| Title | : | Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0306820617 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780306820618 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 |
| Publication | : | First published November 1, 2011 |
Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941 Reviews
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“When the sunset gun at Fort Myer, across the Potomac, boomed, the band began ‘Hail to the Chief,’ and the President on the arm of an aide, was escorted slowly out to the south balcony with Mrs. Roosevelt and the Prime Minister. Following them, the White House party, many shivering in the chill evening, watched as FDR pressed a button lighting the big evergreen at the lower slope of the lawn. The crowd applauded, their eyes especially on Churchill…As the Christmas lights glowed, Roosevelt spoke directly to the event. ‘It is in the spirit of peace and good will, and with particular thoughtfulness of those, our sons and brothers, who serve in our armed forces on land and sea, near and far – those who serve and endure for us – that we light our Christmas candles now across this continent from one coast to another on this Christmas evening…’”
- Stanley Weintraub, Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World At War, December 1941
Imagine a Venn diagram. On the left side, there is History. On the right side, there is Christmas. In the middle there is me, purchasing this book.
As a person who loves both the Christmas holiday and reading about World War II, Stanley Weintraub’s Pearl Harbor Christmas proved irresistible to me. I thought – or perhaps hoped – that it would approach an extremely well-trodden subject from an interestingly oblique angle, that of a country gearing up for a massive, multi-theater war while in the midst of a season that, at least according to the Gospel of Luke, represented “peace on earth, good will to men.”
Unfortunately, Weintraub did not take an interestingly oblique angle. He simply recounts the aftermath of Pearl Harbor – focusing on the visit of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill – all while repeatedly reminding the reader that this took place in December. The days after Pearl Harbor in general, and Churchill’s visit in particular, have been thoroughly narrated by other, better books. Thus, Pearl Harbor Christmas ultimately amounts to something resembling the leftovers of a turkey dinner a week after Christmas Day.
It's dry, not entirely appetizing, and reminds you of better meals.
***
Weintraub has made something of a literary career with the atypical meshing of war and yuletide. Aside from this book, he has written volumes about the famous World War I Christmas Truce (Silent Night), Christmas at the end of Revolution (George Washington’s Christmas Farewell), the violent 1944 Christmas in Belgium (Eleven Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge), and a Civil War Christmas (General Sherman’s Christmas: Savannah, 1864). In the interests of full disclosure, I have not read any of those titles, and based on this one, probably never will.
To be sure, I don’t fault Weintraub for focusing on this historical niche, which has clearly been successful for him.
Beyond that, there is a rich vein here to be tapped. There is a tragic tension arising from the holiday of Peace occurring in the midst of War. There is also the very melancholy reality that most people want to be with their families during the holidays, whether that is Christmas or something else. In war, of course, millions of people are kept away from home, often under brutal circumstances. Christmas has often been a temporary refuge for soldiers from many different countries, men in strange and distant places using the celebration to forge a connection across vast spaces. As demonstrated during the “Christmas Truce” of 1914, the day also represents a human commonality that war destroys with merciless indifference.
When I opened this book, I expected these ideas to be explored.
Instead, it’s just the same old, same old.
***
The best thing going for Pearl Harbor Christmas is its brevity. I did not really like it, but it didn’t waste my time. It is exactly two-hundred pages of text, and covers eleven days, from December 22, 1941 to January 1, 1942, with each day taking up a brief chapter.
In the spirit of Christmas, and in the spirit of not being a total jerk, I don’t want to come across as too vicious. This is not the worst thing I’ve ever read. Certainly, it is not offensive or a crime against literature.
With that said, there is no narrative impetus. There is no defined theme. There is, frankly, no point.
The bulk of the text consists of a string of overused, vaguely connected anecdotes. For example, Weintraub relishes repeating the possibly-apocryphal story of Franklin D. Roosevelt accidently catching Winston Churchill naked, whereupon Churchill makes some Churchillian bon mot.
Weintraub jumps from vignette to vignette, without ever making an attempt to tell a cohesive story. One moment we’re in Washington D.C.; the next in the Philippines; and the next in Hong Kong. The only overarching connection between these events is that they were happening on the same day. As in Long Day’s Journey Into War, Weintraub is transfixed with the drama of things happening simultaneously, and seems to enjoy connecting far-reaching and interlocking events. But simply putting moments into a chronology is not enough. There has to be some added analysis or thought, or else you’re left with a mere timeline.
***
Beyond the structure, there is no liveliness or character in the storytelling. The prose is moribund and matter-of-fact. The only time Weintraub gives us even a glimmer of personality is in his incessant MacArthur bashing. Life gives a person many opportunities for critiquing the personality and generalship of Douglas MacArthur, but a short volume on the aftermath of Pearl Harbor probably isn’t the best one.
In short, Pearl Harbor Christmas does not add anything to the conversation it decided to have with the reader. Everything on these pages can be found elsewhere, with more style and better citations.
***
What bothers me most is the potential here to tell something meaningful, to meditate thoughtfully on the juxtaposition of a childlike celebration with impending cataclysm.
There is, on my mother’s Christmas tree, a number of ornaments she received from her own mother, who in turn had purchased them early in her marriage to my grandfather. When I look at them – large, fragile, perhaps a little garish and gilded – I am swept into the past. I imagine those baubles hanging on a pine bough in 1941, reflecting the flames from a fireplace as frost coats the windows, and snow falls outside, lit by the big and colorful outdoor lights strung above their porch. And I imagine the radio in the background, hissing and popping and delivering news of distant horrors, of Japan sweeping over the Philippines and advancing on Singapore, of the Germans deep in Russia’s heart.
They must have looked at those ornaments, all those years ago. What were they thinking? What would that have been like, knowing that in a few weeks or months, my grandfather would be in uniform and off to join the greatest war in all of human history?
In my opinion, Weintraub totally missed the point here. This isn’t Roosevelt’s story, or Churchill’s, or MacArthur’s.
This tale should have belonged to the ordinary Americans, like my grandparents or yours. On December 6, 1941, much of the world was engaged in an existential struggle. In faraway America, though, the stores were open and gleaming, the trees were lit, and carols filled the air. The next day, and the day after, those stores were still open, the trees were still lit, and carols still rang out. But for millions of young men tucking into dinner, unwrapping presents, and basking in family, things were about to change. They were on the verge of joining the largest conflict ever waged on this earth, and for many, this would be the last fond memory. -
Confusing
I selected this book because I was hoping that the text would match the title. In the beginning it was wonderful and joyous, considering the atrocious left overs from the bombing.
It soon moved into the entire world waa--disappointment. -
I have read extensively about FDR, Pearl Harbor, and Churchill and i liked the miscellaneous details that this book included. With that said, I agree with others that have stated that it is not a cohesive book and lacks focus. I would think the same if not for my other reading on the subject. Also, the title is not reflective of the book. Probably worth skipping if you have not read much on the subject.
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An interesting, detailed look at Churchill's post-Pearl Harbor visit to D.C.
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It's probably a bit backward to do it this way, but this is a book whose excellence is due, in part, to the audio narration. Of course, I would never discourage you from the print or Kindle editions of this, but if you can easily get to an audio edition, you should. I think the experience will enhance the book's value.
This is the account of America's first World War II Christmas. Of course, the author couldn't describe Christmas for the entire nation, so he focused on how U.S. And British leaders spent the holiday season. The book gives you a close look at Churchill's visit to Washington and Ottawa over the holidays. Weintraub writes with an excellent memorable style that allows you to feel that gut-tightening experience U.S. And Brit leaders must have had as they grimly watched pins go into the map that represented territory taken by the Japanese as they attempted to capitalize on their Pearl Harbor successes of earlier the same month. There are fascinating anecdotes here involving Churchill and Roosevelt that will long stay with you after the book is ended. Roosevelt, for example, wheels his chair into Churchill's bedroom one morning only to find the prime minister walking up and down in the room naked rehearsing his remarks for an upcoming speech. You also see Churchill at his wittiest. Asked by a young man to list some reasons for his life's success, Churchill promptly replied that he believed in conserving energy wherever possible. "Don't stand up when you can sit down; don't sit up when you can lie down," Churchill reportedly said. That made me laugh out loud. I have all too often embraced Churchill's perspective with disastrous results. I don't want to trivialize the book, but that quote alone made it worthy of my time. And there are so many more solid reasons to recommend this.
You get a glimpse here, too, of how the Germans were impacted that Christmas. Hitler banned Christmas music from German radio, and he forbade the use of Christmas cards, allowing for New Year's cards to serve as a substitute. Weintraub gives you a glimpse of the deplorable conditions of German soldiers on the Russian front and reports that even as early as Christmas 1941, knowledgeable German veterans were already privately asking questions about whether Hitler could win the war.
This is a quick short read that will give you a memorable glimpse into America's first wartime Christmas since World War I. The narration is stellar if you can get the audio, but if you can't, you should go for whatever edition comes easiest for you. -
The main virtue of this book is that it is SHORT. It was given to me as a gift and I enjoy history, particularly of the Twentieth Century, so I figured it would be interesting. Fortunately, I has already read quite a bit about WWII and was familiar with many of its battles, generals, strategies, etc. If I hadn't been, then the barrage of somewhat random vignettes that make up this book would have been largely lost on me. One other curious feature of this book is its lack of context; the writer was less than helpful in tying these vignettes together so that the reader struggles to understand why this book is important. In deference to the WWII buffs who are reading this report, I've given this book a TWO STAR rating, my initial thought was to give it a one star, but in the spirit of Christmas that seemed a bit too Scrooge-like.
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There was very little about Pearl Harbor, I don't understand why this was the title. Lots of rambling, skipping around.
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The premise of the book was to highlight various theatres of war during the same timeframe – between Pearl Harbor, through Christmas and up to New Years. The niche idea of framing these dates while Churchill was in DC with Roosevelt appealed to me, however the actual read was disappointing. Too many dry, irrelevant facts and not the kind of personal anecdotes and insight you would expect made for disappointment.
The author obviously has personal dislikes for Churchill and McArthur. He didn’t miss an opportunity to point out that Churchill was ‘unchurched’ and McArthur was unprepared, and worse – egotistical!!! It had no place in this kind of work and was an annoying distraction.
Now for the positive side. Here’s some interesting facts from the book:
- our founding docs were stored in Fort Knox for protection during the war. They arrived via armed train
- enemy diplomats were shipped out to resorts in neighboring states while we figured out what to do with them; resort owners were not happy and the Germans and Italians did not get along at all
- DC billboards asked people to come forward and register any empty rooms in their house or other accommodations they had which could be offered to the influx of war workers coming to Washington
- Japan was undecided about another strike at Hawaii to finish off what remained of our fleet. The no-go was finalized 12/31!
- And finally my favourite: the iconic ‘Bulldog’ picture of Churchill came about because a photographer took Churchill’s cigar away so it would not appear in the photgraph. Winston clearly wasn’t happy about it, and it resulted in one of the famous picture. You won’t see it the same again.
I TOOK MY OWN ADVICE AND RE-DID THIS REVIEW IN WORD. WHAT A PAIN. -
"This is a strange Christmas Eve," Churchill began. "Almost the whole world is locked in deadly struggle."
...And so describes this non-fiction work, Pearl Harbor Christmas.
Although I expected to learn more specifically about the horrible event at Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941), the author doesn't spend much time telling of it. Instead, Weintraub tells about the holidays of 1941 and the stress that our U.S. Commander in Chief, FDR, was under at the time, and the exchanges he had during Christmas week. The book vividly details the happenings at the White House from the dates of Dec. 22, 1941, to New Year's Day, 1942.
During the holidays, U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill was staying at the White House during the Christmas festivities. I learned much about the interaction between the two leaders of nations. I even had a good laugh with the book on a couple of occasions, because of a discussion or experience concerning either Roosevelt or Churchill. You will learn much of these two great men.
This is a sincere history book, with no frills. Recommended for history enthusiasts. -
I only had to get 30 pages into this book before finding out that no Republican alive to day has any REAL memory of WWII OR Pearl Harbor, as evidenced by the fact that so many of them are POSItive this president is Hitler's equivalent, without ever even knowing that Hitler forbade his people from celebrating Christmas in 1941, forbidding trees to be erected in homes and even stopping Christmas cards from being sent. Under threat of death, as I'm sure he made obvious in spirit even if he never said it in words.
Well, THIS president has already said Merry Christmas to the world on Twitter; I guess that makes THEM wanton liars now, not that that's ever stopped anybody from going right ahead with the next "innocent" lie. Quotation marks for emphasizing how not-innocent I actually think they are, even if they don't have all the information. I'm sure none has read this book and heard of Hitler's Joy of canceling the Christmas of 1941 for all the German people. -
I've always appreciated Weintraub's microhistories -- he lends a narrative thread to very detailed pockets of history, weaving in very human and base elements that breathe life into the weeks that he covers in his historical treatments whether it be in 1783, 1864, 1914, or 1944. This book peeks into a dark chapter in history, but weaves together some charming narrative threads between Churchill and FDR, Goering, Heydrich, McArthur, etc. A consummate Churchill fan, I found the narrative moments of his speeches in Ottawa and DC, as well as his time the White House, to be the most compelling fragments of the book. Weintraub's style works well here, assembling bits and pieces of lesser-known stories to capture a very brief moment in time. Not an incredible or massively impactful work, but definitely worth the few hours I spent with it.
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Weintraub continues his chronological microhistories with the fifth set at Christmas (1783, 1864, 1914, 1944). This isn't rigorous, thesis-based history, but Weintraub has an eye for vivid detail from the sources and this roundup of late December 1941 includes the British stunned by the East Coast's Christmas lights as they flew into Washington D.C., Churchill's obnoxious requirements as a White House guest, Goring wallowing in Dutch loot at Karinhall, holdouts on Wake Island, MacArthur doing last minute stock buys leaving Manila, Hitler and the Winter Clothing Drive, Anthony Eden at Murmansk, A.J. Leibling drinking with Norwegian expat sailors in the North Atlantic, Archy MacLeish packing the Constitution for storage at Ft. Knox and two Czech partisans hiding in preparation to killing Heydrich.
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This book examines the sense of the world at war during the last ten days of December 1941. The vignettes focus on (1) the Anglo-American strategy meetings in Washington between Churchill and Rossevelt, and their military and diplomatic teams, (2) and a number of different combat situations and the people involved in the Philipines, Southeast Asia, and Europe. One does get a good sense of the world-wide impact of the war and the confusion and false starts as the allies tried to figure out what was next with the United States now in the war--they were truly building the bomber as they were flying it. Well-written and an easy read (you could probably finish it in one afternoon) it accomplishes its modest mission very well. Churchill and Macarthur deservedly are criticized for their self-aggrandizing.
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Something in the title led me to expect more of the domestic focus, to get to see this shift in the American mindset from a piece time isolationist footing to a wartime and determined nation. I got to see some of that, but not enough.
This wasn't about culture and texture of domestic details primarily. The most frequent seven, it seems, was in the environs of the White House as Winston Churchill set up shop there and conferred with Franklin Roosevelt. Getting to see just how war-weary Churchel and the people he represented were and just how green Roosevelt and the American people were in the ways of war was, in itself, a reason for reading. But this perspective on the powerful is available in a lot of other books. From this little vignette on this brief period in time, I expected more intimate details from the ordinary folks. -
The author really needed to do some fact-checking in his writing (cases of mentioning one person or number on one page, then using another in the next when it should have remained the same) and adding further explanations (naming people without telling who they were or using nicknames and never providing real names). This book also jumped around geographically a lot and I think much of the content is in other, better written, books. After this work and
Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce I do not plan to read another Weintraub book as both were among my least favorite books ever written. -
This was an interesting book. I really enjoyed learning about what happened after Pearl Harbor and how it affected America (Americans were still lighting up the night with their Christmas lights while MacArthur fled Manila). But at some points it felt like a baseball play-by-play. Weintraub gave all the stats and tried to give context, however, it got boring. It was very difficult for me to finish the book. It could have also have been the narrator. His voice was almost too sonorous. The words began to bleed together.
As another reviewer said, the story lacks narrative. It hopscotches from one theatre of war to another and offers an overload of information. -
This book brings an interesting perspective to the events just after Pearl Harbor in which FDR and the US begin to plan the US participation in WWII. I found the detailed accounts and weaving together of different events which were occurring in different parts of the world quite enlightening. The contrast of the US before Pearl Harbor and after in the context of Christmas and New Year's was also insightful. The book suffers from not having a clear goal nor a clear conclusion, so it reads like a montage of events without purpose. However, I still recommend this book.
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For what the book is, a snapshot of the US situation in December 1941, it's good. But the scope of the book necessitates a lot of jumping around, which could be distracting at times.
I liked the coverage of the situation in the Philippines and a lot of the other interesting points. In the beginning, there is a lot of coverage of Winston Churchill at the White House, which is a great story in itself. I listened to the audiobook, and the Winston Churchill "voice" was fun. -
I think that the Christmas of 1941 is a fascinating holiday season to examine, and I learned a lot about America's unpreparedness to enter the war and the mentality in those first few weeks. The chapters being formatted by day was a bit confusing for me; I think it would have made more sense to organize the stories by person or location, rather than jumping around all over the globe every few hours or each day.
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This is an interesting book, in that you learn more about the meetings and the mindset of the President and Winston Churchill as they meet to discuss the U.S. focus in the war following Pearl Harbor. For that reason, I liked the book. It gave some interesting information about those meetings and how the British felt arriving in the U.S. and the differences between the two countries at war. If you are looking for information on Pearl Harbor this is not the book to check out.
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The title is deceptive. There is very little about Pearl Harbor, and even less about Christmas. I was hoping for something more along the lines of his Silent Night (about the Christmas Truce in WWI,) with personal stories, but this was primarily about politics. It also ended so abruptly that I was taken aback. It seemed to end in the middle of a paragraph.
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On BookTV, Stanley Weintraub discussed his book, "A Pearl Harbor Christmas." He takes the reader back in time to when the dark day came to America (
http://www.c-span.org/video/?304240-1...). He, also, actually lived during WW2, and he always brings so much depth and history to his books. -
I was visiting Pearl Harbor on vacation while listening to this audiobook. It's not really about Pearl Harbor, but rather all the days in December 1941 from the point of view of the FDR White House. So there is quite about about the famous speech (about Infamy) to Congress, as well as Churchill's immediate diplomatic visit to the US, along with meetings of the military leaders of the US & UK.
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Verry interesting book but a dry read, for historical information I rate it a 5, for intertainment a 2, but I learned a lot and wish some one would write about 5 books in an interesting format to give the complete story from within the story.
