Look what it did to Band of Brothers.

Already has.

With the Old Breed
China Marine
Helmet for my Pillow
I'm staying with my boys
Flags of our Fathers
Flyboys
Goodbye, Darkness (in process of reading currently)

Will likely incentivize me to read more!

Have read some books - Cactus Airforce, Guadalcanal, Flags of our Fathers, Flyboys (ugh!), Ghost Soldiers, The Great Raid.... Recently have read WTOB and Helmet... Am interested in picking up Goodbye Darkness based on comments here.

Ghost soldiers is next on deck for me.

Goodbye, Darkness is interesting, but I'm not as into it as I thought I would be. It's part memoir and part modern pacific (1978) travelogue. And a disconcerting number of homoerotic references peppered throughout, it has me growing rather concerned.

I read Helmet For My Pillow and WTOB in preparation for the show two years ago and I probably won't read any more, I'm not really a giant history buff.

Hehehehe, forgot about the gay stuff! I read The Thin Red Line right after Goodbye, Darkness, I remember thinking, "Boy, they sure got lonely out there in the Pacific!"

Anyway, no big deal, that stuff doesn't bother me.

Anybody read "Into the Valley" by John Hersey? Short little book about the Marines at Guadalcanal...

it doesn't "bother me" per se, it's just weird sometimes the context in which he uses some of the references. When I'm finished i'll tap out more thoughts in the book thread.

Yes my trade in Toccoa T-Shirts doubled over night. Just means theres a lot more FARB E/506 re-enactors blasting caps in the woods.


Thanks for the Oprah bookclub list, you had me until you mentioned Flyboys

Ha, FARB, haven't heard that in a while...

Skip Flyboys if you want, but give Goodbye Darkness a read...

Yeah I'm expecting a new intake of FARB Marines after the week end to be honest. Betcha their already standing on the yellow footprints as well speak.

William Manchester is very very good. I don't mind the travel log style, just make sure to pick you pup tent buddy well .....

I'd only heard the FARB term applied to Civil War reenactors, didn't know there was a big upswing in reenacting other wars.

Even flyboys was worth the read, I felt, in the end. The author's an ahole, and he tried WAY too hard to sympathize with the Japanese and minimize their atrocities while amplifying our own previous mistakes, equating them (out of context, mind you) to the Japanese in WWII, but if you can cut through his spin, there's a lot of good information in there, especially about Curtis LeMay and the firebombing runs over japan, several parts were captivating. It's too bad you have to trudge through the muck to get to it, though.

Heh, I'll ignore the oprah book club snipe ...I read what interests me. Flyboys, I picked up at a local goodwill for $1.99, HFMP, WTOB, and china marine I read because of this series, and the rest were ones I picked up on suggestion of fellow forum members.

I still haven’t read China Marine, and probably won’t for some time. I think having already read the other books has ruined, rather than enriched, The Pacific for me. I’d read then some time ago, and haven’t re-read them purposely to try and give the series a fair shot. But certain scenes from WTOB, like the Okinawan women aftermath, are still so fresh in my mind so I’m furious they changed it. That's not a picky little detail, that was a moment that stuck with me. The more I'm oblivious to their changes the more I won't mind them. Sadly, I find ignorance to be the key to enjoying historical drama!

Chinstrap, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Your negativity is premature and disrespectful. When you see the sequence (the entire sequence) involving the old woman, you might still feel the same as you do know, but at least it will be an INFORMED decision and not a knee jerk reaction, which is how you have approached most of the snippets of footage you have seen. It's grossly unfair to the production team for you to prejudge them in such a negative and childish manner.

If, after seeing the Series, you feel the same, then, God Bless, that's your right.

But to judge a sequence that has been changed from the book WITHOUT SEEING IT IN ITS ENTIRETY is really irresponsible. Go ahead and flame me back, but I'm tired of you ruining the buzz with your negativity (and I'm not talking about your pointing out stupid mistakes).

*grabs some popcorn*

It just got INTERESTING!

Well I said “I think” because it’s what I think right now, premature as it may be. (Not sure how my thoughts are “disrespectful” though…) The series hasn’t aired yet making ALL of our discussion premature. Sure, once I see the series what I think may very well change, but I can’t just shut my brain off until I watch it. My post reflects my current reaction, and I’m free to discuss my reactions to the promotional material, am I not? I’ll certainly judge the sequence in it’s entirety when I see it in it’s entirely, but we’re not all so lucky as to have had that opportunity yet.

“Ruining the buzz with your negativity”…Are you serious? Why don’t you haunt Facebook, IMDB, YouTube and a hundred other places where jerks are truly flaming your series in a “childish” manner. Hound them. I’ve kept my comments honest and relevant. I’m sorry you don’t like what I have to say, but this is fan discussion forum. These are things fans talk about. It’s grossly unfair to expect otherwise. This forum has no disclaimer demanding positive buzz. Until then I won’t flame you, but I will speak my mind.

Interesting just so I'm clear, what your saying is that there shouldn't be any discussion about the series as on this site nor should HBO have a fansite where you can leave comments.

I don't think that was necessary. Anyways I enjoyed all the books that matt listed besides "Flyboys." Anyways I enjoy Bill Sloan's books especially because there are some writing by Sledge that didn't appear in "With the Old Breed." We also see some of the infantrymen that Sledge supported. John Wukovitz (Sp?) who wrote "One Square Mile of Hell" is another great author. "One Square Mile of Hell" is a great read and really shows the horrors of Tarawa.


Don't waste time on the IMDB board, there's already enough posters who take care of the dumb asses. Anyways carry on.

I'm going to throw my opinion out there. I don't care if the series doesn't follow the books to the t.
If they make some creative decisions then that's fine with me, but no drastic decisions. The source material (especially for this series) is good enough. The changes won't bother me that much unless I think they don't work or their completely unnecessary.

Sorry I was interested to know will you read more, not what you've read. Apart from one or two knowledgable posters there appears to be some superficial ideas about the war in the Pacific thats all. If Hanks is supposed to be the new history teacher I was wondering if anyone was truly going to do any homework.

I've read about the PTO for 6 years now. There are many knowledgeable posters on this site (unless your just talking about specifics with equipment which I neither really care about or know much about).

What does "truly" doing homework mean? The Pacific series got me reading more about the pacific campaign, it wasn't until I got interested in this series that I started reading more about the war in the pacific...I didn't know there were restrictions on how we were allowed to answer the question.

OK thanks for the comments everyone

Hell, I was reading history back when Tom Hanks was still watching donkey shows and snogging mermaids...