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Book Review: The Weight of Sand: My 450 Days Held Hostage in the Sahara
Michael Margolius
Author: Edith Blais
Reviewed by Commander Michael Margolius, US Navy, professor, US Army War College, and former J3 of the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency
In his review of The Weight of Sand: My 450 Days Held Hostage in the Sahara, Michael Margolius views the ordeal faced by author Edith Blais through the lens of a personnel recovery agent. Blais and her boyfriend were kidnapped and held for 15 months by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin gunmen. Margolius points out the many small and practical things that helped Blais survive and how her story can help agencies learn from her experience to help others.
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Book Review: General Lucian K. Truscott: “Quite a Talent for Fighting”
Brian K. Dean
Book Review: General Lucian K. Truscott: “Quite a Talent for Fighting”
Author: Glyn Harper
Reviewed by: Colonel Brian K. Dean, special assistant to the chief of staff, US Army National Guard
In General Lucian K. Truscott: “Quite a Talent for Fighting,” Glyn Harper brings to light the remarkable yet underappreciated career of one of America’s most capable World War II commanders. From North Africa to the beaches of Anzio, Truscott’s mastery of mechanized and amphibious warfare earned him a unique record of commanding formations from regiment to army. His compelling biography reveals a plain-speaking, resilient leader whose strategic brilliance shaped the Allied victory in Europe.
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Book Review: Redemption: MacArthur and the Campaign for the Philippines
Brian McAllister Linn
Author: Peter R. Mansoor
Reviewed by: Brian McAllister Linn, professor emeritus, Texas A&M University
In Redemption: MacArthur and the Campaign for the Philippines, Peter R. Mansoor delivers a gripping account of one of World War II’s most pivotal operations, blending strategic insight with vivid battlefield detail. The book explores General Douglas MacArthur’s dramatic return to the Philippines, revealing the complexities of leadership, logistics, and liberation. A masterful narrative of redemption and resilience, it captures the high stakes and human costs of reclaiming a nation under siege.
©2026 Brian McAllister Linn
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Book Review: The Next War: Indications Intelligence in the Early Cold War
William Phillips
Author: Timothy Andrews Sayle
Reviewed by: Colonel William Phillips (US Army, retired), assistant professor, Department of Joint, Interagency, and Multinational Operations, Command and General Staff College
In The Next War: Indications Intelligence in the Early Cold War, Timothy Andrews Sayle uncovers how Western intelligence agencies grappled with the challenge of predicting Soviet military intentions amid global uncertainty. Through meticulous archival research, the book reveals how early Cold War leaders anticipated conflict without provoking it, laying the foundations for modern strategic warning systems. A compelling study of fear, foresight, and fragile peace, it sheds light on the delicate balance between preparation and provocation in the nuclear age.
©2026 William Phillips
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