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"The secret to any good history book is for readers to be taught a history lesson without knowing it. In Harm's Way does just that." -- Sam Weller for the Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2001 "[In Harm's Way] describes in well-researched and sometimes poetic detail the story of the Indy -- the mission, the torpedoes, the time the men spent floating in the ocean, the sharks, and, eventually, the less-than-honorable version of naval justice meted out to the ship's captain." -- Andre Mouchard for The Orange County Register, 3 June 2001 "Ultimately, In Harm's Way is a page-turner. The story is so compelling you feel guilty enjoying the book, because it's hard to imagine suffering any worse than what the men of the Indianapolis endured." -- Brian Hicks for the Charleston Post and Courier, 27 May 2001 "In Harm's Way, Doug Stanton's carefully researched account of the sinking [of the USS Indianapolis], vividly re-creates this catastrophic chapter in military history. Weaving together accounts from official records and interviews with survivors, he has created a war story that is part 'Titanic,' part Stephen King nightmare." -- Colin Covert for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 27 May 2001 "In Harm's Way is an important book. It provides a memorable and terrifying account of just one of the many instances of unimaginable suffering endured by our nation's servicemen and women during World War II." -- Michael A. Ross for the New Orlean's Times-Picayune, 13 May 2001 "This is a stunning story of ironic symmetry, of tragedy and triumph. . . In Harm's Way deftly depicts valor, grace, sheer luck and the determination." -- Beef Torrey for the Lincoln Journal Star, 6 May 2001 "In Harm's Way is Doug Stanton's moving and unforgettable story of what befell the crew on its last fateful voyage and a painful example of how a string of inconsequential errors can birth a first-rate tragedy." -- Tom Powers for the Flint Journal, 6 May 2001 "Stanton reconstructs the tragedy with journalistic bravura, setting forth a vivid cast of characters and revealing the survivors' mind-boggling will to live." -- Men's Journal, May 2001 "[In Harm's Way] is a serious history, exhaustively researched and rich in detail. Yet, this is no dry document. It is the crew's story, as they might have told it themselves. Stanton's prose unfolds like an adventure novel, creating moving individual tales of horror and heroism." -- Anthony Bruce Gilpin for The Ledger, Lakeland, Florida, 29 April 2001 "Stanton's In Harm's Way is beautifully written. His sharp eye for detail makes the story all the more heartbreaking." -- Tom Bowman for the Baltimore Sun, 22 April 2001 "In writing this fascinating true story, Stanton says he also hopes to right a wrong and restore McVay's reputation. Whether or not he suceeds, he has told a gut-wrenching story of everyday heroes." -- Gisela Williams for the New York Post, 15 April 2001". . . [a] heart-racing, exhaustively researched book . . ." -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, 15 April 2001 ". . . [a] riveting oral history . . ." -- Indianapolis Star, 7 April 2001 "The tragedy of the Indianapolis will stand as one of the most poignant stories to come out of the war. This account is certainly the most compelling." -- Patrick A. Smith for January Magazine, 2 April 2001 ". . . Doug Stanton has written a deeply affecting, hugely powerful book about the men who survived that unimaginably horrible five days." --Dan Hays for the Statesman Journal, 25 March 2001 "Stanton made sense of the crew's agony by uncovering the meaning of the survivors' stories (a vexing task, as each man took something different from the horror he endured). One of the more salient ideas he found was put forth by the ship's doctor, Lewis Haynes, who becomes one of the central figures in In Harm's Way. While "waiting for a death that seemed inevitable," Stanton says, Haynes "felt rise within him something 'purer' about his life, about the will to live courageously." In Harm's Way becomes a narrative celebrating the indomitable human spirit in the face of human suffering and war. So vivid are the accounts that a reader can't help but ask the questions, "What would I do? Would I have what it takes to stay alive?" . . . If In Harm's Way is the next step in the path blazed by Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm, it's also Stanton's way of paying something back. And by uncovering the meaning behind the suffering of the men of the Indianapolis, he also defines a generation." --BOOK Magazine, May/June, 2001
"The fate of the crew of the USS Indianapolis, both aboard
& overboard, was unknown to me until Doug Stanton rendered these
heroes a vital if belated service, reminding me of how powerful is the
call to duty." --RebeccasReads
Web site
"The book's release coincides with a
heightened American consciousness not only of naval disasters but also of
World War II. The story is more poignant in the wake of the Navy's recent
decision not to court-martial the captain of the submarine USS Greeneville,
which surfaced Feb. 9 near Hawaii, colliding with and sinking a Japanese
fishing vessel, killing nine members of the fishing crew." --Detroit
Free Press Web site
"Contrary to conventional
wisdom, storytelling and the oral tradition are not dead. Witness Doug
Stanton's In Harm's Way, an account of the events surrounding the
sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the final days of World War II.
The book is the latest entry in what has become a race against time for
those who would preserve the events of the war through the memories of the
people who fought it." --January Magazine Web site ". . .a powerfully intimate story of men victimized by the sea and
forgotten by their navy . . .Stanton's effort, is ultimately successful
and paints a remarkable picture of unspeakable horror, endurance, heroism,
and the strength of the human spirit. It may be familiar ground that
Stanton has covered, but he's given us a valuable new perspective." --Enter
Stage Right Web site
"The men of the USS Indianapolis
and particularly their captain, Charles McVay, are deserving of our
respect and their story should never be forgotten. Doug Stanton's
book makes it a painful pleasure to remember the sacrifices they made."
--Brothersjudd Web site "Stanton not only offers a well-researched chronicle of what is widely regarded as the worst naval disaster in U.S. history, but also vividly renders the combatants' hellish ordeal during the sinking, and the ensuing days at sea as well as attempts to cope with the traumatic aftermath. Stanton's omniscient narrative shifts among the individual perspectives of several principal characters, a successful technique that contributes to the book's absorbing, novelistic feel." --Publisher's Weekly
"This book captures the bravery and
anguish of those days in the water followed by the heartbreaking attempt
by the Navy to blame the captain for the disaster. This is an incredible
human drama of valor and sacrifice under the worst circumstances." --Olive-Drab
Web site
"This is a fine tribute to the
brave crew of the USS Indianapolis . . . The whole affair was a
tragic example of neglect, incompetence, and stupidity . . ." --US
Veterans Web site
"I will just say that if you
were only to read one book on the subject you could do little wrong in
selecting In Harms Way as that book. Thank you Mr. Stanton."
--USS Indianapolis CA-35 Web site "Doug Stanton has done this country a service by bringing the incredible yet almost-forgotten story of the USS Indianapolis to heart-pounding life. Do yourself a favor. Read In Harm's Way." --James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers "For millions of people everywhere, World War II had moments, hours, days of horror and terror. For Captain Charles McVay and his crew, their five days in the ocean, where they were ripped apart by sharks, were gruesome and terrible almost beyond description. But after painstaking research and a brilliant use of oral history, Doug Stanton has told the tale. He writes carefully and judiciously, with a sense of timing and an eye for the right detail, to make this the most frightening book I've ever read." --Stephen E. Ambrose, author of Nothing Like It in the World "In Harm's Way is a stunning book. The story of the USS Indianapolis is one of the most harrowing tales of World War II -- and Doug Stanton takes you through every terrifying moment in a vivid and utterly memorable account." --Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation "A thoroughly researched, powerfully written account of a nightmare at sea, one of the most poignant tragedies and injustices of World War II. I was struck throughout by the extraordinary heroism of the marines and sailors who survived, all the more remarkable because they do not see it on themselves." --Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down "A haunting story of valor, iniquity, and young men in peril on the sea. Once the Indianapolis steams into the crosshairs of the Japanese submarine I-58, In Harm's Way is impossible to put down. Doug Stanton's account of the Indy's sinking and the harrowing aftermath is as infuriating, mesmerizing, and heartbreaking as any tale yet told of the great war in the Pacific." --Rick Atkinson, author of The Long Gray Line and Crusade The book's major contribution ... is its water-line account of the horrendous ordeal of the men who survived the explosion. -- Hartford CourantRead the feature article by Jim Shea. Perhaps
Stanton's vivid account of the ordeal of the Indianapolis will compel the
Navy to examine the matter again, since the book seems likely to find many
readers and stir strong emotions... Washington Post Online "Accounts of the rescue of those pitiful survivors by the crews
aboard the ships that sped to the scene would melt a heart of stone."
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