Crossing the Line: A Bluejacket's Odyssey in World War II (Yale Library of Military History) (Paperback)

by Alvin B. Kernan (Author)
Key Phrases: ordnance gang, ordnance shack, torpedo planes, Pearl Harbor, San Diego, Ford Island (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"'One of the most arresting naval autobiographies yet published.' Sir John Keegan 'An honest story of collective courage, evocative, well-written, and fixed before the colours fade.' Kirkus Reviews 'Kernan recounts a wonderful and exciting American story about a poor farm boy from Wyoming who enlisted in the Navy... He has written eight other books. I will go back and read them all.' John Lehman, Air & Space 'Details make the moment vivid; that is what it was like, on the Hornet in its last hours.' Samuel Hynes, New York Times Book Review"

Product Description

In this memoir of life aboard aircraft carriers during World War II, Alvin Kernan combines vivid recollections of his experience as a young enlisted sailor with a rich historical account of the Pacific war. Kernan served in many battles and was aboard the Hornet when it was sunk by torpedoes in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
“One of the most arresting naval autobiographies yet published.”—Sir John Keegan
“An honest story of collective courage, evocative, well-written, and fixed before the colors fade.”—Kirkus Reviews
“[Kernan] recounts a wonderful and exciting American story about a poor farm boy from Wyoming who enlisted in the Navy. . . .[He] has written eight other books. I will go back and read them all.”—John Lehman, Air & Space
“Details . . . make the moment vivid; that is what it was like, on the Hornet in its last hours.”—Samuel Hynes, New York Times Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1st Yale University Press Ed edition (June 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300123159
• ISBN-13: 978-0300123159
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #323,073 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kernan's Best WWII Book, October 1, 2007

By	R. W. Russell "midway42.org" (Lodi, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When you think of a Princeton University professor who specializes in Shakespearean literature, you probably won't be visualizing someone who started adulthood by engaging in vicious aerial gunnery duels with Japanese fighters and otherwise living the stressful, profane, hazardous life of an enlisted sailor on three World War II aircraft carriers, one of which was sunk while he was aboard. Such is the case, though, with author Alvin B. Kernan. His wartime autobiography, "Crossing the Line," is one of the most interesting and often gripping sagas of navy life that I've read.

The book came as a surprise to me, on two counts. One, I knew that Kernan had been an aviation ordnanceman on the USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway, and later an aerial gunner. But I had very little notion of the depth of his wartime experiences, not only as an aircrewman but also in escaping the sinking of the USS Hornet in the Guadalcanal battles and in a harrowing deployment aboard the escort carrier USS Suwanee. Suffice to say in this short review that Kernan earned a Navy Cross, a DFC, and five air medals from inside the turret of a TBF Avenger!

And two, I've also read Kernan's series of novels that relate to his wartime experiences: "Love and Glory," "Attack-Repeat-Attack," and "Fear In the Dark." I thought they were interesting but rather flawed (see my reviews on Amazon). For that reason, I was a little dubious about reading "Crossing the Line." Would this be another interesting but flawed piece of work that would cause me to keep my red pen handy while I read it? No. "Crossing the Line" is simply outstanding. Anyone with an interest in WWII naval air action will want to read this book. I highly recommend it. Yes, there are a couple of minor nits that a very knowledgeable historian might want to pick, but they are so insignificant as to be unworthy of mentioning here. "Crossing the Line" will not disappoint you. It is by far the author's best WWII book, and darned good by any measure.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Crossing the Line, July 17, 2008

By	Bruce Muench (Roscoe, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a W.W. II navy veteran, author and collector of W.W. II literature, I regard "Crossing the Line" as one of the best written, first-hand accounts of the author's experiences in the Pacific theater. I would rank it among the top ten percent of literature to come out of the war in terms of accuracy and readability.

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary memoir, March 11, 2009

By	V. Harvey "inquirer" (Palo Alto) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I regard Al Kernan's book as one of the best, if not the best, memoir of World War II, as good as E.B. Sledge's book WITH THE OLD BREED, which many critics have regarded as the best. I am also a WW II navy veteran and after reading Kernan's book I told my wife that if she wanted to know what it was like to be in the navy, this is what she should read. My wife doesn't read this kind of book but she found the writing so splendid and the story so interesting she thanked me for asking her to read it. One of the most amazing things to me is the detail of Kernan's memory; for example, his description of MogMog island which brought back sudden memories to me since I was often assigned, as a young Ensign, to accompanying enlisted men's parties to the island for recreation. Read it. You won't be disappointed.