Reviews

Current Reviews

"For those of you WWII buffs who know the 4th Fighter as the kill leading group in the ETO, this will be a good review, and it is THE best book about that group since 1947, and Grover Hall's 1000 DESTROYED.   For other readers, it's the most intimate story of a fighter pilot, and one not to be missed.
    Be warned, though, it is a very personal story of a shy young fellow, from the boondocks of North Dakota, who got into the flying game, after only wanting to be an airplane mechanic. It will tear at your heart, especially when you know from the beginning that he didn't make it all the way through. He earned his keep, though, and never had to 'back up to the pay table!'
    The author uses Donald's letters to his folks, and others as her sources, and they are the mainstay of the book. Quite a unique approach, as Donald has been gone 53 years, and it's a miracle that these letters were still around.    They bring him back to life.
    ...For those of you who have forgotten basic training, you'll get a good reminder of that singular event, and at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri no less---one of the worst stink holes the Army ever used for basic. Many died there in the winter of 1940 due to flu, pneumonia and other ills, while living in tents! Your reviewer had a relative who lived through it-----barely!
    It details a lot about the flying game. One ride in a single engine trainer, and Donald was a 'goner' fighters, and not multi-engined birds. The author also goes to great lengths to point out that it's the middle classes who generally carry the load in war. I believe that's still true today.
    The 4th's losses in killed and captured are another sobering revelation, expecially when some of those who came out of prison camp, were with the reviewer's first fighter squadron when he reported.
    For those who aren't familiar with just how the 4th Fighter came into being at Debden AB, jut outside of Saffron-Walden, England, the reader will enjoy that story within a story. It has a lot to do with the three Eagle Squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF), and the end of that association with their transfer to US control as part of the build-up of our air power in the United Kingdom.
    I was at Debden in 1982, and I swear I heard those red-nosed 51s warming up on tarmac, and blasting off at the end of the runway. This book brings it alive all over again. It's four handkerchiefs or stars if you choose." Thomas C. Dorsey, Maj USAF Retired ( Military Magazine, January 1999) ( Military Magazine, January 1999)

    "A new and wonderfully unique book that adds a different, human dimension towartime literature has just been published about the 4th Fighter Group. Donald's Story presents a personal remembrance of author Sandra Merrill's uncle, a P-51 pilot and casualty of World War II." Robert DeGroat, Aviation Writer (Published in Flight, October 1996)

DONALD'S STORY has received other rave reviews -- including this from Jeff Ethell, renowned aviation writer:

   "THE BOOK IS WONDERFUL. Sandra Merrill has achieved the remarkable task of telling three stories at once...Donald and his family then, her experience of rediscovery now, and the overall history of the 4th Fighter Group in WWII. I was moved many times and salute her for it."

Other reviews include:

Midwest Book Review, September 1997

    "Donald's Story is one of the best World War II era military biographies to appear in the last several years."

James L. Brewer, author of MULES, MISSILES & MEN

    "The idea intrigued me from the outset: Fifty years after the death of a fighter pilot during WWII, tragically on Christmas Day of 1944, his niece resolves to write a book memorializing his life and death. I could hardly wait for a look at her finished draft. I hadbeen an instructor pilot and a fighter pilot myself, and had read many books written by other military pilots in this very unique profession. But how would a niece view this fraternity? ...The book was worth the wait. As I read it I saw my own innocence, hope, pride, patriotism and supreme effort as the author's uncle progressed from farm to heroic action in the greatest of all wars. I will admit tears were in my eyes as she visited his gravesite in Holland after fifty years. Could it possibly have been that long?"

Gary Brueggeman, WWII Historian and Educator

    "FANTASTIC WORK. VERY MOVING. FASCINATING AND UNUSUAL. There are scores of WWII stories but the hook for this one is the way [the author] fell into uncovering it. This book transcends typical WWII accounts and exploration of family histories...I really believe she has created something unique and universally appealing. Very impressive."

Robert S. DeGroat, Aviation Writer (Published in Flight , Oct 96)

    Captain Donald R. Emerson (with his P-51 Mustang Donald Duck nose art) was a little-known ace with the 4th Fighter Group, based in Debden, England, during World War II. His passing on 25 December 1944 was overshadowed by the death that same day of Major George Preddy, the 352nd Fighter Group's top ace.
    The story of Donald Emerson, as told by his niece, touched me as few others have. As an historian, I already knew how he died; I wanted to know more about how he lived. Merrill's first literary effort tells this stoory well and provides a rare invitation into an otherwise very private sorrow.
    The book is unique in its perspective, telling three stories in one. It effectively merges the lives of Donald and his family, the general history of the 4th Fighter Group, and Merrill's own fascinating voyage of rediscovery. It is surprising how well it all fits together. When she finally visits his grave in Margraten, the Netherlands, it's an emotional moment.
    Fully documented with photos and text, this book guarantees that a vital piece of family history will never be lost, unlike so many other stories from World War II. It is a great tribute to a Mustang pilot who gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country, but it also reveals how his loss affected his family. It provides readers with more appreciation for what families everywhere endured after they lost a loved one during that conflict. I can't recommend it highly enough. "Donald's Story" should be required reading for the World War II historian as well as the enthusiast. It is that good.

Virginia Braley, Wife of 336 Pilot Richard Braley, 4th FG

   "My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed 'Donald's Story ... and [it] gave me particularly such a clear picture of what those boys went through."

Bill Weaver, 81-Mission P-47 Pilot

   "I just wanted you to know that an old fighter pilot feels [the author] hit the target with a great story. People thought we were the great hero flyboys, but little do they know that pilots pray and cry."

James T. Drace, M.D.USAAF Navigator

   "I have, over the years, acquired a large WWII library but 'Donald's Story' is by far the most significant."

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