloodthirsty Mongols on horseback who accompanied the Russians and who struck fear into the hearts of even the most hardened German SS men.

Balancing the tales of despair and loneliness are images of a girl with an orange on a train, an intuitively companionable little dog, and brilliant scenes of Paris overflowing with flowers, food, love, and exuberance in the first weeks after the war.

The listener ends up thinking it would have been a pleasure to have known this man, Tommy LaMore, and humbly certain that the West's freedom was assured by the sacrifices of men like him.

Intrigue, passion, and sacrifice imbue One Man's War in a compelling story not only for history aficionados and WWII scholars but also for those who are fascinated by the bittersweet nature of love in times of war.

©2002 Dan A. Baker and the estate of Tommy LaMore (P)2003 Blackstone Audiobooks

Prepare to be engaged

Besides being a thrilling account of overcoming incredible odds, this story should be used as a textbook for anyone who wants to engage their readers. I could vividly see, smell, hear taste and feel each scene as LaMore hurt, laughed, loved and cried.

Warning: You'll have a hard time finding a stopping place with this one.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Fascinating and unbelievable

This book started out as a pedestrian war memoir but after being shot down over France this man's trek back to the Allied lines through the French resistance, prison camps and then with the Russians is one of the most complelling stories I have ever heard or read - as a student of WWII that covers a lot of ground. You won't be disappointed.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

An Epic Emotional Odyssey

I laughed. I cried. I started the book over immediately upon finishing. one of the best ww2 books I've ever read

First hand account of a WWII tail gunner

I like first hand accounts or autobiographies. They are easier to follow. No skipping around or confusing flashbacks. Tommy LaMore lived an amazing life from ages 13 to 25 that are covered in the book. I enjoyed the first 11 and a half chapters. Chapters 12 and 13 are too much of a “war is hell” story to say that I enjoyed reading them. I would like to give the book and the service of Tommy LaMore a grade of A+.

Stranger Than Fiction

Amazing account of one man's heart wrenching journey. One of those true stories with so many twists and turns, that it almost sounds like poorly imagined fiction.

Very good book

Excellent description of a B-17 airman and the events of WWII. The events that Tommy played a part of are astounding.

Good story, but...

I thought this was a good view of another side of WWII, and an interesting listen. It seemed a little embellished and unrealistic at times.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

What to say about this audiobook...,

Ok. Before you purchase this book, just understand that it is a work of fiction. I purchased it thinking it was a true story. But I think it's satirical in that it has exaggerated parts that are similar to other WWII stories.

That being said, it's a crazy story with cool twists and turns. I did find a number of inconsistencies and there were parts that flat out made no sense. That is why I gave an overall rating of 3 stars. Decent story but I felt let down by the inconsistency and overly exaggerated parts.

For example he encounters way too many people who speak English. Lol.

Listen knowing it's fiction and if you like fiction you will enjoy it at least some.

One final thought. The performance was pretty good. Clear and easily understood. I felt the reader was able yo accurately convey the emotion of different parts in his voice.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Almost certainly fake

The level of storytelling and narration in this book would be acceptable if this was actually a straight forward true story, but it is almost certainly a work of fiction and as such should be held to that standard, which it doesn’t meet.

0 of 2 people found this review helpful

Try another book

I didn't care for the narrator on this book and have found that I don't care for the author.

The story is a good one but the overdramatic narrator distracts from the story. Also, although it was a incredible story, something untangible annoyed me throughout the book. I can't describe it but perhaps it was the author's sometimes arrogant attitude? Perhaps it was the horribly boring and lengthy beginning of the book? Perhaps it was the fact that there was too many words spent on emotions, religion and opinions than on the actual events? For example, when the author wrote about the Resistance fighters that he worked with - he wrote that "I realized that these were the best," and implied it was because the war was several years old. Yeah, right. Ignorant, overdramatic opinions like this are very distracting and bring the listener out of a story.

I was more interested in the events and the descriptions of Resistance fighters and how they worked, concentration camps, etc, and the author did not elaborate enough on those areas. Telling the story and the facts in a simple, straightforward manner would have been more powerful and interesting. The story is strong enough to stand on it's own.

I have read other WWII memoirs and this is one of the worst. Too bad the best ones, like Currahee and Roll Me Over, are not audiobooks.

0 of 7 people found this review helpful