Norfolk Public Library, 139 Main St. Norfolk, MA 02056 Oct.6 7:00pm
AUTHORS SEEK TO CHALLENGE RESIDENTS' KNOWLEDGE OF WWII
Few remember -- or were ever aware -- that Germany brought WWII to our doorsteps here on the East Coast in 1942.
Local author Michael Tougias, known for his six nonfiction survival at sea books, including The Finest Hours, will speak at Norfolk Public Library at 7 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 6 about his latest book, which reveals some intriguing modern history. He is joined by co-author Alison O'Leary, a former local journalist. The event is free, open to the public, and appropriate for all ages. A book signing will follow.
So Close to Home: The True Story of an American Family's Fight for Survival During WWII, is Tougias and O'Leary's co-authored book, which follows the path of a working-class Texas family as they embark on an adventurous trip to South America for work. When war breaks out they head home -- at the same time that German U-boats enter the Gulf of Mexico, seeking ships to sink. The submarines had wreaked havoc on the East Coast, sending 173 ships to the bottom of the ocean in the first months that the U.S. was in the war. For reasons Tougias will describe, America was defenseless against the onslaught and unwilling to help save sailors by dimming lights along the shore.
Featuring an 8-year-old boy and his 11-year-old sister, So Close to Home follows the family into the chaos of their ship sinking at 2 a.m. when the German submarine's torpedo hit its mark. Of 63 passengers and crew, just 29 would survive the ordeal, which included 20 hours adrift for those who made it home.The multimedia presentation will use historic images of the family, the U-boat commanders, and portions of the U-boats' war diaries to tell the story, keeping his audience on the edges of their seats.
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