Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942

By: Ian W. Toll

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 22 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, History, 2013

The planning, the strategy, the sacrifices and heroics - on both sides - illuminating the greatest naval war in history. On the first Sunday in December 1941, an armada of Japanese warplanes appeared suddenly over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and devastated the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Six months later, in a sea fight north of the tiny atoll of Midway, four Japanese aircraft carriers were sent into the abyss.

Pacific Crucible tells the epic tale of these first searing months of the Pacific war, when the U.S. Navy shook off the worst defeat in American military history and seized the strategic initiative. Ian W. Toll's dramatic narrative encompasses both the high command and the "sailor's-eye" view from the lower deck. Relying predominantly on eyewitness accounts and primary sources, Pacific Crucible also spotlights recent scholarship that has revised our understanding of the conflict, including the Japanese decision to provoke a war that few in the country's highest circles thought they could win. The result is a pause-resistant history that does justice to the breadth and depth of a tremendous subject.

©2011 Ian W. Toll (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“An entertaining, impressively researched chronicle of the tense period between the bombing of Pearl Harbor and American victory at the battle of Midway....Toll gives everyone involved in the conflict a chance to speak, bringing readers into the command centers and cockpits to reveal the humanity of combatants on both sides of the Pacific.” ( Kirkus)

“Revealing and poignant, Toll’s latest deftly navigates the rough waters of the Pacific struggle with flying colors.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“Narrator Grover Gardner gives an applaudable narration of this detailed history of the Pacific Theater in WWII…Gardner presents the many historical details in this work with an easygoing pace and precise enunciation that quickly draw in the listener and never let go. Rather than affecting an accent for quotations, he adjusts his inflection slightly, which works well. Novices and history buffs will find this performance a treat and want to hear the continuation of the story.” ( AudioFile)

Exceptional history - great reading

I love historical works, and I love to listen to Grover Gardner do the reading. Pacific Crucible is difficult to put on hold. It is worth every minute.

Well written, well read.

Another must read for any WWII enthusiast! Midway required a huge pair of balls by all involved...

Masterful

Masterful narration of masterful content. Excellent in all respects! Highly recommended for WWII history buffs!

Perfect

This is an engaging account of the start of the Pacific war with a deep background on pervading theories of naval warfare at the time and details on the events leading up to the war. I've read a good bit about WWII before but there were many fascinating details I have not encountered before. And Grover Gardner was terrific.

Stellar

The story, words and depiction of events was fabulously narrated in this high excitement first chapter in the Pacific theatre.

Extraordinary detail

Thoroughly fascinating. The detail is incredible. Well researched and presented, from both sides of each battle. The insights into the strategic and tactical decisions for each campaign from the US and Japanese perspective adds a perspective to the history of WWII in the Pacific that is unsurpassed. The background and events leading up to Japan's decision to bomb Pearl Harbor provides important insights into how Japan came to the conclusion that this course of action was in the best interest of their country. The details described of the attack are pretty amazing. Look forward to listening the the whole trilogy. Most highly recommended, a must read.

GREAT BOOK!

I was thoroughly engrossed by the telling of this story even though I have read many books about the War in the Pacific and know quite a bit about the material within these pages.

Exhaustively comprehensive excellence

Just fantastic. This book goes into great detail not just about the events themselves, but their causes, the movements and theories behind them, and especially the nature of the men who made the big decisions. I very much enjoyed that about it.

Outstanding

A great book on the first two years of World War II IN THE PACIFIC. Both Japanese and American perspectives covered admirably

And to think I almost gave up on this gook

I don't give 5 star reviews very often. This text is excellent. And Grover Gardner knocks it out of the park, as usual. It even has me watching my WWII Naval movies over again, Tora, Tora, Tora, Midway, In harms way, etc.