Overview

A true story of men and women pitted against the sea during World War II―and an unforgettable portrait of the determination of the human spirit. On May 19, 1942, a U-boat in the Gulf of Mexico stalked its prey fifty miles away from New Orleans. Captained by twenty-nine-year-old Iron Cross recipient Erich Würdemann, the submarine set its sights on the freighter Heredia with fifty-nine souls on board. Most of the crew were merchant seamen, but there were also a handful of civilians, including the Downs family, consisting of the parents, Ray Sr. and Ina, along with their two children, eight-year-old Ray Jr., nicknamed ""Sonny,"" and eleven-year-old Lucille. Fast asleep in their berths, the Downs family had no notice that two torpedoes were heading their way. When the ship exploded, Ina and Lucille became separated from Ray Sr. and Sonny. An inspiring historical narrative, So Close to Home tells the story of the Downs family as they struggle against sharks, hypothermia, drowning, and dehydration in their effort to survive the aftermath of this deadly attack off the American coast.

Full Product Details

9781504714099

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Reviews

""Gives a solid perspective of the hardships endured by ordinary people."" -- ""Library Journal"" ""They don't come any better than Michael J. Tougias. His latest, So Close to Home, is a truly gripping, deeply affecting saga of undersea warfare and an extraordinary American family caught in the crosshairs of history."" -- ""Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author"" ""Through their meticulous research, Tougias and O'Leary take you where few historians dare, into the dark sea where an American family is floundering to stay alive, and onto the steel-planked deck of the German U-boat that put them there. This is priceless history―two hundred pages of 'you-are-there.'"" -- ""Adam Makos, New York Times bestselling author"" ""Tougias, a writer who specializes in survival stories, and journalist O'Leary impressively render the grim early period of US involvement in WWII, when U-boats wreaked havoc in American waters...Readers will enjoy learning about a half-forgotten incident from the early months of WWII."" -- ""Publishers Weekly""

Author Information

Michael J. Tougias is a New York Times bestselling author and coauthor of thirty books for adults, including There's a Porcupine in My Outhouse (Winner of the Independent Publishers ""Best Nature Book of the Year"") and The Finest Hours (now a Disney movie). Among his other bestsellers are Fatal Forecast, Overboard, Ten Hours until Dawn, and A Storm Too Soon. Tougias has also written four books for children (ages eight to thirteen) as part of his True Rescue series. He has received many writing awards and speaks at venues large and small. Alison O'Leary is an award-winning journalist based in New England. She is a former correspondent for the Boston Globe and the coauthor of So Close to Home and Inns and Adventures. Elijah Alexander performed in the Tony Award-winning play Metamorphoses and worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company for two years and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for two seasons, as well as with various regional theaters. His film and television credits include Mr. and Mrs. Smith, JAG, Summerland, and Guiding Light.

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