The inspiring story of Joe Sacco and his part in the greatest battles of World War II, from Omaha Beach to the liberation of the concentration camp at Dachau, Germany. In his riveting debut, Where the Birds Never Sing, Jack Sacco recounts the realistic, harrowing, at times horrifying, and ultimately triumphant tale of an American GI in World War II. Told through the eyes of his father, Joe … through the eyes of his father, Joe Sacco—a farm boy from Alabama who was flung into the chaos of Normandy and survived the terrors of the Bulge—this is no ordinary war story. As part of the 92nd Signal Battalion and Patton’s famed 3rd Army, Joe and his buddies found themselves at the forefront—often in front of the infantry or behind enemy lines—of the Allied push through France and Germany.
After more than a year of fighting, but still only twenty years old, Joe was a hardened veteran, but nothing could have prepared him for the horrors behind the walls of Germany’s infamous Dachau concentration camp. Joe and his buddies were among the first 250 American troops into the camp, and it was there that they finally grasped the significance of the Allied mission.
Surrounded and pursued by death and destruction, they not only found the courage and the will to fight, they discovered the meaning of friendship and came to understand the value and fragility of life. Told from the perspective of an ordinary soldier, Where the Birds Never Sing contains first-hand accounts and never-before published photos documenting one man’s transformation from farm boy to soldier to liberator.
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Very good book.
This is a great story of an Alabama farm boy who is swept up into Workd War Two. He bears witness to a number of important historic events – which are written as though you are hearing them in his first person account.
Some of the best parts are the funny exchanges among draftees as they meet, train, and become soldiers; D-Day; George Patton’s address of his troops; and the liberation of Dachau.
There is also a surprise ending.
A memoir of a regular soldier doing a job that is not glamorous but vital. The author took me through the journey with Joe and made me care about all the characters. Funny and sad and very real. Wish I could have known the man.
Not the most effective prose, but another look into the life and experiences of a member of the Greatest Generation who helped save the world.
I love Historical books and this one did not disappoint. The true story of a soldier’s experience in WWII in Europe. Definitely worth the read!
One of the best books I’ve read. I highly recommend it. It was hard to put down and I didn’t want it to end.
Excellent book.
I cried at the end. Real life story of one soldier and how the Americans found and liberated the prisoners in the concentration camp at Dachau. My mom lived thru the Nazi occupation in then Czechoslovakia and she tells me stories that make me cry. This is a must read. We must never forget and must retell it to the younger generation so this does not happen again.
Much about people and the war. Little about Auschwitz.
Well written and very inspirational
This was a very honest story about a soldier who really lived it. World War II was a very difficult time in world history and served to change lives everywhere. Those who say that the Holocaust never happened need to read this book. Crimes against humanity came from all sides and the results were horrific. History buffs need to put this book on their list.
The Book starts out from before the army and goes through to the end of fighting in Europe. This is told from a view point I have never heard. A personal view of war, love, and victory.
From the beginning to Dachau, I thought this was a very good book. But, when the troops entered Dachau, then it became something I could not help but feel for all of the people. All of them! The Jews and the liberators together. How very saddening a sight it must have been. And that is not all of the loss expressed in the book. Is this a true story? Is parts or all fiction. Either way it is a novel that takes you through too many emotions perhaps, but I would buy it again.
Well written account of WWII from the point of view of a Signal Corpsman, from receiving a draft notice through basic and advanced training in the US to the Normandy landing and on through Europe until the end of the war and beyond. Vivid observations of soldiers and civilians on both sides. The first-hand accounts of being among the first Americans to enter the Dachau concentration camp are unforgettable. excellent personal photos enhance the first-person narrative. The book conveys what the war was for an enlisted man. This makes it a pleasant change from war stories at a strategic level based on war department and newspaper accounts. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
I came of age during WWII, read the newspaper headlines each day, found out about places on the map and watched planes of all types fly overhead. I was just few years too young to fight in the war but my number was called for the Korean war. This story is a concise overview of Joe Sacco did appears to be almost the same happenings as what I went through a few years later. It is not a history of the war but rather a history of Joe and what he did. I have no argument with the book, well written and well edited so that you could follow along in the linear tale. It is an Army tale pure and simple. I enjoyed all of it.
I appreciated this book because I learned so much about WW II from a first hand perspective. I had always been horrified by the stories of the treatment of the Jews in the concentration camps, but this book brought it to life through the photos.
I enjoyed every detail and was captivated by the historical significance of this book.
Excellent day by day history ,as lived by a GI, of WW ll. Best views of the war by a guy who lived it. Highly recommended !
My father served in WWII. He was at Dachua for the liberation of the camp. This book took me to the places and the years he spent fighting . It’s a great story.
Somewhat of a second person diary written in the first person. Talks about the experience of the 92nd US Army signal battalion from inception to the end of WW 2. It is an easy read.
The premise is the discovery of the Dachau concentration camp. This is only a small part of the book. The story does follow the group through Europe from D-Day at Normandy through the end of the war in Europe. This story along with others can give more information about what was happening during the war.
Great WWII memoir.