Highlights of Reviews for The Lady Gangster: A Sailor’s Memoir
Military Writer’s Society of America (MWSA)
John Cathcart, reviewer
“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, The 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... 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…
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!”
World War II History magazine
The Lady Gangster: A Sailor’s Memoir…offer[s] [a] revealing perspective of life aboard wartime attack transports… [It] is a combination of his father’s memoirs as a sailor aboard the USS Fuller…and the unique way he got his father to finally open up and talk about his wartime experiences… Staecker’s book grew out of an 18-hour father-son car trip in 1967 from Florida to Illinois with a broken car radio. The two had been making uncomfortable small talk until the son (Del) asked, “Dad, will you tell me what you did in the war?”
The father’s answer is the firsthand account of the Fuller and its courageous crew who braved enemy attacks while delivering troops and supplies during many of the toughest battles in the South Pacific. It is also the poignant tale of how a simple question forged a lasting bond between father and son. [Staecker’s book has] a charm all [its] own and get[s] two thumbs up.
The Chicago Gangster newsletter
Virginia Black, wife of a USS Fuller crew member
“The first time I read [The Lady Gangster] I cried all day. A month later I read it again, and liked it even more. I believe it to be a true documented report of the terrible war years. Many times I heard my dear husband tell stories about that great ship, but I had no idea what heroes the men who sailed her were. …it was very thrilling…such a marvelous book.”
U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings
“About 40 years ago, author Del Staecker asked his father, ‘will you tell me what you did in the war?’ Irvin Staecker’s answer is this first-hand account of his service from 1941 to 1945 on board the USS Fuller... She was an attack transport nicknamed ‘The Lady Gangster’ by a crew made up largely of Chicagoans like Irvin.
In 32 concise chapters, this book retells conversations Del and Irvin had in 1967. Irvin’s accounts are printed in italics, mixed with Del’s recollections of their talks and what he subsequently learned from his dad’s notes, ship journals, and additional research…
Written in an atypical yet appealing style, The Lady Gangster is a spirited tale that has…attracted numerous readers.”
Military Writer’s Society of America (MWSA)
John Cathcart, reviewer
“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, The 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... 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…
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!”
World War II History magazine
The Lady Gangster: A Sailor’s Memoir…offer[s] [a] revealing perspective of life aboard wartime attack transports… [It] is a combination of his father’s memoirs as a sailor aboard the USS Fuller…and the unique way he got his father to finally open up and talk about his wartime experiences… Staecker’s book grew out of an 18-hour father-son car trip in 1967 from Florida to Illinois with a broken car radio. The two had been making uncomfortable small talk until the son (Del) asked, “Dad, will you tell me what you did in the war?”
The father’s answer is the firsthand account of the Fuller and its courageous crew who braved enemy attacks while delivering troops and supplies during many of the toughest battles in the South Pacific. It is also the poignant tale of how a simple question forged a lasting bond between father and son. [Staecker’s book has] a charm all [its] own and get[s] two thumbs up.
The Chicago Gangster newsletter
Virginia Black, wife of a USS Fuller crew member
“The first time I read [The Lady Gangster] I cried all day. A month later I read it again, and liked it even more. I believe it to be a true documented report of the terrible war years. Many times I heard my dear husband tell stories about that great ship, but I had no idea what heroes the men who sailed her were. …it was very thrilling…such a marvelous book.”
U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings
“About 40 years ago, author Del Staecker asked his father, ‘will you tell me what you did in the war?’ Irvin Staecker’s answer is this first-hand account of his service from 1941 to 1945 on board the USS Fuller... She was an attack transport nicknamed ‘The Lady Gangster’ by a crew made up largely of Chicagoans like Irvin.
In 32 concise chapters, this book retells conversations Del and Irvin had in 1967. Irvin’s accounts are printed in italics, mixed with Del’s recollections of their talks and what he subsequently learned from his dad’s notes, ship journals, and additional research…
Written in an atypical yet appealing style, The Lady Gangster is a spirited tale that has…attracted numerous readers.”