Brothers Down — Walter Borneman — Recommend With Salt

 

Prior to a trip to Oahu, I was looking for a book that would make a visit to pearl harbor more meaningful. I picked this book out after reading a WSJ review. The book served its purpose. Looking into the twisted metal gun turret of the Arizona and across the water at Ford Island, I could nearly hear the angry humming of low flying Zeroes and rapid chopping of strafing rounds chewing rescue craft to pieces. I could see hundreds of white sailor hats floating on the burning water and I could feel the pain of 79 brothers agonizing about the fate of their siblings across the ship. Details like Admiral Kidd's Annapolis class ring welded to a bulkhead, or a jar of pickles saved for 20 years for a sailor who would never come home, really bring the story to life.

Besides being vivid as hell, the book is extremely well researched.  Borneman approaches pearl harbor with an interesting lens, the lives of siblings serving on the same ship. He delves into their duties on the ship, their personal lives, and their families back home. He examines unpublished source material including letters written home and interviews with surviving relatives.

The result is a picture that helped me understand a little better, the reaction that the rest of the nation had to that "day of infamy". WWII makes a little more sense. The book was moving, inspiring, and informative. My takeaway? The only thing worse than the horror of war is the horror of tyranny.

If you're looking for a good book on pearl harbor, this one fits the bill. My only reservation is that the subject is pretty niche, It's not broad enough to be universally recoommendable.

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