A former contributing editor at Esquire, Outside, and Men's Journal, Doug Stanton received an M.F.A. from the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. He lives in Traverse City, Michigan. He is the author of In Harm's Way.
"Stellar . . . A gut-wrenching story of everyday heroes." --New York Post "Gripping . . . Compelling." --Chicago Tribune "Powerful . . . One of the most poignant tragedies and injustices of World War II." --Mark Bowden "Infuriating, mesmerizing, and heartbreaking . . . Impossible to put down." --Rick Atkinson "The most frightening book I've ever read." --Stephen Ambrose "A chilling account." --The Atlantic Journal-Constitution "Do yourself a favor. Read In Harm's Way." --James Bradley "Stanton has created a war story that is part Titanic, part Stephen King nightmare." --Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Who can forget the crusty, narrow-eyed shark hunter Quint, played by Robert Shaw, in the blockbuster movie Jaws? He growls out the story of the USS Indianapolis he had been a member of its crew, he says a battle cruiser that was sunk in the South Pacific in 12 minutes by torpedoes from a Japanese submarine. The ship had just finished a secret run to Tinian with parts of the Hiroshima atom bomb. The Navy refused to provide a destroyer escort, even though there was solid intelligence about the presence of the sub. Three hundred men were killed outright; 900 were thrown into the sea. Five days later, when the Navy accidentally figured out that the ship was missing, only 321 men were left; sharks, hypothermia, starvation and thirst, and hallucinatory dementia had taken the rest. The story of Captain Charles Butler McVay is particularly heart-wrenching: he became the only ship's captain to be court-martialed during the war. Many years later he committed suicide, with the Navy still insisting upon his guilt in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. A fascinating, horrible tale, and Stanton brings it off well, supported skillfully by American-voiced Boyd Gaines. For collections of military and World War II history. Don Wismer, Cary Memorial Lib., Wayne, ME Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Given the stringent precision of the U.S. Navy and military during wartime, how could a WWII battleship carrying over 1,000 men be torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and sink, leaving the survivors to bob in the Pacific Ocean at the mercy of elements and predators, without anyone realizing the loss for more than four days? Stanton not only offers a well-researched chronicle of what is widely regarded as the worst naval disaster in U.S. history, but also vividly renders the combatants' hellish ordeal during the sinking, and the ensuing days at sea as well as attempts to cope with the traumatic aftermath. Stanton documents the facts of the case, embellishing his story with lurid details gleaned from interviews with survivors. Though the ship's captain would become the first and only in U.S. naval history to be court-martialed for the loss of his ship, Stanton offers a solid body of evidence to justify the survivors' partially successful efforts to exonerate him. Stanton's omniscient narrative shifts among the individual perspectives of several principal characters, a successful technique that contributes to the book's absorbing, novelistic feel. Readers, of course, must trust Stanton and his research in order to be truly consumed, but the authority of his voice should win over all but the most obsessive skeptics. Illuminating and emotional without being maudlin, Stanton's book helps explain what many have long considered an inexplicable catastrophe. (May 21) Forecast: Following on the heels of the bestselling Abandon Ship, recently resurrected by Peter Maas, this book is unlikely to be ignored. A $150,000 marketing campaign includes a nine-city author tour, national print advertising, and target marketing to the military and naval market. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
"Stellar . . . A gut-wrenching story of everyday heroes." --New York Post "Gripping . . . Compelling." --Chicago Tribune "Powerful . . . One of the most poignant tragedies and injustices of World War II." --Mark Bowden "Infuriating, mesmerizing, and heartbreaking . . . Impossible to put down." --Rick Atkinson "The most frightening book I've ever read." --Stephen Ambrose "A chilling account." --The Atlantic Journal-Constitution "Do yourself a favor. Read In Harm's Way." --James Bradley "Stanton has created a war story that is part Titanic, part Stephen King nightmare." --Minneapolis Star-Tribune
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