In Harm’s Way: JFK, World War II, and the Heroic Rescue of PT 109

In this well-researched, dramatic account of JFK’s life, with a particular emphasis on his naval career, Martin (Gettysburg: The True Account of Two Young Heroes in the Greatest Battle of the Civil War) reprises famous events in short, riveting chapters enhanced by abundant photographs, World War II facts and trivia, Kennedy family scrapbook items, and quotations from contemporary writings. Kennedy’s ambition to “make a difference” drove him from a cushy desk job to volunteering to command the new navy patrol boats at the age of 25. The tension-filled narrative of his assignment to the Solomon Islands in 1943, his rescue of the PT 109 crew, and the later rescue by PT 59 of stranded combatants from Choiseul constitute half the book. Martin argues that these events—along with “Survival,” John Hersey’s widely read 1944 story about them—were formative and crucial to Kennedy’s subsequent political success. Martin’s sympathetic, balanced rendering of Kennedy’s postwar career includes reconciliation with Japan, the two Melanesian islanders who played a determining role in the PT 109 crew’s survival, and the fate of each major figure in the story. Archival photos and illustrations, recommended reading, sources, and an index round out this offering. Ages 8–12. (July)