Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis [Paperback]

Pete Nelson (Author), Hunter Scott (Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 2003

Just after midnight on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The ship sank in 14 minutes. More than 1,000 men were thrown into shark-infested waters. Those who survived the fiery sinking—some injured, many without life jackets—struggled to stay afloat in shark-infested waters as they waited for rescue. But the United States Navy did not even know they were missing. The Navy needed a scapegoat for this disaster. So it court-martialed the captain for “hazarding” his ship. The survivors of the Indianapolis knew that their captain was not to blame. For 50 years they worked to clear his name, even after his untimely death. But the navy would not budge—until an 11-year-old boy named Hunter Scott entered the picture. His history fair project on the Indianapolis soon became a crusade to restore the captain’s good name and the honor of the men who served under him.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's an unlikely beginning to what became a momentous, history-changing history fair project. Eleven-year-old Hunter Scott was watching Jaws one day when he first heard about the World War II sinking of the USS Indianapolis. Intrigued, he investigated further, and discovered a shocking, heartbreaking story behind what should have been a tale of heroism and patriotism. Torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, the Indianapolis went down in minutes, taking more than 800 sailors with it. Several hundred survived, but only after spending days in the open sea with sharks diminishing their numbers hourly. This is only the beginning of the tragedy, however. In an effort to make an example of the ship's captain, and in order to deflect blame from itself, the U.S. Navy unfairly court-martialed the captain, painfully changing the lives of all the men involved.

Basing much of his text on young Hunter Scott's research, author Pete Nelson does a fine job of presenting this story through the eyes of many of the survivors. Old and new photos allow readers to know many of the men of the ship, and personal accounts reveal the horrors of those days in the ocean--and later in the courtroom. A bittersweet ending will leave the reader pensive and deeply moved. (Ages 12 and older) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Left for Dead by Pete Nelson explains how the research of 11-year-old Hunter Scott who was inspired by a passing reference in the movie Jaws uncovered the truth behind a historic WWII naval disaster aboard the USS Indianapolis and led to the reversal of the wrongful court martial of the ship's captain. A full-color photographic inset and a preface by the now 17-year-old Scott round out the volume.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 201 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (November 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385730918
• ISBN-13: 978-0385730914
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.6 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > World War II > Naval
  • #17 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > Other
  • #23 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Military & Wars

More About the Author

Pete Nelson lives with his wife and son in Westchester, New York. He got his MFA from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1979 and has written both fiction and non-fiction for magazines, including Harpers, Playboy, Esquire, MS, Outside, The Iowa Review, National Wildlife, Glamour, Redbook. He was a columnist for Mademoiselle and a staff writer for LIVE Magazine, covering various live events including horse pulls, music festivals, dog shows, accordion camps and arm wrestling championships. Recently he was a contributing editor and feature writer for Wondertime, a Disney parenting magazine. He's published twelve young adult novels, including a six-book series about a girl named Sylvia Smith-Smith which earned him an Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America. His young adult non-fiction WWII history, Left For Dead (Randomhouse, 2002) about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis won the 2003 Christopher award as was named to the American Library Association's 2003 top ten list. His other non-fiction titles include Real Man Tells All (Viking, 1988), Marry Like a Man (NAL, l992), That Others May Live (Crown, 2000) and Kidshape (Rutledge Hill, 2004). His novel The Christmas List was published by Rutledge Hill Press in 2004. He wrote, with former army counterintelligence agent Dave DeBatto, a four book series of military thrillers, including CI: Team Red (2005), CI: Dark Target (2006), CI: Mission Liberty (2006) and CI: Homeland Threat (2007) published by Time-Warner. A More Unbending Battle; The Harlem Hellfighters' Struggle for Democracy in WWI and Equality at Home, was published in 2009 by Basic Civitas books. His novel, I Thought You Were Dead, will be published by Algonquin in 2010. He also has two CDs out on the Signature Sounds label, the first entitled The Restless Boys Club (1996), the second called Days Like Horses (2000).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tragic Injustice Finally Corrected, September 24, 2002

By 

Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis (Hardcover)

Captain Charles Butler McVay, skipper of the USS Indianapolis, was court-martialed after the tragic sinking of his ship on July 30, 1945. Despite the objections from Admiral Nimitz, Admiral Ernest J. King, chief of U.S. Naval Operations, insisted that the court martial proceed. What occurred was one of the most incredible cases of injustice in U.S. Naval history. McVay was convicted for failure to steer in a zigzag pattern. This manuver is supposed to make a ship more difficult to hit in case of a torpedo attack, although this theory was completely disproved during the trial. The Japanese captain of the submarine which sunk the Indy was brought in to testify against McVay. It was his opinion that he still would have sunk the Indy regardless of the zigzagging. Another charge of failing to order abandon ship in a timely fashion was overturned. The survivors of the Indianapolis always felt that their captain was used as a scapegoat by the Navy to cover up their own mistakes, and they have spent years trying to clear their beloved captain's name.

In 1996, a young boy named Hunter Scott was watching the movie Jaws. One of the characters in the film portrayed a survivor from the Indianapolis. After seeing the film, Hunter became more interested in the story of the Indy. He used its story as a theme for a history project he was working on. This 11-year old boy did the unthinkable. He made it his goal to clear McVay's name. He sent out numerous questionnaires to survivors and conducted personal interviews as well. Newspapers picked up on Hunter's crusade and soon the whole country was aware of his efforts. Appearances followed on Late Night with David Letterman as well as trips to Capitol Hill to lobby members of Congress. A meeting with the Senate Armed Services Committee took place on September 14, 1999. Hunter, with the help of Senator Bob Smith, told the tale of the Indianapolis and her survivors to the committee. By the time they were finished, they had swayed Senator John Warner, chairman of the committee. He now felt that McVay should be exonerated. The Senate resolution passed in October of 2000, but on July 11, 2001, Hunter received the news that McVay had been exonerated.

Author Pete Nelson does a fine job of telling the story of the Indianapolis, her sinking, the struggle for survival, and the exoneration. I've read numerous books about the saga of the Indianapolis, but this is the first one I've read that explains the efforts of Hunter Scott. This is a truly moving book. We are lucky to have people such as Hunter Scott, who sacrificed so much for a person he never even met.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The dead don't care. The living do., October 19, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis (Paperback)

In my experience as a children's librarian, when a kid comes up to me looking for information about the navy (and trust me, it happens) I usually end up throwing them headlong into the appropriate section of non-fiction books with the hope that follow-up questions will not be forthcoming. Needless to say, I don't know much about the navy. Fortunately, I've just read a navy-rific book that I may definitely recommend to little navy lovers everywhere (and, interestingly enough, navy haters too). "Left For Dead", has everything a good non-fiction story should. Action, adventure, shark infested waters, and a young optimistic hero who wins in the end. Though certain elements of this book rankled me at the most inappropriate of times, I have enough sense to see that in spite of its flaws, "Left For Dead", is an excellent encapsulation of how sometimes one boy can change history itself.

If you're like the hero of this story, eleven-year-old Hunter Scott, then you probably learned about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis as he did through the movie "Jaws". Remember that scene where Robert Shaw's talking with Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider about how he once served on that ship? Remember how he describes the sharks eating the men after their ship sank and that it took some five days to be rescued? Well after seeing that scene Hunter knew he'd found the perfect history fair project. Trouble was, the history books seemed to have obscured knowledge of the Indianapolis and its unlucky crew. So Hunter set about contacting the survivors and talking to them. As he did, one thing became incredibly clear to him. Many of the survivors were convinced that their captain, one Mr. Charles Butler McVay III, was wrongfully court-martialed for the sinking of the ship. Suddenly Hunter's involved in a quest that will take him to the halls of Washington, the sets of television shows, and into the public eye in general. He becomes the Indianpolis crews' last hope to restore dignity to the man they all respected. The only question is, can one kid really take on the Navy and make them apologize?

Author Pete Nelson is at his best when he's recounting the days of the Indianapolis and the events that led to its sinking. These passages are gripping and tight with tension. He opens with a man's experiences as he escapes the sinking vessel and has to contend with oil-filled seas, a fellow sailor who cannot swim, and most horrific of all, sharks. Then he flashes forward to Hunter interviewing the former crewmembers. Then it's back to the past, with insights into many different survivors' personal stories. Nelson looses some of this wonderful writing excitement when he tells Hunter's contemporary quest, but the book's still interesting. Hopefully the teens reading it won't mind long court sequences and Senatorial rigamarole. Nelson also has an odd tendancy to dissolve into funny descriptive sentences. For example, note the sentence, "...injustice is like the shadow cast by wrong - shine enough light on a shadow and it goes away". Or, more bizarrely, his comparison of moving a bill through Congress to Myst or Dungeons and Dragons. And the author is a fan of getting a little too wrapped up in the story he's trying to tell. Personally (and this is probably just my problem, so don't assume you'll object to this) I found the politics in this book grating. Yes, I'm happy that Senator Joe Scarborough moved Hunter's history project to his Pensacola office (thereby lending it much needed publicity). But I feel a deep moral repugnance towards Joe Scarborough so mentions of him, Newt Gingrich, and other politicians, with whom I have what can only be politely described as an abhorrence, hurt to read. Fortunately, Nelson doesn't linger on them (though the fact that Hunter describes himself in the book's preface as the president of his school's Young Republicans club gave me pause right from the get-go).

Still, Nelson has his fair share of wherewithal and canniness. He gives equal honor and appreciation to the tale told by Mochitsura Hashimoto (the man who sank the Indianapolis in the first place) as he does the Indianapolis's crew. And to me, his respect of Hashimoto is the ultimate display of the absurdity of war. Here we have good men that, in the course of WWII, killed one another. Nelson's strength lies in his equal respect of both sides during the conflict and his acknowledgement that both the Japanese and the American committed atrocities. Finally, the book simultaneously supports the Navy and condemns it for its intractability years after it made a mistake of count-martialing McVay. It's a delicate juggling act that Nelson passes off without too many lost balls.

Most non-fiction retellings of tragic or inspiring events try to simply display the facts of a matter without too much meddling. If you decide to read "Left For Dead", (85% is thrilling reading too), be prepared for a lot of Christian references and a distinct mindset of its own. Also be prepared for a truly heartwarming story about a boy and the men he set out to fight for. The book's a little didactic a little too often, but it tells a tale that desperately needed to be heard. With ample pictures, a wonderful bibliography, an index, and more facts than you can swing a hammer at, this book is factual and written well. You may not agree with everything it says, but you'll have a hard time not respecting its story and the heroes in it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Left For Dead, April 7, 2003

By 

Bubba Brown (Gig Harbor, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis (Hardcover)

This book is a very exciting journey. It kept me wanting to read on. I really felt as if I were a part of the adventure of the combat. It was a great thriller and at the same time a great lesson in history. It is a war time classic. Any one who enjoys an action war thriller or a good non-fiction book would absolutely love to read this. I have a hard time reading but found this kept my interest. I do have to say that the book starts out a bit slow, but towards the middle it speeds up into a fast pace adventure of the Japenese sending a torpedo into the front of a ship. Amercian soldiers were stranded in the middle of nowhere. I would say that my favorite part of this book is how they get themselves into more danger as they try to work their way back home. The days they are stranded are full of death, mysteries, murders and cannibalism. The only negative part of this book I can think of would be that it is very full of graphic images of death, sharks shredding apart bodies and the suffering of those waiting to die.
This book was just over 200 pages with large font. Easy reading and a great book for adults and teens. I would not recommend this book to a younger child for it's graphic contents. I think that because of the war that is going on in Iraq right now that it made this book more interesting and more real to me. It also made me think about how horrible war is.
I think of how aweful it probably is out there for all those people fighting. So do yourself a favor and order this book online today. You won't be sorry.