*received for free from netgalley for honest review* 4.5, this was a really fascinating book, learned a lot from this book. His story is pretty amazing and every time i read books like this it reminds me how strong people can be. Would recommend!

John “Lucky” Luckadoo was a bomber pilot in World War II in the most dangerous period of the European theater, and he survived twenty-five bombing runs, which was unusual. This is his story, told to us by the skilled wordsmith Kevin Maurer, and narrated by Holter Graham and Luckadoo himself. My thanks go to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan audio for the invitation to read and review.

The first portion of the narrative tells about Lucky’s early years, as well as his yearning to learn to fly. I feel a bit impatient as I read this segment, because I’m dying, like Lucky, to go to war. However, some of what I think is extraneous material proves to be important later on, so I’m glad not to have skipped anything.

A quarter of the way into the story, and we’re off. I am impressed by the descriptions, which are brief and unmistakably clear, written for general audiences of today. An example is when he tells us that a Quonset hut looks like a tin can that has been split lengthwise, then put on the ground, cut side down. Everything, from the planes, to the target, to the flying conditions is easily understood without talking down to the reader. The chapters are a good length, and the dialogue crackles. But now, we have to talk about that.

When anyone writes military history, whether it’s a biography, a memoir, a reference book, or any other nonfiction work, there must be citations for the facts and especially for quotations and dialogue. (I am proud of myself for not using twelve exclamation marks here; if there were an audio version of this review, I would be shrieking, so it’s just as well that we’ve stuck to print.) The author provides a bibliography at the end, and it. Is. Not. Enough. No, no, no! This is why so many writers in this field use historical fiction as a vehicle; the very best historical fiction communicates the same material, but is not bound to document facts. A bibliography alone would be just dandy for a work of historical fiction…which this is not. In fact, (said the American history and government teacher,) the four star rating is evidence of my appreciation for the clarity, organization, and pacing of this story; ordinarily I would go no higher than three stars for anyone in violation of this clear requirement. (Where was the editor?)

Moving on. The pace in the middle segment is brisk, but I have no problem putting it down and walking away when I am interrupted in my reading. That all changes at the sixty-sixth percentile, when the B-17 pilots and crews are sent on a mission to bomb Bremen. This is a huge mission, and a very dangerous one, as they are trying to bomb the canal where German U-boats are housed in broad daylight. At the same time, Goering is done watching his pilots get pounded, and he orders them to fight to the last man, and those that will not will be transferred to the infantry (note here that the German infantry is starving and freezing; pilots are much better fed.) Consequently, their aggression in the air is unprecedented, with kamikaze-like maneuvers that none of the Allies have seen from Germany up till now. During the portion of the book, I would not have left this story unless my house was on fire.

The callous decisions by higher-ups as to what an acceptable attrition level looks like, with about sixteen percent of active American airmen making it home alive after their service is done, is horrifying.

I have read a number of biographies and other historical works regarding this topic, but nevertheless, I learned some new information. I recommend this book to readers that are interested, but not to researchers or students.

Although the narrators do a perfectly fine job, I realize early that I cannot keep up with this level of detail without seeing the words, so I jettison the audio version and stick to the digital review copy. I recommend the audio version for those quirky souls that understand and retain spoken information better than print.

I loved this history story of John Luckadoo and the best part was the amazing Question and Answer with the author and John himself. I was taken with John's strength, faith and endurance. Thank you so much for letting me have access to this wonderful audiobook

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and the author for an advance listener’s copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

As an Army officer, I was thrilled to be accepted for an early copy of this gem. I am not someone who normally goes out of their way to read military history unless required for work and because of the lack of interest, I often find it boring and do not retain too much useful information. I am far from a history guru. But this book (the title, cover, and description) caught my interest when scanning NetGalley and when reading the already posted advance reviews, someone had mentioned they enjoyed how it was told as a thrilling first-hand account as if you’re sitting in the actual plane with LT Luckadoo “Lucky” and his crew and that is SO TRUE! It is military history, but with a spin, not a boring history lesson that you may or may not retain. It may as well be fiction, that’s how captivating it was to listen to, and yet I still learned a ton about military aircrafts/pilots and their importance in WWII while still being entertained.

The interview at the end was a cherry on top. *chef’s kiss* It slapped me back into reality that this thrilling and terrifying story is based on a real war hero who volunteered and gave it his all despite the ultimate risk.

I also really enjoyed the narrator. This was the first audiobook I’ve ever listened to from a male perspective and it was well done.

I love WWII fiction and have really gotten into reading biographical fiction so it makes sense that I start reading historical NONfiction. Last fall for Nonfiction November, I read my first WWII nonfiction book and really enjoyed it. So when I saw the audiobook Damn Lucky, I decided to give it a try. It is also about a pilot - John Luckadoo was a B-17 bomber pilot.

John "Lucky" Luckadoo has participated in oral history projects and other projects that aim to record the stories and history of "the greatest generation" but his whole story had never been recorded. Journalist and war correspondent, Kevin Maurer uncovered part of Lucky's story in a WWII archive and went in search of the rest of it. Damn Lucky is part historical biography and part personal memoir as Maurer relays Lucky's time in the Army with a sprinkling of historical facts.

What really struck me with this book was how new air combat was during WWII. I knew the WWII era was the infancy of avionics but Lucky's story really drove it home.

There were also details about flying during that time that I hadn't read before. Like, I never realized that the planes were not pressurized and the crew was at the mercy of the extremely cold temperatures of high altitude flying - frostbite was a common problem. If you are an author of WWII fiction, this would be a great book to provide you with real, personal details that would enrich your fiction.

A lot of the book was about various battles, which I got a little bored with, but I can see it appealing to others. I'm much more interested in the personal interactions and there are some interesting and very touching moments.

The book was also a reminder that we are losing so many of the personal stories from this era. Luckadoo was 99 at the time of the recording. I always make it a point to read the author's note at the end of the historical fiction books I read and so many times the authors mention how they relied on letters and journal entries. Maurer was able to interview Luckado and pick his brain so to speak. Luckadoo mentions in the afterword that this is the first time that he recounted his whole WWII experience. He couldn't/didn't want to talk about it when he returned after the war. How many men and women have died without ever sharing everything they experienced and all we can know is from a few letters or diaries (if even that)?

While Damn Lucky does not read like a history textbook, it also doesn't read like a novel. It is probably more like something you might read in Slate or The Atlantic.

If you are looking to learn more about WWII air combat or hearing the personal stories of a man who served, then this is a good audiobook to pick up. The narrator Holter Graham does a wonderful job. John Luckadoo also narrates the afterword. I'm not sure if a transcript is offered in the print editions, but the audiobook includes a conversation between Maurer and Luckadoo.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Saturday, April 16 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/04/damn-lucky-by-kevin-maurer-review.html

Divine Intervention

A gritty and heroic story of a young WWII bomber pilot from Tennessee. Once two young men, John "Lucky" Luckadoo and his friend Sully decided to join the Canadian Royal Air Force to fight the Germans in WWII. The United States had not yet joined the war and they wanted to be fighter pilots. This sounded so exciting to them both. Sully's mother gave permission and he joined the Canadian Royal air Force as a fighter pilot. Lucky's parents would not give permission so he had to wait until after Pearl Harbor and he was old enough to give his own permission and he joined the U.S. Army Air Force and was trained as a bomber pilot.

With a bible in his pocket and his girlfriends silk stocking around his neck he went off to war. He soon learned it wasn't as exciting as he had thought. With little training the young men were thrown into action. Many perished and the sights and sounds he heard were horrific for a young man. He prayed each mission and he thought each time he returned that he was damned lucky to still be alive.

This is a story of war, of fighting and of one man's life as a bomber pilot. This is the story of John "Lucky" Luckadoo. It is the story of hope, faith, and loss. It is also the story that once you read you will never forget and you will know that war is evil and it is life consuming. It serves no purpose but the loss of life.

The narrator, Holter Graham did a wonderful job of telling the story, his voice was very pleasing to listen to and the annunciation was perfect. I especially loved Mr. Luckadoo's interview and words spoken about the book at the end. It was as good as the whole book. So many do not wish to share these experiences with us but I appreciate Mr. Luckadoo sharing his life so that we might know how it felt to be a pilot in the middle of a war.

Thanks to Kevin Maurer for writing Lucky's story and to Lucky for sharing his story with all of us, to Holter Graham and John Luckadoo for the wonderful narration of the story, to MacMillan audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.