Book Description
Evan Thomas takes us inside the naval war of 1941-1945 in the South Pacific in a way that blends the best of military and cultural history and riveting narrative drama. He follows four men throughout: Admiral William ("Bull") Halsey, the macho, gallant, racist American fleet commander; Admiral Takeo Kurita, the Japanese battleship commander charged with making what was, in essence, a suicidal fleet attack against the American invasion of the Philippines; Admiral Matome Ugaki, a self-styled samurai who was the commander of all kamikazes and himself the last kamikaze of the war; and Commander Ernest Evans, a Cherokee Indian and Annapolis graduate who led his destroyer on the last great charge in the last great naval battle in history.
Sea of Thunder climaxes with the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the biggest naval battle ever fought, over four bloody and harrowing days in October 1944. We see Halsey make an epic blunder just as he reaches for true glory; we see the Japanese navy literally sailing in circles, torn between the desire to die heroically and the exhausted, unacceptable realization that death is futile; we sail with Commander Evans and the men of the USS Johnston into the jaws of the Japanese fleet and exult and suffer with them as they torpedo a cruiser, bluff and confuse the enemy -- and then, their ship sunk, endure fifty horrific hours in shark-infested water.
Thomas, a journalist and historian, traveled to Japan, where he interviewed veterans of the Imperial Japanese Navy who survived the Battle of Leyte Gulf and friends and family of the two Japanese admirals. From new documents and interviews, he was able to piece together and answer mysteries about the Battle of Leyte Gulf that have puzzled historians for decades. He writes with a knowing feel for the clash of cultures.
Sea of Thunder is a taut, fast-paced, suspenseful narrative of the last great naval war, an important contribution to the history of the Second World War.
Customer Reviews:
No Bull..........2007-09-29
It's no wonder were in the mess we are, when myoptic vision clouds reason.
This was not a hit on Halsey..Duoh! This was a very good read. Maybe Ken burns took some info here?
I see a lot of whinners(on other forums) saying the Japanese never had a plan to sue for peace if they took Hawaii..(?)
Any way Good book.
Thanks, Mr Evans
Non-Fiction Thriller.......2007-09-12
A non-fiction historical work of serious scholarship that can compete with any thriller. An absolute page turner that's hard to put down. When Thomas finds the time to do this kind of research with his TV panelist and news magazine gigs is a mystery. He is an absolutely first rate writer and story teller, and Sea of Thunder is not to be missed.
Good Read, but............2007-08-06
I got this book on Friday and finished it Saturday night. A decent book over all but as other reviewers have stated I find the revisionist aspect a bit much. I think the 'slam' on Halsey tended to be over-kill. The author even goes as far as mentioning the two occasions where Halsey sailed into typhoons to further his knocks on Halsey. Interesting, but not in the scope of the book. The author does point out the reasons behind Halsey's choice to go after Ozawa but only in passing. I found the study of Japanese vs. American admirals a bit slanted in the Japanese admiral's favor. As far as the 'racist' aspect of Halsey's statements "Kill Japs, Kill Japs. Kill more Japs" & etc. We only need to look at quotes by other Admirals and Generals to understand the purpose behind these statements. I gave it three stars only because it was a page-turner, I think what kept me reading was to see if the author was going to go into a more in-depth study of the choices made by the admirals and why they made them. I was left with the impression that the Japanese admirals made the choices they made mostly because of the training received at Eta Jima and the choices made by American admirals were due to some personal flaw as in Halsey's 'need' to get the Japanese carriers at all costs. What I wasn't left with was the stunning victory by the Americans and how important it was in shortening the war. I am just starting to read 'The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors' by James D. Hornfischer so I can compare two different author's views on the Leyte Gulf naval battles.
CORRECTION to Thomas' text.......2007-07-27
Evan Thomas incorrectly states that Admrial Spruance's son married Admiral Halsey's daughter. In fact, Margaret Halsey married Preston Lea Spruance who was only distantly related to Admiral Spruance.
- Halsey Spruance, a decendant of Margaret Halsey and Preston Lea Spruance
A good story.......2007-07-11
I did not know as much about the battle before this book. Thomas gives an excellent perspective of all sides of the battle. I felt I was a bit oversold on the book and it did not live completely up to expectations which is why I only give it 4 out of 5.
Book Description
Many consider the Battle of Midway to have turned the tide of the Pacific War. It is without question one of the most famous battles in history. Now, for the first time since Gordon W. Prange’s bestselling Miracle at Midway, Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully offer a new interpretation of this great naval engagement.
Unlike previous accounts, Shattered Sword makes extensive use of Japanese primary sources. It also corrects the many errors of Mitsuo Fuchida’s Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, an uncritical reliance upon which has tainted every previous Western account. It thus forces a major, potentially controversial reevaluation of the great battle. The authors examine the battle in detail and effortlessly place it within the context of the Imperial Navy’s doctrine and technology. With a foreword by leading WWII naval historian John Lundstrom, Shattered Sword will become an indispensable part of any military buff’s library. Winner of the 2005 John Lyman Book Award for the "Best Book in U.S. Naval History" and cited by Proceedings as one of its "Notable Naval Books" for 2005.
Customer Reviews:
How the Japanese Blew It .......2007-10-17
This is an excellent book. In a way one might ask what about Midway is untold? There have been numerous books which explained what happened. In a naval operation aimed to destroy the American carrier force, Admiral Yamamoto moved four of his fleet carriers into the middle of the pacific ocean. He aimed at invading Midway Island and hoped that the Americans would come out to defend it. Instead the Americans knew of his plans through radio intercepts and it was they who laid the trap. Aircraft from three of their carriers destroyed the four principal Japanese Fleet carriers and ended what had been up to that time a flood of Japanese victories.
What this book does is to explain how and why things happened. It is in some ways amazing how rudimentary the Japanese naval forces were. Unlike the Americans they did not have radar and the quality of the radios in the fighter aircraft were so poor they were generally not used. At the Marianas the Americans were able to spot the Japanese attacking forces on radar at a distance and to use radios to direct their fighters in the combat air patrol (CAP) to intercept them miles away from their targets. At Midway the Japanese method of directing their fighters now appears ludicrous. Surrounding cruisers would fire their heavy weapons to direct the attention of fighters in the CAP. There was no real coordination and where the CAP went was a matter of luck. In fact probably none of the Japanese probably saw the attacking flights of American dive bombers who did the damage until it was to late. The Americans maximised anti-aircraft fire power by placing their carriers in a fleet of war ships with huge numbers of anti-aircraft guns. The Japanese did not do this. The Japanese strategy was to frantically manoeuvre their carriers at full speed turning in huge circles to doge torpedoes and bombs. Heavier naval units had to keep away to allow the carriers room to manoeuvre and to come close would have led to serious dangers of collision. The only real anti-aircraft guns were placed on the carriers and these had limited ranges.
Despite this the Japanese could possibly have won if their commanders were not idiots. Yamamoto has tended to have had good press in the past. However his planning of this operation was abysmal. For some reason two slower smaller carriers were diverted of to the Aleutian Islands for an invasion which made no logical sense. Another carrier was left in Japan. It would seem the reason for this was that Yamamoto was concerned that the Americans would not engage him unless his force looked small. Despite the victory of Pearl Harbour with its message that battleships were now just targets to be sunk by carriers Yamamoto also had huge number of battleships manoeuvring in the rear whilst exposing his carriers placing them in a position when they could be attacked by land based aircraft from Midway and naval based aircraft from the American carriers.
The writers suggest that the Japanese would have had more chance of winning if they had used their naval assets in campaigns around the Solomon Islands. They could have used their land based aircraft better and the Americans would have been forced to commit forces to prevent the loss of Australia. The genius of this book is in the detail of not explaining the story which had been told many times but explaining why it happened. The detail the level of understanding is well beyond that of this type of history. It is possible to have an insight into the minds of the Japanese and why they fought as they fought. The book also explodes a number of popular myths about the battle through careful research.
Midway seen in another light.......2007-09-10
An excellently researched story of Midway giving a lot of new details and insights, all very well researched and with extensive proof to support the ideas put forward.
I thought I knew the story of Midway by heart, having read every book on the subject I could lay my hands on, who have been copying each other.
This book gives a completely new perspective and with the supporting documentation makes a credible point for a new look at the sequence of events.
The final book on Midway? Not likely, but it will be hard to surpass it in novel approach.
A book to read without stopping.
Only drawback is that (at least at the time I bought it), there was no paperback version, but that probably wouldn't have lasted long anyway because the book is begging to be re-read over and over again.
Solid history, but somewhat over written.......2007-08-17
Shattered Sword is an excellent, but somewhat over written work that is really two books in one. The first is a solid, well documented account of Japanese operations at Midway. The other is a reassessment of certain events that been centerpieces in most popular depictions of that battle.
The former is a foundational piece that should be included in any serious historian's bookshelf; a five-star work that provides considerable insight to Japanese strategy tactics and operations. The latter is an interesting, but ultimately over-advocated piece that deserves credit for correcting the historic record, but ultimately does not contribute nearly as much new knowledge as the first. A three-star work.
Parshall and Tully fill in a huge gap by providing a soup-to-nuts assessment of Japanese planning and operations that made up the Midway and Aleutians campaigns. Their meticulous analysis is remarkable, and seemingly consists of about two pages of analysis for one page of narrative. The end result is a keen understanding of how Japan conducted the campaign, and the fatal flaws that were both latent and all too visible.
It seems that the Japanese Imperial Navy was wholly unprepared to conduct a major war like the one they initiated, and not from a logistical/industrial standpoint either. The picture the authors paint (perhaps unintentionally) is of a military organization that is highly polished but extremely brittle. When they faced a surprised or weaker opponent, the Japanese dominated. But if the Japanese faced a foe even close to parity, their planning and organization would unravel, resulting in a high loss of life and material. The glaring flaws in their strategic and tactical planning, operations, and command structure seem to suggest that even if they won the Battle of Midway, it was only a matter of time before their organization failed and they would suffer some catastrophic disaster at the hands of the Americans.
As for the authors' reassessment of Midway, they try too hard to push these revelations. While I laud them for rectifying these errors, most of these issues are far less important than other topics the authors brought up. For example, the authors go to great lengths to explain how Nagumo's reserve strike were actually in the hanger rather on the flight deck, when the Americans made their decisive strike. It really seems to be a relatively minor detail, since (as the authors stated) the Japanese carriers had unarmored flight decks, and the American strike would have blown the carriers to smithereens in either case. What is of more importance, but is given less promotion, is that the Japanese were unable to launch an attack in the face of uncoordinated but persistent American attacks. This essentially says the Japanese never really had control of the battle from the very beginning.
Nevertheless, Shattered Sword is a fabulous and serious historical study. I look forward to future works from the authors.
Excellent WWII book........2007-08-06
Shattered Sword was a most interesting and informative book covering this famous battle as well as events leading up to it, primarily from the Japanese perspective. This in itself is unusual. The narrative was very detailed yet fast paced, even difficult to put down. What I enjoyed most, though, was that the authors related the events at Midway to strategic decisions made many years earlier. Thus, the battle of Tsushima in 1905 would ultimately affect placement of gun batteries and other such things which would determine the outcome at Midway in 1942. IMHO it is the good historian who is able to connect such distant dots.
So very revealing and in depth abot the Psyche of the Japanese Navy.......2007-07-13
I bought this book based on the writer's excellent website. What I expected was detail and facts. What I got was much better.
Shattered Sword not only totally covers the events of the MI raid but it looks back to the start of the war and how these successes actually laid the groundwork for the total failure of the Japanese Navy both at Midway and beyond. The authors reveal Yamamoto as both brilliant and a bully. His plans were shown to be flawed but pushed on the Navy by threats. The actual minute by minute account of the battle goes into incredible detail (based on many survivor accounts). The technical sections show how the carriers were attacked, damaged and how their poor damage control finally sent them to the bottom. Perhaps the most interesting were the debunking of the Myths of Midway. Read the book to find out what I mean.
It is a great book filled with detail, vivid descriptions, stories and analysis of the battle, its causes and its ultimate failure for the Japanese. Just for fun there is a what if section. Again read the book and enjoy.
Alan
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Book Description
If you had to kill three people to save your best friend's life, would you do it?
When John Rain decides to get out of the business, his hand is forced by rogue CIA operative Jim Hilger. Hilger kidnaps Dox, Rain's trusted partner and closest friend, and offers Rain a choice: carry out a final assignment, or bear the responsibility for Dox's murder.
For a professional like John Rain, the choice ought to be easy: Do the job-a series of three hits-then walk away. But how does Rain know Jim Hilger won't kill Dox anyway, once the assignment is complete? How does he know that each of the hits isn't simultaneously a setup for Rain himself? And what will he do when he finds out that among the targets of this lethal game of extortion is someone else Rain cares about deeply?
From the urban canyons of Silicon Valley and New York to the lush forests of Bali, the boulevards of Paris, and the old killing fields of Vietnam, Rain must grapple with his age, his enemies, and most of all, his conscience in a battle that not even Rain-"the stuff great characters are made of" (Entertainment Weekly)-can hope to survive intact.
Customer Reviews:
A vehicle for Eisler's personal politics.......2007-10-08
Barry Eisler is not shy about his left wing politics, nor his hate of the Bush administration. Frankly, I could care less what he thinks. His Rain books have been exceptionally original and well written. I have read each of them and I have thouroughly enjoyed them, until now.
While this story was probably the least gripping in the series, it may still have been an enjoyable read if not for Eisler's frequent spewing of vitriol aimed at the Bush administration. His liberal tirades are so frequent and full of vinegar that they progress from mildly annoying to childish to flat out distractions.
On the strength of his other works, I MAY consider reading another Eisler book in the future, but this one could well leave a bad enough aftertaste that I change my mind. There are plenty of great writers today that are content to keep their politics out of their stories, and after all, I don't need to pay $20 to hear Eisler spit this crap out...I can turn on the TV and listen to Keith Olbermann or some other idiot.
"Mr. Softy" John Rain has got to go!.......2007-10-05
I love John Rain the Bad guy..and have looked forward to Barry Eisler's new book being release; so, am disappointed with his efforts to show John Rain's emotional side..if he is going to make John Rain soft, then he might as well kill him off. Better yet, kill off his new girlfriend..the blond, what's her name..don't like her at all! Dox is great in this book and without him it would not have been worth reading. As always, the descriptions of all the exoctic places John visits are wonderful and the action scenes are great too..new gadgets, intrigue..still works..I just don't need to worry that Rain is going all soft and mushy on us.
Barry takes a breather...........2007-10-03
I love this series so much so that I had Requiem ordered in hardcover in the US and sent to me in Australia, where it is still not available. It gets 4 stars as compared to other authors but I'd probably give it only 3 if compared to other books in the series. Rain seems to be getting a bit soft with age. Please don't let this turn into a sappy story of an old battered warrior finding love and understanding in the twilight years... yawn! Don't get me wrong, this book is still good and I will continue reading future books in the series... but hope they acknowledge an assassin can never go back to being a normal civilian. If the twists and turns eventually bring Rain to save his son and start a fatherly relationship then I am burning my collection of this series!
Aptly Entitled Novel - The John Rain We Knew is Gone.......2007-10-02
Jerry Saperstein's review entitled "The Wussification of John Rain is Complete" is a classic and is not to be improved upon. I agree with all of his comments and mourn the passing of the John Rain that ruled the first four novels that Eisler wrote. The softer, gentler, although still deadly, John Rain is not a welcome addition to the line.
My Favorite Author.......2007-08-30
I liked all the John Rain novels and my only "regret" is that there are not a hundred John Rain titles. Of all my favorite authors, Eisler is the best, in my opinion. He makes the entire story interesting, taking us to foreign locales that most of us have never seen, plus the John Rain character as a guy who is so deep into his way of life that although he wants to get out, what can he do when one of his best friends is at the mercy of an arch-villain? So he keeps on going in his line of work. And hopefully Mr Eisler will come out with one per year.....or maybe five.
Book Description
An essential American novel from Sandra Dallas, an unparalleled writer of our history, and our deepest emotions...
During World War II, a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes (and suspicions) turn to the newcomers, the interlopers, the strangers.
This is Tallgrass as Rennie Stroud has never seen it before. She has just turned thirteen and, until this time, life has pretty much been what her father told her it should be: predictable and fair. But now the winds of change are coming and, with them, a shift in her perspective. And Rennie will discover secrets that can destroy even the most sacred things.
Part thriller, part historical novel, Tallgrass is a riveting exploration of the darkest--and best--parts of the human heart.
Customer Reviews:
Great Read.......2007-09-21
Very interesting story....Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas. You will love this story....no need to say more...just over all very good - keeps your interest...
Could have been wonderful, but fell short........2007-08-23
First let me say I like Sandra Dallas's works and have read most of them. Persian Pickle Club, The Chili Queen and Alice's Tulips have their reserved spots on my library shelf. I expected more from this novel, as she usually develops her characters so well, especially with this subject matter, she could have given us so much more. I love historical fiction and a bit more depth in the details would have added a lot to the reading experience.
It wasn't bad, I don't think she can write bad, but I kept expecting something to grab me and not let go, but it didn't happen for me. I didn't find myself thinking of the characters after it was finished either as sometimes one can be. There is good discussion material for a club however, and a few of the characters were interesting enough to talk about.
LIFE IN SMALL-TOWN AMERICA.......2007-07-16
SANDRA DALLAS TELLS A WONDERFUL STORY OF LIFE IN A SMALL FARMING TOWN IN MIDDLE AMERICA DURING WW II. I HAD READ OF INTERNMENT CAMPS BEFORE - IT WAS A TIME WHEN WE AS A COUNTRY WERE AFRAID - AND THAT FEAR TURNED US INTO A SUSPICIOUS PEOPLE. I AM DEEPLY REGRETFUL OF THE WAY THE JAPANESE WERE TREATED. I AM, HOWEVER, GREATFUL THAT THE AUTHOR HAS WRITTEN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT AND HOPE WE HAVE ALL LEARNED FROM IT. SANDRA DALLAS HAS A SPECIAL WAY WITH WORDS THAT MAKES THIS BOOK A "WINNER".
Tallgrass.......2007-05-24
I just completed this wonderful book. I have read all of Ms. Dallas's
previous novels and was joyous to find this new read on the library shelf.
The Persian Pickle Club was, up until now, my favorite from this terrific author...but I believe that Tallgrass will take its place. Rennie would have been the same age as my own mother and I have heard mom mention some
of the same things that occurred in this book. A highly recommended read!
Sandra Dallas' Masterpiece.......2007-05-15
This story, told through the eyes of a 13 year old girl caught my full attention from the first paragraph and never disappointed me throughout the entire story. When I picked up the book to read a new chapter I was immediately transported back to WW II Colorado (and America) and felt the characters were people I knew. This was a book that I did not want to end but, alas, it had to. I have read most of Ms. Dallas' other works and consider her a favorite author of mine because she develops her characters with such depth that one really feels they know them. Keep up the good work and I would not be at all surprised if this book was made into a movie.
Book Description
Barry Eisler has been compared to Forsyth, Ludlum, le Carré, Ian Fleming, and Graham Greene. But his latest thriller brings Eisler into a league of his own. When Japanese/American contract killer John Rain learns that his former lover, Midori, has been raising their child in New York, he senses a chance for reconciliation, perhaps even for redemption. But Midori is being watched by Rain's enemies, and his sudden appearance puts mother and child in terrible danger. To save them, Rain is forced to use the same deadly talents he had been hoping to leave behind. With the help of Tatsu, his friendly nemesis in the Japanese FBI, and Dox, the ex-marine sniper whose good ol' boy persona masks a killer as deadly as Rain himself, Rain races against time to bring his enemies into the open and eliminate them forever. But to finish the job, he'll need one more ally: Israeli intelligence agent Delilah, a woman who represents an altogether different kind of threat . . .
Customer Reviews:
disappointing.......2007-10-07
I like the John Rain series, but having built up two really credible opponents (the guy who makes Rain's fight or flight reflex "sing" in an earlier book, and Yamaoto), they get finished off in ways that seem to avoid a simple one-on-one confrontation with both sides at their peak. What the point of building up Yamaoto as possessing martial arts skills on a par with Rain's if you're just going to shoot him from a mile away and then finish him off in hospital?
A roller coaster, but with bullets and knives!.......2007-06-27
Just when I thought the action in a John Rain thriller couldn't get any better... it does! Times a thousand.
As if the stakes for Rain weren't always high, Eisler's gone and propelled them to the stratosphere with THE LAST ASSASSIN. Rain's lost love Midori and their newborn son are threatened by Rain's old nemesis, Yamaoto, the yakuza boss turned politician with a major axe to grind with Rain.
Now, Rain must protect his family by removing the threat, but doing just that introduces a brand new one: ending all contact with Midori and his baby boy... maybe forever.
The third act of this book was an absolute freaking roller coaster, but with bullets and knives. I simply could not put this book down.
You'll Enjoy This One Too.......2007-05-25
First of all, I would not read this book if you have not read the previous John Rain books in the series. This story is not the same unless you have followed it up to this point. It is precisely because I had read the previous books leading up to this book that I enjoyed The Last Assassin. The action is good and is classic Eisler and the change of location to New York and Barcelona was nice as well, although no John Rain book would be complete without spending some time in Tokyo. This is a good book in an entertaining and original series. I applaud Eisler for the depth his characters have taken on over the books, especially as the reader sees Rain struggle between his current life and the life he hopes to have. Bottom line, read the prior books and you'll enjoy this one too. On to Book Six for me.
The Best Series.......2007-05-16
The other reviewers have done a great job in sizing up John Rain. Yes, read the books in order to get the full effect. If you like the genre, then the John Rain series is definitely worth the read. I consider it the best. Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon is also very good, but I give the nod to Rain.
A Very Human Assassin.......2007-05-07
I have read all of the John Rain books. It is really best to read them in sequence and the payoff is a lot of interesting and fun stuff with a remarkable character. Each book envelopes you in the story so you can't wait to see what's next. It's really neat if you have been to some of the places Eisler describes. His word pictures of Shinjuku and the Rappongi are masterful. I would not, however, be able to afford Rain's taste in scotch! Can't wait till the next one.
Book Description
It was 1943. In Yosemite National Park, the magnificent Ahwahnee Hotel closed its doors to tourists, transformed into a temporary Naval convalescent hospital. Wartime shortages forced the rationing of gasoline, sugar, and film. Living with his wife, Virginia Best Adams and their children in Yosemite Valley, Ansel Adams, sought ways to help with the war effort. Too old to enlist, he volunteered for for a number of assignments in which his photographic skills were put to the countryÕs use. Among his contributions, he both escorted and photographed Army troops at Yosemite training for mountain warfare in Europe; he taught photography to the Signal Corps at Fort Ord, and traveled to the Presidio in San Francisco to print classified photographs of Japanese military installations on the Aleutian Islands. Despite his volunteer efforts, he was frustrated that he could not do more to help the war effort.
That summer, friend Ralph Merritt asked Adams if he would be interested in creating a photographic record of a little-known government facility in the Owens Valley, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. ÒI cannot pay you a cent,Ó Merritt told Adams, Òbut I can put you up and feed you.Ó Merritt was director of the Manzanar War Relocation Center, a collection of hundreds of tar-paper barracks hastily built to house more than 10,000 people, behind barbed wire and gun towers. All were of Japanese Ancestry, but most were American citizens, forcibly removed from their homes to ten relocation centers across the country by presidential order. The resulting effort was the book Born Free and Equal: The Story of Loyal Japanese Americans published by U.S. Camera in 1944 under the direction of the War Relocation Authority.
While at Manzanar, Adams met Toyo Miyatake, the official camp photographer, interned with his wife and children. A student of the great photographer, Edward Weston, Miyatake had established his own respected professional photography studio in Los Angeles before the war. In the introduction to this book, MiyatakeÕs son, Archie, who was then 16-years old, recalls the visit made so long ago.
In 1965, Adams wrote in a letter to Dr. Edgar Brietenbach at the Library of Congress: Ò . . . I think this Manzanar Collection is an important historical document and I trust it can be put to good use. . . Ó With the goal of realizing that Ògood use,Ó Spotted Dog Press presents Born Free and Equal to new generations of Americans who may come to a better understanding of a distant incident in our recent history that should not be forgotten.
Customer Reviews:
informative and elegant.......2007-05-20
I have read quite a few books and articles about the unfortuante/sad/?criminal Japanese-American experience during WW II. This book, although it does not add to the historical record per se, includes rich, wonderful pictures from Ansel Adams that bring more visual support to ones' images of how terrible the situation was, but also how strong and resourceful the Japanese-American people were and hopefully still are (just look up the Japanese word "gaman")
A powerful, highly recommended, historically factual book.......2002-05-06
Born Free And Equal: The Story Of Loyal Japanese Americans is an impressive combination of historic photographs and writings about the Japanese-Americans who were imprisoned in Manzanar, one of ten such relocation camps, as a result of wartime fears regarding possible sabotage by members of the Japanese and Nisei (American-born men and women of Japanese ancestry) living along the American west coast. During the era of World War II, virtually all the American people of Japanese descent in the states of California, Oregon and Washington (most of them citizens), were interned in relocation camps scattered through the Midwest. Born Free And Equal captures memories of this prison community and how the families in it lived in broad, sweeping, black-and-white photographs. Born Free And Equal is a powerful, highly recommended, historically factual book, accurately capturing with poetic realism a dark and controversial aspect of America's WW II effort, which, along with such horrors as the European Holocaust and the Japanese atrocities in the Far East, must never be forgotten.
A fascinating look at this historical tragedy.......2002-03-07
In the autumn of 1943, the eminently talented photographer Ansel Adams traveled to the Relocation Center at Manzanar, California. This was one of the camps where the United States government relocated (some would say "imprisoned") the many people of Japanese descent who lived in the western, Military Zone 1, so that they could not assist Imperial Japan in its war against the United States. Among the many people sent to this camp were men, women, children and the elderly; immigrants from Japan, the children (born in the U.S.) of Japanese immigrants, and the those even farther removed from Japan; not to mention a decorated veteran of the Spanish-American War (Seaman 1st Class Harry Sumida of the U.S.S. Indiana).
It was here that Ansel Adams set up his camera, and put a human face on this tragedy. This is his book; the pictures he took, and the text he wrote. Originally published in 1944, this newer edition (published in 2001) contains all of the original photos, several additional photos that Mr. Adams took but didn't include in the original, and several fascinating introductions written by Japanese-Americans.
Considering the topic of this book is something of a cause celebre, one might imagine that this book was something of an anti-American screed. Well, if you thought that, you would be wrong. This book is a very balanced look at what happened, and the people who were caught up in it. Mr. Adams wanted the book to be factual, so both the good aspects and bad aspects are covered. That said, though, the book was something of an expose of what happened, and is not a whitewash. Therefore, if you are looking for a book that will tell you about this historical tragedy, then I highly recommend this book.
A magnificent work!.......2002-01-17
Finally, I was able to pick up a copy of this long-awaited book. The original is extremely expensive to pick up, and with the additional introductory information, this is an improvement. A fascinating read, fantastic print quality... A must have!
Average customer rating:
- Very good (somewhat) historical novel
- Awesome book!
- Suspenseful and descriptive novel
- Exposing the Human Condition
- well-written, poetic
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Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel
David Guterson
Manufacturer: Vintage
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Binding: Paperback
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Snow Falling on Cedars
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ASIN: 067976402X
Release Date: 1995-09-26 |
Amazon.com
This is the kind of book where you can smell and hear and see the fictional world the writer has created, so palpably does the atmosphere come through. Set on an island in the straits north of Puget Sound, in Washington, where everyone is either a fisherman or a berry farmer, the story is nominally about a murder trial. But since it's set in the 1950s, lingering memories of World War II, internment camps and racism helps fuel suspicion of a Japanese-American fisherman, a lifelong resident of the islands. It's a great story, but the primary pleasure of the book is Guterson's renderings of the people and the place.
Amazon.com Audiobook Review
Ishmael Chambers, the one-man staff of the newspaper on San Piedro Island in Puget Sound, is covering the 1954 trial of a high school classmate accused of killing another classmate over a land dispute. Actor Peter Marinker--a stage veteran who has appeared in such movies as The Russia House and The Emerald Forest--takes us deep inside the world created by David Guterson in his award-winning 1994 novel. We learn the sensory details of life in a small fishing community; the emotional lives of people scarred inside and out by World War II; and the deep and unresolved prejudices toward the island's Japanese Americans, who were interned during the war--a tragedy that led to financial advantage for some islanders. Marinker deliberately but nimbly moves from the characters' distinctive voices to the poignant interior perspectives of the soulful, wounded Chambers as he tells a combination love story, murder mystery, and painful history lesson. (Running time: 15 hours, 10 cassettes) --Lou Schuler
Book Description
Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award
American Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award
San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, is a place so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies. But in 1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder. In the course of the ensuing trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than a man's guilt. For on San Pedro, memory grows as thickly as cedar trees and the fields of ripe strawberries--memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and the Japanese girl who grew up to become Kabuo's wife; memories of land desired, paid for, and lost. Above all, San Piedro is haunted by the memory of what happened to its Japanese residents during World War II, when an entire community was sent into exile while its neighbors watched. Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric,
Snow Falling on Cedars is a masterpiece of suspense-- one that leaves us shaken and changed.
"Haunting.... A whodunit complete with courtroom maneuvering and surprising turns of evidence and at the same time a mystery, something altogether richer and deeper."--Los Angeles Times
"Compelling...heartstopping. Finely wrought, flawlessly written."--The New York Times Book Review
Customer Reviews:
Very good (somewhat) historical novel.......2007-08-05
This is not a fast paced read but it is so rich with detail of the characters and the places of its time you can almost feel you're there. The descriptions of the island of San Piedro sent me looking for it on a map of the Puget Sound area only to find there is no such place. I wish Mr. Guterson had included a glossary for the fishing jargon and the colloquialisms of northwest Washington of that time; that would have made it even more interesting for me.
Also a good cultural study of the interactions of Caucasian and non-Caucasian Americans and how much war influences and divides us such as we are experiencing now.
Awesome book!.......2007-07-30
I bought this book for my daughter to read for an honors English class. I read it first and had forgotten that I had watched the movie years ago. I absolutely was saturated by the story. I would recommend it for anyone!
Suspenseful and descriptive novel.......2007-07-14
During the time of Japanese Internment and WWII Japanese settlers strive to live in dignity, finding comfort relying on their old Japanese traditions and customs which ultimately left one white man who courted a Japanese woman broken hearted and another white man who tried to sell and enter into a contract a piece of land to Japanese in a mysterious demise whose trial is the focus of the novel. In the end though truth, heroism and rule of law prevailed over racism and jealousy.
Exposing the Human Condition.......2007-06-25
At its bare bones level, the literary genre here is a murder mystery in which the reader learns of events essentially through witness testimony as it is given in a courtroom trial. And this aspect of the story is quite good and well-crafted, in and by itself. But at a deeper level, the backdrop of time and place reveals the deeply ingrained prejudices and suspicions that Americans felt and directed against Japanese-Americans who were living in the American northwest in the WWII years following Pearl Harbor. Very effectively and in a non-judgmental way, the author spotlights this chapter in America's history when completely innocent Japanese-Americans were forced from their homes, uprooted from occupations and earning capabilities, experienced painful alienation in relationships within their communities and ultimately were interned in camps until war's end. Woven throughout, the human condition of bigotry is nakedly exposed but thankfully so are honor, grace and integrity.
well-written, poetic.......2007-06-05
Sensitive and well-written story that grips the reader. The descriptive passages and the character development are splendid. This novel works on so many levels: love story, mystery, courtroom drama, history. The book has a poetic feel that charms the reader.
Book Description
With the content of an authoritative reference and the excitement of a thriller, this history of the U.S. submarine war is one of the most informative and entertaining books written on the Pacific campaign. The author, a respected journalist and World War II submariner himself, is credited with providing a complete and unbiased account of what happened. When published in 1975, it was the first such account to detail controversial aspects of the American campaign, from the torpedo scandal to discrepancies between claimed and confirmed sinkings.
To get to the truth, Clay Blair interviewed scores of skippers, staff officers, and code breakers, and combed thousands of documents and personal papers. In addition, he thoroughly researched the development of the submarine and torpedo from pre-war to post-war times. As a result, he takes the reader into the submarine war at all levels--the highest strategy sessions in Washington, the terrifying moments in subs at the bottom of the ocean waiting out exploding depth charges, the zany efforts of a crew coaxing a chicken to lay an egg. He also exposes the reader to the jealous infighting of admirals vying for power and the problems between cautious older skippers and daring young commanders. Supplementing the text are nearly forty maps showing submarine activity in the context of every important naval engagement in the Pacific, more than thirty pages of photographs, multiple appendixes (including a calendar of submarine war patrols), and an index of over 2,000 entries. This is a work of great scholarship and scope that makes a timeless contribution to the history of World War II.
Customer Reviews:
All the Detail You Could Ever Want.......2007-08-23
What a read! I know it's history, but this is a page turner. The author just keeps bringing it on. I was impressed with the obvious volume of research, but the truly impressive thing is that he keeps your interest all the way through. An outstanding and extremely readable account of an underpublicized arena of WW II.
How the Silent Service strangled the Japanese Empire:.......2007-01-23
This is, quite simply, an outstanding history book. The depth of research done by the author is amazing. It is a blow by blow, patrol by patrol account of how these brave men put the Japanese war machine out of business. It is also exceptionally well written and extemely readable. It's one of those very few books that you can, literally, open up to any page, start reading, and become consumed with interest. This book belongs on any WWII naval bookshelf, and is, I believe, the definitive account of the Pacific Submariners' war.
The WW 2 Sub Warfare Encyclopedia.......2005-09-03
The is book has it all and says it all about the Use of Sumarines in the Pacific during WW2.
The good points about the book:
1. It complete describes every aspect of Submarines - torpedoes - engagements - personnel - strategy.
2. It gives a comprehensive amount of detail about the Commanders and Officers who fought in the Submarines - who did well and who didn't and why.
3. It gives a great amount of detail about the personnel feuds - the attitudes of the Sumarine Admialty in Hawaii - and In Australia. Their pettiness is detailed as well as their greatness. Both get equal measure.
The Weak points: All of the above detail gets a bit tedious and repetitive.
The real eye opener for for me was the fact thatin WW@ it was the submarines that did most of the damage to the Japanese Navy and they eliminated the merchant Marine - with one arm tied behind its back. The torpedoes they used on the boats were a failure for the first 15 months of the war. In reading the details of this issue - it is amazing that even with such incompetence in the Bureau of Naval Ordinance and with some doltish Admirals - that we did actually win the War.
Read the book and find out how we did it. Warts and all.
The silence is deafening!.......2005-08-27
This is a very detailed rundown of the USN's silent service during the Pacific war, and is a must if you are interesetd in the submarine operations, from a US perspective.
Blair also exposes, compared to post war analyses, the over, and dubious claims of ships sunk by the submariners, and a comparson with the U boats will reveal that the latter was much, much more successful, despite the lack of air and surface support, and its codes being cracked and read.
A comparison of Blair's 2 volume work on the U boats with this work will reveal his blatant biases against the Germans, no doubt a case of the inferiority complex.
Submerged in the Details.......2005-08-04
This is certainly a detailed and worthy survey of the US submarine war in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. It offers a great deal of information, much of which characterizes the area commanders with their personal goals, squabbles, and jealousies. It develops the story over the full reach of the war, from the frantic days following the attack at Pearl Harbor, the mostly ineffective first retaliations early in the war, the gradual build up of strength and experience in 1943, to the domination of the wolf packs and strangulation of Japan late in the war. The abominable ineffectiveness of American torpedoes and the denial and difficulty in remedying the problems with exploders and depth control are detailed. So are other interesting topics such as the replacement of skippers who failed to fulfill their assignments with the aggressiveness and tenacity required. All the various tasks assigned to fleet subs during the war are revealed as well and the different techniques encouraged in the various areas of operation. The role of the cryptologists and their essential efforts is also detailed. All this is good stuff and maybe the book deserves more than three stars. But I was overwhelmed by the shear tedium of patrol after patrol after patrol summarized with minimal detail or apparent purpose. This data could have been presented in table format with ease and clarity. The result is that the significant events, famous exploits, and heroic individuals are lost in this muddle of repetitive summaries. By book's end, it is difficult to separate the gallant from the routine. If it were not for signposts along the way from events familiar to me, it would have been even less differentiated. I've read of the Wahoo, Tang, Rasher, and Barb previously in excellent narratives, so their events stood out, as did the Tautog, Drum, and Cobia, subs I've visited. Otherwise, this narrative would have been even less discerning. An unusual style in military narrative employed here is another negative; the author chooses not to associate rank with individual's names. With the significance of rank in the military, this is detractive. I think the author would have served the story better with dramatic examples of incidents that characterize the heroic service performed by these crew and to feature leading events. Instead readers must try to discern this on their own.
Amazon.com
Home becomes elusive in this story about immigration and acculturation, pieced together through old pictures and salvaged family tales. Both the narrator and his grandfather long to return to Japan, but when they do, they feel anonymous and confused: "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other." Allen Say's prose is succinct and controlled, to the effect of surprise when monumental events are scaled down to a few words: "The young woman fell in love, married, and sometime later I was born." The book also has large, formal paintings in delicate, faded colors that portray a cherished and well-preserved family album. The book, for audiences ages 4 to 8, won the 1994 Caldecott Medal.
Book Description
Through compelling reminiscences of his grandfather's life in America and Japan, Allen Say gives us a poignant acount of a family's unique cross-cultural experience. He warmly conveys his own love for his two countries, and the strong and constant desire to be in both places at once.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful and heartwarming book!.......2007-08-17
What a beautiful book. The illustrations are magnificent and the story itself is amazing. It brought a tear to my eye as I remembered my Nonno.
Grandfather's Journey.......2007-03-14
This book is a deserving winner of the Caldecott. I was often offended by books that portrayed immigrants as one dimensional in that they were always so glad to arrive in America and never appeared to have feelings for their native country. As an immigrant I know that relocation in America, while often a blessing, comes at a price. Grandfather's Journey is a beautiful book that depicts the struggle of being pulled by love of new and old homelands.
Great Selection!.......2006-09-02
The cover illustration is what initially drew me to this book; watching a young man stand on the deck of a steamship while the wind and waves thrash about. The color of the sea beckoned me to turn the pages and find out more about where this man was going and whether or not he would get there.
Grandfather is a young immigrant traveling from Japan to his new home in America. He journeys all across this land and experiences all aspects of it: cities, farms, mountains, rivers, people, etc. He settles in California but eventually misses his homeland, and travels back to satisfy his longings. Through a series of events, he is unable to make his way back to the West Coast that he loves so much.
My husband and I were in the Navy and lived among people from all over the world. I loved getting to know them and experiencing their ways of life. Understanding how other people around the world think and love and live, has made me a more complete person. It has made me who I am today. In this way I connect with Grandfather and his journeys.
A Wonderful Story.......2006-07-03
Allen Say's autobiographical Grandfather's Journey's beautiful illustrations won the Caldecott Medal, but that is only half the reason to recommend this book. This story is about a Japanese man struggling over what his home is--the United States or Japan.
When he is almost an adult, a young man (who would be Say's grandfather) moves to North America. He travels all over the United States (depicted in the illustrations) and falls in love with San Francisco. He briefly returns to Japan for his childhood love, then returns to San Francisco. Together they have a daughter and are living happily, but the grandfather becomes homesick for the mountain, rivers and friends of Japan. We see him surrounded by his songbirds in American clothes wishing for his home. Finally, when his daughter is almost grown, he returns to Japan. He laughs with his friends in his home village and for a time is happy. But his daughter had spent all her life in San Francisco and was not meant for the small village, so her father buys her a house in a city. She marries an untraditional man and has a son.
But the father wishes for San Francisco. We see, as his grandson saw, him surrounded by songbirds and the things he loves, dressed in the traditional Japanese dress, wishing for his home in San Francisco. He plans to return to North America.
Unfortunately, World War II begins and destroys the city. Grandfather returns to the small village, but never had another songbird. He told his grandson (who is the author and illustrator, Allen Say)that he wished to return to San Francisco one more time. But he died before he had the chance.
When his granson was nearly an adult, he went to America himself to see what his grandfather had talked about. He falls in love with it, but is homesick. Whenever he visits Japan, however, he longs for San Fransisco. He thinks of his grandfather and understands him more than ever.
Grandfather's Journey is beautiful, but some young children may not understand the emotions of the characters. Still, Grandfather's Journey is beautiful and deserves to be read by people of all ages.
This book is ok........2006-07-03
This book is about a boy's grandfather who goes to America. He likes California the best. He goes back to japan and gets married then he goes back to California and has a daughter. Then he goes back to Japan. The daughter grows up and gets married. Some time later she has a little boy. When the boy grows up he goes to California he gets married and has baby girl. I think kids from 6-8 should read this book.
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- Plankton Regulation Dynamics: Experiments and Models in Rotifer Continuous Cultures
- The Lightning Discharge
- Thinking for Yourself: Developing Critical Thinking Skills Through Reading and Writing
- Bioterrorism Preparedness: Medicine - Public Health - Policy
- A New Owner's Guide to Bulldogs
- The Art Spirit: Notes, Articles, Fragments of Letters and Talks to Students, Bearing on the Concept
- Skins For Buildings: The Architect's Materials Sample Book
- Fungal Walls and Hyphal Growth
Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy
The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II
Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany
Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of her Survivors
Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West
