Bücher von Don Keith

Acclaimed naval historian Don Keith tells one of the most inspiring sea stories of World War II: the Japanese attack on the American oiler USS Neosho and the crew's struggle for survival as their slowly sinking ship drifted on the treacherous Coral Sea. May 1942: the United States closed in for the war's first major clash with the Japanese Navy. The Neosho, a vitally important but minimally armed oil tanker was ordered away from the impending battle. But as the Battle of the Coral Sea raged two hundred miles away, the Neosho was attacked, setting the ship ablaze and leaving it listing badly. Scores of sailors were killed or wounded, while hundreds bobbed in shark-infested waters. Fires on board threatened to spark a fatal explosion, and each passing hour brought the ship closer to sinking. It was the beginning of a hellish four-day ordeal as the crew struggled to stay alive and keep their ship afloat. Only four of them would survive to be rescued after nine days. Working from eyewitness accounts and declassified documents, Keith offers up vivid portraits of Navy heroes in this tale of a ship as tough and resilient as its crew. The Ship That Wouldn't Die captures the indomitable spirit of the American sailor-and finally brings to the surface one of the great untold sagas of the Pacific War.

Many biographies have been written about the larger-than-life college football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant as well as an autobiography containing the coaches own memories. Other works have focused on an aspect of Bryant''s career, his coaching methods, or his philosophy. The Bear: The Legendary Life of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant stands alone among them all.Based on a screenplay by the late sportswriter and columnist Al Browning, it showcases many of the most memorable moments of Bryant''s life-many of them told by the coach himself-as stories filled with the immediacy and drama that go with a good story told well. The relationship Bryant and Browning shared went beyond that of coach and journalist. They were close friends, giving Browning a unique view of the man that few people had ever seen, especially in Bryant''s final years before his retirement and death a short while later.Some of the stories in this book have been heard before, but without the rich background and detail conveyed here. As such, the book validates many of them while clarifying others and occasionally correcting some inaccuracies."I just have a taken for finding the heart of a football team," Bryant once explained, and it was certainly true. It is equally true that All Browning found the heart of Bryant, and The Bear: The Legendary Life of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant has captured the essence of the man from Fordyce, Arkansas, for whom winning was no just the most important thing. It was the only thing.