• Pearl Harbor

  • From Infamy to Greatness
  • By: Craig Nelson
  • Narrated by: George Guidall
  • Length: 18 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (298 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Pearl Harbor  By  cover art

Pearl Harbor

By: Craig Nelson
Narrated by: George Guidall
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.42

Buy for $21.42

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Published in time for the 75th anniversary, a gripping and definitive account of the event that changed 20th-century America - Pearl Harbor - based on years of research and new information uncovered by a New York Times best-selling author.

The America we live in today was born not on July 4, 1776, but on December 7, 1941, when almost 400 Japanese planes attacked the US Pacific Fleet, killing 2,400 men and sinking or damaging 16 ships. In Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness, Craig Nelson follows, moment by moment, the sailors, soldiers, pilots, admirals, generals, emperors, and presidents, all starting with a pre-polio assistant secretary of the navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, attending the laying of the keel of the USS Arizona at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, against the backdrop of the imperial, military, and civilian leaders of Japan lurching into ultranationalist fascism, all culminating in an insanely daring scheme to shock the Allies with a technologically revolutionary mission in one of the boldest military stories ever told - one with consequences that continue to echo in our lives today.

Besides the little-understood history of how and why Japan attacked America, we can hear the abandoned record player endlessly repeating "Sunrise Serenade" as the Japanese bombs hit the deck of the California; we feel terror as navy wives, helped by their Japanese maids, upturn couches for cover and hide with their children in caves from a rumored invasion; and we understand the mix of frustration and triumph as a lone American teenager shoots down a Japanese bomber. Backed by a research team's five years of efforts with archives and interviews, producing nearly a million pages of documents, as well as a thorough reexamination of the original evidence produced by federal investigators, this definitive history provides a blow-by-blow account from both the Japanese and American perspectives and is a historical drama on the greatest scale. Nelson delivers all the terror, chaos, violence, tragedy, and heroism of the attack in stunning detail and offers surprising conclusions about the tragedy's unforeseen and resonant consequences.

©2016 Craig Nelson (P)2016 Simon & Schuster
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Pearl Harbor

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    220
  • 4 Stars
    62
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    183
  • 4 Stars
    55
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    7
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    210
  • 4 Stars
    40
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Remember Pearl Harbor is still true today

I was going to express some concerns that the truth of what happened that day and during the duration of the war in the Pacific are forgotten, not taught in school. I'll keep my comments to the book. Incredible details. The failure of our leadership was a sad chapter in the history of our military. The heart of the men at Pearl Harbor was shown to be without equal.

Listening to this book will help you to better understand were our faith and trust should be placed and it most certainly is not in government. It should be placed in knowing that, God forbid, something as bad or worse could happen and it would be the men and women in the military who will be there as they always are.

To the person whose review included he will never listen to another book read by George Guidall, please search his name and look at the over 800 books you have just crossed off your to do list. I often search for a new author by searching his name.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book on old subject

I have a read many books on this subject, and this is one of my favorites.
The author brings new perspective to this much reviewed subject.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very good book.

good narrator. the recording studio needs to remember the levels they set from one session to another. the mistakes from the dates could've came for many reasons. read wrong, typo in the printing b house , editing. the list goes on. throwing the baby out with the bath water is just foolish. I however think this book especially the first 5 minutes of chapter 4needs a warning . the extremely graphic nature of Japanese barbarity needs a warning. I'm not saying it shouldn't be told, it should be. But no warning of that left me in tears for a half hrs. And if you big strong men out there say I'm too sensitive I say maybe your too insensitive. Not all history lovers want to hear that.
I knew about Nanking I just think a heads up would've been nice that's all.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

As Pearl Harbor enthusiast and a historian. This is by far one of the best on the subject.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

I loved listening to this captivating story. So much information being told about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Never Forget!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narration weak for a great book

Well researched and well written. But the narration poorly edited. Many short segments pieced together.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating history with great detail

Nelson recounts the precursors, the attack, and the after effects of this historical event in great detail. The narration is very good, making the story much more interesting. I strongly recommend the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book and great info

Great book about Pearl Harbor. Good
Listen too. The story can jump around at times, sometimes making it hard to follow, but it mostly comes back to the major characters. So many stories to cover. Glad I bought this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great

I really like how the author tries to show both sides. How complacent errors contributed to the attack. And how different cultures see the same event differently. Honest and thoughtful narrative

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, awful narration

Craig Nelson’s Pearl Harbor is a first-rate history of that formative event, weaving together global politics, regional tensions, and battlefield horrors. The text is well-organized and meticulously researched, and makes a riveting story. In Nelson’s convincing analysis, Pearl Harbor was not simply the impetus for America’s entry into World War II, but the seminal event that led to the birth of modern America as a global superpower. George Guidall’s narration, however, is awful, and just about ruins this excellent text. His delivery is broken and staccato, his voice asthmatic and nasal. He mispronounces Hawaiian and other Polynesian place-names. This was the second book I’ve listened to on Audible.com that was butchered by Guidall’s narration. Note to self: do not rent any other Audible books narrated by George Guidall.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful