This book was an eye opener. It makes you wonder why this event that happened so many years ago in the middle of the Pacific has been buried for so long. This is not a cut and dry history, this book is a very readable journey through a culture that is unique. The author lets us know who he is, so it enables the reader to understand the person who is doing the interviews. That was a nice and unexpected touch. I found the book to be thought provoking and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in studying the history of the Pacific.

My father was stationed in the Pacific during the nuclear testing so I grew up hearing so much about the islands. I enjoyed this book because it gave me a sense of what it must be like to live in such a beautiful place, yet at the same time having to deal with so much tragedy. What surprised me the most was how entertaining and how easy to read this book was. It really gave life to the way people must be and must think in the islands.

I found this book to be remarkably unique and refreshing as the author has found an interesting way to allow the islanders to tell their own story through interviews and vignettes about the islands.

So much of what happened during the political development of Micronesia now come to light as a result of this well researched book. Until now, much of what transpired during the political status negotiations required tedious search in US government archives and the Library of Congress. That is if the documents were declassified. This book is insightful.

So mucy of what happened during the political development of Micronesia now come to light as a result of this well researched book. Until now, much of what transpired during the political status negotiations required tedious search in US government archives or the Library of Congress (if unclassified). Insightful!

I speak as one who has lived in the Northern Mariana Islands for more than thirty years, and who had a role in the events (I was one of those who were interviewed) and who knew and worked with many of the central figures involved in them. Willens and Siemer have written a thoroughly researched and historically accurate work, and one which I enjoyed reading immensely -- as will anyone interested in this corner of the Pacific.

This thoroughly researched and documented book chronicles one of the most underreported stories of our nuclear past. Utilizing declassified records and wide assortment of sources, Weisgall offers unique insights into the crude mentality of the post-war period, where our own sailors and soldiers became victims of the burgeoning nuclear hysteria. And just as revealing is the callous attitudes toward the native people of Bikini, whose basic human rights were thrashed in the process. If reading this book doesn't leave you with a profound sense of distrust of the military and convinced of the need for more civilian controls, it will at least cause you to doubt the processes and laws that permit such activities and decisions to be made without even lip service to democratic principles. This book is a must read for every thoughtful American.

Jonathan Weisgall has done an incredible job of not only documenting the politics and in-fighting leading up to the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, but doing so in a very readable and compelling style. With the kind of factual back-up and verbal acuity possessed by only the most effective of attorneys (which Weisgall must be, given his success as counsel for the Bikini islanders), Weisgall takes the reader from the hallways of the Pentagon to the decks of the target ships swinging at anchor at Bikini Atoll. His narrative manages to touch on a wide variety of diverse topics -- cold war politics, in-fighting within the military bureaucracy, slipshod planning for radiation emergencies, and the popularization of atomic weaponry -- in a manner that is both entertaining and competent.

Weisgall is also adept at humanizing the Bikini islanders and conveying their plight to the reader. What emerges from his book is how, in the arrogance of its emergence as the world's first nuclear super-power, the United States managed to steal away this little corner of paradise and lay waste to it in a cynical exercise of military politics. I read Weisgall's book shortly before spending a week diving the shipwrecks of Bikini Atoll, and cannot adequately convey just how well he captures the tragedy of this haunted island.

Imagine witnessing two young boys outside fighting over a toy, each grabbing the opposite ends and finally breaking it as they pulled too hard. This analogy can also be used between the Army Air Force and Navy over the peacetime use of atomic weapons at the conclusion of the second world war. Jonathan Weisgall's book on Operation Crossroads demonstrates the blistering competition for tax dollars between the Army and Navy in 1946 and beyond.

Crossroads not only was a basis for continuing scientific research with nuclear energy, but also served as an excuse by the United States government to play with this new "toy" and how the civilian and military branches fought over controlling it. It also goes into great depth on describing how the government deceived the Marshalleise inhabitants. This book reveals this and shows the folly of the tests, as well as the long term health and ecological ramifications of atomic testing on both the Marshalleise as well as the rest of the world.

Crossroads was a nuclear catastrophe, probably equaled to that of Chernobyl. Weisgall's detailed information about the first two tests (Abel and Baker) cannot be equaled. He also writes about test Charlie, the aborted attempt to blow up an atom bomb about a thousand feet below the surface of the ocean. Even back then, scientists fought the Army and Navy tooth and nail to cancel this test knowing that it would have caused a greater ecological disaster than the first two detonations.

Operation Crossroads was not only the beginning of postwar atomic testing, but it also signaled things to come in the atomic age. Jonathan Weisgall does a careful analysis of the documentation that came out of the first atomic tests at Bikini Atoll. A must-read for anyone who wants to delve deeper into this unfortunate period of history.

I thought this book was great, and my mom did also! I told her to read it after I was done, and after she did she said she was glad she did. She said it's good for discussions about God, His plan for our lives, and how we are supposed to live for Him. I liked Cass the best since she's the most like me, but the other characters are great too. What I liked best was that they're just regular kids who are trying to be Christians. They're not perfect and they certainly wouldn't say they're perfect, but they try. My mom likes the mom in the book and says she has good sense!

I am 15 and an avid reader. I bought the first two Aloha Cove books at a homeschool fair because they looked like they had good plots. I was right they did! I read the books very quickly because I liked them so much! There are very good morals and lessons to be learned from them but they are far from "preachy!" I would reccomend these books for any teenage girl, probably ages 12-16. The characters are well devoloped and aren't dull but they do tend to act a little bit young for their age

Cassandra Devane's mother had been going out with a former highschool friend, Steve Spencer. Cass' dad had died when she was little and Steve's wife had walked out on him and his daughter Tabitha. Cass and Tabitha did exactly hit it off on good terms and when their parents decided to get married it just made their relationship worse. When Cass found out she had to move to Kwajalien, in the Marshall Islands, she flipped out because she didn't want to leave her friends and family. Steve was a news reporter for the radio company there on the island and had moved there a couple of years eariler. After getting to Kwajalein Tabitha immediately left with her friend Kira. Cass mopped around the house mad at God and her mother and Steve for making her move. Finally after a couple of weeks there, Cass accidentally runs into Tabitha's group of friends. Logan, also a newcomer to Kwajalein, immediately became friends with her. When Cass found out that there wasn't a youth group on the island, her favorite thing back home, she was real upset again. Well, her mom talked to the pastor and got one started. Finally after Tabitha and Cass were both tired of fighting and the power went out they finally spilled why they disliked each other so much. I will let you hang there. I thought this was a really good book because my sister and I fight a lot and it gave me a few tips on how to deal with that. This book can be really funny or it can be serious, but thoughout the book it is a real life situation and has tips about dealing with that kind of stuff.

Every morning, Rujen Keju takes the 3-mile ferry ride from his home on Ebeye in the Marshall islands where he lives in squalor, to his job at the sewage plant at Kwajalein, the American-run island which is off-limits to him after the workday. He's accepted this as his way of life, and his older teen-age son, Jebro, is supposed to start working there also after the weekend. By the end of the day, however, he and his two sons come face to face with challenges, which will change their outlook forever. It just happens to be Good Friday, 1981 and the symbolism of that day is one of the many intertwining themes in this novel by first-time author Robert Barclay.

Rujen encounters a series of mishaps that day, including having his work-boots stolen, and the reader is drawn into his story as he goes through the day, trying to conform to what is expected of him and looking forward to his volunteer job as an usher at the Catholic church later. In the meantime, his son Jebro and his younger brother Nuke, set out on a small boat to visit the homeland of their grandfather, a small island which has been declared off-limits to Marshallese people. To add another dimension to the story is the magical tale of mischief-making gods and demons appearing as characters who play tricks on each other.

The story is told through alternative chapters, turning a flashlight on one harsh reality after another as the characters struggle through their day. And yet, there is sense of humor throughout, as we see each character's strengths, weaknesses, complexity and growth. Everyone is breaking some sort of minor law, including three American teenagers who are cutting school and out fishing that day. Their encounter with the two young brothers is both frightening and inspiring as they, too, learn a lot from the day's events.

I was immediately drawn into the writing and couldn't put it down. I loved the characters and I loved the situation. I also gained understanding of the history as well as and myths and legends that define the Marshall Islanders as a people. I usually don't like books that include magical characters, but these were so outrageous that they held my attention completely. The author is great at description and he lets himself go really wild as he describes the demons. Another theme throughout is scatological which addresses the very real issue of sewage management on the islands. And then there are the themes of father and sons, and Good Friday suffering. But best of all is the theme of love and camaraderie and lessons learned.

This book is a small gem that not only taught me a lot, but also made me think. Even the conclusion, which is indeed satisfactory, is something that gave me even more food for thought. I hope to hear more about this author, who now lives on Hawaii. His is fresh clear voice brings reveals some universal themes. Highly recommended.

A beautifully realized novel which goes far beyond a voyeuristic account of the subjugation of the Marshallese by Americans and its use of the islanders as nuclear guinea pigs with its terrific characters, a terrifying plot and mythological monster gods who vie with Grendel in amusement and disgust.

Admittedly, I'm not 100% objective about Melal. I grew up on Kwajalein and attended high school with the author. However, Melal is an incredible work of fiction. It is part adventure, part mythology and part commentary on the human condition. One dimension of the story takes place in 1981 as Rujen Keju and his two sons confront that unique Marshallese heritage that includes the legacy of atomic testing and the relationship with the American community on Kwajalein. The other dimension is timeless, based on the complicated Marshallese mythology of dwarfs, spirits and demons.

Robert's descriptions of life on Kwajalein struck a cord within me - one I thought I had put to rest years ago. His descriptive prose will offer you an unique perspective on Pacific island life where the ocean is more prevelant and often more revelent than land.

My highest praise for a novel is that I "cannot stop reading" and that when I finish I immediately begin re-reading passages. Melal fulfilled both. It forced me to explore my perspective on the Marshallese people and to remember friends, both American and Marshallese.

If you enjoy myths, legends, adventure, fishing, travel or just want to read a book with incredible prose - try Melal!

H. Marshall Gardiner was the premier post card producer of his time. From 1910-1940, Gardiner captured just about everything there was to see on Nantucket. In this book, the reader gets not only photographs of Gardiner's Nantucket post cards but a bit of insight as to how the photographer worked and perhaps a bit of what he was thinking. The attention to quality and detail is never compromised. The author, Gardiner's daughter, has also given the reader some indepth personal accounts about the photographer and how his work was produced. His choice of using the famed Detroit Publishing Company prior to it's going out of business during the depression, was perhaps his best decision as an artist. H. Marshall Gardiner post cards are still highly sought after and his cards remain in collections throughout the world. This is a highly recommended book especially for charting your collection! I use my Gardiner book everyday as a reference guide and tutorial for my own large, growing collection. I have but one complaint with this book and it is the fact that while almost all of his work is detailed, it does not represent the entire collection once available. See me at eBay under the seller name: congercorner. I specialize in vintage, original H. Marshall Gardiner Nantucket post cards. Start or add to your collection today!

if you collect H. marshall Gardiner post cards this is the book to get.

Muriel Marshall, long time Colorado Western Slope resident and authoritative author, has done it again. In her incomparable, easy-to-read style, she has written the definitive book about a famous landmark on the Western Slope that the Ute Indians, wise in such matters, called Heaven. Most present day visitors know it a Grand Mesa, reputed to be the world's largest flattop mountain. The book is a well-researched, in-depth look at this 2,000 square mile geological phenomenon. It's all here, the history, the people, the place and events that have made Grand Mesa such a unique place. You will learn there are more than a thousand named places on some 50 U.S. Geological Survey quad maps required to cover its surface. Names such as Condemn It Park, Hell's Kitchen, Dead Man's Gulch and Holy Terror Creek are vividly described and framed in historical perspective. The story of Enos Hotchkiss and his entry into the Uncompahgre Valley is both interesting and factually accurate. The hardships endured by the Utes and early settlers are a reminder of the sometimes unforgiving climate and terrain on this one-of-a-kind treasure. You will visit 300 lakes, walk among the springtime flowers, enjoy summer hiking and fishing, revel in its myriad winter activities, and marvel at its incomparable, colorful autumn. Its all here, the history that is truly sometimes stranger than fiction; the people who struggled to settle, but never really tamed, this formidable obstacle; the vast array of flora and fauna found within its boundaries; and the events that have made Grand Mesa a "heaven" to those fortunate enough to have traversed its terrain. This is destined to be the definitive history of Grand Mesa. It is a comprehensive, well written book that is the hallmark of Marshall. For you readers who have read her earlier works, you know what I mean. For you that have not, well...you are in for a treat. Marshall is as great an asset on the Western Slope as the people and places she writes about. You will never truly know Grand Mesa until you read this book.

Retired Brig. Gen. S. L. A. Marshall had an illustrious career. He served as an enlisted man in World War I, acted as an official historian in the Pacific and European Theaters of Operations in World War II, took up his pen again as an Army Historian in Korea, and served as an advisor and observer in Vietnam. He may be the only man to be shot at in all four of those conflicts. For more about Marshall see his memoir, "Bringing Up the Rear: A Memoir."

"Island Victory" is the first battle history that SLAM wrote. Marshall was with the 7th Infantry Division as it drove across Kwajalein Atoll. He was supposed to figure out how to produce accurate and comprehensive account of the fight. Marshall also had to figure out a means of cutting through the "fog of war" that shrouds virtually every battle. After the completion of the operation Marshall came upon a simple solution -- bring the front line soldiers together after a fight, the sooner the better, and interview them as a group. By this means he could cut through the fog of war because the collective memory of a platoon is far greater than that of a single soldier. After interviewing the men, Marshall had a clear picture of what happened and why. With the notes that came from the interviews Marshall composed "Island Victory"

Through "Island Victory" we can almost experience the fear, anger, trepidation, and all the other emotions that men in combat experience. Because he uses the men's own words, mostly paraphrasing, the reader can gain a greater understanding of what they went through and why they did what they did. Marshall shows how and why bad mistakes are made in the hopes that people can learn from other men's errors. Conversely, he describes the processes that lead to successes for the same purpose.

Until Marshall realized how powerful and effective the interviewing process was, the Army had no set policy on how to gather the extensive historical information needed to process and make sense of battles. The Army adopted Marshall's program for its historical operations in all theaters of WW II. One cannot downplay the importance of Marshall's work in the reporting of war. Because of him we now have a much greater understanding of war and its effects on the people called upon to fight.

Island Victory: The Battle Of Kwajalein Atoll by Brigadier General S.L.A. Marshall (1900-1977) is a rare primary historical source, written by at-the-time Lieutenant Colonel S. L. A. Marshall at the time of the deadly Pacific fight in World War II. Marshall was a veteran of WW I who would later serve in Korea and Vietnam and become a brigadier general. When the Seventh Infantry Division battled the Japanese across Kwajalein Atoll in February 1944, Marshall was given the official task of creating a written record of the battle. In order to be as accurate as possible, he brought front-line soldiers to a group interview and taped their conversations in order to get as clear an idea as possible. Written accounts of war simply do not get any closer to the actions and feelings of those were there. Island Victory is a highly recommended, "must-read" book for those who study eye-witness WW II accounts, and a core title contribution to World War II studies academic reference collections.

This is a great mini-coffee table book (get the hardcover if you REALLY dig this stuff!) offering hours of information and photos of the famous atomic bomb tests on naval ships at Bikini Atoll. The 190 page book is broken into nine chapters and has excellent notes on sources. Background information covers the first half of the book while the second is focused on recent dives to many of the famous and lesser known ships that were sunk here. The writing is very informative and the photographs are absolutely haunting, particularly the ones of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga! Several color photos are included in the center. The author pushes no agenda in this book. He merely reports the facts available both "good and bad".

My Dad was there (USS Reclaimer) - swimming in the atoll the day after the blasts, cleaning refuged ships, etc. It's amazing he's still alive.

Nice photos; good summaries. This isn't a full-blown account of Operation CrossRoads but a nice summary of the ships. If you are interested in OC, this is a good book to have on your shelf.

James Delgado does a very good job of reviewing the sunken ships of Bikini Atoll and telling the story of the 1946 atomic bomb tests. I read this book after diving at Bikini Atoll and found it to be a good treatment of a topic that has received too little attention. As far as wreck diving goes, Bikini Atoll is the best in the world, and my only disappointment with this book is that it does not fill the need for a coffee-table-style photographic survey of the incredible shipwrecks at Bikini. That being said, Delgado's book is a nice compromise between such a coffee table book and the more comprehensive historical treatment in Jonathan Weisgall's superb book on Bikini Atoll.