Shifty's War: The Authorized Biography of Sergeant Darrell "Shifty" Powers, the Legendary Sharpshooter from the Band of Brothers

I just finished reading Marcus Brotherton's book "Shifty's War." The book tells the story of Sergeant Darrell "Shifty" Powers who was the legendary sharpshooter for Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. I sent the following note to Marcus via his Facebook page. Thought I'd share it with you as it tells you why you need to go out buy this book and have a "sitdown" with Shifty and let him tell you his story. To Marcus Brotherton I wrote: Marcus, I just finished reading "Shifty's War." Marvelous job on your part. I have been home the past few days both recovering from sinus surgery and fighting off bronchitis that decided to pay me a visit. I happy to say the recovery is going well and I have the bronchitis on the run. On Thursday after I decided to start reading your book. I read half of it in one setting. It flowed very smoothly and was as if I was sitting next to Shifty hearing him tell his story. Very well done. I did not get a chance to read many pages of the book on Friday as I had a follow up appointment with ENT specialist and was feeling under the weather from bronchitis. I also did not get to read it this past Saturday. I woke today and after having breakfast, I decided it was time to continue the journey through Shifty's life as you brilliantly assembled it in his words on paper. Once again, I could not put the book down. As I read the book, I heard myself chuckle at times. I also found myself glued to every word. What an awesome story about a Great Man and Hero. I must admit that I got teary eyed as I chapter of the book in which Shifty described his illness and the loss of his unborn great grandson. As I read the last sentence on page 254, I noticed tears streaming down my cheeks. And yes, the legacy of of Shifty Powers continues. I want to thank you for writing this WONDERFUL book and telling Shifty's story. I encourage to write other books about the remaining members of Easy Company. Only you can tell their stories through words in the way their stories deserve to be told. God bless you and thank you again for such a wonderful book. [ASIN:B004XFZ8VE Shifty's War: The Authorized Biography of Sergeant Darrell "Shifty" Powers, the Legendary Sharpshooter from the Band of Brothers]

Engaging book to read about Shifty. I have so much respect for him. A truly humble man. The book was written as though Shifty was speaking with me. It didn't disappoint. Emotional stories. I teared up at certain sections of the book. The greatest generation.

This is a great book for anyone wanting to know more about the life of one of the lesser known yet indispensable members of Easy Co., BOB. It is an enjoyable read giving insight into how so many of the ordinary young men of that generation answered the call and in so doing became the extraordinary "Greatest Generation". Marcus Brotherton does a superb job of illuminating Shifty's life: showing who he was befor, during and after the war. The story of this kind, humble, and rock solid man, was a pleasure to read and makes one proud to be an American. I only wish he had lived next door or down the street, when I was growing up. But then he or someone like him probably did but just didn't share it like Brotherton has shared it with us.

This is the third book I have read, all pertaining to the men of Easy Co., written by Marcus Brotherton. That probably tells you I trust Brotherton's ability to tell the tales of these men we hold in such high esteem and that I enjoy reading his work. This book does have a slightly different feel as it is written as if Mr. Powers were saying the words. Not having known Mr. Powers and having only heard him speak on video, I am not an authority, so I am very pleased to read numerous comments from people who knew him saying that Brotherton completely captured the essence of Shifty Powers, the way he talked and the way he thought. I liked feeling as if I was listening to Mr. Powers as I read this book and I am quite impressed with Brotherton's ability to do that so well. This book is a must read on several levels. If you are an admirer of Shifty Powers, if you are interested the men of Easy Co, or interested WWII or history, you must read this book. And not that I thought that it would be anything less, but my desire to read the book stemmed from my interest in the soldier, one of our American heroes, but I also found it to be just a great story. Shifty Powers was a deceptively simple man who seemed to know the secret to happiness - love, integrity and concern for his fellow man - and since I was never lucky enough to know him, and we are no longer able to learn it from the man himself, maybe we can learn it from Marcus Brotherton's book. Excellent job, as always, by Marcus Brotherton. He is a wonderful writer. I highly recommend this book.

Once in a while you read a book that is so riveting that you can't put it down. This is one of them. I love the way Marcus wrote the book in the first person. Marcus captured Shifty's dialect spot on. It truely felt like you were sitting on the porch and Shifty was telling you stories. As stated in the description and previous reviews, the book covers the life and times of Shifty Powers, a very humble WWII veteran that stood out in an already elite company of soldiers. It was nice to get some insight into his life. From growing up in the mining community of Clinchco, VA. Which I might add was a very interesting insight into how those old mining communities functioned. To how he overcame the demon's that haunted so many veterans and how Shifty went on to do great things for his community. I really couldn't put it down! I read it around the clock infact. I have read numerous WWII books over the years, including many of the Easy Company Veterans books, and this is one of my favorites. Thank You Marcus for GREAT BOOK and most of all, Thank You Shifty for your outstanding contribution in the war and to the betterment of your community. I hope you are resting in peace with the rest of the veterans after your "final jump".

The author writes Sgt Powers' story as though Shifty was telling the tale in the first person -- he captured the essence of the way Shifty spoke, as he explains in the introduction. That and the vivid way the author portrays the events in the life of this extraordinary soldier and gentleman made it an exceptional read. I needed to keep some tissues handy because reading it was an emotional experience. If you have ever watched the "Band of Brothers" miniseries on HBO, or read Stephen Ambrose's book on which the HBO program was based, you MUST read this book!

Great book very well written

Since the passing of Band of Brothers author Stephen Ambrose in 2002, Marcus Brotherton has continued to tell the story of Easy Company from his own interesting and unique perspective. In "Shifty's War", Brotherton tells the story of Easy Company's sharpshooter, Darrell "Shifty" Powers, in a way that makes the reader feel like the quiet Clinchco, Virginia native is right there next to you. "Shifty's War" is the perfect companion book for those who are fans of the other Band of Brothers books about Dick Winters, David Kenyon Webster, Bill Guarnere/Babe Heffron, Don Malarkey, along with Brotherton's book about Lt. Buck Compton. Brotherton delves further into the post-WWII life of Powers which reveals his true character as an honest man who lived to help others around him. I highly recommend this book, not only to fans of the Band of Brothers series, but for anyone who appreciates history in general.

If you've seen band of brothers you will know this soldier from the book or series. Definitely a n interesting read that explains the role shift played.

I have read many books on the campaigns fought by Easy Company, in World War 2, put it this way, I have read fifteen so far. There are still five to be reviewed on my list that I have not done yet, so here is the first one. Darrell Powers was the legendary sharpshooter from Band of Brothers, and rumour has it, he was used as inspiration for the sharpshooter in Saving Private Ryan too. Darrell, aka Shifty, was a quiet man, and well respected. There have been some comments I have seen in book reviews, about how it is written in the first person, and after Shiftys death. However, if you have seen Band of Brothers, if you have heard Shifty talk on the documentaries, you will note that the language in this book is an accurate reflection of Shifty and his tone and inflection of words. The words that come through the pages of Marcus Brotherton`s exquisite book, hand you everything. You get to know who Shifty is as a boy. Who Shifty was as a man. Marcus, through his research and interviews with other members of Easy Company, are able to share Shiftys experiences as a soldier. From family and friends, we get to hear of Shifty the family man. Shifty, the devoted friend. We hear how a young country boy from Clinch, Virginia, killed 8 men before he was twenty two. I could hear Shifty in my head, reading this book to me. In my head as I was reading, I imagined myself sitting in his lounge room, or on his back porch having a coffee and listening to his stories. I dont want to say the book was easy to read, because no war memoir should be, but it was an insightful read. Sgt Powers family commissioned this book and so the author, Marcus Brotherton, knew he had mountains of research that he needed to do. Shiftys family were beautifully open with the author, sharing everything they had. The author spoke with friends and acquaintances of Shifty, as well as the members of Easy Company that were surviving at the time. Marcus Brotherton spoke with Peter Youngblood Hills, who was gifted the honour of playing Shifty in Band of Brothers. This book is up there with the best of the best, as far as Easy Company books go. While others were more military based, more procedural, (due of course to the people that they were discussing), this book was personable. It felt like a conversation. That can only be achieved through such thorough research and great writing. Marcus Brotherton: Thank you for your words. Sgt. Shifty Powers: Thank you for your service Sir. Currahee.

...I have read this several times, will probably read it again in the near future... ...Shifty`s life with all its ups and downs...

Dopo aver letto tutti i memoriali scritti dai membri della Easy Company mi sono imbattuto in questo romanzo. Shifty's War è la biografia del miglior tiratore della compagnia; è una storia scorrevole (parte dalla fanciullezza fino alla vecchiaia) a tratti divertente ma che fa riflettere soprattutto nel finale ovvero la parte più commovente. A differenza degli altri memoriali quest'ultimo non è stato scritto dal veterano ma da un autore che in base ad alcune testimonianze prese si immedesima in lui e cerca di narrarci la sua vita come se fosse veramente Shifty a raccontarcela; proprio per questo motivo alcune parti sono molto ripetitive e non aggiungono molto alla storia dell'uomo o dell'Easy Company. E' un peccato che non abbia potuto scrivere lui stesso un memoriale; nonostante tutto resta un racconto piacevole ed interessante.

Très facile à lire, léger et très humain. Pour les admirateurs, curieux de la deuxième guerre et du front européen des paras américains, ce bouquin est très captivant