Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War

Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War
hardtack avatar reviewed on + 2700 more book reviews


I've read this book and I enjoyed it. But the important thing to remember when reading it is that Manchester states in the Introduction that he took license with the material.

Some of 'his' stories were actually the experiences of others that he changed to suit his story line.

As such, not everything in the book is true. Manchester was a machinegunner in the Marines. He fought in the battle for Okinawa where he was severely wounded. He did not participate in any previous battles the Marines fought in World War II. I'm not questioning his bravery, only his stories.