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Summary: Kept me on edge the whole way through.....
Review: Doug Stanton has captured the life of sailors going in harm's way during the WW II era with his descriptive writing and obvious exhaustive research. The men and boys of USS INDIANAPOLIS experienced something that can't be put on paper, however, Doug comes as close as anyone by writing about the personal experiences of several key figures in this tragic tale of ordinary men (who in most cases barely knew each other) doing extraordinary things. This book is for the person who enjoys books about the sea, action, heroism, personal triumph or just a good story. I read a lot - and this one is near the top of my list. With no disrespect to other authors or people who experienced tragedy in time of war (I also recently finished James Stcockdale's IN LOVE AND WAR and John McCain's FAITH OF MY FATHERS) - this one kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Buy it, read it and save it so you can read it again.
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Summary: great story, better told elsewhere...
Review: I happen to have read both 'In Harm's Way' and the earlier book,'Abandon Ship' by Richard Newcomb, within the last six months. I first read 'Abandon Ship' and was totally blown away by the story and the power of his writing. On subsequently reading 'In Harm's Way', I was disappointed, not much new info, and a much less dramatic style of writing. Like another reviewer it drove me crazy after a while that he referred to the crew of the Indianapolis as 'boys' time and time again. READ 'ABANDON SHIP'instead!
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Summary: A Terrifying History of an Avoidable Loss
Review: Perhaps you remember the harrowing story told by Captain Quint in the movie _Jaws_, explaining to his fellow shark hunters about how after his ship, the _USS Indianapolis_ was torpedoed, the men drifted for days and were picked off by sharks. Quint's tale is accurate, but it is only part of the terror within the _Indy_'s story. The whole is laid out in _In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors_ (Henry Holt) by Doug Stanton, as spellbinding and frightening a book about the horrors of war as you are likely to read._Indy_ had had the imposing job of bringing the bomb "Little Boy" from San Francisco to Tinaian Island, near Guam, from where it could be sent to Hiroshima. After leaving the bomb in Tinaian, the ship was routed to Leyte in the Philippines, ready to take part in any mopping up action; but on 30 July it was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-58, and sank in twelve minutes. Astonishingly, for four days the Navy had no idea the ship was lost. _In Harm's Way_ details a surprising number of administrative errors and missed chances that would have saved most of the crew, but when the _Indy_ went down, no one but the survivors knew what had happened, and no one on land knew to worry about them. 1,196 men were on the ship when it was struck, and about 300 of them died immediately from the two torpedoes. Of the remaining 900, only 317 were eventually rescued. Sharks had, indeed, taken some of the rest, maybe about 200 during the four days the men floated in the Pacific. The fuel oil blinded and poisoned some, and some just went mad with blood chemistry imbalances and killed themselves and each other. The surviving doctor tried to minister to the sailors, but all he could really do was collect the dog tags of the dead, and when those proved so heavy that his exhaustion wouldn't let him carry them any more, he let them sink. A patrol plane on another mission finally saw some of the survivors, and the belated, but heroic rescue took place. Captain McVay became the first captain in US history to be court-martialed for losing his ship as an act of war. It is clear that there was nothing McVay could have done to save his ship, but he was found guilty. The survivors, however, rallied behind McVay, a truly tragic figure, who was worried when he attended the first survivor's reunion in 1960; it was clear that he was respected and even loved by those who had served under him. Some members of families of dead sailors remembered differently, however, and McVay got hate mail from them. This was surely one of the reasons he shot himself in 1965. His crew has since tried to get his court-martial erased. Though his story is the backbone of this engrossing and terrifying book, _In Harm's Way_ contains satisfying doses of history and of heroics under unimaginable stress. It is a fine addition to the current flow of volumes on World War II.
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Summary: Excellent revisiting of a tragedy in history
Review: Stanton has written a compellihng, riveting, heartbreaking account of the hows and whys of a tragedy during war -- and the ineptitiude of the naval bureacracy, the sheer courage and class of its unfairly court marshalled captain, and the grimly vivid trauma of the boys who died and the boys who lived through that horrific 5 days missing-and-not-even-being-looked-for at sea , surrounded by sharks, without fresh water or food, wounded and helpless after their ship had been torpedoed by the Japanese.
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Summary: The JAWS Connection
Review: An absolutely facinating piece of work from its inception to its construction. The author deserves all the credit that can be heaped upon him, along with four stripes to go with the five stars. Credit goes to his sources, living and dead - talk about the "greatest generation"!! My question concerns the lack of mention of Peter Benchley, "JAWS" author and screenwriter. Robert Shaw's gritty performance in the film introduced many of us to the tragedy; his character possibly based upon the vocation of a real life survivor as Stanton infers. How can a movie ever be made of this work? Thanks to Doug Stanton for the research and retelling.
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Summary: Interesting, Informative, Heart Wrenching
Review: I first became aware of the USS Indianapolis back in 1976 when I saw the movie Jaws. I have remained curious ever since. Thanks so much to the author, Doug Stanton, for answering all my questions. I found the book to be interesting, very informative, honest, and thought provoking. I loved the book and I love the guys who put themselves in harm's way so that we might have our freedom. They will forever remain in my thoughts and prayers. I highly recommend this book to all readers.
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Summary: I never stopped crying...
Review: You just cannot emagine what they must have gone through in those days following the attack, this book brings it to life, this story is gripping, and real... God Bless them all...
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Summary: Misses the mark
Review: Like many writers of war books, the author can't seem to relate to enlisted men. Does he really know anyone who would say "let's get the ... out of here?" "The Hell out ', maybe or, "the ... out" but not "the ... out". It really began to grate on me that he refered to all enlisted crew members as "boys" .I served 4 years in the navy and never considered myself a "boy". Some of these "boys" were older than some of the officers and had seen a lot more action. The officers were always portrayed as being competent, unshakable and thoroughly admirable types, keeping the "boys" in line. He's also pretty vague on just what the "condensers" were that "supplied water to the boilers", so much water that the "boys" were limited in drinking water. This when they were still in port and would have taken on water from shore. If the boilers needed that much water, they must have leaked like sieves and could never have amde the trip they did. All in all, a disappointing book, condescending and inaccurate.
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Summary: Great Book
Review: This book gives a very gripping account of the USS Indianapolis, which is important for a culture that has all but forgotten its heroes. What some may consider a "sophomoric" effort, I would categorize as a "good read" for any age.
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Summary: Fascinating, fast read that will rivet you to the story
Review: One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. When reading historical books or biographies, you're normally subjected to a slow start to provide background info. Even this book's first chapters are interesting and then it quickly gets into the story. What a fine balance it is for the author to cover facets of the story and correctly allocate the appropriate page space to the important parts of the story. It is very clear the author did good research to determine possible breakdowns in the system forcing 900 men to spend 5 terrifying days floating in the ocean as fish food. But the actual accounts of the sinking and subsequent time spent in the water are simply mesmerizing allowing you to feel the terror of this incident. Probably the most exciting part of the story is the daring rescue when these men were on their last leg and most could not have survived another day. How terrifying was their situation? Well, when sailors take off their life jacket and prefer death to their existence, that should tell you their situation was grave indeed. This book reads fast and furious. I read it in one night since I was incapable of putting the book down. This book will appeal to people exploring history or just pure adventure stories. It reads like a screenplay and you can visualize this movie in a few years.
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