
The First Heroes
The Extraordinary Story of the Doolittle Raid
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Narrated by:
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Raymond Todd
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By:
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Craig Nelson
About this listen
The First Heroes is the story of this extraordinary mission, a moment in history that is surprisingly unfamiliar today. To give these heroes their due, Craig Nelson interviewed 20 of the surviving participants and researched more than 40,000 pages of archival documents.
Here is a true account of great personal courage and a powerful reminder that ordinary people, when faced with extraordinary circumstances, can rise to the challenge of history.
©2002 Craig Nelson (P)2003 Blackstone AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
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What made the experience of listening to The First Heroes the most enjoyable?
This was an outstanding book undertaking both a panoramic view of the Doolittle raid, and well as a good study of the individuals involved.What did you like best about this story?
I really appreciated the fact that the author did not cut out the spiritual aspects of some of the characters. Even including the part of Missionary John Birch's part in the rescue of Jimmy Doolittle.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
This is a great story, and well done. Definitely too long for one sitting.Outstanding - Ranks with Unbroken
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Review
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The book was tedious in places, but I would recommend it for its coverage of facts you won't find anywhere else (at least not in one place).
Good book, questionable narrator
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A Great Story Written Like a History Textbook
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Fascinating and deeply rewarding story of survival
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Poor Narrator
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But, where do they get readers who pronounce "ensign" as "en sign" rather than "N-sn", or "cpl", the abbreviation for corporal as "c.p.l."? Would you believe "boatswain"?
I can't recommend this book to anyone unless they have an abiding interest in hearing the details of this mission, and what happened to each of the eighty crewmen who took part in the raid.
Heroic Attempt
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However, near the end there seems to be a great deal of emphasis on how Christianity altered the flyers and allowed them to embrace and change their enemy. While I can understand that the comfort of God and religion can help some in difficult circumstances, it just seemed to dwell too much on this aspect.
There are also several significant fact errors in the book but none of importance to the overall material. These mostly deal with locations and or procedures
I still recommend First Heroes but be ready for religious preaching in the last quarter of the book.
insight to history that turns religious
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As a historical reference it offers an excellent gateway to understanding, and wanting to learn more about the pacific campaign.
It does an excellent job covering both the tactical aspects of the raid, as well as the strategy shifts that Japan (wrongfully) adopted as a result of the raid.
What I really liked was that the author leads you in a very logical progression to the battle of Midway, where I'm going to continue on from here.
The reader did make some wackey reading errors, but that was offset by a nice smooth, well paced, and comfortable style.
I've heard a lot of books here on Audible, and this is clearly amoung my favorites. For that I am grateful to the author, the reader, and to Audible.
Thanks Guys!
Excellent!
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Amazing
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