Spearhead (Adapted for Young Adults) cover art

Spearhead (Adapted for Young Adults)

An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II

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Spearhead (Adapted for Young Adults)

By: Adam Makos
Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
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Adapted for young adults from the New York Times bestseller, a riveting and true WWII story of a young man--an American tank gunner--who meets his destiny in an iconic armor duel and forges an enduring bond with his enemy.

Shut the hatches. It's time to roll out. You'll find yourself behind enemy lines with Clarence Smoyer and the 3rd Armored Division, the workhorse unit known as "Spearhead," the best in the tank armor ranks.

You'll feel as if you are right beside Clarence and his fellow crew members--all formerly strangers from across America who have now become family to each other. You will be jarred by enemy fire, and then explore the other side, stepping into the boots of German tanker soldier, Gustav Schaefer and his crew. You'll witness the heartbreaking tragedy, when an innocent young woman is caught in the crossfire. You'll see what happens when all of these lives collide, and realize how the aftershock still affects the survivors more than a half a century later. A riveting and true account of the perils of war as well as the prospect of forgiveness.


Cover images courtesy of Chuck Miller (Easy Company commanders); National Archives (medics, Clarence in cap, Spearhead dough); Bryan Makos, Valor Studios, Inc. (background map); U.S. Army photo by William B. Allen, courtesy of Dave Allen and Darren Neely (Panther); Steven Zaloga (Fury); Buck Marsh (A-Company doughs); Clarence Smoyer (Clarence sketch) Biographies Health, Lifestyle & Relationships History & Culture Literature & Fiction War Survival Military Young Adult War
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Critic reviews

★ ". . . nonstop action . . . teeth-gritting suspense. [Makos] writes brilliantly about combat, letting readers experience the life-and-death reality of battle that Clarence and Gustav endured. . . . [and] showing the lasting impact war had on them." —Booklist, starred review

"A detailed and compelling war account…." —Kirkus Reviews

"[The] people and their emotions… will leave readers saddened, horrified, and hopeful." —School Library Journal
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This is the first of the many auidobooks I have listened to that moved me to write a review.
I very nearly started off on the wrong foot with it in the first paragraph with the line: "the New World coming to the rescue of the Old World".
I wasn't in the mood for American 'if it wasn't for us' type Hollywoodery.

But I'm very glad I stuck with it.
It is a brilliantly narrated recollection of memories from ordinary people from both sides of the conflict, that tells of the horrors of war, the inanities and pointlessness of armed conflict and the civilian toll, the bravery and the sacrifice.

It is not all the horrors of war though, there are also poignant moments of the hopes, dreams and daily lives of people caught up in war, that just want to be able to go home.

What really struck home for me though was the last section of the book, detailing their lives after the war, the memories, the reunions.

A powerful and thought provoking read.

A poignant recollection of war memories

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