Heroism was abundant at Guadalcanal, but these fliers stand out, and Bruning captures the action well.
A highly detailed account of the Guadalcanal air campaign.
The fighting at Guadalcanal has produced a steady stream of books, but this expert history of the unit that fended off Japanese air and naval attacks during the first critical months examines a heroic element that has received less attention. Veteran combat correspondent Bruning, author of Indestructible and Race of Aces, begins in June 1942 following the Battle of Midway, a triumph of American carrier aircraft but a disaster for squadrons on Midway Island, who were devastated during attacks by more experienced Japanese pilots and their superior fighter, the Zero. Over the following months, survivors assembled in Hawaii under several charismatic officers as the Marine high command worked to reconstitute its air strategy. After barely a month of training, the units were shipped to the South Pacific and dropped on Guadalcanal on August 20. Japanese naval attacks had persuaded the not-very-aggressive American admiral to withdraw his transports before they had completed unloading, leaving the Marines critically short of supplies. This was still the case when 12 dive bombers and 19 fighters flew in. The author follows with a day-by-day account of two months during which they wreaked such havoc that only a dribble of supplies reached Japanese soldiers. It was the Japanese, not the Americans, who called Guadalcanal “Starvation Island.” As Bruning notes, “the mission proved one other thing: the fighter pilots might get all the headlines, but the bomber crews made the history.” This a lucidly written and probably definitive account of the Guadalcanal air campaign, but the author seems to belong to the history-is-boring school, so he converts his material into a somewhat-novelistic narrative featuring detailed conversations and thoughts of a score of historical characters. Nonetheless, it’s undoubtedly entertaining.
Heroism was abundant at Guadalcanal, but these fliers stand out, and Bruning captures the action well.Pub Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: 9780316508650
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Hachette
Review Posted Online: Feb. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.
A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.
Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.
Documenting perilous times.
In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668052273
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
IN THE NEWS
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
