Author Alan Woods is coming to Lawrence to share his book  "Without the Nasty Bits: A True Account of a Soldier's Courage and  Determination"  Meet him at the Tuapeka Vintage Club.

Without  the Nasty Bits: A Soldier's Story. A Reader's Review

"Without the Nasty  Bits" is exactly that - a story of war that was wonderfully informative  and touching, which didn't linger on the horrors which usually keep me  away from this important genre.    Norman Woods' recollections of his  service in Egypt and subsequent prisoner of war experience in Poland are  a treasure to read.   Norman's style is kindly and forgiving, even when  he was being treated terribly, and his son Alan clearly inherited  Norman's desire to understand how other people have been shaped by the  history of their own countries.    Alan's journey to retrace his father's  steps, in a bid to see how it was then and what remains now, is  cleverly interspersed with Norman's story. I was struck by how raw  Alan's emotions were on his Polish quest, and loved that he sought  comfort in local food and conversations with strangers.    The long  forced march at the end of Norman's story is an event I hadn't heard of,  and it staggered me. I wouldn't even treat *vermin* the way that these  young soldiers were treated, and that Norman survived and went home to  become a loving husband and father is a testament to this amazing man,  whose story is definitely worth retelling for generations to come.  I Highly recommend it.   Lorraine.

Photo: Alan Woods - Author and Norman  Woods - Story Teller.