Monday, December 21, 2020

Unsinkable - James Sullivan

Perseverance, endurance, bravery, tenacity. All of these describe those who fought in WWII. James Sullivan's latest book is Unsinkable: Five Men and the Indomitable Run of the USS Plunkett.

What first drew me to Unsinkable? The personal stories - the best tales in life are the true ones. And Sullivan has done a fantastic job bringing these five men's stories to life. Their families, homes, hopes, desires, fears, strengths and more are detailed. Sullivan has drawn from many sources such as diaries, reports, interviews and a family member. Rather than just an annotation in a dry history book, Sullivan's writing made them 'real' for me as he takes us from enlistment to war to final days.

While I am familiar with the battles of WWII, I learned so much from Unsinkable. Sullivan's descriptions of the Plunkett's role is comprehensive and again, well detailed. Unsinkable takes the listener inside the battles and puts us on the destroyer.

An excellent book, honoring those who fought for our freedom and the ship that carried them. The title is perfect, referring to both ship and men. 

I chose to listen to Unsinkable. I find listening to a book immerses me in the story. Even more so for this book. The reader was a favorite of mine - Jacques Roy. His voice is clear, easy to understand, well enunciated and pleasant to listen to with a gravelly undertone. Its calm and suits the subject matter. But, his voice does rise and fall with the emotions and actions. The speed of reading is just right, allowing the listener to take it all in. Listen for yourself - here's an audio excerpt of Unsinkable.

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