When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day (2024)

“Absolutely gripping. . . . Graff, who was a Pulitzer finalist last year for Watergate,has collected thousands of short statements from soldiers, nurses, pilots, children, neighbors, sailors, politicians, volunteers, photographers, reporters and so many more and then woven them together to create a contemporaneous narrative of the Allied invasion on June 6, 1944. . . . Given the political situation in the United States today, when some of our leaders are so complacent, even enthusiastic, about the resurgence of fascism, the power of this story feels spiked with foreboding. . . .Never before have I approached Memorial Day in a state of such somber awe.”
— Ron Charles,The Washington Post

“From books by historian Stephen Ambrose to films like Steven Spielberg’s 'Saving Private Ryan,' there’s ample works chroniclingthe June 6, 1944, landingduring World War II that ultimately led to the downfall of Nazi Germany. But in When The Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day, Graff weaves together hundreds of eyewitness accounts to create a history that stands alongside those works, expanding readers’ understanding of D-Day and offering a new, complete portrait in time for the80th anniversary commemorations. . . The book excels in highlighting the experiences of Black soldiers who landed on D-Day beaches and women who were part of the story, such as correspondent Martha Gellhorn. . . . [A]testimony to the value in preserving memories from grand historical events, demonstrating how much can be unearthed from even the most familiar stories.”
— Associated Press

“With well over 200 volumes written about this most important day in World War II, it’s difficult to imagine any book breaking new ground. Yet Mr. Graff manages to bring a completely different perspective. . . .Drawing from numerous memoirs, published histories, and thousands of oral histories from all the involved countries, especially the extensive archive at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, the author captures the perspectives of generals and civilians and the numerous ordinary soldiers and sailors that fought on that momentous day. . . .This is the real distinction of this book—it presents D-Day history not as some sweeping battle narrative, but as the thousands of individuals stories that collectively decided the course of the battle that day.”
— New York Journal of Books

“Gripping and propulsive. . . .A panoramic view of an astonishingly intricate plan coming to fruition, undertaken by men and women with a clear sense of its momentousness. Readers will be spellbound.”
— Publisher's Weekly(starred review)

“The author of The Only Plane in the Skyhas a knack for finding fresh ways to consider exhaustively rehashed historical episodes. . . . The oral-history template lends the tale a striking immediacy, and he excavates stories from a wide swath of people from both sides of the war whose testimonies recall immense bravery and utter devastation while reminding readers of the capriciousness of victory, not to mention survival. As one U.S. Navy veteran put it: 'Call it luck, divine providence, call it what you please, but here I am.'”
— The Washington Post, "Seven Historical Books to Read This Summer"

“Do we need still another Watergate book? The answer turns out to be yes — this one: Garrett M. Graff’sWatergate: A New History. It is a remarkably rich narrative with compelling characters, who range from criminal and flawed to tragic and heroic. As someone who played a small role in the drama while I was editing many ofThe Washington Post’s Watergate stories, I found that Graff convincingly populates and re-creates an extraordinary time in the history of the country and this city. ... fast-paced ... filled with apt sketches of its many characters, major and minor, from all the president’s men, and some of their spouses, to journalists, investigators, lawyers and members of Congress. It vividly re-creates all the key events, from Nixon’s overreaction to the revelation of the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam War in June 1971 to his resignation in August 1974.... engaging, informative and thought-provoking, more than earning its place on bookshelves alongside the old histories.” —Len Downie, Jr.,The Washington Post

“Dazzling. . . A lively writer, Graff explores the dramatic scope of the Watergate saga through its participants — politicians, investigators, journalists, whistle-blowers and, at center stage, Nixon himself.”—Douglas Brinkley,The New York Times Book Review

“Award-winning author Graff aims to give readers the full scope of Watergate — a much bigger, more bizarre story than even remembered — telling the full story from start to finish in this ambitious book.” —New York Post

“A definitive, exhaustive account of the scandal. . . a fascinating, horrifying examination of the Nixon presidency up close—enough to scare the record straight.”—AirMail

“A meticulously researched, expansive history of the Watergate scandal from start to finish, from the release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 to the reverberations that echo through present day.”—Barbara VanDenburgh,USA TODAY“

Praise forThe Only Plane in the Skyby Garrett M. Graff:

A riveting step-by-step account of the day . . . The technique of letting the witnesses tell the story does a remarkable job of bringing to life the horrific day in a way that a writer’s narrative would have a hard time matching. . . . It makes for a gripping read—and a reminder of the country at its best while under attack.”—Will Lester,Associated Press

“Graff has woven a powerful, graphic narrative of how September 11 played out everywhere from the International Space Station to the inside of the collapsing World Trade Center towers. . . . I repeatedly cried. I could feel my pulse elevate. I often had to put it down after a dozen pages. But I think that’s the point of the book. September 11 was terrible and confusing, and the more time passes, sometimes the harder that is to remember. No matter how much we try to describe those feelings to children who didn’t live through them, something will be lost in the translation and telling. This book captures the emotions and unspooling horror of the day. It will be a good text to hand to a curious teenager when he one day asks: What was September 11 really like?”—Scott Detrow, NPR

“Over 64 fine-sliced chapters, Mr. Graff . . . gives us ‘the stories of those who lived through and experienced 9/11—where they were, what they remember, and how their lives changed.’ The result is remarkable, and Mr. Graff’s curation of these accounts—drawn from hundreds of his own interviews and from the reporting of other journalists and historians—is a priceless civic gift. . . . The book is refreshingly free from editorializing, ideology and ululation. It gives us instead poignant, often distressing, vignettes and impressions of the day and its aftermath. On page after page, a reader will encounter words that startle, or make him angry, or heartbroken, or queasy.”—Tunku Varadarajan,The Wall Street Journal

“Remarkable . . . Incredibly evocative and compelling . . . Allows you to experience this fateful day in an intimately visceral fashion, starting with the ordinary (the sky was gorgeously blue) and progressing to confusion, fear, numbness, and grief. . . . By letting those who were present tell stories in their own words, Graff has created a remarkably effective and deeply moving history. Be careful if you read this book in public—at some point you may encounter a story or detail that will bring back memories that overwhelm you.”—Lucinda Robb,The Washington Post

“Intense . . . Dramatic . . . Graff’s project beautifully achieves its chief goal—educating people too young or born too late to remember what the day of September 11, 2001, felt like. But it also restores a form [oral history] to its rightful place as necessity.”—Ginia Bellafante,New York Times Book Review