This book is an extremely specialized discussion. If you are not someone who wants to know all of the ins and outs of operating a US naval submarine during World War II, then stay far away from this book.
In the book's introduction section, author Deborah Hopkinson says that you should take an online tour of US submarine museum because otherwise many of the technical details and minutia of operating a submarine might seem overly dense and complicated for most readers.
Deborah Hopkinson seems to be a very good author for this type of material. She has written many books about different aspects of World War II and has one awards for them, including the Siebert Honor Award for children's literature. Those talents are on display, both in the content and in the style. In spite of all the technical details that can be overwhelming for most readers, the writing style, diction, and dialogue are all really accessible for a middle school or high school audience in spite of the occasional use of colloquialisms and jargon of the time or setting.
The book is technically the chronological narrative of the USS Seawolf, a submarine that began to patrol the Pacific soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
It is worth mentioning also that, unlike most books about World War II, the book does include many perspectives that you do not often see in war books of the time. It includes the perspectives of Navy nurses serving on ships with mostly men and all of the uncomfortable adjustments that occurred as a result of that (the book even includes an aside about the evolution of women's role on submarines) as well as the tactical perspectives of various groups including the enemies: the Japanese. There is a tendency to forget that positions of the other side before, during, and after the war. This minor inclusion is very commendable.
Despite my interests in World War II, Japan, and history in the Pacific, I am sort of burned out on stories of soldiers persevering against the enemy during World War II. Even in the context of submarine stories, there are plenty of them out there. It might seem unfair but I personally have difficulty getting excited for something that is mostly just another entry in the seemingly endless barrage of World War II soldier stories. It is very well made for what it is, and I can recommend it for people who do not have as much background in this material as I personally do, but I think it is just okay for me personally.
This book is definitely more for history seekers than casual explorers. The index section for this book is massive considering the massive number of references, terminology, historical allusions, and major characters that the story has to reference on the periphery of its main story. It includes a photos permission section, which is a good thing because the photos of military bases, submarines, and destroyed battlefields are probably the most engaging part of the story. That being said, it does not really find a balance between its professional research interests and its desire to tell a compelling story like other books of this type do. The result is a book that is very commendable in its goals and very interesting to explore, but not necessarily all that engaging to read. ( )

This book is way outside my normal reading genre but I wanted to read it because I had an uncle who was in the Navy during WWII and spent most of his time in a submarine in the Pacific. This fantastic book gives short vignettes of sailors who were part of the Pacific fleet during the war. I knew a little about what the sailors went through but this book was very informative and I am in awe of the men who helped defend our county from submarines. When of my favorite stories was about Lucy Wilson who was a nurse in Corregidor as the Japanese army was advancing. She was evacuated with other 26 others and spent three weeks on a submarine taking them to Australia. Her time on the submarine gave a interesting look at the accommodations by a woman.

This would be a great book for people interested in WWII but even more than that, it put faces and names to some of the men (and women)who fought during the war in often dangerous conditions.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )