audiobook The Calvary Road by Roy Hession in History

Description

Published in time for the 75th anniversary; a gripping and definitive account of the event that changed twentieth-century America—Pearl Harbor—based on years of research and new information uncovered by a New York Times bestselling author.The America we live in today was born; not on July 4; 1776; but on December 7; 1941; when an armada of 354 Japanese warplanes supported by aircraft carriers; destroyers; and midget submarines suddenly and savagely attacked the United States; killing 2;403 men—and forced America’s entry into World War II. Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness follows; moment by moment; the sailors; soldiers; pilots; diplomats; admirals; generals; emperor; and president as they engineer; fight; and react to this stunningly dramatic moment in world history. Beginning in 1914; bestselling author Craig Nelson maps the road to war; beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt; then the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (and not yet afflicted with polio); attending the laying of the keel of the USS Arizona at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Writing with vivid intimacy; Nelson traces Japan’s leaders as they lurch into ultranationalist fascism; which culminates in their insanely daring yet militarily brilliant scheme to terrify America with one of the boldest attacks ever waged. Within seconds; the country would never be the same. In addition to learning the little understood history of how and why Japan attacked Hawaii; we hear an abandoned record player endlessly repeating “Sunrise Serenade” as bombs shatter the decks of the California; we feel cold terror as lanky young American sailors must anxiously choose between staying aboard their sinking ships or diving overboard into harbor waters aflame with burning ship fuel; we watch as Navy wives tearfully hide with their children in caves from a rumored invasion; and we understand the frustration and triumph of a lone American teenager as he shoots down a Japanese bomber; even as the attack destroys hundreds of US airplanes and dozens of ships. Backed by a research team’s five years of work; which produced nearly a million pages of documents; as well as Nelson’s thorough re-examination of the original evidence assembled by federal investigators; this page-turning and definitive work provides a thrilling blow-by-blow account from both the Japanese and American perspectives; and is historical drama on the grandest scale. Nelson delivers all the terror; chaos; violence; tragedy; and heroism of the attack in stunning detail; and offers surprising conclusions about the tragedy’s unforeseen and resonant consequences that linger even today.