An Ocean of Courage and Fear - by Jerry Borrowman (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Based on survivor accounts, this gripping novel opens days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and details three years of sea battles that spanned between Hawaii and the shores of Okinawa with the crew of one of the most decorated ships of the Pacific War."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Based on survivor accounts, this gripping novel opens days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and details three years of sea battles that spanned between Hawaii and the shores of Okinawa with the crew of one of the most decorated ships of the Pacific War.

Onboard the heavy cruiser USS Salt Lake City, Lieutenant Commander Justin Collier is out to sea when Japan attacks the United States. Upon his return to Honolulu, the gravity of the war begins to change him, as does every subsequent mission, including a rare beach landing with an Army infantry division. He fears his wounds of war, both physical and mental, will be incurable.

Meanwhile, on the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, volunteer nurse Heidi Collier feels overwhelmed by the number of casualties. She watched the bombing as she huddled with her two children in front of their home, hoping that her husband aboard the USS Salt Lake City was safe.

Lieutenant Riley Bracken feels the sudden g-force of his catapult-launched observation floatplane with each harrowing mission. Alerting the USS Salt Lake City of enemy ships gives him purpose, which is why no one can know about his recent bouts of vertigo. He
can't risk losing what he loves most.

Fifteen-year-old Al Jowdy lied about his age in order to join the Navy. Whatever he believed Navy life would be was shot out of the water--twice--when his ships were torpedoed. Now aboard the Salt Lake City, he hopes his luck hasn't run out.

An Ocean of Courage and Fear reveals the harrowing, true, never-before-told events that surrounded the crew of the USS Salt Lake City as they endured all the major action in the Pacific War.

Review Quotes

"Interweaving fictional characters with real-life sailors, the novel follows Justin Collier (a lieutenant commander on the Salt Lake City), Lieutenant Riley Bracken (Collier's cousin and a talented naval pilot), and sailor Al Jowdy (a 15-year-old who lied about his age to enlist, as they defend the United States in the Pacific following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor). Collier's coolheadedness allows him to order strategic maneuvers that outwit and overpower the Japanese forces, while Bracken's aviation expertise keeps the Salt Lake City abreast of their no-holds-barred opponent. ... For historical fiction buffs with knowledge of World War II's Pacific theater of operations."-- "Library Journal" (3/21/2024 12:00:00 AM)

"Mr. Borrowman has done an excellent job here of drawing the parallel between the life of a Navy man, his family, and his duty to his ship and his country. The depiction of a sailor's life at sea and the fact that life still goes on at home have been detailed with a touch of deep realism." --Col. Herrick M. Drake, USAF Rtd--Col. Herrick M. Drake, USAF Rtd (3/27/2024 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Jerry Borrowman has published six novels and seven nonfiction biographies about World War I, World War II, the Great Depression, and the Vietnam War. He is the recipient of the George Washington National Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Jerry and his wife, Marcella, raised four children and live in the Rocky Mountains.