To Wake the Giant: A Novel of Pearl Harbor

I have been Jeff’s fan since I read one of his WW2 books when I was younger. They were an eye-catching type for me. This story is amazingly written and easily hooked me. How he built up the story to the fateful day was just too good! Even I almost gave him 5 stars until I hit the ending…I think it could use some more from Hull, maybe the president, and lastly Yamamoto for facing the reckoning.

I am a great fan of Jeff Shaara's historical fiction books and have collected every one of them. I just finished reading this book early this morning and would like to point out just two historical errors which slipped through the editing of this book. The first is the reference to Port Arthur still under the Soviet Union, which is not possible, because Japan gained the Port Arthur lease from Russia in the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the 1904 Russo-Japanese War. The second is the reference to Petain as the leader of "occupied" France. He was the leader of "unoccupied" France, because Germany directly controlled "occupied" France.Having said that, I have to correct a recent review which claimed that there were nine, not eight, battleships in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Hawaii Time. No, there were eight of them: Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, California, Tennessee, Maryland, and West Virginia. The target battleship Utah does not count as an active serving battleship. Another glaring historical error on that reviewer's part was the claim that Kimmel was commander of the U.S. Fleet. No, Jeff Shaara is again completely correct in claiming that Kimmel was the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, because it was the Chief of Naval Operations, Stark, who was technically the commander of the entire U.S. Fleet during peace time. After the Pearl Harbor raid, Stark was succeeded as Chief of Naval Operations by Admiral King. Although Kimmel was indeed given the title of Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Fleet, this was technically inaccurate, since there was a separate Atlantic Fleet, which was commanded by Admiral King ever since February 1941. Is the reviewer implying that the U.S. Atlantic Fleet is not part of the U.S. Navy? Perhaps the reviewer thinks that the U.S. Atlantic Fleet was placed under the command of the British First Lord of Admiralty, just as the U.S. Ninth Army would be placed under the command of the British 21st Army Group in 1944? Hence, Jeff Shaara is correct and the reviewer is completely mistaken. Unlike the two earlier points I presented, a lot of criticism raised by this reviewer dwells on interpretations rather than historical errors. Therefore, I would like to caution any readers of that review to take it with tons of salt.I guess that is all for now. Until I hear from you again, so long!Cordially yours,Mr. Glenn Garfield Ang

At times the novel reads as a lucid summary of information and ideas found in most history texts. I say this, not to be critical, but with admiration of his ability to blend all of that into the behaviors of his characters. Essentially, he tells the Pearl Harbor story through the eyes of a few characters, all of whom are based on actual persons. More than 70% of the novel is through the viewpoints of three individuals: (1) Biggs, an eighteen year old Navy volunteer, hoping to see the world, and who is assigned to sick bay duty on the USS Arizona; (2) Secretary of State Hull - enough personal information is given to blend him into the story; and (3) Admiral Yamamoto, also blended into the storyline. Other story participants are intelligence officer, Rochefort; fleet commander, Kimmel; Yoshigawa (the Japanese Spy), and Ganda (overseeing attack details); as well as the captain of the destroyer, USS Ward (which fires the first shot); and the army radar operators (who first “view” the Japanese air squadrons). A few of Sahaara’s other historical novels, tend to be wooden and use cardboard characters. Here, that is not true. As you read, at least as I read, the novel’s characters and events are smoothly and believably intertwined. I recommend this novel without any reservations, and look forward to his future writing about the Pacific War. (His book on the Battle of Midway is now available.) -J.B.Bannister

"To Wake the Giant" begins approximately one year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In the usual Jeff Shaara formula, he tells the story of the event by following major historical characters who played a role in decision making and examples of "regular people" who were greatly affected by the event. In the case of "Wake the Giant," Shaara provides the perspective of the United States' chief negotiator with Japan, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, the architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, and a new enlistee to the U.S. Navy named Tommy Biggs, who gets assigned to the USS Arizona.Of course, we hear the voices of other characters who are part of the multitude that made or were affected by this pivotal event in World history. Secretary of State Hull, of course, meets with President Roosevelt and Secretary of War Stimson among others that include Japanese Ambassador Nomura. These meetings let the reader know what the American government knew leading up to the war. Dialog between Yamamoto, his staff and other admirals, show us the planning for the attack. And in Hawaii, we see the preparations for war through the viewpoint of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and his staff. Finally, Tommy Biggs and his shipmates show us what life was like for a battleship sailor in the weeks before the war and the horrific battle on December 7, 1941."To Wake the Giant" is a page-turner. I was never bored or distracted. Like all Shaara novels, the book is well researched and very readable. To me, this author writes the epitome of factual historical fiction, which as I've said many times is a great way to learn details of an event. And if you're not careful, you might even become a fan of history. So put this book on your summer reading list.

This book is very well written, informative, and heartfelt. I would suggest this book to anyone looking for a good history novel!

Fabulous insight

Another wonderfully researched novel by Mr.Shaara. A must read for anyone with an interest in the history of World War 2. His harrowing evocation of the carnage of the attack on Pearl Harbour and USS Arizona is superb.

Great book as always by Shaara