Puller's Runner: A Work of Historical Fiction about Lieutenant General Lewis B. 'Chesty' Puller

By Nick Ragland and Joe Rouse

Book Overview

Lewis "Chesty" Puller is the most famous and most decorated of all Marines.

Michael Abbo is an average American kid who enlists in the Marine Corps just before Pearl Harbor. As he struggles to adapt, he unwillingly finds himself assigned to the duty of runner for Chesty Puller, a highly decorated jungle fighter from the "Banana Wars." Abbo is shocked by Chesty's harsh training methods and the horrors of the amphibious warfare of the Pacific, but survives World War II, finishes college, and becomes a newspaper reporter for The Chicago Tribune. He is called up from the Marine Reserves in 1950 to serve in Korea, and finds himself assigned once again to Chesty Puller. He serves well throughout the Inchon landing, the battle for Seoul, and into the hellish Chosin Reservoir, meanwhile gaining respect and awe for the once-enlisted man who takes great pride in "leading from the front." Abbo eventually returns to the Tribune, and covers Puller's forced retirement as well as his dramatic testimony in the court martial of a Marine drill instructor at Parris Island.

For more info, check out www.pullersrunner.com

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761846077
• ISBN13: 9780761846079
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Hamilton Books
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

OK BOOK

Good book about General Puller, but if you had seen any other books on Puller, this was simply a recast of the other books. Great if you never knew anything about this singular individual.

Informative Read!

This was a very informative read about the campaign in the Pacific, centered around a legendary marine, Chesty Puller. It really brings you down on the ground with the men and a lot of insight to the challenges and conditions they faced. Very highly recommended.

A book Marines will love

I received "Puller's Runner" for Christmas, and finished it by New Years Eve. It's about 80% history, 20% novel. I can't imagine a Marine not liking it, and it will appeal to all who love America and our heroes. We still have them, though the Hollywood losers and sports pimps get all the attention in our sick media and culture, where dog-torturer Michael Vick gets a "courage" award and wounded vets are ignored. Give copies to teens you have hope for.

Very Good Historical Fiction

As a lover of American war history, I was not sure I would enjoy a work of historical fiction. However, the authors did a great job of giving a fantastic historical account of Chesty Puller using just a couple fictional characters. Chesty Puller was a stud and deserved to have his story told in such a great way.

Excellent Read!

This is a well researched historical fiction about "Chesty" Puller, the most decorated Marine in history. The story, told by a young soldier who is assigned to be a runner of messages from Puller's command posts, follows Puller's career from Haiti and Nicaragua to Guadacanal and Korea. The book is an exceptional account of an exceptional man. Highly recommended.