To Wake the Giant: A Novel of Pearl Harbor Hardcover – May 19, 2020

"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.

I've never read anything by this author, so I'm not sure why the book appealed to me, except that I love historical fiction and I can't seem to ever get enough of WWII books, movies, etc. That said, I was concerned that this would be too focused on military logistics, etc., too light-headed, or both. Thankfully, it was neither.This book may not be quite on the same level as, say, Herman Wouk's "Winds of War," but it's a terrific, engrossing, readable book that I plowed through in a couple of days this weekend, despite the fact that it's over 500 pages. While the overarching plot is obvious -- it ends in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor -- how the various parties get there is interesting. The characters, while not necessarily complex, are believable and well drawn.All in all, gripping, readable, and solid historical fiction. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

I have read several of Mr. Shaara’s novels because they have been engrossing, at times exciting and always informative. To Wake the Giant’s first half is very close to boring. The problem is Mr. Shaara chose to write about a very boring moment in history, and evidently he records this moment accurately. Perhaps he wanted to provide the reader character background so that we might come to know his characters. But his characters are not interesting, not admirable. A First Class Petty Officer is abusive to those under him. An Apprentice Seaman who knows little of his duties, and others who are familiar with the seedy bars and whore houses. None of which are described in any detail. The Japanese Officers on the other hand are much more interesting because they are active in their planning the attack on Pearl Harbor. Once the attack is under way the American victims have something to do. Save their skins. Perhaps a note at the beginning that Biggs and others are real participants might have helped to alleviate this problem of boredom. I found the notes on the characters at the end describing what happened to the them after the attack to be the most important and interesting portion of the novel. The abusive PO who dies in hospital is not mentioned anywhere in the biographical notes which follow; therefore, I conclude that he is a fictional character that Mr. Shaara created hoping to add interest in the first half of the novel. Too, the biggest problem presented to the author is the common knowledge we all have concerning the attack on Pearl Harbor. I give the novel a four star ranking which may be somewhat generous. Shaara’s novel on the battle of Midway should be back up to his usual efforts.

The author, once again draws the reader in from the first page. That he is able to bring to life both real and fictional characters from both sides is a testament to his skill and his masterful understanding of one of the most world changing events in recent history. I was hooked from the first moments- not only because as I read the book, I sit about 5 miles from the USS Arizona memorial. To many, Pearl Harbor is a footnote in history. For me, I see the memorial everyday. The men who fought and died that day are never far from anyone living on the island of Oahu. Mr. Shaara, as he has done so often in his other books, placed the reader in that place and time in such a way as to allow the reader to “see” Hawaii as it was in 1941. The streets, the sounds and experiences of a Hawaii long gone. It placed me on the Arizona as a ship of the line, as opposed to the memorial I see each day. I thank him for doing justice to the men who fought and died as well as giving some insight to what happened to them after the battle. I cannot wait for his next book and will recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read about the battle from both the American and Japanese perspectives.

I have read most of the authors prior works. Each one is thoroughly researched and written in an easily readable style modeled on the format developed by his late great father. Simple as it seems, it is no easy task to figure out which characters to develop a narrative for; some famous, others not so.I have a few more of his books left on my bucket list and although they were all enjoyable and informative this was one if my favorites.