Pacific Crucible tells the epic tale of the first searing months of the Pacific war, when the U.S. Navy shook off the worst defeat in American military history and seized the strategic initiative. Ian Toll’s dramatic narrative encompasses both the high command and the “sailor’s eye” view from the lower deck. Relying predominantly on eyewitness accounts and primary sources, Pacific Crucible also spotlights recent scholarship that has revised our understanding of the conflict, including the Japanese decision to provoke a war that few in their highest circles thought they could win. The result is a page-turning history that does justice to the breadth and depth of a tremendous subject.

Co-sponsored by the Mechanics' Institute Library