One of the Few

I hate doing posts like this, and I know I will be in the minority in my opinions, but this time I have to do what I have to do. Jason B Ladd has written a book about Marine Life and the Christian World View and what they need to have in common. He comes from a lineage of service and serves gladly on his own, but it is where his Marine life and his Christianity collided that make this book what it is.

I found his narratives about his life in the Marines--while growing up, and as an adult--fascinating. The discipline required to be a Marine is incomparable in any other setting. The discipline required to be a Christian is also incomparable in any setting. Here is where Jason tries to merge the two cultures.

Here are my criticisms:

1. The narrative of the story is disjointed--hopping back and forth in time and place. It makes the line of thought hard to follow.
2. The comparisons between Marine and Christianity becomes preachy. I found that to be rather off-putting. For someone who is already a Christian, it is rather like beating a dead horse. For someone who is not a Christian, it becomes a point of resistance. I am sure there are other readers who find this kind of material uplifting, but I read another book with the same kind of "preachiness" in it and also found it to be over the top.


I will not say there is not a place for this book, but I did not find my place with it. Two Stars.