Valentine's Day gifts for her from Shopbop
To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Buy used:
$10.42
FREE delivery January 31 - February 5. Details
Or fastest delivery January 30 - February 3. Details
Used: Good | Details
Sold by ThriftBooks-Phoenix
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Jeff Huber
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Bathtub Admirals Hardcover – April 1, 2008

by Jeff Huber (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
See all formats and editions

In the wicked satirical tradition of Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut, the adventures of two naval men follow America’s rise to global dominance as its military burns off excess testosterone, connives to justify its bloated budget, and prepares for the ultimate challenge—the War on Evil. Buddies Jack Hogan and Buzz Rucci joined the U.S. Navy to defend their country, but they soon find themselves serving in a time of "play" war. Jack's rise in the Navy is at first rapid as he dazzles the entire Navy with his brilliant strategy in the Great Big Backfire Raid against the Russians, and single-handedly saves the fleet in the Almost Great Big Train Wreck. But his brilliance and competence foster resentment, and his naval career is soon in the doldrums. Buzz is no match for Jack’s intellect, but he plays the game and knows the folly of embarrassing his superiors. Inevitably Jack alienates one too many of the bathtub admirals, his career takes a dive, and his second marriage goes into a skid. Fed up, he takes early retirement at the rank of commander, and in a final irony, watches newly installed Admiral Rucci sail into the sunset in command of his own fleet. An insider's eye for detail and authenticity delivers a scathingly funny indictment of incompetence at the highest ranks of the armed forces.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Kunati Inc.
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    9.5 x 1 x 6.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1601640196
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1601640192
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Retired navy commander Huber's debut novel is a profane and hilarious parody of the post–Cold War navy. Huber's hero is Jack Hogan, a straight arrow trying to keep his sanity in a bureaucratic culture where connections and politics trump competence. Hogan's career appears bright during the waning days of the Cold War, but when the iron curtain crumbles, the sandbox generals and bathtub admirals are reduced to playing war, and Hogan's stock sinks while that of careerists like his friend Buzz Rucci rises. Huber is funniest when satirizing the bureaucratic infighting and petty rules ingrained in naval culture, but he also scores direct hits on feminism, politicians and the military's policy toward homosexuals. Populated by outrageous characters and fueled with pompous outrage, Huber's irreverent broadside will pummel the funny bone of anyone who's served. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Jack Hogan and Buzz Rucci are a couple of buddies in the modern U.S. Navy. They signed up to risk their lives defending their country, but instead they’re risking their sanity playing at war in a series of military maneuvers and preparedness exercises. They are “bathtub admirals,” performing meaningless exercises in the name of global peace . . . or something like that. In the spirit of Phillip Jennings’ recent Nam-A-Rama (2005), or Joseph Heller’s classic Catch-22 (to which Huber makes a brief reference, acknowledging his novel’s pedigree), this is a witty, wacky, wildly outrageous novel that skewers just about anything you’d care to name, from military budgets to political machinations to America’s success as the self-appointed guardian of the world. Considering that Huber, a career navy man, has mostly written for military publications and Web sites (although he has turned out some short satirical pieces), and especially considering that this is his first novel, it is a remarkably accomplished book, striking just the right balance between ridicule and insight. --David Pitt

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kunati Inc.; First Edition (April 1, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1601640196
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1601640192
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.5 x 1 x 6.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Jeff Huber

Jeff Huber

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Commander Jeff Huber, U.S. Navy (Retired) commanded an E-2C Hawkeye squadron and was operations officer of a Navy air wing and an aircraft carrier. Jeff's essays have been required reading at the U.S. Naval War College where he earned a master of arts degree in neo-imperialism in 1995. His satires on military and foreign policy affairs appear at Military.com, Antiwar.com, Aviation Week and Pen and Sword. Jeff's novel Bathtub Admirals, a lampoon of America's rise to global dominance, is on sale now.

Jeff enjoyed tai chi instead of golf and has dogs instead of kids. He's been married and probably won't be again. His house cleaner lasted longer than both of his wives combined, but he recently parted ways with her, so if you're in the house cleaning business in Virginia Beach, VA and are looking for another gig, let him know. He's in the phone book.

Jeff rooted for the Saint Louis Cardinals, but not that hard. He loved to work in his yard and fix things in his house when they break, but he's not very good at either thing and some swearing is usually involved in both.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
20 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and a page-turner. They appreciate the humor, witty dialogue, and refreshing naval satire. The storyline is lucid with the right amount of detail and emphasis on key events. It captures the 1990s Navy well, with realistic accounts of shipboard routines.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityHumorStorylineAccuracy
8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They describe it as a fast, fun, and page-turning read.

"...The clear, dialogue-driven writing style makes Bathtub Admirals a real page-turner...." Read more

"...is to let those out there like me, know that Bathtub Admirals is a great book, has a great storyline and the humor is outstanding...." Read more

"...A great book? Not really. A good one? You bet, and very entertaining...." Read more

"...Numerous other qualities all worked together for a super read." Read more

7 customers mention "Humor"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They find the witty and profane dialogue refreshing, realistically portraying camaraderie among shipmates. The clear, dialogue-driven writing style makes it a page-turner.

"...shipboard routine were spot on, the witty and profane dialogue realistically captures the camaraderie shared between shipmates on a long cruise...." Read more

"...Bathtub Admirals is a great book, has a great storyline and the humor is outstanding. I grew to love Jack and care about his life...." Read more

"...Huber also gets high marks for a funny and ultimately lucid story, filled with real-life navy lingo, situations and procedures...." Read more

"In the mode of Catch 22 this is a rollicking good read. Sharp and satirical. I did not put it down until finished." Read more

4 customers mention "Storyline"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's storyline. They find it funny and lucid, with an emphasis on key events in the protagonist's career. The book brings back many memories and has a unique blend of comedy and tragedy.

"...there like me, know that Bathtub Admirals is a great book, has a great storyline and the humor is outstanding...." Read more

"...Huber also gets high marks for a funny and ultimately lucid story, filled with real-life navy lingo, situations and procedures...." Read more

"...few hundred pages, with exactly the right amount of detail and emphasis on key events during the protagonist's career...." Read more

"The book brought back many memories. Funny thing is that it mirrored my time in the Navy as a helicopter pilot...." Read more

3 customers mention "Accuracy"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book accurate in depicting shipboard life on a carrier. They appreciate the realistic dialogue and the right amount of detail, capturing the 1990s Navy. The book is described as a fast and fun read.

"...to be refreshingly unique in that it was the most accurate depiction of shipboard life on a carrier that I have ever read in a work of fiction...." Read more

"...a twenty year period into a few hundred pages, with exactly the right amount of detail and emphasis on key events during the protagonist's career...." Read more

"...It tells it up front, and really, it captures alot of the 90's Navy. Pretty fast and fun read...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A unique and refreshing naval satire
    Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    I wasn't really sure what to expect when I first started in on this book. As a former carrier aviator during the period in which the book is set, I often find myself disappointed by many of the authors in the military genre who seem to keep cranking out "naval thrillers" that all to often seem to involve poorly developed characters trying to stave off World War III. I found Bathtub Admirals to be refreshingly unique in that it was the most accurate depiction of shipboard life on a carrier that I have ever read in a work of fiction. That said, one should not mistake this for anything close to a dry or antiseptic read. This book is first and foremost a comedic satire. While the accounts of shipboard routine were spot on, the witty and profane dialogue realistically captures the camaraderie shared between shipmates on a long cruise. This left me thinking wistfully back to old friends and good times spent at sea, while at the same time reminding me exactly why I decided to get out!

    The clear, dialogue-driven writing style makes Bathtub Admirals a real page-turner. If I were back at sea, I probably would have powered through this book in a few days on the transit back home from an overseas deployment. As it is, I ended up devouring this book over the course of a few late nights over a long weekend, and found myself disappointed to arrive at the end.

    Cdr Huber has hit a home run with his debut novel and I am already anticipating his next effort.
    15 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kristie A. Neher
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bathtub Admirals.....It's Not Just for Navy Anymore.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    As a middle-aged woman, ( and that's if I live to be over 100), I would never have given thought to reading a book like Bathtub Admirals. I have recently become reconnected with several old friends who live in a Navy base area, and have been eagerly updating my knowledge of naval aviation...starting at...that large thing in the water is an aircraft carrier. In other words.......I know nothing.
    My reason for writing this is to let those out there like me, know that Bathtub Admirals is a great book, has a great storyline and the humor is outstanding. I grew to love Jack and care about his life. One minute I was rolling on the floor laughing..and hoping the neighbors weren't listening!..and the next, my heart was breaking. I found myself rationing my reading, as I didn't want it to end.
    So.....all Navy aside.....this is a great read for anyone. Please, Mr. Huber.......more.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • D. A. McPhail
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Parallel Universe
    Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    It's a goofy, profane and full frontal attack on bureaucracy, in this case the U.S. Navy. Not the real navy, but an imagined, or synthesized vision of navy bureaucracy at its inept and political worst.

    A great book? Not really. A good one? You bet, and very entertaining. The clearly stated tributes to Vonnegut and Heller are obvious references to a duplication of the genre. But author Jeff Huber brings plenty of originality to the table.

    Career navy men and women will see familiar frustrations and sad commentaries of lives spent away from families, aboard ship, and in isolation cells called O-Clubs. Huber also gets high marks for a funny and ultimately lucid story, filled with real-life navy lingo, situations and procedures. The profanity may shock some readers, but not if they ever spent time in the military. He also scores well with his characters and the depiction of the many anomalies that make navy life different from the real world.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • David C. Sullivan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unique Blend of Comedy and Tragedy
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    Jeff Huber's book impressed me in many ways. One, I felt that the dialogue really brought me in close to the the conversations. Second, I thought that Jeff masterfully spanned a twenty year period into a few hundred pages, with exactly the right amount of detail and emphasis on key events during the protagonist's career. Third, I liked the way tragedy and comedy seemed to simultaneously permeate the entire book. I could at once laugh and then cry minutes later (on the inside- I'd never admit that I actually cried!) Numerous other qualities all worked together for a super read.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Paul
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great satire from an old Freind & fellow Naval Aviator who passed on recently
    Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I worked with the Author Jeff for much of my 29 years in a flight suit and/or uniform, and he was a real character, and feisty, brilliant, and cut to the chase all the time. This book skewers alot of the upper level Navy politics, and the protagonist runs around narrowly escaping trouble many times. It tells it up front, and really, it captures alot of the 90's Navy. Pretty fast and fun read. It's a huge and very sad surprise Jeff died at his home last winter. Lotta losses last winter, Jeff was a dear one - but his book lives on, and in a fine form, worth the read!
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report