Book Review: Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man
Age Range: Teen, Adult
Author: Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic
Simon & Schuster
New York
2019
ISBN: 978-1501135958
List Price: $12.39
I had of course heard of the USS Indianapolis. And like many, I’ve always had a strong sense of respect and gratefulness for the “greatest generation” and the sacrifices made by many in World War II. But honestly, I knew embarrassingly little about the USS Indianapolis. I basically knew what I recalled from a classmate’s middle school speech on the topic. Which is even worse given my hometown. It was with this in mind that I decided to read Indianapolis.
This was my “car book” (the one I keep in the car to have something to read during school pickup). I didn’t expect a thick, non-fiction book to be that enthralling. But I was wrong; I found I kept wanting to read it even on short trips when my husband was driving. It got to the point he innocently suggested I bring it inside to continue reading (Never! Then I wouldn’t have a car book…).
The book starts several months before the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and ends fifty years later. It effectively gives both a big picture view of where this ship and her sailors fit into the War, as well as the specifics down to individual men and what they experienced. The authors developed relationships with many of the survivors, and it shows in the book. Reading it feels like a movie, and as noted above, it became hard to put it down.
I strongly recommend this one to anyone who may even faintly be interested in a historical book (and probably even if you are not).