The Lady Gangster: A Sailor's Memoir

by Del Staecker

The amazing first-hand account of an attack transport ship and her courageous crew who fought in the South Pacific during many of the toughest battles waged there during World War II. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1934980226
• ISBN13: 9781934980224
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Cable Publishing
• Length: 173 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

The Lady Gangster - navy history

This book was purchased for another person. I only know that it arrived in excellent condition and in a timely fashion. Thank you.

An extraordinary and true adventure story you can't put down!

Del Staecker is a marvelous storyteller! I wasn't sure I'd enjoy a book about World War II, but this book is fascinating. I learned a lot about the young sailors who toiled day in and day out "behind the scenes" doing the very unglamorous, un-Hollywood tasks of transporting soldiers to the various battlefields of WWII. I sympathized with them, cried with them, laughed with them, and felt their emotions when faced with real danger. The "Chicago Boys" were brought to life through Del's father's story and I felt I knew his father well as I turned the last page. The book is much more than a story about one sailor's experiences during WWII, though. "The Lady Gangster" also tells the story of how young Del, distant from his father, came to know the man his father was. It is a moving personal account that encourages the reader to examine his or her own relationships with loved ones, reaching toward a place of acceptance and peace. I highly recommend "The Lady Gangster" to anyone who enjoyes a great story. The format -- with ships logs, diaries, narrative, maps and photos -- also makes it a truly fascinating and interesting "read".

A fitting tribute to a father and to a tough-as-nails ship

"The Lady Gangster" is a quick and fascinating read. Del Staecker does an excellent job framing the story of his father's service aboard an armed transport ship during the Second World War. Officially named the USS Fuller, the ship is better known by her apt nickname, "Lady Gangster," a name christened by her crew, made up almost entirely of fellow Chicagoans. In addition to being an accounting of his father's service, "Lady Gangster" is also a heartwarming story of a rapprochement between father and son. A long road trip and a broken radio result in hours of conversation and an outpouring of memories. For the first time, the young son listens to his father's vivid and detailed recounting of his harrowing experiences serving with the Navy in the Pacific Theater. Through his writing, Staecker transports the reader from inside that car where he listens intently to his father's story, to the various locations were his father served. Staecker intersperses his father's reminiscences with just the right amount of family background, comments, clarifications and explanations of wartime history to keep the reader up-to-speed with the historical setting and maritime terminology. The book is well written and includes useful maps, which help orient the reader to the action and keep up with the unbelievably savage fighting and island-hopping through places with names like Guadalcanal, Tinian, "the Slot," Saipan, and Okinawa. The book also includes several photographs that help personalize the story and make the action that much more realistic. With dignity and grace, Staecker pays homage to both his father's unheralded service during the war and the equally unheralded service of a proud and effective ship, along with her officers and crew. Well done! John Cathcart Reviewer, Military Writers Society of America [..] and Author, Delta 7

A must read for WWII buffs!

This is a perfect little book. It's a great WWII account-in fact, it's several stories within the main story. The Lady Gangster is an easy read that tells the never before told tale of the everyday heroes known as "the Chicago Boys." The book has photos, illustrations, journal accounts, and oral history arranged in a fashion that relives a conversation of a father and son during an 1,100 mile drive in a car with a broken radio. It's a wonderful book.

Lady Gangster, More than a Memoir

Del Staecker has done a superb job remembering his father with affection and respect in every line of this book. For those of us who are not necessarily WWII buffs, this book is also a great story about the love of a son for his father. I feel that I learned a great deal about a part of the War that has had little attention, but also enjoyed the story of Irwin and Del's relationship. A must read for WWII buffs and those who enjoy a good story! J. Vegter