I regard Al Kernan's book as one of the best, if not the best, memoir of World War II, as good as E.B. Sledge's book WITH THE OLD BREED, which many critics have regarded as the best. I am also a WW II navy veteran and after reading Kernan's book I told my wife that if she wanted to know what it was like to be in the navy, this is what she should read. My wife doesn't read this kind of book but she found the writing so splendid and the story so interesting she thanked me for asking her to read it. One of the most amazing things to me is the detail of Kernan's memory; for example, his description of MogMog island which brought back sudden memories to me since I was often assigned, as a young Ensign, to accompanying enlisted men's parties to the island for recreation. Read it. You won't be disappointed.