Pearl Harbor - Hardcover

Arroyo, Ernest

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1586631497 ISBN 13: 9781586631499

Publisher: Metro Books, 2001

Synopsis

Through striking photographs, this large format chronicle--which features nearly 200 dramatic archival images--captures the shock, the horror, the destruction of December 7, 1941, the fateful day Japan launched its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. With an introduction that describes the events that led up to the assault, extensive captions offering detailed explanations of each phase of the battle, and sidebars commemorating those whose courage will never be forgotten, this is truly a thoughtful tribute as well as an outstanding pictorial re-creation of this earth-shattering event.

About this title

Review:

Sometimes the most illuminating way to learn about history is through photos that capture the atmosphere in a way words cannot. The black-and-white photos in Ernest Arroyo's book Pearl Harbor do this brilliantly. One depicts sailors in the midst of salvaging remains of damaged seaplanes when they are interrupted by the explosion of a torpedo obliterating a vessel. Half the sky is lit by fire, the other darkened with thick black smoke. It's impossible not to lament the Pearl Harbor tragedy as Arroyo guides the reader through a timeline beginning with the soldiers' activities the evening preceding the bombing. Some watched movies, others attended hula presentations, and others wrote home--what was for many one last letter. Several pages then describe the bombing and its aftermath for the United States. Arroyo includes statistics, as well as personal accounts of individual trials among military members and civilians. These tales convey the men's everyday humanity (some are described in combat in their pajamas), but also their exceptional courage, including those awarded medals of honor for displaying "complete disregard of [their] own [lives]." No one who reads this book will say they don't "remember Pearl Harbor," which Arroyo states as his objective. --Yvonne Schindler

About the Author:

Ernest Arroyo is president of the Pearl Harbor History Associates.

About this edition

• Publisher: Metro Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1586631497
• ISBN 13: 9781586631499
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160