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Rating: 
Summary: The best book on this subject
Review: I have read four books on the Indianapolis tragedy, and this is the best, by far. Mr. Kurzman adds a nice touch by including the complete ship's roster, not just a listing of survivors. Thank you Daniel Kurzman.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: I read this book cover to cover in 2 days and found it very well written. Unlike other books regarding the tragedy surrounding the U.S.S. Indianapolis, the author did not linger too greatly on the court-martial aspect, but rather, went into detail about the crewmembers and their individual experiences which moved me emotionally as I read each of their accounts. The author did a nice job of allowing the entire story to unfold without cramming the pages with technical jargon or statistics which would otherwise impede my reading. Out of all the books I have read on the U.S.S. Indianapolis, this one was the only one to go into detail about the further ordeal of Crewman Adolfo Celaya who survived the sinking, the sharks, and the entirely horrendous and unspeakable ordeal only to be mistreated by his rescuers. At the end of the book, I was left so angry that he had to endure this treatment coupled by the fact that no other book that I had read on this subject mentions him and the treatment he received, except this one. Anyone who has an interest in the tragedy of the U.S.S. Indianapolis should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: I read this book cover to cover in 2 days and found it very well written. Unlike other books regarding the tragedy surrounding the U.S.S. Indianapolis, the author did not linger too greatly on the court-martial aspect, but rather, went into detail about the crewmembers and their individual experiences which moved me emotionally as I read each of their accounts. The author did a nice job of allowing the entire story to unfold without cramming the pages with technical jargon or statistics which would otherwise impede my reading. Out of all the books I have read on the U.S.S. Indianapolis, this one was the only one to go into detail about the further ordeal of Crewman Adolfo Celaya who survived the sinking, the sharks, and the entirely horrendous and unspeakable ordeal only to be mistreated by his rescuers. At the end of the book, I was left so angry that he had to endure this treatment coupled by the fact that no other book that I had read on this subject mentions him and the treatment he received, except this one. Anyone who has an interest in the tragedy of the U.S.S. Indianapolis should read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not yet great, version of this story
Review: I was somewhat disappointed by this. Maybe it's because it was written by a 3rd party some 40 years after the incident and the memories of the participants are dulled. Maybe because the writing was fairly dry. I still read it all the way through as the story is compelling all by itself but it just lacked a sense of drama. I noticed recently that there is a second book out on this same incident and I have to wonder if it's a more compelling read?
Rating:
Summary: Recommended
Review: I've read most if not all of the handful of books available on the USS Indianapolis, and as far as I can tell this was the first genuinely factual public account of this grim story. For bringing the truth of this secret shame to a mass market, the author deserves a high five. [FYI, don't even bother with anything written prior to Fatal Voyage, some of which are taking up space in your library where I found them.] It was only after the publication of this book that other good books on the tragedy started to appear. As with other co-opted ideas (books on the flu of 1918 is a good example), no one does it as well as the author who did it first. It was very hard to believe the Navy managed to keep something secret that is still regarded as the worst naval disaster in US history. But I asked my dad, who sailed the Atlantic on the same mission as the Indianapolis, delivering weaponry to Allies, if he heard the story, rumors, anything at all about this at the time it happened, and he assured me that no one knew anything about it. Amazing, considering he spent the war on ship as a radio operator, always in the eye of the hurricane on these high risk missions. Such Merchant Marine ships delivering supplies took more casualties than any other in WWII (also a little known fact). His ship was part of the fleet that delivered the guns for the Normandy invasion. He said the battleships escorting them actually outnumbered the fleet: more ships were sent to protect them than ships carrying the weapons. Later in the Pacific, returning from delivering the bomb that effectively ended the war, the men of the Indianapolis had no escort or protection at all. There is a monument in honor of these men here in Indianapolis, where survivors still gather once a year. I truly think one of the reasons this story is little known even today is that it's simply too horrifying for Hollywood or any other media to recount. I did see a well done documentary recently, which showed available photography and interviewed survivors, in their 80s by this time. Every one of them still wept at the memory. This is as bad as it gets, even in wartime.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for anyone interested in Naval History.
Review: Mr. Kurzman does an excellent job of conveying both the personal stories of the Indianapolis's crew and explaining the circumstances surrounding her loss. The reader will wonder how such a tragedy could take place and how those responsible could make a scapegoat out of Capt. McVay. This story remains to this day a sensitive one for the US Navy.
Rating:
Summary: Good summer reading except for a cruise
Review: QUICK REVIEW
This book gives a good and very thorough telling of the tragic sinking of a Navy ship, during WWII, and the events surrounding it. Worth reading. FULL REVIEW
Among the many books that cover this incident, this is a very good one. The entire story is laid out nicely, from beginning to end. The author doesn't go into any part of the story extremely deeply, yet covers every aspect nicely. Readers may find themselves thirsting for more information in parts, if there is one particular part of the story they are most interested in. So the details of all that happens is not exhaustive (not as in depth as it possibly could be) but you get the whole story in exchange. Other books on this tragedy tend to dwell heavier on some aspects of the story than others, and therefore sacrifice telling all angles of the story. Readers, however, get the complete picture with this book. What they also get is an accurate, truthful account of the horror these men faced trying to get off a sinking ship, survive for days in the Pacific ocean and the struggle of life after such an terrifying event. The author does not make up dialogue or pretend to get inside the heads of the non-surviving men. He gives us direct quotes and true testimony. What the readers get is a fascinating true-life story of amazing survival under terrible circumstances. There are some slow parts but there is also riveting action and shocking incidents. This is an amazing story worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Quint couldn't have told it better
Review: The best scene in the movie "Jaws" is when captain Quint, played by Robert Shaw, recounts the horrors of having been a survivor of the USS Indianapolis disaster. In Dan Kurzman, this event is given a storytelling treatment worthy of the man who would soon become shark bait himself. The Indianapolis story is a horror not only because of what the survivors of the sinking endured (dehydration, delirium and, of course, shark attacks), but because of the bureaucratic bungling that caused them to be left in the water for many days beyond when the sinking was first reported. Granted the war was in its last stages and important things were happening (the Indianapolis was returning from having delivered the Atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima) but the neglect the ship's survivors received was inexcusable. Kurzman is an excellent journalist and writer. This book and "Left to Die" his account of the sinking of the USS Juneau, are first rate accounts of nautical disaster.
Rating: 
Summary: A Very Good Book
Review: The first I had ever heard of the USS Indianapolis was in the movie Jaws. Unfortunately my history classes in school did not cover this subject. Apparently they felt it was not a big enough part of World War II. But this was a tragedy full of mistakes by many. The ship was not noticed missing for days, it was sunk after the end of the war. The sailors faced certain death from dehydration or being eaten alive (sharks) and the Captain was court-martialled for following procedures. This is an exceptional book that will keep your interest and enlighten you on a subject that many do not know about. I can not compare to other books on the subject as this is the first I have read. But it was well worth my time to read it.
Rating: 
Summary: a tragicly written tradgedy
Review: this book states all the facts but what is missing is the first hand accounts of being in the water. the author would have done more justice to the reader interviewing more of the survivors and japanese servicemen. this book is written too much of a second-hand account
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