Thomas P. Ostrom
McFarland, 2011
I know several young men and women who are Officers in the Coast Guard, and that was my main reason for requesting this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I hoped to get a feel for the history and adventure that has to be a part of this vital but overlooked component of our national defense. I anticipated a book full of history, fleshed out with biographies and information that would increase my admiration for the men and women of the United States Coast Guard. Instead, I got a book which read as if it were constructed from a collection of after-action reports.
For the reader who is looking for detailed information about the Coast Guard, this book would be an excellent reference. The footnotes and bibliography are very thorough. This book will one day be an excellent reference for a future historian who needs to find out ‘which ship was where when.’
I don’t like writing negative reviews, but this book was not written in a style to inspire any young man or woman considering a career in the Coast Guard.
