Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kernan's Best WWII Book, October 1, 2007
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.
|
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Crossing the Line, July 17, 2008
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.
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extraordinary memoir, March 11, 2009
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.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, 