“Some savvy screenplay writer will inevitably snag the rights to this one. The comic relief is already built into the suspense-driven plot. The story is just the right size for a movie in an industry struggling to break-away from comic book heroes into the genuine article.” Reviewed By: Casey Quyn, Manhattan Book Review of LEFT FOR DEAD AT NIJMEGEN by Marcus A. Nannini.
THE 2019 NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
Midwest Book Review : “Extraordinary and Simply Riveting.”
Authors Reading States:
“Gene Metcalfe’s detailed recollections are supplemented with photographs. This is an important biography worthy of inclusion in World War II themed collections. The book portrays military sacrifices and the reality of the struggle of POW as reported by a survivor.” AuthorsReading.com 5 star review.
https://www.imdb.me/marcusnannini
2020 NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR-HISTORY
A first time buyers discount of 30% is available here. Click: https://www.casematepublishers.com/left-for-dead-at-nijmegen.html
“MARCUS, I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE BOOK. IT’S PERHAPS ONE OF THE BEST MEMOIRS I’VE READ.” Angus Wallace, WW II PODCAST, United Kingdom
AMAZON HAS LEFT FOR DEAD AT NIJMEGEN ON SALE TODAY https://www.amazon.com/Left-Dead-Nijmegen-American-Paratrooper/dp/1612006965
FINALIST, NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS.
Sep 20, 2019Duke Schneider for Goodreads rated “it it was amazing · GOODREADS. I had a friend on fb share a link about this book so I looked it up. Ordered from a site in the UK and it came about a week later. There were times I thought for sure the hero, Gene, would wind up dead. Even though the title tells me there is going to be something bad happening at Nijmegen…a name I was familiar with because i am a fan of the movie A BRIDGE TOO FAR…the Nijmegen event was just the start of a series of absolutely hair raising incidents.
Then there is the fact the story moves from brutal to funny to brutal, in a few blinks of an eye, makes me wonder how the heck Gene can still smile. He is a man I would love to meet.
The pacing was perfect and putting it down was hard. Suggestion to readers: When you reach the Market Garden chapter look at the clock and decide if you have the time to read another 150 pages because if you don’t have the time, you will find yourself wishing you had.
This is one of the best WW2 stories I ever read and cannot even imagine what the author did to place me, the reader, so firmly into Gene’s boots. Hats off!
“Told in the matter-of-fact tone of a college essay, the book is a page turner, full of coincidences, narrow escapes, and tension worthy of a Hollywood film. Left for Dead at Nijmegen is well worth the read.” Paul Garrett for Reedsy Discovery
“There are many stories about the American airborne in Market Garden; Gene’s story is unique and significant.” World War II History Magazine, April 2020
It was just announced LEFT FOR DEAD AT NIJMEGEN is a “Montaigne Medal Finalist.”
LEFT FOR DEAD AT NIJMEGEN IS IN THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL ARCHIVES.
I have written a lot of stories in my life, but after my first 5.5 hour interview with paratrooper Gene Metcalfe of Phoenix, AZ I knew there was something special there. Marcus A. Nannini, author of Left for Dead at Nijmegen.
FIND ME AT imbd: imdb.me/marcusnannini
A“BESTSEL” in Holland, buy it here when in the Netherlands: HTTPS://WWW.ATHENAEUM.NL/BOEK/?AUTHORTITLE=NANNINI-MARCUS-A-/LEFT-FOR-DEAD-AT-NIJMEGEN–9781612006963
The highest praise is coming from Germany, Holland, the UK, Canada and the USA! HTTPS://CHAMELEONSTHEBOOK.COM/LEFT-FOR-DEAD-AT-NIJMEGEN-REVIEWS/
READ MORE HERE: https://everything-everywhere.com/nijmegen-the-city-that-remembers/
You can email Marcus: MarcusNannini@aol.com
Follow me on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/MarcusANannini/
LINK TO THE TELEVISION COVERAGE OF THE SPECIAL US ARMY AWARDS CEREMONY RESULTING FROM THIS “RIVETING” BOOK: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/two-valley-veterans-honored-with-medals-75-years-later
A“BESTSEL” in Holland, buy it here when in the Netherlands: https://www.athenaeum.nl/boek/?authortitle=nannini-marcus-a-/left-for-dead-at-nijmegen–9781612006963
“Brilliant book, riveting read” Nick Parker, United Kingdom.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-a-nannini-65b949160/
The AUDIOBOOK is now available: https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/left-for-dead-at-nijmegen.aspx
Salvation came when General Patton’s tanks blew open the gates to his prison camp. With freedom beckoning to him, Gene didn’t hesitate and immediately embarked on a remarkable journey that included running directly into a column of 300 German soldiers. His astonishing tale continues to this day as he has received numerous awards for his service and heroism, in both the USA and Holland, all as a result of this riveting book.
LEFT FOR DEAD AT NIJMEGEN
The True Story of an American Paratrooper in World War II
Marcus A. Nannini
Hard-bound, Casemate Publisher, Oxford, UK and Philadelphia, PA. April, 2019 ISBN-13: 978-1-61200-696-3 ASIN: B07QM86WDW ISBN: 1612006965
BRIEF SYNOPSIS
The Order to fall back had finally been given by Lieutenant Weaver. Gene, being at the forefront of the fire-fight, couldn’t hear the order. He stood his ground and continued to fire as fast as he could, having run out of hand-grenades. Ray Meade, his best friend, did hear the order and soon realized Gene wasn’t pulling back. Not wanting to leave his friend behind he decided to take a chance and charge across the roadway to let Gene know they were pulling out.
As Meade took his first step towards Gene, a shell from a nearby German “88” exploded, throwing Gene’s body high into the air. Meade heard Gene hit the ground with a stomach-churning thump. Undaunted, Meade continued across the road, dodging heavy fire from the German 10th SS Panzer Division, only to find Gene’s apparently lifeless body, face-down in the dirt. Meade rolled him over, noticed blood pouring from his right ear and assumed the worst. Gene was Left for Dead at Nijmegen, the only member of the advance combat patrol who did not return.
About an hour later Gene found himself standing between two hardened, machine-gun-toting SS fanatics while being interrogated by the evil Reichsfuhrer SS, Heinrich Himmler, deep within the bowels of an ancient castle. It was only the beginning of what would prove to be eight harrowing months under the thumb of the Nazi High Command.
Gene would shake hands with death numerous times, with both the Nazis, as well as the ground and air forces of the Allied nations. Gene would risk his life to save that of a fellow paratrooper, Elmer Melchi, who had been machine-gunned by a Nazi guard. He would witness carnage, suffer extreme deprivation, be forced into slave labor and eventually escape, only to be recaptured within sight of the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland.
TO LISTEN A GREAT, and FREE, PODCAST INTERVIEW OF GENE METCALFE ORIGINATING FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM, CLICK HERE: HTTPS://WW2PODCAST.COM/WW2-PODCAST/100-LEFT-FOR-DEAD-AT-NIJMEGEN/
AMAZON HAS LEFT FOR DEAD AT NIJMEGEN ON SALE TODAY https://www.amazon.com/Left-Dead-Nijmegen-American-Paratrooper/dp/1612006965
Please Help Support the NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM in New Orleans. Considered to be, hands-down, the best and most realistic WW II Museum in the USA! https://store.nationalww2museum.org/left-for-dead-at-nijmegen-hb.html
“The author has researched and studied this subject in great depth, his knowledge and ability to engage and keep the interest of the reader is accomplished and proficient. Army Rumour Service, 20/06/2019 (United Kingdom)
He was the last to jump from his fatally stricken C-47 and the lead man when he walked into a an overwhelming Defense by the 10th SS Panzer Division “Frundsberg.” He was left for dead, captured by the SS, interrogated by Heinrich Himmler and that was all on Day one of OPERATION MARKET GARDEN, 75 years ago. 1944-2019.
“Nannini dutifully constructs images and characteristics of the POW camps that his subject was forced into that were previously unknown. This work, therefore, is as important to historical study of the period as it is a riveting and fascinating tale. The writing is direct, simple, and honest, relaying the same feeling that you get from the main character. Left for Dead in Nijmegen, written by Marcus A Nannini and published by Casemate, a resounding recommendation to readers of historical novels.” LITERARY TITAN Literary Titan, July 12, 2019. https://literarytitan.com/2019/07/12/left-for- dead-at-nijmegen/
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, Library Bookwatch, 06-10-2019
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/lbw/jun_19.htm
Critique: “Left for Dead at Nijmegen: The True Story of an American Paratrooper in World War II” is an extraordinary and simply riveting memoir that will prove to be an immediate and enduringly valued addition to both community and academic library World War II Military History & Biography collections.”
The Palo Alto City Library; WW University Library in Munster, Germany; The King’s University Library in Edmonton, Alberta; Dakota County, Minnesota, Library, The Culver-Union Township Public Library; The University of Alberta Library; and The Calgary Public Library are the latest libraries to add Left for Dead at Nijmegen to their collections. Thank you!Coming in the fall of, 2021: NINE MEN DOWN, The Silent Invasion of Oahu. followed in S, 2021 by MIDNIGHT FLIGHT TO NUREMBERG, From the Coal Mines of Pennsylvania to the Explosive Skies over Nazi-Occupied Europe. Check here for updates. Or reach out to Marcus at: MarcusNannini@aol.com
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and imagination of these talented authors.
“Marcus, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It’s perhaps one of the best memoirs I’ve read.” Angus Wallace, WW II Podcast, United Kingdom
You can contact me here: MarcusNannini@aol.com
A“BESTSEL” in Holland, buy it here when in the Netherlands: https://www.athenaeum.nl/boek/?authortitle=nannini-marcus-a-/left-for-dead-at-nijmegen–9781612006963
Copyright Marcus A. Nannini, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
I would love to read that story. What a brave man
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Gene is one of the most amazing men I have met.
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A remarkable story and a man who should be used as a role model!
I thank Maria Holm for recommending this article.
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And I thank both of you. Marcus
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