192pp, oblong, quarto.

192pp, oblong, quarto.

The format is approximately 10.5 inches by 9 inches. xlvii, [5], 193, [3]

The format is approximately 10.5 inches by 9 inches. xlvii, [5], 193, [3] pages. Illustrations. Chronology. Maps. James Fahey was born in the section of Manhattan known as Hell's Kitchen. During World War II, he served aboard the light cruiser Montpelier in the Solomon Islands. In 1963 "Pacific War Diary 1942-1943"-his book about his experiences in World War II-became a best seller. He donated all of his proceeds from the book to help build a church in the southern Indian village of Mettupatti and continued to work as a garbage truck driver in Waltham, Massachusetts. Fahey was a great admirer of John F. Kennedy and had the opportunity to meet Kennedy during his presidency. Hardesty has written and edited numerous other books about aviation. He takes a look at an American legend in Lindbergh: Flight's Enigmatic Hero. Published in 2002 in conjunction with the seventy-fifth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's groundbreaking solo flight across the Atlantic, the author not only tells the life story of Lindbergh but also delves into the reasons why the pioneering pilot attracted such fame and adulation, from the extreme danger he faced during his epic flight to his looks and personality. Hardesty is author with Gene Eisman of Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race. The book examines the intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union as the two countries launched their space programs in the 1950s. From the day of his enlistment in the U.S. Navy in October 1942, until his discharge in December 1945, Seaman First Class James Fahey kept a secret diary of his experience on the light cruiser U.S.S. Montpelier as she fought her way through the Solomons, the Marianas, the Philippines, and finally up to Japan. Derived from a Kirkus review: James Fahey published his 20-year-old diary, which he kept during the years when he was Seaman First Class aboard the light cruiser Montpelier. It is a rare authentic document indeed. It is the sort of thing historians would give anything to find within their chosen period, and for those who took part in the war against Japan, or who had relatives or friends who did, it will render valuable assistance in remembering or imagining how it actually was to be a common sailor involved in that struggle. As the publishers say, it is a "rough diamond" of a book--unpolished and uncomplicated. Mr. Fahey saw a great deal of action, in the Solomons, the Marianas, the Philippines, around Borneo and Okinawa; and his ship was the first to enter Japan after the surrender. But the bulk of his pages are given over to the routine, the boredom, the infrequent shoretime, and the souttlebutt--as they should be, to give a truthful reflection of any war witnessed through a porthole. He was a good sailor--dutifully and unquestioningly patriotic, undramatically courageous.