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    Hero of the Pacific: The Life of Marine Legend John Basilone
    Hero of the Pacific: The Life of Marine Legend John Basilone
    Hero of the Pacific: The Life of Marine Legend John Basilone
    Audiobook7 hours

    Hero of the Pacific: The Life of Marine Legend John Basilone

    Written by James Brady

    Narrated by Grover Gardner

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Can a single night define a man's life?  From the summer of 1943 to early 1945, John Basilone was one of the most famous and admired people in America. As the first enlisted man to be awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II, for extraordinary bravery under fire at Guadalcanal, he toured the nation with movie stars, shared podiums with mayors and governors, shook the hands of thousands of citizens, and was even rumored to have made a romantic connection with a beautiful young actress. Why would a man who had proven his courage beyond any doubt, who had gone above and beyond the call of duty, and was reaping the rewards of his sacrifice beg his commanding officers to break with tradition and send a Medal of Honor winner back into combat? Legendary columnist James Brady explores this and many other puzzling questions in this thrilling and surprising biography. Hero of the Pacific tells the dramatic and compelling life story of a small-town boy who became one of World War II's greatest and best-known heroes, only to be forgotten after his death during another famous and hellish battle on Iwo Jima. You may never have heard of John Basilone, but once you listen to this powerful tale, you'll never forget him.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOasis Audio
    Release dateJan 12, 2010
    ISBN9781608145379
    Author

    James Brady

    James Brady, a leading figure in the New York journalism world and a virtuoso storyteller who made the Korean War his canvas, died in 2009. He was 80.

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    Reviews for Hero of the Pacific

    3.5/5

    9 ratings3 reviews

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    • 2/5
      with some better editing this book might have been okay.i'm not sure what the deal is: the author died right after the completion of the book so i think that might have something to do with it. i also feel like the book might have been rushed out in order to be ready before HBO starts airing their mini-series. whatever the reason, the book seriously needed work.it was repetitive, jumped from time period to time period, and was short on facts. over and over the author con...morewith some better editing this book might have been okay.i'm not sure what the deal is: the author died right after the completion of the book so i think that might have something to do with it. i also feel like the book might have been rushed out in order to be ready before HBO starts airing their mini-series. whatever the reason, the book seriously needed work.it was repetitive, jumped from time period to time period, and was short on facts. over and over the author concluded that we would just never know what really happened.a very frustrating read about someone who does seem to be an interesting guy and have an interesting story.
    • 2/5
      Overall a little disjointed. The author will get going in narrative and then break off to tell you why the book by his family got something wrong. There are gaps in what the author can find out in parts of Basilone's life because he didn't write things in his diary and if he wrote home his letters have been lost.

      Basilone the man was interesting and his story is worthy of remembrance. I just hope this isn't the definitive version of his life. He married a fellow Marine and they were together for around 6 months before he shipped out a second time. After his death she never re-married. Always saying once you have had the best how could she settle for less?
    • 3/5
      This is an odd book. I read this biography of Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone in order to gain more insight into the Guadalcanal battle in the Pacific. I did gain some insight. What Brady discovered in researching this book is that the story of John Basilone has a great many discrepancies. Seems like some other readers of the book got annoyed with the author for pointing out time and again all the things that aren't right (as well as what seems OK). The middle part of the book was pretty much a bore for me, redeemed by the short but informative section of Iwo Jima. After finishing this we get an idea of who John Basilone was but not really a good picture, and I don't think some of the "truth" will be known. I'm not trying to be mysterious with that statement. Overall the book could have been written a little better.