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You Wouldn't Want to Be ...
You Wouldn't Want to Be an Assyrian Soldier!: An Ancient Army You'd Rather Not Join
Humorous text and illustrations describe what life was like for Assyrians, including their daily chores, how soldiers were chosen, and the jobs soldiers had to do during conflicts and in times of peace.
32 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 28, 2015
It was interesting to read about the different levels and jobs in the Assyrian army; however, most people would probably not have moved up in the ranks like the character in this story.
July 6, 2012
This is the fifth book we've read in the You Wouldn't Want To... series. I like that they tackle serious historical events and show the not-so-nice side of human behavior, but in a somewhat humorous and tongue-in-cheek way. The book puts you as the reader into the center of the story, so you can imagine what life in those times was like.
Life for an Assyrian soldier in 720 B.C.E. was a difficult and often dangerous existence. Selected for service from amongst the men in your village, you are subjected to menial labor, rough treatment, poor living conditions and a violent wartime environment. But if you are skilled (and lucky), you may live to return to your village, enriched by your adventure.
We really enjoyed reading this book together and will look for more of the books in this series at our local library.
Life for an Assyrian soldier in 720 B.C.E. was a difficult and often dangerous existence. Selected for service from amongst the men in your village, you are subjected to menial labor, rough treatment, poor living conditions and a violent wartime environment. But if you are skilled (and lucky), you may live to return to your village, enriched by your adventure.
We really enjoyed reading this book together and will look for more of the books in this series at our local library.
August 30, 2021
The danger zone seties has a great approach to historical storytelling, but I am not completely satisfied with their choices. They could cover very better parts of yhe history and events.
September 15, 2010
Funny and insightful. Who knew about Assyrians until I read this book? Now I know how important they were in the history of the world. A ferocious people.
December 19, 2011
Gives everything you want while information is revealed to you
October 19, 2012
Great book!!!!! Lots of incredible fact that you don't want to miss!!!
March 4, 2022
I was reading this to my daughters for supplemental reading for their Classical Conversations (Cycle 1). This whole series looks quite interesting. It provides a snapshot of life in the various places/times and has a POV aspect to the story. There isn't a complete narrative as there are mostly facts listed but it helps to put those facts into a semi-story for the kids to grab onto more.
With this entry, the story starts out with the character before life in the military to contrast it with what life in the military looks like. From there, the discussion of military training, jobs within the military, weapons, and attack tactics are discussed. It's nice to get into some of the details of military service other than just the standard infantry soldier, although that is also covered. The character moves up the ranks but again, there's no real story of it happening just using the character as the foil for the information.
Plundering, looting, and warfare are discussed but there is not violence or bloodshed. On one hand, it's not needed to discuss the amount of violence but the purpose of the book is why you wouldn't want to be an Assyrian soldier and by the time of retirement it seems the only thing that makes it something you wouldn't want to be is because of the hard work and tiring conditions. On the other hand, not discussing the lifespan of a trooper or what happens if you were wounded could have been discussed without depictions of graphic violence.
Overall, providing a snapshot of the military life and way of life during the Assyrian Empire was important for the girls to learn about and provided for further discussion on Assyrian paganism and the times during which they reigned.
Final Grade - B
With this entry, the story starts out with the character before life in the military to contrast it with what life in the military looks like. From there, the discussion of military training, jobs within the military, weapons, and attack tactics are discussed. It's nice to get into some of the details of military service other than just the standard infantry soldier, although that is also covered. The character moves up the ranks but again, there's no real story of it happening just using the character as the foil for the information.
Plundering, looting, and warfare are discussed but there is not violence or bloodshed. On one hand, it's not needed to discuss the amount of violence but the purpose of the book is why you wouldn't want to be an Assyrian soldier and by the time of retirement it seems the only thing that makes it something you wouldn't want to be is because of the hard work and tiring conditions. On the other hand, not discussing the lifespan of a trooper or what happens if you were wounded could have been discussed without depictions of graphic violence.
Overall, providing a snapshot of the military life and way of life during the Assyrian Empire was important for the girls to learn about and provided for further discussion on Assyrian paganism and the times during which they reigned.
Final Grade - B
April 18, 2019
This book gives you a better idea of what it was like to be an Assyrian soldier. You usually are taken from your land and forced to serve the king. Then you have options of what type of soldier you'll be and it goes into the training you have to do and what the soldiers do after they become one.The pictures were well drawn too and it was humorous. I learned a lot from it.
November 8, 2019
A fun introduction to a people who rarely appear in works aimed at younger readers.
January 24, 2011
I liked it a lot. It was very very very good.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews