If you've been reading Words by Webb for any amount of time, you may have picked up on the fact that I'm a World War II history buff - so much so that I dedicated Thursdays in June to books (fiction and nonfiction) related to World War II. Check them out here. I'm back with another World War II book just in time for December 7 a.k.a a day that will live in infamy.
More About Stranded in the Sky
Stranded in the Sky tells the tale of the first week of December 1941 when four Pan American Airways System (Pan Am) flying clippers—the largest and most lavish transpacific airliners in the world—took off from the North American West Coast, loaded with wealthy and affluent passengers on their way to exotic destinations. On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service executed a surprise coordinated attack against the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. Within hours, Midway Atoll, Wake Island, Guam, and Manila—all of which were refueling stops for these Pan Am flying clippers—were targeted and bombed by the same Japanese forces that had devastated Pearl Harbor. Stranded within the vast boundaries of the Pacific Ocean, these civilian airlines were unexpectedly at risk of being captured or shot down by Japanese military. The assault on Pearl Harbor removed any possibility for US military assistance, and the attack of the refueling stations made it impossible for these airlines to refuel their depleting gas tanks. Alone and unreachable, Pan Am crews and their frightened passengers were left with no choice but to make their own way across the volatile Pacific Ocean, where neither land, air, nor sea could promise safety, and do their best to survive—if they could.
More About Philip Jett
Philip Jett grew up in a town in northwest Tennessee boasting fewer than three hundred residents. His father was a television repairman in the days of transistors and vacuum tubes
and his mother a homemaker. As his high school’s valedictorian, Jett decided that the farm or the factory was not for him so he set out in search of a higher education. Eight years later, he was living in Manhattan, having graduated from college and law school with honors and a master of laws degree.
Eventually, Jett returned to Tennessee and, as a corporate and tax attorney, represented multinational corporations, CEOs, and celebrities from the music, television, and sports industries. After almost twenty years of long hours with little time for family and friends, and with his energy and enthusiasm waning, Jett decided it was time to stop chasing the billable hour and retire from the practice of law.
Without the demands and stresses of a legal practice, Jett discovered a new, more flexible life, filled with coaching his sons’ baseball and football teams, volunteering for children’s causes, and pursuing his new love—writing. With an idea and an outline, he found that writing stories was much more enjoyable than drafting the lengthy and tedious contracts, trusts, briefs, and tax appeals that he often considered dull and dreary.
Jett has written three narrative nonfiction books: The Death of an Heir: Adolph Coors III and the Murder That Rocked an American Brewing Dynasty, Taking Mr. Exxon: The Kidnapping of an Oil Giant’s President and Stranded in the Sky. He is now enjoying working on his first book of fiction titled, An Elephant Never Forgets, which will be a story of international intrigue, romance, and kidnapping.
Thoughts on Stranded in the Sky
Even though I'm a big World War II history buff, Stranded in the Sky told the story of an aspect of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that I didn't know about...luxury airplanes scheduled to land in the very areas that had been attacked. What now? Jett did a good job balancing the story of what was happening behind the scenes of Pan American with the personal stories of the employees and passengers of the luxury airline. The price tags, lifestyles and entitlement associated with some of these passengers will amaze you. There's even a bit of espionage tossed into the mix.
This book isn't just for World War II buffs, if you're an airplane enthusiast or love tales of the rich and famous this could be the book for you. At 416 pages long, it's a time investment. However it's a book you could read gradually - chapter a night - while also enjoying some lighter reading. It will definitely add a new topic to your "Hey, did you know..." knowledge for chatting at your next party.
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