I Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author is is good at emphasising the sounds and emotions he experienced and even semi-apologises for this at the beginning. A good judge of how good a book is, is how often you think back to what you have read in it. I have done this several times with The Wrong Stuff. A recommended read for someone with WWII aviation interests!

My husband, Dave Bender, enjoyed the book very much and has passed it along to friends who have the same interests.

I loved this book - it was unpretentious, genuine, and informative. Truman Smith conveys realistically what it was like for him - and it's obvious by his writing style no one "ghosted" it for him.

When I purchased this book I wasn't too sure that it would be interesting. This is without doubt one of the best World War II pilot books I have ever read and I have read hundreds of them. The B-17 copilot/author is clearly a very intelligent, gifted writer who must have kept a detailled journal or the equivalent. In a most engaging way, he tells you about his day to day life, as much at the air base or on leave in London chasing girls or enjoying his friends as in the air. But he vividly and comprehensively recreates the life of his ten man crew and his flying job as well as the rest of his fighting the war but living in England on the ground experience. Picking this book up every evening at bed time brings me back into his at the war life. Really enjoyable. Fascinating. I highly reccommend this important piece of USAF world war II history. Don't worry about the title.

As the son of a B-17 pilot, I have read several books on the subject. This is a very good one (another is "Serenade to the Big Bird"). I learned more about the author's experiences during his non-flying time, how he felt sure early on that he'd never survive the war, how he grew confident in his flying skills, and married a young German girl after the war (they are still married! I wrote him a letter thanking him for writing the book and she called me to thank me.)

It would make a good movie.

As the son of a B-17 pilot, I have read several books on the subject. This is a very good one (another is "Serenade to the Big Bird"). I learned more about the author's experiences during his non-flying time, how he felt sure early on that he'd never survive the war, how he grew confident in his flying skills, and married a young German girl after the war (they are still married! I wrote him a letter thanking him for writing the book and she called me to thank me.)

It would make a good movie.

One of the few things more exciting than reading Truman's book is meeting Truman himself. Yes there is a Ponca City and yes he does live there. As a veteran of our "conflict" in Viet Nam I had experienced many of the same emotions found in the book. I especially appreciated his discussions on the guilt of surving and of not doing enough. If you get a chance read the book, you won't be sorry. If you have been to war or thought about war you owe it to yourself to read this book. Thanks Mike, for introducing me to Truman, and thanks Truman, for writing the book.

This is the amazing - but true - story of a young man facing the daily agony of probable death. It is a wonderfully well written account of the fear and anguish, yet also the humor and comradeship, of a band of young men being asked to take on incredible odds. It's a tale that could be read with interest in any age. But it is also a terrific insight into the world of 1944, when it was not at all clear that the United States was going to survive it's greatest challenge to date. I recommend it to the attention of any 20-year-old today - and to anyone else who can remember what it was like to be 20. A superb read.

To update my enthusiastic review of Truman Smith's "The Wrong Stuff" posted on this page, I must add that another book by a WWII veteran of the air war over Europe has come out that is absolutely superb. It is Gene Carson's "Wing Ding", also available. Gene managed to get transferred, through persistance and hard work, from an assignment as a cook and baker to the more exciting--and also more deadly--assignment as a tail gunner in the early months of the air war over Europe. Both books capture both the humor and the deadly seriousness of the air war over Europe. I recommend both very, very highly.

"The Wrong Stuff" by Truman Smith is a memoir by a former copilot on a B-17 in the US 8th Air Force. Mr. Smith blazes his own trails in this book. He doesn't pull any punches about some of the screw-ups made during the war that cost lives, or about his own thoughts about the fact that every man involved in the war is killing other human beings. The only way to beat a bad enemy is to be worse. Smith's tale is at times hilarious, at times tragic, but always entertaining. He tells it in a breezy, easy-to-read style with plenty of wry comments thrown in. Not only are the air battle scenes well-written, but accounts of his experiences at the air base in England, of his trips to London where his youth and inexperience hamper his attempts at finding girls, and of his visit to the 'Flak Farm' where he is sent to recuperate from the stress of wondering whether or not he'll survive the next mission. I thouroughly enjoyed this book. As a historian and author who is researching two books on the 8th AF in WWII, I found this book really went a long ways toward explaining not only the horrors of war in the air but how the war affected the young men who fought that air war. I recommend it highly.

Truman Smith's novel, The Wrong Stuff, is a stellar example of a combat veteran's account of wartime experience. I am currently a Third Class Cadet at the United States Air Force Academy, and recently finished this novel as part of the required reading in History 202, the core Military History course. As a future Air Force officer,and hopefully pilot, I was spellbound by Liutenant Colonel (ret) Smith's account of his wartime aviation experiences. The geniune emotion conveyed in his writing truly captured the essence of a young man coming of age in the armed forces.

Never have I seen such an accurate and intriguing description of life in wartime. I am grateful to the author and to his publisher for bringing this magnificent piece of literature, and history, into my hands. I am also delighted that USAFA has adopted this work as required reading, as it serves as an example to young men and women in service to their country. Thank you Lt Col Smith, you truly have influenced my life with this novel. May God bless you and all the men who have lived and died in service to our country.