Jared Shilts's Reviews > Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis

Personal response: I enjoyed Left for Dead because of its surreal issues when dealing with survival. I take interest in war history, so I had no trouble finding things to like about this book. Some key aspects are the different perspectives of the crew, detailed images within the book to help visualize what is happening, and a section in the back with all the names of the crew members on the Indianapolis.

Plot:The USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine on August 14, 1945. The surviving crew who escaped the ship had a much bigger issue, they were stranded in the ocean without any means of communication and limited rations. It took the Navy five days to find the dying sailors. The men had to face dehydration, starvation, hungry sharks, and even themselves as some men lost their sanity. Out of the 1,200 on board, only 300 came from the water alive. After the incident, US high command needed to put the blame on someone for such a horrible event. They chose the ship’s captain, Charles McVay III, although there were things that he did not know. He was unaware of enemy ships in his path even though Command knew of it. Facing great shame in the face of his country, McVay took his life in the 1960’s. Many years later, a student named Hunter Scott decided to make a project on the crew of the Indianapolis and its story. He found out about the true reason for McVay’s blame and that he could be exonerated of his mis duty. Hunter was successful in removing the blame from Captain McVay III.

Characterization: The captain of the Indianapolis, Charles McVay III, was put to blame for the loss of his ship. He was told to go on a zigzag route to Okinawa from Guam, but he did not, because he wanted to make up for lost time. The Pacific High Command did not want to reveal their top secret mission to deliver the atomic bombs to Okinawa to be used later on. They also knew of a Japanese submarine that sunk a liner two days prior to the ship’s departure from Guam. To keep it from enemy ears, command made sure to keep the Indianapolis, as well as its captain, on a need to know basis. If McVay had known all the required information and not a small bit, events may have been very different.

Setting: The crew of the Indy were put into the water 100 miles from the nearest land. It was late August and near the equator, so the sun must have been unbearable. The water didn’t help either. Men, unlucky enough to be left in the ocean, were susceptible to hypothermia through the pressure of the sea water. Some of the men grew so thirsty that they drank the seawater which only killed them faster. Sharks were in abundance and many men were taken by the sea. It took nearly a week for US ships to arrive and save the adrift sailors.

Thematic Connection: A theme for this book could be survival. Out of the many people on board, the survivors stuck together until it seemed no longer possible to live. The survivors defied the ocean and managed to hold on to their hopes and prayers.

Recommendation: I think this is a great book to read for people interested in the second world war. Young men who take interest in war history would definitely enjoy reading about the crew of the Indianapolis.