Left for Dead

Left for Dead
by Pete Nelson

Delacorte Press, 2002







Genre:  Non-Fiction, Wartime Stories

Honors:  Christopher Award, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading List 

Review:  The USS Indianapolis, a boat used during World War II, was hit by two Japanese submarine torpedoes and sunk within twelve minutes. Although the majority of the men on this ship survived the initial blast and sinking, only 317 out of 1197 were actually alive by the time they were rescued four days later. Captain McVay, a brave, respected, and intelligent man, was court-martialed and blamed for the incident. His loyal surviving crew endeavored to clear his name, but it took an eleven year old boy, and five years worth of diligence and perseverance, to truly correct history. 

Opinion:  To put this book in one word - wow! An absolutely amazing piece that combined inspiration from a young child's actions with justice for beloved war heroes. I was astounded at the lengths that Hunter Scott went to help the war veterans, and I was overjoyed to discover that their quest had been completed by the end of the book. 

Ideas:  Since this book is about a famous US Navy disaster during WWII, it would be a great piece to put on a display for the anniversary of the bombing at Pearl Harbor. Teachers could also utilize this book in a history class for the same time period, or simply as an inspirational piece about how far even a kid could come.