Mary Reynolds Powell transforms the reader into the world of Vietnam in the early 1970's. Through the descriptive chronology of her year in a Medical Evacuation Hospital outside of Saigon, Powell portrays life in the hospital as seen through the eyes and minds of an array of nurses, physicians, medical assistants, and non-medical personnel. The reader feels the frustration of the young American soldiers and their caretakers who are trying their best to deal with the injury and death encompassed in their daily work performed in the midst of a war that lacks direction from its leaders and is devoid of care about the tragedies experienced by the everyday soldier.

Her vignettes and character portrayals are outstanding. Powell's style let's the reader feel the pain and frustration of the subjects of this book. It is short, well written, and to the point. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in this era.

I met Mary prior to my shipping out to the Gulf War, she told me that she was working on a book about her experiences in the Vietnam War, and also interviewing those that she served with. When the book finally came out I bought the book right away. Upon doing this, I could'nt put it down, I completed it in 2 days. The book had me laughing and on the verge of tears. Many books have been written from the eyes of a men serving in war, but too few have been written about a womens experience in that same war. I have to say her book was easy to read and understand, but at the same time conveys her feelings and alot of the frustration she felt durin her tour in Vietnam. I have to highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to see the war thru the eyes of a Vietnam nurse, or any women serving in a war zone. To all that served with honor in all wars including the one we are now engaged in, May God Bless you all and keep you safe, and also your loved ones.

A World of Hurt by Mary Reynolds Powell helps ease the pain I have felt for the past 29 years. I served at the 24th Evac Hospital as an Internist on the medical wards (5-10)in 1971-72. I spent a total of 5 years in the army before I could face leaving the haunting memories of that "war" behind me. The book brings back so much to me and has helped me realize that I am not alone in these feelings. She writes from the heart and you feel what she felt, and you know the hurt that lasts a life time. I thank her for writing this book and recommend it to anyone who was in Vietnam and to all those who want to understand the horror of war and the helpless feeling and anguish of youthful death. This book is therapeutic to so many of us who served and have kept the pain internally and have cried in silence and in the darkness. I thank you for this book for it is a gift to all eho suffered. I can no longer remain anonymous.

What can I say but....WOW! Buy this book!

Set in the coal mines of West Virginia, Wrestle the Mountain is an entertaining "coming of age" novel. Jed Jefferson Tate is an eleven-year-old boy who yearns for a better life than the constant struggle for survival that his father faces in the mines. With help from his teacher and his aunt, Jed must somehow find his own path. Then when a natural disaster puts lives in danger, everything changes! Wrestle The Mountain is a compelling and heart-told story.

This Young Reader's PictureBook of Tar Heel Authors has a somewhat misleading title. There is a small (about 2 inches by 2 inches) photo on each page. Each author profile takes up one page, and those photos are the only "pictures" in this book! Parents expecting a picturebook a la Dr. Seuss are going to be disappointed.

The text of each profile is doubtless accurate, having been compiled by the expert Richard Walser. The book is dated though, having been published in 1966. No authors with North Carolina roots who have made their mark primarily since then are included (Gloria Houston, Patricia Cornwell, Rick Boyer, Elizabeth Daniels Squire, Charles Frazier to name a few).

This book looks like it would excite very few young readers, but, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, folks who go in for this sort of thing will go in for this.

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