By Steve Sheinkin, Roaring Book Press, New York, NY (2014) Review by: Aldona Sendzikas, Ph.D. How do you explain racism to teenagers—specifically, the existence of institutionalized racism and segregation in the U.S. Navy during most of its history? This is author Steve Sheinkin’s challenge in this book for young adults about the massive explosion that
By Captain George Duffy, Xlibris Corp., Bloomington (2008) Reviewed by Captain J.A. Peschka, Jr. If you still get excited and riveted to your chair when you read a good sea story, then Ambushed under the Southern Cross is for you. This is not a history book written in academic prose with precise references and intellectual
By Lincoln Paine, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY (2013) Reviewed by Sam Craghead This book could easily be titled, “The Greatest Sea Story Ever Told.” The subtitle proffers the scope of the work, which Lincoln Paine delivers in grand style. With 599 pages of text, 48 pages of bibliography, 17 maps, 26 pages of
By Mark Lardas, Arcadia Publishing, Mt. Pleasant, SC (2013) Reviewed by Terry Miller Mark Lardas takes the reader through the history of the Port of Houston from its earliest days in the new Republic of Texas in 1836 to the present day. The 128-page book is more than half filled with photos, which adds to
By Ronald M.Williamson and Emily Savoca, Arcadia Publishing, Mt. Pleasant, SC, (2013). Reviewed By: Rodney Carlisle, Ph. D. This short photographic collection is one of more than 8,000 volumes produced by Arcadia Publishing in its “Images of America” series on a wide variety of towns, forts, historic places, and locales scattered across the United States.
By Michael J. Lacivita, Pig Iron Books, Youngstown, OH (2004) Reviewed by Nathan Albright The curious title of this memoir refers to the garbage man who came to pick up items for recycling purposes. This is just one of the many jobs the author talks about during the course of this very personal story. Explicitly,
By Barbara Perkins-Brown, Self Published Reviewed By Lori Bogle. Ph.D. Barbara Perkins-Brown’s Subic: A Sailor’s Memoir is a tribute to her father Bobby Earl Perkins. Perkins joined the Navy in the late 1960s to escape the segregated South only to become a victim of racial discrimination at Subic Bay Naval Base, Philippines. Written in the first person
A few of us in the room stared at the vase as the amber-colored liquid poured out of the bottle. There was a surprising hiss of carbonation once the bottle cap came off. NHF Executive Director Captain Todd Creekman, USN (Ret.) picked up the contents and sniffed it. He looks up surprisingly and exclaims, “It
1. A Good Weekend Requires Planning (NARA Photo: 80-G-431069) 2. Playing Cards Will Help Pass the Time (LOC Image: LC-DIG-det-4a14373) 3. It Might Require Travel (LOC Image: LC-USF34-039283-D) 4. Get Plenty of Rest the Night Before (NARA Image: 80-G-471182) 5. Grab a Snack Before Heading Out (Image: San Diego History Center) 6. Grab Your
Over the past two weeks, we have live-tweeted the significant events of the Battle of Midway from the perspective of the Imperial Japanese Navy and United States Navy. Our account, NHFTweetsMidway, helped bring the story to live 140 characters at a time. Don’t want to read over 700 tweets for the recap? Here are 35
This year marks the 72nd Anniversary of the Battle of Midway, the most decisive battle in the Pacific Theater. During the pivotal day of 4 June 1942, the United States Navy managed to engage an imposing Japanese fleet and inflict crippling losses to their four carriers and surface ships near Midway Atoll. A large crowd of
By Captain Alexander “Sandy” G. Monroe, USN (Ret.), Pleasant Living Books, Richmond, VA (2014) Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA This commemorative volume focuses on graduates of a small private school who served in the U.S. armed forces. Author Alexander Monroe argues that Christchurch School has imbued its students with an outlook that mirrors military
By Michael F. Dilley, Casemate, Philadelphia, PA and Oxford, England (2013) Reviewed by Stephen K. Stein, Ph.D. Since the 9/11 attacks, U.S. Special Forces have received a growing amount of media attention. Numerous books describe and analyze their recent operations. Michael F. Dilley, a writer and editor for Behind the Lines magazine, returns to the modern
By Thomas Wildenberg, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2013) Reviewed by Captain J. F. “Bookie” Boland, U.S. Navy (Retired) Colonel Billy Mitchell, an iconic and controversial figure in United States aviation history, is the subject of an important new book by independent historian Thomas Wildenberg. Although Mitchell’s life and military service is examined in innumerable
By Benjamin F. Armstrong, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2013) Reviewed by Capt. Scott Mobley, USN (Ret.) Despite Alfred Thayer Mahan‘s tremendous influence upon naval policy, national security affairs, and international politics during the early 20th century, many people today regard his ideas as curious artifacts of a bygone era. In his time, Mahan achieved
