Book Description:
During World War II, on January 29, 1943, the SS Dorchester and a
small convoy sailed the perilous route from Newfoundland to the Army
Command Base in Greenland. Four chaplains were assigned to the Dorchester
with more than 900 men on board. Alexander Goode, a Jewish rabbi; John
Washington, a Catholic priest; George Fox, a Methodist minister; and
Clark Poling, a Baptist minister, all offered comfort, reassurances, and
prayers with a warning from the captain that a German submarine was
hunting their convoy. The Nazi U-boat captain, Karl-Jurg Wachter, had
been stalking the Americans for days. When the weather finally gave him
an opening, Wachter was in a position to strike.
Just past midnight, on February 3, just hours from their destination, the Dorchester
was torpedoed and sank, throwing its passengers into the frigid waters
and creating the worst single loss of an American personnel convoy
during WWII. Many of the survivors credit the four chaplains with saving
their lives. Those chaplains would become known as "The Immortal
Chaplains" for their heroism in making the ultimate sacrifice. With no
thought of themselves, they calmly helped men to safety through the
chaos of their badly damaged ship, searched for spare life jackets for
those without--eventually giving away their own life jackets and
encouraging men in the freezing waters.
The celebrated story of
the Immortal Chaplains is now joined for the first time in print by the
largely untold story of another hero of the sinking of the Dorchester:
Charles Walter David, Jr. was a young Black petty officer aboard a
Coast Guard cutter traveling with the convoy who bravely dived into the
glacial water over and over again, even with hypothermia setting in, to
try to rescue the men the chaplains had first helped and inspired to
never give up. Through his efforts, he joins the Chaplains as one of
"The Immortals".
Thoroughly researched and told in an
engrossing non-fiction narrative, the book alternates between accounts
told from the perspective of the Nazi U-boat captain and his crew (as
found in their journals and later interviews), and the hunted--the men
of the American convoy. Using his expertise as a law professor
specializing in religious freedom and constitutional law, the author,
Steven T. Collis, also paints a thought-provoking portrait of religious
life in America during wartime and how American views of faith affected
the chaplains and the men they served.
Page-turning and inspiring, The Immortals
explores the power of faith and religious conviction and powerfully
narrates the lives of five heroic men who believed in something greater
than themselves, living lives of service and sacrifice for their country
and their fellow man.
Rorie's Review:
Sometimes I agree to review a book without really paying attention to what it is I'm agreeing to. Sometimes I read the blurb but don't remember what it's about by the time I get the book. This was one of those times. I didn't realize I was going to be reading a completely heart-rending historical account of one of the many tragedies that took place in WWII. History fascinates me though, so I am glad that I had the chance to read this book. I had never heard of the sinking of the Dorchester, let alone the heroic efforts of the Immortal Chaplains and Charles Walter David Jr. in saving as many of the victims as they were able.
The first half of the book introduces the reader to each of the chaplains and Charles. I am glad for that introduction, but I don't think that it needed to last as long as it did. I found my attention wandering and it made the book read kind of like a history text. I don't think that the introductions should be taken out, but maybe just not quite as much time spent on them.
The latter half of the book I read in a few hours, not wanting to put it down at all. War is horrific, and I don't think anyone needs to watch a movie or read a book to realize that fact. That being said, reading the details of the sinking and subsequent rescue efforts are really hard to wrap my brain around. So many lives lost. So much death everywhere. I am so very grateful for heroes like the Immortal Chaplains and Charles and all the others who risked and gave their lives to save others.
This book is heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. It is hard to read, but I also think it's necessary to do so. Our history is so important, and we need to learn it and teach it to our children so that sacrifices like these men made are not forgotten.
Purchase: Amazon Deseret Book
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