Extraordinary Experiences of Jake Van York, by Claude Peterson Jr., follows the life of a US Air Force officer, Master Sergeant Jake Van York. Born in 1936, in a small town in South Carolina, he is an only child and was a sickly boy during his early years. Raised by his loving parents and grandmother, Jake and his family move to a farm, where the young boy develops respect and love for animals, and experiences the tutelage of an Asian martial arts practitioner. As a teenager, Jake longs for acceptance among his peers and he will earn it the hard way. He also discovers the opposite sex and dreams of seeing the world some day. Enlisting in the US Air Force upon graduation from high school, Jake’s personal and professional life takes several twists and turns as he is assigned to different parts of the US, Libya, Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, and Greece. The “elm,” an acoustic instrument given to him by his grandmother, proves to be the most potent weapon in the extraordinary experiences in the life of Jake Van York.

Extraordinary Experiences of Jake Van York is written in the first person singular so that it feels like it is Jake Van York himself who is narrating his own life story to the reader. This writing style succeeds in immediately getting the reader’s attention because it is from the point of view of the main character himself. As such, it is like slowly getting to know not only the intimate details of Jake Van York’s life, but also his innermost thoughts, dreams, and desires. Richly descriptive, the novel also provides us with first-hand information on how people lived in a small town in South Carolina during this time. Subsequently, the chapters dealing with his life in the US Air Force give us a vivid picture of the lives and dreams of the thousands of young men who enlisted during that time. As one turns each page and reads about the young man’s extraordinary experiences in his personal and professional life, there is one thing that shines through, and that is the strong family values that are instilled in him by his parents and his grandmother. This is a book that I can recommend to readers of all ages.

Extraordinary Experiences of Jake Van York by Claude Peterson Jr is a story about a young man and his coming of age through adolescence, austerity, and obscurity to become a decorated senior ranked operative in the defense of the freedom of America. You learn about his struggles and victories and take a look at global military operations that you might not normally learn about.

I love a good action book and the Extraordinary Experiences of Jake Van York by Claude Peterson delivers for me on all the things I like to see when I am reading an action book. You get good action scenes, a well thought out plot and, of course, good development of character. No matter what I am reading, I want to be able to feel like I know the character, and be able to say I might know what makes them tick. You get that with this book. Even though it is fiction, a lot of the scenarios feel very real to me, as if they could be happening in any corner of the world and I like that feeling. The flow of the book is good and the writing is excellent. There were only a few small parts where I felt things might have been a little too detailed and so made the point drag on a little bit, but that is my only complaint. Overall, if you like action and military action fiction, I think you are really going to enjoy this book and would recommend you read it.