Day of Infamy examines what is possibly the most remembered day in American history.
Author Walter Lord recounts the days and weeks leading up to the Japanese attack of Pearl .
Harbor though the eyes of the people closest to the action. Through his personal interviews with .
survivors from the United States Armed Forces, and the citizens living on the island Oahu, as .
well as research from the archives or recorded Japanese history concerning this historic date, .
Lord attempts to present Sunday, December 7, 1941 from the humanistic side. His personal .
interviews have lent much insight as to what it was like for both sides in the days and weeks .
leading up to and through the attack. Lord attempts to bring the reader into the drama by .
including the smallest details as they were recalled to him by the officers, enlisted men, citizens .
and bystanders of both Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu. He attempts to convey to the reader .
that, contrary to some public opinion, the attack might not have been a total surprise as there may .
have been some warning signs during the weeks and days leading up to December 7, 1941. .
Whether or not he subscribes to the theory that the invasion was a total surprise, one thing is .
made clear with his writing: if, indeed, there were any warning signs indicating the upcoming .
attack, they were ignored or taken lightly by both the service personnel and the officers stationed .
at Pearl Harbor, and the U.S. fleet was in no way prepared or ready to fend off any type of attack .
no matter how large or small.
The author does an excellent job of depicting the U.S. fleet in the water with no way of .
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protecting themselves from the Japanese, who took full advantage of the opportunity. .
As, The book Day of Infamy is written using personal accounts to tie together recorded .
events in history, thereby providing more of an in-depth look at the actual human events of the .
time. It portrays the life of the enlisted men and officers as they returned from a long stay at sea.