Brothers Down: Pearl Harbor and the Fate of the Many Brothers Aboard the USS Arizona

This well-organized book is a poignant look at the brothers who were serving aboard the USS Arizona on Dec. 7, 1941. By using the fresh approach of focusing on the family connections among the crew, Borneman (MacArthur’s War) breathes new drama into the oft-explored story of the day that ushered the United States into WWII. He focuses on 14 of the 38 groups of brothers who were part of the Arizona’s crew, describing how they represented the Navy, the country, and the lower-middle-class families whose sons joined the service seeking a path out of the economic hopelessness of the Great Depression. The research behind this work is unique; Borneman draws on the brothers’ letters home and family lore from their relatives. The second part of the book follows the sailors into the attack on the Arizona. Most of the brothers—63 of the 79—perished in the disaster, as Borneman relays in detail. The final section follows the telegrams to the families, how they coped, and the subsequent lives of the survivors, wives, and girlfriends. The moving and unusual angle, excellent research, and the prose’s clarity and emotion make this one a winner. Agent: Alexander Hoyt, Alexander Hoyt Associates. (May)