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Book Reviews of In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors

In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors
In Harm's Way The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors
Author: Doug Stanton
ISBN-13: 9780312983376
ISBN-10: 0312983379
Publication Date: 5/19/2002
Pages: 329
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 49

4.1 stars, based on 49 ratings
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

20 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

tamara67 avatar reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on
Helpful Score: 6
"In Harm's Way" is THE MOST detailed account of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. But the story does not end at the rescue. It gives the later in life accounts of the survivors. For anyone into History, this is a MUST read!! I couldn't put it down, until I was finished!
MELNELYNN avatar reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 669 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
I would suggest you not start this book until you have time to spare because you will not want to put it down. This is a story of a terrible tragedy, suffering, pain, and survival. It is also an account of a huge mistake by the U.S.Navy in its' handling of a great Naval Officer, Capt. Charles Butler McVay. I have the hardbound copy and would not part with it. This book is a must for your library. It is laced with heros, one of which was wrongly court martialed.
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 214 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
The story is riveting...because Stanton tells it simply, through the men who lived it. The writing conveys the terror of the shark attacks with piercing detail. Anyone interested in World War II history should read this book.
Very good!
Founder-PBS avatar reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 25 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Great book! I highly recommend this book. A true story of one of the most tragic events of WWII. A real test of human courage and spirit.
mmiller7 avatar reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on
Great read. I couldn't pput it down!!
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 2 more book reviews
This is the best book I have read describing the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, at the end of World War II. The author has done extensive research and interviewed the remaining survivors. The book also looks into what went wrong and why no one knew the Indianapolis was missing. The captain of the Indianapolis was the only US captain of a navy ship to be court martialed for his ship being sunk during the war. I couldn't put the book down. Anyone interested in World War II and American History will enjoy this book.
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 496 more book reviews
Wow, what an ordeal these brave men went through. I had to skim a few parts in the beginning, but once the ship starts to sink you can't believe what they have to deal with and the Navy's incompetence that is totally covered up. Stuff like this should be in the
history books. I think it was a good read and was glad that I too now know the story of these Americans!
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 45 more book reviews
Outstanding. The author draws you into every aspect of the story right through to the epilogue which left me in tears.

A fascinating account of one of the greatest (and most unknown) tragedies of WWII. I was often reading, dumbfounded at the series of incompetent mistakes the US Navy made over and over. Definitely a must-read. Once I got to the part with the sharks, I simply couldn't put it down and had to read to the end. I cannot fathom how these men managed to survive. Loved it and am eager to read more about the South Pacific aspect of WWII.
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 46 more book reviews
Interesting way to look at the issues.
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on
This book is amazing. It captures the tragedy and pointlessness of the USS Indianapolis with extraordinary depth and feeling.
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 13 more book reviews
Well written, harrowing tale of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the errors that led to a delay in the rescue. Particularly touching and appalling were the accounts of the sailors left floating in the ocean for days, fighting delirium, dehydration, sharks and each other.
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 37 more book reviews
Awesome--not much more to say!
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 209 more book reviews
Great book for fans of Naval history. An account of how the USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese sub while steaming alone and the hours the crew waited for rescue while sharks picked them off one by one.
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 216 more book reviews
Tale of the men of the USS Indianapolis, who where "forgotten" in the Pacific after their ship sank and spent 5 days awaiting rescue. This story is told very factually, including eyewitness accounts. Fiction couldn't be much more terrifying. Harrowing tale.


FROM THE PUBLISHER
On July 30, 1945, after completing a top secret mission to deliver parts of the atom bomb "Little Boy," which would be dropped on Hiroshima, the battle cruiser USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific by a Japanese submarine. An estimated 300 men were killed upon impact; close to 900 sailors were cast into the Pacific Ocean, where they remained, undetected by the navy, for nearly five days. Battered by a savage sea, they struggled to survive, fighting off hypothermia, sharks, physical and mental exhaustion, and, finally, hallucinatory dementia. By the time rescue -- which was purely accidental -- arrived, all but 321 men had lost their lives; 4 more would die in military hospitals shortly thereafter.

The captain's subsequent and highly unusual court-martial left many questions unanswered: How did the navy fail to realize the Indianapolis was missing? Why was the cruiser traveling unescorted in enemy waters? And perhaps most amazing of all, how did these 317 men manage to survive?

Drawing on new material and extensive interviews with survivors, In Harm's Way relates the tragedy of the USS Indianapolis not as a history of war, but as a portrait of men battling the sea. Interweaving the stories of three survivors -- Charles Butler McVay, the captain; Lewis Haynes, the ship's doctor; and Private Giles McCoy, a young marine -- journalist Doug Stanton has brought this astonishing human drama to life in a narrative that is at once immediate and timeless. The definitive account of a little-known chapter in World War II history, In Harm's Way is destined to become a classic tale of war, survival, and extraordinary courage.
fiberartist avatar reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 50 more book reviews
This is the true story of a terrible ship disaster in WWII. Torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, many were able to abandon ship. Then no one bothered to rescue them for five days.
Then the Navy decided to blame the Captain McVay for loss of the ship.

It's a harrowing tale. But I couldn't stop reading and finished it in one night. I certainly recommend it. The heroism of some of the officers, especially the ship's doctor, is monumental.
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 63 more book reviews
This is truly a remarkable book. It is absolutely amazing how these men survived the test of the sea with sharks swarming all around. Each of the men that were on the USS Indianapolis were true heroes. I had a little trouble with the politics that would condemn the captain and yet take responsibility for the military's failure to even recognize the ship as being unaccounted for. One of the best books I have ever read. I could hardly put it down. Doug Stanton does a great job at weaving the story. This is keeper for me.
soupermom avatar reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 33 more book reviews
Good retelling of a tragic true life story.
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 380 more book reviews
On the night of July 30, 1945, the Navy cruiser USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese sub, sending 900 men into the black, churning waters of the Pacific. What happened next was a nightmarish battle for survival. Injured, adrift, clinging to each other and their waterlogged life rafts, the men watched in horror as their crewmates fell victim to catastrophic injuries, exposure, hallucinations and relentless shark attacks. Work of all, their last radio S.O.S. had been disregarded by the Navy as a prank. When help finally arrived an astonishing five days later, only 317 of the ship's crew were still alive. In Harm's Way recounts with frightening accuracy those five harrowing days at sea and gives readers a moving unforgettable account of the worst naval disaster at sea in U.S. history
reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 12 more book reviews
Excellent book.
mizPJ avatar reviewed In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors on + 172 more book reviews
haven't read this