As the Vietnam War winds down, the USS Tutanga repairs river boats on the Saigon River. Connor Simmons arrives on board to find House, a battle-scarred sailor who works the black market and has a soft spot for the Vietnamese kids in the nearby village of Nha Be. When Connor goes to work on an antiquated light ship, he learns that it may be central to Houses plan to save those he cares about most. Throwing Grenades at Gilligans Island is a one-hundred-thousand-word historical novel that explores love, loyalty, and the absurdity of war.

An analysis of the under-studied sitcom Gilligan’s Island that addresses key questions about American social life in the 1960s. Gilligan’s Island, created by Sherwood Schwartz, aired for three seasons between 1964 and 1967 on the CBS network. While the series was typically dismissed for its episodic inanity, author Walter Metz argues that this characteristic is precisely the source of the show’s innovation as it produces a vibrant critique of dominant American values. In this analysis of Gilligan’s Island, Metz reveals the inner workings of American television and society through an intensive look at the popular sitcom. In twenty-one short sections, Metz investigates many aspects of Gilligan’s Island: the narrative, the characters, the plot, and the performativity. Through multiple episode analyses and character examinations, Metz shows how the castaways’ actions on the island held deeper meaning and illustrated American social customs. The book also looks at several different themes presented in the show and connects them to many literary traditions, including Shakespeare (The Tempest and Hamlet), existential theatre (Waiting for Godot), and classic American literature (Moby-Dick). Through this discussion, Metz examines the literacy of Gilligan’s Island and the way it knowingly returns to certain tropes from high literature, masking their expression in a distinctly populist American idiom. Metz also addresses the legacy of Gilligan’s Island and its profound effect on American television, as evidenced by popular contemporary shows like Survivor and Lost. At one point in time, Gilligan’s Island was the most syndicated show around the world, but few scholarly articles exist about it. Fans of the show and those interested in television history and popular culture will enjoy this playful and informative study that fills a gap in television history.

Join the creator of Gilligan's Island for a three-hour tour! Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful show, That started as just one man's dream, A long, long time ago. That man was a mightily wily guy, With smarts enough for eight. If the brass upstairs let him be, The program would be great. The program would be great. The meddlesome executives Blew up a mighty storm, If not for the courage of the fearless man, The program would be lost. The program would be lost. The show's preserved in the leaves of this Terrific kooky book. With anecdotes, synopses too, Rare photographs and drawings. The whole story And lots, lots more Are here Inside Gilligan's Island! Find out: Where the Howells got all those clothes! Learn: Did Gilligan and the Skipper ever get hurt when the coconuts hit them on the head? Discover: What was "Lovey's" real name? Imagine: What kind of a pet the studio almost gave Gilligan! Sing: The original lyrics to the theme song!

This antiwar story takes place in 1967-68 in Vietnam. It is about those who crewed the helicopters in an assault helicopter company. There are two main male characters, one poor and one slightly upper middle class. They arrive in their new company on the same day and therefore become friends. Both are 24 years old. There is also an American female character who is in Vietnam with the Red Cross at the beginning of the book but has to return home when her father becomes ill. Her letters to Robert give a female point of view about the war. She is 23.

This story is based on actual events that took place in the African country of Somalia (1992-1993) before Black Hawk down took place. This story takes off when one soldier, Specialist Stephen Bedford, is given the choice between service to his country and his obligations to his pregnant wife and family. Offered the opportunity to lead a fire team and fulfill his greatest military challenge yet, will he be able to lead the fire team as he had hoped, or will there be events that make him wish he had never left home? Along the way, Specialist Bedford and his fire team will embark on an incredible journey that will leave him with unforgettable experiences and reoccurring nightmares, as this humanitarian mission becomes more increasingly hostile. This is the exciting story about a soldier and his team of unsung heroes as they try to help the people of Somalia regain hope within a country full of distressful chaos.

Guide to the syndicated sitcoms