WHAT PEOPLE
ARE SAYING ABOUT DONALD J. FARINACCI'S BOOKS...

1961 - SLIDING
TOWARD ARMAGEDDON
"One
of the most terrifying moments of the Cold War occurred in
October 1962, when the United States and former Soviet Union
nearly came to blows during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Much
has been written about the crisis, which has been the subject of
countless books and a couple of movies.
Now, in a riveting new book, 1961 -
SLIDING TOWARD ARMAGEDDON, author Donald J.
Farinacci looks at events leading up to the crisis.
Although this is a work of fiction, there is a lot of history
here to validate the author's insightful examination of those
events. To be sure, I was particularly impressed how
Farinacci weaved history with fiction. Without question,
that is one of the books' strengths. I n much the same way that
Don Delillo fictionalized events leading up to JFK's
assassination in LIBRA, Farinacci excels with his ability to
fictionalize the events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis
while offering plenty of history along the way to remind readers
of just how close the world came to Armageddon.
This book is a real page-turner and I highly recommend it."
—
JEFFREY MILLER, Author of ‘ICE
CREAM HEADACHE’
"Author
Donald Farinacci has done it again with his latest book,
1961: SLIDING TOWARD ARMAGEDDON. Carrying on in a
tradition he set forth in his previous Cold War spy thriller,
THE ALLEMAGNE DECEPTION, he
skillfully recalls a time, especially for World War II veterans
and baby boomers such as myself, when the future of our world
was uncertain, the possibility of attack upon us by the USSR an
ever-present danger. One that called for us to have duck
and cover drills in our schools on a regular basis for fear that
a missile attack from Cuba, 90 miles off the Florida coast,
could happen at any moment.
This book truly has no parallel, down to the dialogue
spoken by the book's principals, President John F. Kennedy,
members of his illustrious cabinet, and Soviet Premier Nikita
Kruschev. It had to have been meticulously and
painstakingly researched. Farinacci's list of sub
characters, Army and CIA-affiliated, fight their way through
deadly skirmishes with their KGB counterparts that place this
work on par with anything Tom Clancy ever wrote. I highly
recommend this book, and hope that the author carries on in his
quest to accurately portray the Cold War as it really was. "
—
MARC P. YABLONKA, Author of ‘DISTANT
WAR’

THE ALLEMAGNE
DECEPTION
"Author
attorney Donald J. Farinacci’s fourth book, THE
ALLEMAGNE DECEPTION,
is a cross between The Hunt for Red
October and any James Bond thriller starring Sean
Connery, so packed full of mystery and suspense it is. Set
alternately in the period after Germany’s surrender at the close
of World War II and the 1960s Cold War that followed in that
country, neighboring Austria and Czechoslovakia, its writing can
best be described as full of inviting intrigue which entices us
to constantly guess ahead to what may happen next. It is
espionage in its finest form of fiction embedded in truth."
—
MARC P. YABLONKA, Author of ‘DISTANT
WAR,’
American Authors Association Reviewer
(Click
here to read the complete text of this review in PDF format.)
"THE
ALLEMAGNE DECEPTION turns and weaves its tale of espionage and
deception so thoroughly that streets become blind alleys, and
even the most trusted of friends must be viewed in shadow."
—
JACK LONDON, Author of ‘FRENCH
LETTERS’
"If
any Cold War novel should be turned into a suspense movie
production, THE ALLEMAGNE DECEPTION would be first on my list!"
—
ROBERT R. McMILLAN, Former
Chairman of the United States Panama Canal Commission
"For
those of us who lived through the confusing 1960s, Don
Farinacci's THE ALLEMAGNE DECEPTION brings back memories—both
somber and frightful—our inheritance from those who lived
through the 1940s. This book reminds us that the world was far
more complicated than just an unpopular war in Vietnam."
—
JOYCE FAULKNER, President of
Military Writers Society of America, and Award-winning author of
‘IN THE SHADOW OF
SURIBACHI’ and ‘FOR
SHRIEKING OUT LOUD!’
"A
powerful blend of action, history, and old fashioned adventure.
THE ALLEMAGNE DECEPTION may be one of the hottest novels ever
written about the Cold War."
—
JEFF EDWARDS, Award-winning author
of ‘SEA OF SHADOWS,’
and ‘THE SEVENTH
ANGEL’
"Author Donald J. Farinacci's
latest work, THE ALLEMAGNE DECEPTION, is a terrifyingly
suspenseful and gripping account of a history that few Americans
know. While the shooting war in Vietnam was hot and the
bellicose actions of the Cold War were in the papers, an
unknown, but strategically important and viciously executed
secret war raged in Europe between the unsung intelligence
services of Democracy and the Stalinesque forces of Communism.
Farinacci
has expertly crafted a complex, multi-layered web of deceit,
loyalty, patriotism and greed, all within the greater context of
the Cold War. As he did in his previous book,
Truman and MacArthur,
he provides both a global and individual perspective while
keeping you in doubt of the final outcome of history.
The heretofore unheralded heroes
of this war finally get their due in this story that spans
decades and countries, yet remains timeless. There is such
detail and credibility in the great prose, one has to wonder if
in fact Mr. Farinacci was closer to the actual intelligence
operations of the time than anyone but he knows.
Intellectually stimulating, emotionally engaging and certainly a
page-turner, The Allemagne Deception is a superb work of the
clandestine sacrifices of a highly select group of dedicated
Americans who selflessly served without acknowledgement by
anyone outside of their small community. This is a movie begging
to be made."
—
STEVEN G. BUSTIN, Author of ‘HUMBLE
HEROES: HOW THE USS NASHVILLE CL43 FOUGHT WWII’
"Donald
Farinacci has hit a home run with his book, THE ALLEMAGNE
DECEPTION. This spy thriller, set in Europe during the
heart of the Cold War, drew me in from the first page and took
me on an ever accelerating, suspense-filled ride to a
fascinating conclusion. Farinacci’s excellent character
development had me picking favorites early on in the story.
Although a work of fiction, this book could very easily be a
reflection of one of the many close calls the West had in the
sixties with the Soviet Union. One that could have turned
the Cold War into a fiery hot one.
I have a background with military counterintelligence and
thoroughly enjoyed the author’s spy-counter spy plot. This
book is certainly a must read for anyone who enjoys reading spy
novels and fiction which is focused on Cold War intelligence
operations."
—
BOB DOERR, Award-winning author of
‘LOOSE ENDS KILL’

A HOUSE DIVIDED
"Donald
Farinacci's narrative about the years when the United States
fell under the sway of the right-wing ideologue Senator Joseph
McCarthy's reign of terror should be required reading for anyone
who wants to understand the Cold War. Clearly written and
concise it is easy to read and relates the fascinating tale of
how President Eisenhower, although new to politics, used tactics
and guile to defeat McCarthy's irresponsible and
self-aggrandizing grab for power. Of especial interest is
the part of the book about the Army-McCarthy hearings, which
dragged on for months, threatened to destroy the US Army, but
ultimately led to McCarthy's downfall instead."
—
FRANCIS HAMIT, (Five-Star Reader
Review on Amazon.com)
"Disclosure,
Farinacci was already one of my favorite authors of historical
non-fiction before I read A House Divided. With this book
he has become one of my favorite writers, period. Like his
previous works that span the Cold War era, Farinacci expertly
navigates a complex story with a multitude of public and private
players intertwined within and against both domestic and
international politics and intrigue. Less well known than
the contentious relationship between Truman and MacArthur but
equally intense and perhaps even more a threat to the Army, the
battle between Eisenhower and McCarthy for the heart of the
Republican Party and the due process of accused public figures
is absolutely riveting.
The reader learns and appreciates the great skills Eisenhower
used to counter and ultimately defeat McCarthy, the same skills
he used as Supreme Allied Commander in WWII. This is a
great stand-alone read, interesting, engaging, frightful and
entertaining to say nothing of well-researched and skillfully
written. But if you read this as part of Farinacci’s other
works (Truman and MacArthur, The Allemagne Deception and 1961)
you will have more knowledge and appreciation of the entire Cold
War and just how dangerous it was to America than most anyone
you will ever meet.
This book should be required reading in every university
political science class since it is as applicable to the game of
power politics today as it was then. I hope Farinacci
keeps researching and writing books of this genre as I do love
his work."
—
STEVE BUSTIN, Author of 'HUMBLE
HEROES' (Five-Star Reader
Review on Amazon.com)
"I
was 10 years old when IKE was nominated by the Republican Party
as its candidate for President of the United States. I am
now in my seventies and am amazed at just the cover of the book.
The 'bramble bush,' intertwining branches aptly offers the
reader what is inside. This in-depth work of historical
non-fiction chronicles the fight for leadership of the
Republican Party in the early 1950's. While there
are many 'branches' in the work, basically it thoroughly
describes the story of Ike and Senator McCarthy. The
latter was a very ruthless politician who stomped on anyone to
achieve power; the former was a shrewd, skilled non-politician
who used fairness in his successful attempt to address
'McCarthyism.' All throughout this work, I was mindful of
how easy it would have been to change the dates, replace several
names, and center the story on Washington DC of the 2000's.
Power, ruthlessness, and greed seem to have no special time in
history, and now America aches for the caliber of man Ike was.
This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to
understand politics."
—
DANNY KUBAT, Author of 'PACHYDERMS' (Five-Star Reader
Review on Amazon.com)

TRUMAN AND
MACARTHUR
"Truman and MacArthur, Adversaries for a
Common Cause, by Donald J. Farinacci, (Merriam Press, 2010) is
an elegant political biography of two men who unwittingly
reinforced a principal of the American fabric by engaging in a
confrontation that ended both their public careers. President
Truman may well be remembered for saying that 'the buck stops
here,' never more true than when he decided to fire General
Douglas MacArthur for prolonged insubordination in his conduct
of the Korean war, an event he knew would lead the popular press
to savage him, as it did.
General MacArthur's sayings are
perhaps more colorful, declaring as he left his troops at
Corregidor that 'I shall return,' and, when Truman fired him,
'Like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military
career and just fade away.'
Truman and MacArthur brilliantly
picks up where popular history trails off; as Mr. Farinacci
points out, instead of fading away, MacArthur "embarked on a
national speaking tour during which he became more and more
critical of Truman's foreign policy with each stop." It is an
exceptional and timely book, a well-written analysis of a
difficult period in American history and of a war that, six
decades later, calls out for serious study."
—
JACK LONDON, Author of ‘FRENCH
LETTERS’
(Click
here to read the complete text of this review on Jack W.
London's website.)
"One of the Best Books on Truman
& MacArthur.
The younger American generation
has little clue as to what actually happened in the Korean War
—
it is truly a lost history. Author
Donald Farinacci puts together a largely unknown and
misunderstood part of that era with his revealing book about the
relationship between two of the giants of that period of our
history —
President Truman and General MacArthur.
There are still many historians that feel General MacArthur was
right. The debate still rages on because of the present day
world problems with both China and North Korea. Farinacci
chronicles past events and brings them alive. He skillfully
documents events while weaving in brilliant his narratives.
Truman and
MacArthur: Adversaries for a Common Cause is one
of the best books I have ever read on this subject matter.
If you were only going to read one book about the Korean War and
the politics of this time period, this would be the book you
must read first to gain a better understanding of what happened
and why. I highly recommend this book for those interested
in history, politics and war. It is informative and
actually entertaining. I would rank this book right up
there as one of the top 25 books ever written on that time of
our history."
—
BILL McDONALD, Author and Founder of
Military Writers Society of America
"This book, by Donald J.
Farinacci, is a must read for any one interested in the shaping
of the post-WWII world. I picked up this book with a
renewed interest in the Korean War after having read the Marines
of Autumn. I expected to be brought behind the scenes of
the struggle between two great characters of 20th century
American History, Harry S. Truman and Douglas MacArthur, which
culminated in Truman's firing of Macarthur during the Korean
War. I got that and much more.
The author begins with a look
into the very different pasts of Truman and MacArthur and the
events that shaped the men that they would become. This
put valuable context to the way in which each man handled the
grave world crisis that was the Korean War. And I say
grave world crisis, because, as this book so poignantly depicts,
the Korean War was the first real hot battle of the Cold War
which could have plunged the world into World War III if the
proper and delicate balance of political diplomacy and military
strategy was not employed. In this respect, the book shows
the common and mistakes made by both Truman and MacArthur at
Wake Island conference in October of 1950 - namely the serious
miscalculation by the General and President of Red China's
resolve to enter the war and its military capabilities. It
also shows the subsequent rift and power struggle between the
President and General which threatened the constitutional power
of military leadership in the civilian President. Such a
rift was also a bi-product of the President's frustrated ability
to address the global implications of the actions taken on the
battlefield by MacArthur's own public statements of the
General's "foreign policy" which would have seen the expansion
of the war into China and onto the Soviet Union's doorstep, the
use nuclear weapons against the Red Chinese forces and the
transfer of military resources from Europe to Asia.
Most importantly, this book never
looses sight of the American soldiers, sailors and marines who
fought this war and gives proper recognition to America's allies
that fought with the Americans under the United Nations banner.
The reader is brought to the planning table of the brilliantly
staged Inchon landing and given a front row seat to its flawless
execution. We are drawn into the harrowing fighting
retreat at the Chosin Reservoir, where sub zero temperatures and
hundreds of thousands of fresh Red Chinese troops nearly
annihilated the thinly stretched Americans. And we witness
America's "Dunkirk" with the evacuation at Hungnam where the
last transport departed a half-hour in front of the arrival of
the pursing Chinese.
With MacArthur's removal, and the
reinvigorated command of his replacement, General Matthew B.
Ridgeway, the reader witnesses the resurgence of the Allied
Forces which exacted heavy tolls on the Red Chinese and North
Korean forces resulting in the restoration the borders of the
two Korea's at the 38th parallel.
The author also does not forget
other figures that played important supporting roles in the
dramatic story of Truman, MacArthur and the Korean War such as
Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, Secretary of Defense, George
Marshall, NATO commander, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Army and Marine
Generals Walton Walker and O.P. Smith, Marine Colonel “Chesty”
Puller, Army Chief of Staff, J. Lawton Collins, South Korean
President, Syngman Rhee, and others.
All of the above elements are
brilliantly woven into a thrilling and cohesive story of the men
and events that shaped the Korean War and early Cold War
politics."
—
JACK FAHEY, (Five-Star Reader
Review on Amazon.com)
"When I first learned there was another
book that dealt with, directly or indirectly, the
Truman-MacArthur story, I was highly skeptical that new ground
could be broken. After all, there have been a number of
notable books such as "MacArthur"
by Bair, "American Caesar"
by Manchester and perhaps the best of the lot, "General
MacArthur and President Truman: The Struggle For Control Of
American Foreign Policy" by Rovere and Schlesinger.
However, author Donald J. Farinacci, with "Truman
and MacArthur: Adversaries for a Common Cause" not
only bravely enters this esteemed club, he has established his
book as the very best among the best, by any measure.
Farinacci tells the story of both the war and
the Truman-MacArthur relationship as parallel paths that become
inseparable. Seamlessly weaving the increasingly tense
relationship between the president and his top general, with an
escalating, dangerous and even desperate war situation, they
become one and inseparable. No matter how much history you
think you know regarding the Koran War and Truman and MacArthur,
you find yourself progressively on edge as to the outcome of
both the war and the Truman-MacArthur issues.
Farinacci’s groundbreaking research and
engaging writing style, combined with a focus on presenting
facts without historical or political bias, leaves the reader
with an enlightened appreciation of what was in fact, a growing
constitutional crisis ultimately decided in a manner consistent
with the design and intent of the Founding Fathers.
"Truman and
MacArthur: Adversaries for a Common Cause"
is without doubt the new standard on one of the most fascinating
American political-military stories in history. Meticulous
new research, superb writing and engaging storytelling make for
a fascinating and entertaining educational experience.
This one is a keeper for the home library. Don't loan this
book out, you may not get it back."
—
STEVEN G. BUSTIN, Author of ‘HUMBLE
HEROES: HOW THE USS NASHVILLE CL43 FOUGHT WWII’

WHEN ONE STOOD
ALONE
"Mr.
Farinacci did a very thorough job on this book. His
research was very extensive and his writing style held your
interest. Living an hour out of Washington we were pretty
well inundated on a daily basis with the Watergate affair.
Mr. Farinacci managed to put a very human face on Judge Sirica
and made you feel that you actually knew him. A job very
well done!"
—
JACQUIE, (Four-Star Reader Review
on Amazon.com)
"This book is an
inspiring story of a lone public servant, Federal Judge John J.
Sirica, and his unrelenting effort to uncover the truth about
the Watergate conspiracy regardless of where it led, which in
this case was right into the Oval Office. On display by
Judge Sirica was a rare brand of moral courage seldom found in
today's government leaders. If you enjoy political
intrigue and a good morality play,
When One Stood Alone
will be an enriching experience."
—
ANNIE TRUEBLEW, (Five-Star Reader
Review on Amazon.com)

LAST FULL
MEASURE OF DEVOTION
"This
a well written and very well researched book. Whether you
served in Vietnam or not, the stories and history are very
relevant."
—
Robert R.
McMillan, former
Commissioner of the Panama Canal
"The
author chronicles 22 individual stories of men who fought and
served during the Vietnam War. The stories of these courageous
men are very graphically detailed, including the first large
scale test of our fighting men at the battle of Ira Drang. The
lives of these men, including the stories of men who were
awarded the Medal of Honor, can be summed up in a quote from the
book; 'Not for fame or reward, not for place or for rank, but in
simple obedience to duty, as they understood it.' These
are stories of men of uncommon valor. Well told."
—
JIM STEWART,
Author of 'THE ANGEL FROM VIETNAM,' and Military
Writers Society of America Reviewer
"Farinacci
does a fantastic job of bringing the action to life... I
highly recommend this book."
—
50th
Infantry Association Book Reviewer
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