Sea Stories by William H. McRaven

SEA STORIES: MY LIFE IN SPECIAL OPERATIONS by William H. McRaven is my favorite book of the year so far.  Over the course of a long road trip, I just listed to the 10 plus hours of stories told by McRaven, a retired naval Admiral who qualified as a Navy Seal and subsequently spent over 37 years in the Navy.  He begins his book with stories of his childhood, first in Europe, listening to stories from his father and others in the Greatest Generation, and later in Texas where he attended high school and college. The events of Hell Week and Navy Seal training are amazing, but so are stories that McRaven shares about adventures in the Philippines, sky diving in California and working in the White House. One might suspect that the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound (which McRaven directed) would be the highlight, and it is certainly memorable.  However, what struck me is the patriotic tone throughout the text, especially when the admiral offers important - and often humble - words of wisdom, much as he did in his 2014 commencement speech at UT Austin (video below).

SEA STORIES received a starred review from Booklist which described this memoir as “inspirational and full of life lessons that are applicable far beyond military special operations and a great choice for teens.” I have already been recommending this title to faculty and look forward to book-talking it with students.

For more by McRaven, see his earlier book Make Your Bed which, like SEA STORIES: MY LIFE IN SPECIAL OPERATIONS, has appeared on best seller lists.

The War Outside and Washington Black

Here are some comments about two very well-written, but very sad historical novels. The first, THE WAR OUTSIDE by Monica Hesse, is a young adult novel about life during WWII for two you teenage girls, Haruko and Margot. They are a Japanese American and a German American whose fathers are suspected of being “enemy aliens” and are therefore sent to the Crystal City internment camp, a topic addressed previously on this blog. Many of our students already read and discuss Otsuka’s When the Emperor was Divine for English classes, but Hesse’s story goes in a slightly different direction by probing the experiences of both German and Japanese detainees and their families, by exploring the prejudices and misunderstandings between those two groups, and by layering on the emotional drama of a friendship and attraction gone awry between these two young teens. As the question on the cover asks, “They can’t trust their country, can they trust each other?”

Hesse’s writing evokes numerous emotions, especially the loneliness, tension, boredom, and lack of control for the internees, and this is not a “feel good” book although it is very powerful. THE WAR OUTSIDE received starred reviews from Booklist, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal. Given ongoing headlines about xenophobia and deportation, this is a timely and ultimately haunting read which will be on our shelves soon.   

 

WASHINGTON BLACK by Esi Edugyan is a historical novel written primarily for adults which deals with questions of slavery and race. The main character, George Washington Black (called “Wash”) was a slave in Barbados on a sugar plantation when (around 1830) his owner’s brother, “Titch” selected him as an assistant of sorts. Together, Wash and Titch experience numerous adventures associated with inventions (like hot air balloons) and inter-continental travel (to the Arctic and elsewhere). This book is a dark read, dealing as it does with the face of evil and brutality and cruelty involved with violence perpetuated against Blacks.

Esi Edugyan’s WASHINGTON BLACK was recently named to the short list for the Man Booker Prize (winner to be announced on October 16) and this title received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly.  Read an excerpt and see a reading guide here.

The Fighters by C.J. Chivers

THE FIGHTERS by C.J. Chivers is a highly praised analysis of military history and American

combat in Afghanistan and Iraq which offers the perspective and experiences of six combatants described by the publisher as a fighter pilot, a corpsman, a scout helicopter pilot, a grunt, an infantry officer, and a Special Forces sergeant. Chivers said that his one organizing idea was to convey “that they are human,” especially to readers who may not have served or know anyone in the military. It is certainly eye-opening and at times an almost overwhelming emotional experience to read the personal details about the danger and suffering that these soldiers and their families faced, both during and after deployment.

Chivers was an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps in the Persian Gulf War and is a Pulitzer Prize winning correspondent for The New York Times. THE FIGHTERS was recently featured on PBS NewsHour and here is a short video interview with Chivers:

THE FIGHTERS received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. You can read or here an excerpt here.  Please look for a copy on our shelves soon.