I have received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will divide my review on two fronts: the story, and the writing.

On the story side, this was a very cool piece of history that I had never heard of. The Venerable (maybe future Saint) Father Kapaun was a hero, a manly figure of faith in a time when "meek" is often incorrectly perceived as "weak". Both strong physically (he carried/supported another man on a 30 mile death march!) and in his faith (famously unflappable in battle and in the camp), he was the example for excellence as a military chaplain. Unfortunately, the emphasis for everyone in this story seemed to be placed upon the Father's faith only as evidenced through his good works, and not upon God as the source of his faith. One wonders if the good Father would wholly approve of this.

On the writing side, I had difficulties with the storytelling method. While it is obviously a labor of love, and the author really knew his material, I had difficulty maintaining my focus to the storyline. While I LOVE the use of primary sources, and Mr. Stansifer has an excellent sourcelist, the PLACEMENT of those sources within the book really broke up the narrative. He would just quote multiple paragraphs of letters, then a few introductory sentences, then another letter. The balance of interest became outweighed by frustration as this went on. Contrasting the data-rich early years of this biography with the POW events (which had many eyewitness accounts but few letters) it is clear what was holding up the flow.

I did also notice a couple typographical errors (spelling mistakes, the like), but as this is an ARC I imagine that will be corrected before final printing.

All in all, this was an interesting piece of history that I would recommend to anyone interested in church history or the Korean War era.

Finally, something that frustrated me was the author's apparent endorsement of ecumenicalism, claiming a mass that Father Kapaun administered was "ecumenical" because it had witnesses of different denominations, religions, or even atheists. If it was the Roman Catholic mass, with no elements of those other religions, it was not ecumenical. It was a normal mass. One has to wonder what Father Kapaun would also think of that. He ministered to all, but he ministered according the the Catholic faith. He was not Father Mulcahy of M*A*S*H. (Then again, Father Mulcahy was a Jesuit, so what else would one expect).

Let me preface this review by saying that my father was a veteran of the Korean War, that my reading preference has been leaning towards non-fiction and that I'm Catholic. This book doesn't shy away from the atrocities and brutalities of war. It seems that the US was outnumbered 15:1 at times; there were times when they ran out of ammunition. At times casualties were 50%. The North Korean and South Korean civilians likely had around 200,000 casualties in 1950 and well over 600,000 by 1953 - about 10% of the total Korean population.

Snippers would look for the orange glow of a cigarette or pipe; twice Father Kapaun had his pipe shot out of his mouth. He taped his pipe back together. Father Kapaun would tirelessly bring aid to others and would assist with caring and/or carrying the wounded.

The author wrote this book after seeing the Medal of Honor ceremony for Father Kapaun on live television April 2013. He was compelled to bring this story to a wider audience.

I also believe that this book is also hoping that it provides the appropriate documentation to make the case for Father Kapaun to be canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church.

There were times when reading this book that I got shivers and this book convinces me that Father Kapaun should be a saint. This man certainly went above and beyond in his service to mankind.

Another review criticizes the book format; but I think it was appropriate and the best option. The author (and/or those trying to better document Father Kapaun's life) reached out to anyone that knew Father Kapaun to help document their interaction with him. Undoubtably there is some thigs that were repeated. I feel that it is appropriate and that it wasn't excessive.

Normally I would say that I enjoyed a book; but in this case I feel that it was an honor and privilege to read this book. Thank you for writing it.

Thank you to NetGalley, author John Stansifer and publisher Hanover Square Press for approving my request to read the advance read copy of No Bullet Got Me Yet:The Relentless Faith of Father Kapaun in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is March 12, 2024. Approx 384 pages.

Learn all about the Korean war, where the mistreatment and killing of POWs was worse than in WWII. The brutality of the communists was appalling.
Father Emil Kapaun was a captured chaplain who inspired the other POWs, giving them hope. The Chinese captors feared him because of the high regard the POWs had for him. He died in captivity because of the wretched conditions and because the communists wanted him dead. Good example of grace in a fiendish situation.

It doesn't pay to be a saint. Well, not in this life at least.

The life of Father Emil Kapuan, Medal of Honor awardee, Roman Catholic priest, and maybe one day saint, is told by John Stansifer in his book, No Bullet Got Me Yet. There are a few things which are beyond debate even for the most cynical. Kapuan was a kind, caring man who would brave bullets for any of his men regardless of creed. He enjoyed being a servant in various ways and did so humbly and quietly. Stansifer goes through great pains to present Kapuan as someone who is admired for his selflessness and in this endeavor, he succeeds.

However, I had a very hard time enjoying this book because of how Stansifer chooses to tell it. The most glaring problem is an over-reliance on letters from various sources. Normally, a primary source is the perfect tool to tell a story. However, Stansifer often uses large excerpts from personal correspondence from different people. It ruins the flow of the story and while it certainly paints Kapuan in a good light, it takes away from the reader's understanding of the time and place these letters refer to. It also means Stansifer has to consistently tell the larger story around what is happening in very short spurts. Kapuan deserves the attention and intention of this book, but I don't think the storytelling choices were the best way to do it.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing.)

Wow. That's all I have to say about this book. I've read a lot about Father Kapaun, but this book was the best of them all.