So Close to Home
A True Story of an American Family’s Fight for Survival during World War II
Failed to add items
Add to cart failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with Audible free trial
New to Audible Prime Member exclusive: 2 credits with free trial
So Close to Home
Buy Now for ₹649.64
-
Narrated by:
-
Elijah Alexander
-
Written by:
-
Michael J. Tougias
-
Alison O’Leary
A true story of men and women pitted against the sea during World War II―and an unforgettable portrait of the determination of the human spirit.
On May 19, 1942, a U-boat in the Gulf of Mexico stalked its prey fifty miles away from New Orleans. Captained by twenty-nine-year-old Iron Cross recipient Erich Würdemann, the submarine set its sights on the freighter Heredia with fifty-nine souls on board. Most of the crew were merchant seamen, but there were also a handful of civilians, including the Downs family, consisting of the parents, Ray Sr. and Ina, along with their two children, eight-year-old Ray Jr., nicknamed “Sonny,” and eleven-year-old Lucille. Fast asleep in their berths, the Downs family had no notice that two torpedoes were heading their way. When the ship exploded, Ina and Lucille became separated from Ray Sr. and Sonny.
An inspiring historical narrative, So Close to Home tells the story of the Downs family as they struggle against sharks, hypothermia, drowning, and dehydration in their effort to survive the aftermath of this deadly attack off the American coast.
©2016 Michael J. Tougias (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Critic Reviews
“Through their meticulous research, Tougias and O’Leary take you where few historians dare, into the dark sea where an American family is floundering to stay alive, and onto the steel-planked deck of the German U-boat that put them there. This is priceless history―two hundred pages of ‘you-are-there.’”
(Adam Makos, New York Times bestselling author)“They don’t come any better than Michael J. Tougias. His latest, So Close to Home, is a truly gripping, deeply affecting saga of undersea warfare and an extraordinary American family caught in the crosshairs of history.”
(Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author)“Tougias, a writer who specializes in survival stories, and journalist O’Leary impressively render the grim early period of US involvement in WWII, when U-boats wreaked havoc in American waters…Readers will enjoy learning about a half-forgotten incident from the early months of WWII.”
(Publishers Weekly)“Gives a solid perspective of the hardships endured by ordinary people.”
(Library Journal)