Guadalcanal Diary

Great first person account of the Marines on Guadalcanal

Until I encountered "Guadalcanal Diary," I had only read books about WWII in Europe. After reading Richard Tregaskis' description of what it was like for himself and for the Marines who lived and fought in the terrible terrain and wretched conditions there, I knew I had to find out more about the theater of operations where WWII began and ended for the US. Years later, it was fascinating to listen to this account of the first months on Guadalcanal in the context of greater knowledge of that aspect of the war. In my opinion, however, a different narrator would have made it even more pleasurable to listen to. Mr. Cross seemed to me to sound both too young and too detached to do justice to the people and events described in this book.

6 people found this helpful

What our kids should be learning about in School

A window on what our predecessors went through to save the World. The selfless sacrifices by Americans shows the true American Spirit. Not the anti-American sentiments our children hear too much of now!

3 people found this helpful

WOW, GREAT TRUTH FOR THOSE POOR BOY'S

If you could sum up Guadalcanal Diary in three words, what would they be?

WOW!!!

What other book might you compare Guadalcanal Diary to and why?

HELMET FOR MY PILLOW

Have you listened to any of Pete Cross’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

NO BUT IT WAS WONDERFUL

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

CRY!!!

Any additional comments?

I LOVE WWII DOCUMENTARIES. IN HISTORY WE HAD 1 CHAPTER WHICH ONLY COVERED THE EUROPEAN CONFLICT! TERRIBLE, I ONLY HOPE ALL GENERATIONS WILL LEARN FROM THIS & ALL WARS.

6 people found this helpful

Great Story, Execution a Bit Off

If you could sum up Guadalcanal Diary in three words, what would they be?

Great first-hand account

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I don't think so. The narrator was hard to get used to. He seems to be bored at times, especially in light of the fact that he was retelling battle scenes.

Any additional comments?

This was the first meaningful offensive ground action in the Pacific theater in WWII. I don''t believe that this was ever intended to be a comprehensive account of the campaign. I first encountered this book in the 60s while researching the campaign for a high school paper. Not everything is told in this book, but it does tell the stories of individual Marines in times of stress and distress. What Tregaskis has done is to tell the tale in a realistic, yet uplifting manner. I doubt that, even if he had wanted to, the Defense Department would have allowed the publication in 1943 of a book that shows how the chaotic "Operation Shoestring" developed from inception and the lessons to be learned from those who became expert in the difficult task of amphibious assault actually was.

2 people found this helpful

Powerful and moving

The entire book was well written and performed exquisitely. The story is important to American history and human history. It clearly defines the horrors of war, yet at the same time explains why in certain circumstances one must go to war. As much as I personally wish this was not true, It is. Tregaskis makes us clearly understand this.

A true GIs war correspondent

A short but sweet book on the experiences of a war correspondent time during the battles and time on Guadacanal.

A compelling story told by its author

Thoroughly enjoyable read, highly recommended for those who enjoy military history of WWII, excellent writer

the best book

if you like military stuff like me then you must lison to it its the best of the best

Excellent performance by narrator.

The narrative performance of Pete Cross made this excellent story even more enjoyable to me. As I listened, I could imagine the voice of 26 year old Richard Tregaskis speaking. This provided an extra air of authenticity to me that painted a picture that I could actually see in my mind's eye.

I don't read and I enjoyed this 🦾

Enjoyed it very much. close your eyes in some parts and he almost takes you there as if you were experiencing it first hand. check it out 👊🏽