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05098aam a2200553 i 4500 001 15C72C546B5411E69AFE1DDBDAD10320 003 SILO 005 20160826010517 008 151023s2015 mduafc b 001 0beng 010 $a 2015023493 020 $a 1612518958 (hardback) 020 $a 9781612518954 (hardback) 035 $a (OCoLC)908374192 040 $a DLC $b eng $e rda $c DLC $d YDX $d BTCTA $d BDX $d YDXCP $d UNA $d OCLCF $d CDX $d PUL $d ZCU $d OCLCO $d OCL $d OCLCO $d SILO 042 $a pcc 043 $a n-us--- 050 00 $a PS3563.A3155 Z77 2015 082 00 $a B $a B $2 23 084 $a HIS027150 $a HIS027150 $2 bisacsh 100 1 $a Noble, Dennis L., $e author. 245 14 $a The Sailor's Homer : $b the life and times of Richard McKenna, author of The Sand Pebbles / $c Dennis L. Noble. 264 1 $a Annapolis, Maryland : $b Naval Institute Press, $c [2015] 300 $a xx, 229 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : $b illustrations, portraits ; $c 24 cm. 490 1 $a New perspectives on maritime history and nautical archaeology 504 $a Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-215) and index. 505 0 $a The desert -- First assignments -- USS Gold Star -- Asian liberties and stories -- USS Tulsa and USS Asheville -- USS Edsall and USS Luzon -- USS Mount Vernon -- "Swallowing the anchor" -- A new life -- Epilogue -- Appendix: "Hour of panic," a short story by Richard McKenna. 520 $a "There are virtually no biographies of naval enlisted personnel, making Dennis L. Noble's book wholly unique. Richard McKenna was an enlisted sailor for twenty-two years, from the late 1930s to the end of the Korean War. Like most of his shipmates, he was one of many "faceless" enlisted sailors. McKenna, who eventually became a writer, did not hide the fact that, like the proverbial sailor, he enjoyed going ashore to such colorful-sounding establishments in China as "Nagasaki Joe's." Nor did he hide his interest in Japanese and Chinese women. While all of this would seem to indicate McKenna had become the stereotypical enlisted sailor, he did not fit neatly into this niche. Two important qualities made McKenna stand out among the many enlisted sailors. The first was his indomitable will, his desire to rise up against seemingly great odds and continue onward even when events seemed to conspire against him. 520 $9 $a The average person might have given up and moved on without trying to overcome the many adversities placed in their path. The second distinguishing quality was his desire to be educated and to write. McKenna set out to record his experiences in a novel. His love of machinery, his acceptance by the sailors he served with, his experiences ashore with crews at their normal haunts, his interest in other cultures, and his natural intelligence all influenced his writing. For the first time readers could understand the typical life of a sailor. His book, The Sand Pebbles, became a classic in naval literature and a major motion picture starring Steve McQueen in 1966. While McKenna focused largely on the enlisted force, his work applies to anyone in the military, especially those in the sea services. The Sailor's Homer, in addition to giving context to McKenna's writings, includes his short story "Hour of Panic," which is difficult to find in its entirety. 520 $9 $a This biography offers more than just a frame for McKenna's work. It provides a fuller perspective on the life of all enlisted sailors of his era, showcasing the oft-forgotten good alongside the bad. Cdr. Thomas Cutler, USN (Ret.), author of A Sailor's History of the U.S. Navy, best sums up Richard McKenna's life and work: they are "a virtual training ground for those who must encounter other cultures in their travels and a study in human character with a particular relevance to those who wear uniforms.""-- $c Provided by publisher. 520 $a "This is a biography of Richard McKenna, who was an enlisted sailor for twenty-two years, from the late 1930s to the end of the Korean War. After his career in the Navy, he went on to write The Sand Pebbles 600 10 $a McKenna, Richard. 650 0 $a Novelists, American $y 20th century $v Biography. 610 10 $a United States. $b Navy $v Biography. 650 0 $a Sailors in literature. 650 7 $a BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Military. $2 bisacsh 650 7 $a HISTORY / Military / Naval. $2 bisacsh 655 7 $a Biography. $2 fast $0 (OCoLC)fst01423686 600 17 $a McKenna, Richard. $2 fast $0 (OCoLC)fst00124474 610 17 $a United States. $b Navy. $2 fast $0 (OCoLC)fst00533204 648 7 $a 1900 - 1999 $2 fast 650 7 $a Novelists, American. $2 fast $0 (OCoLC)fst01039688 650 7 $a Sailors in literature. $2 fast $0 (OCoLC)fst01103568 830 0 $a New perspectives on maritime history and nautical archaeology. 856 42 $3 Cover image $u http://www.netread.com/jcusers/1427/2992537/image/lgcover.5623860.jpg 941 $a 2 952 $l OVUX522 $d 20231019024609.0 952 $l USUX851 $d 20230503012601.0 956 $a http://locator.silo.lib.ia.us/search.cgi?index_0=id&term_0=15C72C546B5411E69AFE1DDBDAD10320 994 $a 92 $b IWAInitiate Another SILO Locator Search