Tailspin

World War II tail gunner Gene Moran fell four miles through the sky without a parachute and lived. Captured by the Germans, he survived a harrowing eighteen months as a prisoner of war, including a six-hundred-mile death march in 1945 across Central Europe.

When Gene returned home, he kept those memories locked up for nearly seventy years. His nine children knew little of their dad's war story. But when John, a young history teacher, learns of Gene's amazing fall, he's desperate to learn more. Finally, Gene agrees.

So begins a series of "Thursdays with Gene" interviews. Gene, nearing his ninetieth birthday, recounts incredible tales. But John has no idea what wounds he's reopening. Gene's nightmares and grief return. But both men persevere, bonded by their close and growing friendship.

As the interviews go on, John faces an ordeal of his own. His wife is fighting brain cancer. What will happen to his wife and his two young children? John must continue uncovering Gene's story of survival as he himself confronts the greatest trial of his life.

Tailspin is more than a war story. It's a story of two men's separate journeys confronting trauma and loss. It's a story of resilience and hope.

©2022 John Armbruster (P)2022 Tantor

Triumph, Tragedy, History

Although I often rate the books I listen to, I don't usually take the time to write a review. This book is so well done that I just felt the need to say so. It's really two stories in one. It's about a tailgunner who falls four miles inside the severed tail of his B-17 over Germany and survives, and it's about the author's own life, getting to know this tailgunner, winning his trust--and then dealing with a tragedy in his own life. No spoilers here. Read the book!

There is one minor downside: The narrator is really pretty good, but he definitely did not do his homework to try to get pronunciations right. As a couple of examples, he pronounces "commandant" in a way that rhymes with "commandment", and he pronounces "archivist" with a "ch" sound as in "chair", rather than the "k" sound that is used in both American and British diction. He also consistently mispronounces some Wisconsin place names, most notably Viroqua (at least he's consistent!) It's pronounced vr-OW-kwuh. I guess these aren't big things, but they are somewhat annoying, and it seems to me that a narrator should take the time to look these words up and get them correct. (It's just lucky he didn't have to pronounce Oconomowoc!)

As I said, read (or listen to) the book! You will not be disappointed.

Incredible story

Moved me to tears. Excellent book of survival during and after WWII. I learned a lot about that part of history.

a story that otherwise would never been told.

nothing. well written and heartwarming. I liked the epilog...summed it all up. good read especially for history buffs

piece of history

a somber tale of triumph, pain, and grit. thankful these accounts weren't lost to time.

Must Read

This book is well written and riveting. Mr. Moran's story is beautifully and respectfully told. It touched my heart. I will be reading this again.