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So Close to Home - A True Story of an American Family`s Fight for Survival During World War II
Tougias, Michael J.; O`Leary, Alison
€ 16.99
€ 14.91
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Description for So Close to Home - A True Story of an American Family`s Fight for Survival During World War II
Paperback. Num Pages: 256 pages. BIC Classification: HB. Dimension: 210 x 140. Weight in Grams: 666.
On May 19, 1942, a U-boat in the Gulf of Mexico stalked its prey fifty miles from New Orleans. Captained by twenty nine-year-old Iron Cross and King's Cross recipient Erich Wu¨rdemann, the submarine set its sights on the freighter Heredia with sixty-two souls on board.
Most aboard were merchant seamen, but there were also a handful of civilians, including the Downs family: Ray and Ina, and their two children, eight-year-old Sonny and eleven-year-old Lucille. Fast asleep in their berths, the Downs family had no idea that two torpedoes were heading their way. When the ship exploded, chaos ensued—and each family member had to find their own path to survival.
Including original, unpublished material from Commander Wu¨rdemann’s war diary, the story provides balance and perspective by chronicling the daring mission of the U-boat—and its commander’s decision-making—in the Gulf of Mexico.
An inspiring historical narrative, So Close to Home tells the story of the Downs family as they struggle against sharks, hypothermia, drowning, and dehydration in their effort to survive the aftermath of this deadly attack off the American coast.
Most aboard were merchant seamen, but there were also a handful of civilians, including the Downs family: Ray and Ina, and their two children, eight-year-old Sonny and eleven-year-old Lucille. Fast asleep in their berths, the Downs family had no idea that two torpedoes were heading their way. When the ship exploded, chaos ensued—and each family member had to find their own path to survival.
Including original, unpublished material from Commander Wu¨rdemann’s war diary, the story provides balance and perspective by chronicling the daring mission of the U-boat—and its commander’s decision-making—in the Gulf of Mexico.
An inspiring historical narrative, So Close to Home tells the story of the Downs family as they struggle against sharks, hypothermia, drowning, and dehydration in their effort to survive the aftermath of this deadly attack off the American coast.
Product Details
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2017
Publisher
Pegasus Books
Language
English
Number of pages
256
Condition
New
Number of Pages
256
Place of Publication
New York, United States
ISBN
9781681774329
SKU
V9781681774329
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 15 to 20 working days
Ref
99-15
About Tougias, Michael J.; O`Leary, Alison
Michael Tougias is the author and co-author of twenty-three non-fiction books, including several true survival-at-sea adventures, such as Rescue of the Bounty, Fatal Forecast, Overboard!, A Storm Too Soon, and The Finest Hours (soon to be a major motion picture by Disney). His book Ten Hours Until Dawn was selected as one of the American Library Association's "Best Books of the Year." Alison O’Leary is a former reporter for the The Boston Globe, a magazine editor, and a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country.
Reviews for So Close to Home - A True Story of an American Family`s Fight for Survival During World War II
“Through their meticulous research, Tougias and O'Leary take you where few historians dare, into the dark sea where an American family is floundering to stay alive, and onto the steel-planked deck of the German U-boat that put them there. This is priceless history—two hundred pages of 'you-are-there.'”
Adam Makos, New York Times bestselling author of "A Higher Call" “They don't come any better than Michael J. Tougias. His latest, So Close to Home, is a truly gripping, deeply affecting saga of undersea warfare and an extraordinary American family caught in the crosshairs of history.”
Alex Kershaw, New York Times best-selling author of "The Longest Winter" and "The Few" “Gives a solid perspective of the hardships endured by ordinary people.”
Library Journal “A little-known story — told from multiple points of view — about how World War II got a lot closer than most people think.”
New York Post “A harrowing adventure story at sea, a surprising recovery of frightening historical material that had been shrouded in obscurity, and an unexpected, humanizing look at the enemies—the U-boat commanders—who turn out to be quite different from the conventional Nazi monsters of most WWII representation.”
Washington Independent Review of Books “Tougias (The Finest Hours), a writer who specializes in survival stories, and journalist O’Leary impressively render the grim early period of U.S. involvement in WWII.”
Publishers Weekly
Adam Makos, New York Times bestselling author of "A Higher Call" “They don't come any better than Michael J. Tougias. His latest, So Close to Home, is a truly gripping, deeply affecting saga of undersea warfare and an extraordinary American family caught in the crosshairs of history.”
Alex Kershaw, New York Times best-selling author of "The Longest Winter" and "The Few" “Gives a solid perspective of the hardships endured by ordinary people.”
Library Journal “A little-known story — told from multiple points of view — about how World War II got a lot closer than most people think.”
New York Post “A harrowing adventure story at sea, a surprising recovery of frightening historical material that had been shrouded in obscurity, and an unexpected, humanizing look at the enemies—the U-boat commanders—who turn out to be quite different from the conventional Nazi monsters of most WWII representation.”
Washington Independent Review of Books “Tougias (The Finest Hours), a writer who specializes in survival stories, and journalist O’Leary impressively render the grim early period of U.S. involvement in WWII.”
Publishers Weekly