December Reviews: In Harm's Way and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Doug Stanton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The heroism of these survivors is astounding. The research, and love, that went into writing this book is equally so. This is such a maddening tale in so many ways... I can't quite believe that the Navy was so inept and bureaucratic in its delayed response, or that people were so hostile to the captain. I didn't know that trolls existed in the pre-Internet days.

Maybe, like any real-life event, it's hard to know what the real truth is. But I'd be willing to bet this is close to the true history. Also, I thought the first chapter, which occurred on dry land, was the most chilling part of the narrative.

Finally, I feel I MUST give this book 5 stars because it needs to overcome two absurdities that might otherwise make someone not want to read this book. First, almost ALL the negative reviews of this book on Amazon are actually about another book, "In Harm's Way" by Ridley Pearson. Second, the 2016 movie version of this book, "Men of Courage," is perhaps the worst Nicolas Cage movie of all time -- and that's saying something, especially since it wasn't remotely the fault of Cage's acting.


Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Never having read a book by a death celebrity, unless you count Edgar Allan Poe, I really didn't know what to expect. In the end (and this is the most existential statement I've ever made in my life), I expected something more.


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