In January of 1974, a Pan Am 707 from New Zealand crashed on landing at Pago Pago in American Samoa, killing almost 100 people. The accident is not well known, because it happened in a remote area and was quickly overshadowed by more horrific air disasters in the months and years to follow.

Godson tells the complete story of this calamity, focusing on accounts from the few survivors. His book also gives details on several other crashes from the period that help shed light on the crash. In the second half Godson examines why the accident took place, explaining that extreme weather currents likely forced the plane to a low altitude and produced false readings in the cockpit.

Perhaps the most chilling section explains why so few escaped alive. Only ten made it out of the plane and of these only four recovered from their injuries, even though only one was injured by the crash itself. Apparently the plastics used in the jet produced hydrogen cyanide when burned, giving passengers mere seconds to exit safely before breathing in the deadly gas.

Godson's conclusions may not be news to many air crash researchers of today, but likely would have been for many in the 70's, who had experienced far fewer such accidents. In any event, his book is informative and never boring.

The book on my grandfather, named a ship after him...a southern gentlemen in the old style, of incredible modesty and reserve. Put patton in at all his landings and ran a beach at D-Day. Used to sit and listen to him talk about his experiences in the pacific and european theaters. Took the pistol of the french general in command of algeria rather than his sword as the article of surrender...Suzy, my relative, did her phD thesis on this and was a little less than objective, but still quite an interesting book about the man.

A woman was recently found dead in her home after publishing tell-all accounts of life inside the mob. One might wonder if Fopiano has been running for cover himself.

This book would make an interesting and complementary addition to a collection including such books as Black Mass by O'Neill and Lehr. It discusses New England organized crime in particular and even touches on inside knowledge of the JFK assassination.

It is an o.k. but more valuable for its local historical flavor, even though some of the organized crime tapestry is not entirely accurate.