Review of The Forgotten Soldier

[Love Ukaegbu]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Forgotten Soldier" by Dr. Angelique Barabara.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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From the book's title, The Forgotten Soldier, by Dr. Angelique Barabara, you will have an idea of what the book is about. This book is a true life story of a man named Curtis Dagley who served in the army to avoid jail time for accidentally killing a woman.

The book starts with the protagonist Curtis, who lived an average life with his parents and siblings; he had two friends, Bobby and Joe. It was a time when being respectable made a difference in society. However, Curtis's parents wanted him to settle down with a girl named Susie, and he wanted to be with another girl named Grace. He felt Susie was too polished for him and wanted Grace because he felt he could relate better to her.

One evening, while driving home with his friends, Curtis got into an accident and mistakenly killed a woman. Although this accident wasn't entirely his fault, the odds were against him, and he was at risk of being sent to jail. Seeing that he was almost 18 years old, his father pulled some strings. He was sent to the military to avoid jail time, where he enlisted and started his twelve-week boot camp. Although coping in the military was difficult, he pulled through and showed exemplary strength and discipline. His growth made his superiors assign him to a critical mission. While on the mission, he meets a terrible fate, where he is imprisoned for serval months for a crime; every day, the chances of him leaving the prison grow smaller and smaller. Will Curtis survive this trying time, and will he ever get rewarded for his service in the military? Find out as you read this book.

There are many reasons why I love this book, but the major one is how the author details Curtis's time in jail. It was described in a way that made me feel his despair. I liked how the author explained how Curtis's jail mate, Dr. Stefan Wozniak, a Polish doctor, kept encouraging him to stay strong. The author noted that his calm demeanor made Curtis feel somewhat peaceful. The book was well-written and straightforward; the author did not bore me with unnecessarily long explanations, nor did she fill the story with unimportant characters. The storyline flowed beautifully, making it easy for me, as a reader, to follow.

The only part of this book I didn't like so much was the love story between Curtis and Grace; the book lacked details about their story. I wanted to see how their story progressed and see a little bit of romance between the two. Aside from that, this short story is perfect and worth the read.

Despite the previous paragraph stating my concerns about the book, I will rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. This is because the downside I mentioned did not make the book less interesting, nor did it affect its overall message; the book is detail-oriented and has a unique plot, hence the perfect rating I gave it. I recommend this book to lovers of military stories.

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The Forgotten Soldier
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[patricia MGBEMENA]

It is sad that Curtis had to find himself in such a complicated situation in life and I appreciate the effort of his dad to save him from jail term.

[Joe Alex 2]

From the review, The Forgotten Soldier sounds like an intense, emotional story, especially with Curtis’s time in jail and his struggle to survive. I can see why the book has such a strong impact, particularly with how his bond with Dr. Wozniak offers some peace amid all the chaos. The love story with Grace might’ve been a bit lacking, but the rest of the plot seems well done and compelling. Definitely seems like a book I’d pick.