There just aren't many "new" books out there on WW2 aviation. Of course, that may seem comical to people who perceive the topic to be more esoteric than raising chinchilla (and that's esoteric). But, the audience is startlingly large and rather fussy, too.
Anyway, NNtD is a book that both covers new ground and is interesting for people with no real fascination with WW2 aviation...it's about Americans who volunteered to serve with the RAF.
The idea that Americans would volunteer for the Queen's Air Force is a strange one RAF Bomber Command suffered horrible, horrible casualties and the American's had their own Air Force; hmmmm. Why on earth would any one leave a perfectly good country and die for another? (and make less money?!)
Hmmmm, indeed! :)
Thornburn writes with a typically British voice the reader needs to imagine having (a pint) with a crusty intellectual in a chilly dark pub. Cop that vibe, and NNtD reads like a fascinating conversation. I blew through my copy pretty quickly.
If there's any criticism, the book comes across like a collection of essays and narratives instead of in-depth character studies on the Americans who served. Normally, books that are crafted as such are the result of quick-lash ups to sell a book and come across as written by someone suffering from ADD. Not so here; Thorburn's a good writer with the knack for a STORY.
Highly enjoyable and I will remember Thornburn as he's a talented writer.
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