It took me longer to read Rogue Heroes than any book I've read in
a very long time. Not because it was boring or hard to get into, but
because it was so chock full of interesting and exciting stories about
the British Special Air Service and I didn't want to miss anything. I
can sometimes be a skimmer, glossing over boring parts or long
descriptive passages, but not on this book. Ben Macintyre did an
amazing job bringing the men who served in the SAS to life.
It
was simply fascinating to read about the founder of the Service, David
Stirling. He was a brilliant revolutionary, but also a haphazard near
lunatic. Despite being a spoiled rich kid who was expelled from college
for bad behavior and who couldn't hold down a job to save himself, he put together one of the toughest, most elite fighting forces in the world.
The
other men who fought with and for David Stirling in the SAS were
equally as fascinating. They were often renegades who had a hard time
fitting in regular military life. That meant they were the perfect fit
for the rough life of fighting first in the deserts of Africa,
parachuting into the wilderness for sneak attacks and ambushes. Some of
them were likely mentally unstable but all were tough as nails and
willing to give their lives for their country.
If you are a
history buff, you'll love this book. Read it slowly and savor every
detail. You'll laugh (often) and cry as well. The end of the book when
a group of SAS come upon Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, not
realizing where they are or what it was, is gut wrenching.
I received this book from Crown Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.
