Why am I passionate about this?

I am a retired Navy Captain and Naval Aviator, who spent 26 years in the Navy, am an aviation historian and the author of 11 novels, five of which have become Amazon #1 Best Sellers. All my books have naval themes and are operationally and historically accurate.


I wrote

Forgotten

By Marc Liebman,

Book cover of Forgotten

What is my book about?

Six American servicemen are left behind when the Vietnam War ends. They are held by a drug dealer masquerading as…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway

Marc Liebman Why did I love this book?

Shattered Sword changed the way historians think about the Battle of Midway. While the results will never change, Parshall and Tully provide insight and perspectives that have never before been explored. And in doing so, they help clear up many of the inconsistencies in both Japanese and American books on the battle. 

This is the first history of the Battle of Midway in which the authors looked at the ships operating logs and compared them to events. What you learn is that the U.S. Navy’s and the Imperial Japanese Navy’s operating doctrines were very different. The Japanese did not improve their damage control practices after the Battle of the Coral Sea, and their indecision at Midway was caused by one part culture, one part lack of intelligence, one part arrogance and one part carrier launch and recovery doctrine and failure to follow proper ordnance handling procedures. The result was a disaster.

By Anthony Tully, Jonathan Parshall,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Shattered Sword as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Many consider the Battle of Midway to have turned the tide of the Pacific War. It is without question one of the most famous battles in history. Now, for the first time since Gordon W. Prange's bestselling Miracle at Midway, Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully offer a new interpretation of this great naval engagement.

Unlike previous accounts, Shattered Sword makes extensive use of Japanese primary sources. It also corrects the many errors of Mitsuo Fuchida's Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, an uncritical reliance upon which has tainted every previous Western account. It thus forces a major, potentially controversial reevaluation…


Book cover of The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour

Marc Liebman Why did I love this book?

With the main body of the Imperial Japanese Navy bearing down on them, four ships—three destroyers Heermann, Hoel, Johnstonand one destroyer escortSamuel B. Roberts—peel off. The bold, aggressive actions of their captains caused Japanese Admiral Kurita to order his battleships, heavy and light cruisers to abandon their attack on the U.S. invasion fleet off the Philippine island of Leyte. In the annals of modern naval warfare, this is the classic David versus Goliath action. 

Other than those who study U.S. Naval history and the war in the Pacific know about this battle in detail. The focus has always been on Halsey’s chase of the Northern Force consisting of Japanese carriers which was a decoy and Halsey’s decision to take his battleships with his carriers. Even with the actions of the U.S. destroyers, it was a “near thing.” Had Admiral Kurita been more aggressive, he would have realized that his ships could have destroyed the U.S. invasion fleet off Leyte and inflicted a crippling loss. A Japanese victory would have had serious strategic repercussions as well as cost many senior officers their careers.

By James D. Hornfischer,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can.”

With these words, Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland addressed the crew of the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts on the morning of October 25, 1944, off the Philippine Island of Samar. On the horizon loomed the mightiest ships of the Japanese navy, a massive fleet that represented the last hope of a staggering empire. All that stood between it and Douglas MacArthur’ s vulnerable invasion force were the Roberts and the other small ships of a tiny American…


Book cover of Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy

Marc Liebman Why did I love this book?

In the first few years of our country, it became evident to President Adams that we needed a Navy. The Continental Navy from the American Revolution was disbanded in 1783 along with the army. As a country, we were defenseless. Adams, against strong opposition from Thomas Jefferson and his fellow Democratic-Republicans—managed to push through the Congress the Navy Act of 1794 which funded the rebirth of the Navy. This is the story of the act, the political battles over building, manning, and funding these unique vessels as well as their successes as warships. They are viewed as the best sailing frigates ever built.

Much has been written about the U.S.S. Constitution and its five sisters—Congress, Chesapeake, Constellation, President, United States—yet few know of how they came into being and the Congressional battles to create a new U.S. Navy and build and equip ships. The six came about via the Navy Act of 1794 but underfunding, Congressional interference in the procurement, and other issues delayed their construction and ultimate deployment. And then, President Jefferson, as soon as he came to office, tried to “mothball” them because he didn’t believe in standing armies and navies. 

By Ian W. Toll,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Six Frigates as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How "a handful of bastards and outlaws fighting under a piece of striped bunting" humbled the omnipotent British Navy.

Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military had become the most divisive issue facing the new government. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect American commerce against the Mediterranean pirates, or drain the treasury and provoke hostilities with the great powers? The foundersparticularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adamsdebated these questions fiercely and switched sides more than once. How much of a navy would suffice? Britain alone had…


Book cover of Blind Man's Bluff : The Untold Story of Cold War Submarine Espionage

Marc Liebman Why did I love this book?

Rarely are those outside the military and the intelligence community given accurate insight into submarine operations. This book provides accurate information on some of the activities U.S. submarines performed during the Cold War. Readers will learn where they went, the dangers their crews faced and the challenges they overcome. Much of the technology developed was used in other tasks such as determining what caused the nuclear submarine Scorpion to sink. 

As a retired Naval Officer and Naval Aviator, I can only begin to imagine the problems the authors had in (a) getting approval for many of the individuals to speak on the record; and (b) gain approval for the manuscript from the Navy. This book is simply fascinating as the authors describe highly classified programs that helped the U.S. gather intelligence on Soviet operations. 

By Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Blind Man's Bluff as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

__________________________
Adventure, ingenuity, courage and disaster beneath the sea: the remarkable reality of Cold War submarine warfare

In Blind Mans Bluff, veteran investigative journalist Sherry Sontag and award-winning New York Times reporter Christopher Drew reveal an extraordinary underwater world. Showing for the first time how the American Navy sent submarines wired with self-destruct charges into the heart of Soviet seas to tap crucial underwater telephone cables, Sontag and Drew unveil new evidence that the Navy's own negligence might have been responsible for the loss of the USS Scorpion, a submarine that disappeared with all hands at the height of the…


Book cover of Revolt of the Admirals: The Fight for Naval Aviation, 1945-1950

Marc Liebman Why did I love this book?

World War II is over. The U.S. is demobilizing and in 1948, the United States Air Force becomes a separate service. President Harry Truman appoints Louis Johnson as the new Secretary of Defense in 1949 after James Forrestal resigned because he would not carry out Truman’s defense cuts. Johnson accepted the Air Force’s proposal that nuclear deterrence was the sole responsibility of the Air Force and all military aviation should be under its command. This set in motion a series of events known as the “Revolt of the Admirals” which Barlow used as the title of his book.

This is a story of professional courage. A group of admirals was willing to put their careers on the line to force the Truman administration to change its policies and decisions. They fought with the Secretary of Defense Johnson as well as other officials in the administration and based their arguments on the flawed defense strategy that would bring the U.S. back to a defense posture of pre-World War II. The debate and political infighting raged until June 1950 when the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) invaded the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Suddenly, the need for carrier aviation was apparent because the new U.S. Air Force couldn’t provide the air cover needed by the ground forces being pushed back into what became the Pusan Perimeter. The lessons from the professional courage of these admirals need to be studied and heeded today.

By Jeffrey G. Barlow,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Revolt of the Admirals as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Chronicles in compelling detail the historic showdown between the U.S. Air Force and the Navy over the role of carrier aviation in the national security framework of the United States.

The National Security Act of 1947, intended to unify the separate armed services under a single Defense Secretary, failed to settle the deeper issue that divided them, the debate over roles and missions. One symptom of this conflict was a showdown between the Air Force and the Navy over the role of carrier aviation in the national security framework of the United States.

From the early days of aviation, Army…


Explore my book 😀

Forgotten

By Marc Liebman,

Book cover of Forgotten

What is my book about?

Six American servicemen are left behind when the Vietnam War ends. They are held by a drug dealer masquerading as a North Vietnamese People’s Army colonel. When they are rescued nine years after the war ends, there are two men in the U.S. who want them dead. One is a former POW who is afraid his treason will be exposed. The other is a CIA case officer who doesn’t want to go to jail for selling classified information to the Cubans. And, oh by the way, the wife of one of the POWs is an anti-war activist and a member of the Students for a Democratic Society’s Action Wing who is sent to Cuba to learn how to become an assassin.

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After Me

By J. Shep,

Book cover of After Me

J. Shep Author Of The December Issue

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

J.'s 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

"an intense narrative of family and intangible inheritance. . .this novel unfolds like a fragrant, steeped tea." -Chanticleer Book Reviews, 5 Stars

"like a glorious sunrise, we are gifted the 'après,' the hope and goodness of 'after me.'" -Maria Giuseppa, author of R&R:  A Feast of Words

A man in France receives a package from America containing an autobiographical manuscript relating the events of a summer long ago. 

When Ellande and Madeleine-Grace visit the family summer house on the Alabaster Coast of Normandy for the first time without their parents, they find themselves growing aware of the importance of their…

After Me

By J. Shep,

What is this book about?

A man in France receives a package from America containing an autobiographical manuscript relating the events of a summer long ago.

When Ellande and Madeleine-Grace visit the family summer house on the Alabaster Coast of Normandy for the first time without their parents, they find themselves growing aware of the importance of their parents' choices in raising them. Under the care of their beloved Aunt Adèle, they explore their heritage and what their parents stood for while determining the value of customs and traditions of both family and France's stunning Pays de Caux. In the face of cruelty, carelessness, and…


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