It’s an amazing story that truly takes you from the trenches of battle, hearing the fear in the voices of the same men who later in life strive to be some of the most powerful men in the world. It is heart-wrenching, touching, and definitely written with such talent that you walk away from the last page yearning for more.
The author’s ability to create characters so true to life and so realistic in war gives you a feeling he speaks from experience — and he does. Having been a rifleman in WWII you feel as though, while the book is fiction, the characters are a lot like those he created a bond with himself during the war. It’s amazing that out of war comes such a wonderful thing as the bonds of friendship and determination to do well for so many others. ELCO is a must read book for anyone, but if you’re a not a typical reader of war stories I still strongly suggest this as a great read. While the beginning does focus on the men and their time at war, it’s at the end of the war and you truly bond with each person as an individual. It’s not written in horrid, gory fashion and doesn’t disgust you but instead brings you to become a part of “L” Company or “Love” Company as they complete their mission and move on in life. It truly is unlike any war story turned Cinderella story I’ve ever read because of that fact. Most think they need to be very gruesome, and know the intricate details of the war; but the reality is we know war isn’t pretty and we don’t necessarily need or want those specifics.
When we read a book like this we know how horrible the war aspect is and, yes, it is touched on by the author but not the focus of the book. The focus is the organization created later when this group of extraordinary men come together to make a difference in the world. ELCO is going to bring your mind to a point of realizing that while war is horrible, some people can actually make something beautiful come out of it in their friendships and their determination that continues from the battlefield to the job back home.
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