James Stavridis

An early-WWII coming-of-age story with flat prose, uninteresting characters, and a galloping case of "tell, don't show." Another review notes that it doesn't approach the literary quality of Patrick O'Brian, and that's certainly true, but I don't think that was the target Stavridis (with his WWII setting and newly-minted-ensign hero) was aiming at. More to the point (and more disappointing) is that it doesn't approach the literary quality of Hornblower and the Atropos, Buller's Guns, or show more Lieutenant Cameron. show less

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The Restless Wave: A Novel of the United States Navy by James G. Stavridis is a historical fiction book following Scott Bradley James’ journey from his childhood in Florida, to a naval officer in the Pacific theatre during World War II. Mr. Starvridis is a retired Navy admiral

Scott Bradley James, lucky enough to have three first names, always wanted to be a naval officer after hearing his father’s war stories in show more Florida. Aiding the young men’s decision was hanging out with the likes of Ernest Hemingway.

James joined the Annapolis Plebe class of 1941, and quickly made fast friends and together they were stationed in Hawaii on the USS West Virginia. On December 7, 1941 their fortunes changed when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

This is a fantastic piece of historical fiction weaving historical accuracy with an engrossing story. The novel captures both peacetime training and wartime service, as well as the transition between them and the difficult choices young officers must make. The ambition of these young men, as well as the moral ambiguity one often must embrace during war time is a notable theme which many struggle with no matter the rank.

The author places the protagonist in the middle of many Pacific battles including the Doolittle Raid, the Battle of Midway, and the Battle of Guadalcanal. This is not a “Forrest Gump” type of book though as James doesn’t affect the outcomes, but acts more of an observer and participant.

One of the more interesting aspects of The Restless Wave by James G. Stavridis is the vivid account of the pressure and complexities officers face when under fire. Mr. Stavridis has several observations about leadership woven into the narrative which I found fascinating and committed to memory.

True to its historical fiction promise, the book blends a bunch of fictional characters with historical luminaries. Admirals William Halsey, Chester Nimitz, and Ray Spruance are the most notable, enriching the narrative in a relatable and realistic way along with Mess Attendant 2nd Class Doris (Dorie) Miller. The portrayal of navy life, and traditions was very much as I would have imagined, and the battle descriptions were fascinating and, as far as I could tell, very accurate.

This is the first of a series following Scott Bradley James, and it ends in 1944 in a way which made me immediately check the planned publication date for the second book, which unfortunately is not yet known. show less

Excellent book. I like ADM Stavridis’ writing and the passion for the subject in every book is clear in both his treatment, his research, and his analyses. The format for each chapter/admiral is to introduce, tie some connection to the theme, the previous subject, his own career, … give a short history of the admiral and known or deduced motives for the actions culled for the character trait examined, followed by an analysis of the character - warts and all… some of the leaders show more highlighted are noted as being deplorable, while still highly effective. And how modern leaders can learn from the lessons.

Four of these I already have on my “have characteristics worth emulating” list: Nimitz, Rickover, Zumwalt, Hopper and I learned a little more about each here. I’ll repeat:
I like his writing. It speaks to me. He distills the essences of his focus into a very readable package and there is something here for everyone.

I made a lot of annotations. Some for here, some for me alone. Curated:

[a saddening trend]
“I am also motivated by a growing sense in this postmodern era that we are witnessing the slow death of character, driven by a global popular culture that has turned increasingly away from classic values—honesty, commitment, resilience, accountability, moderation—to a world that moves at breakneck speed and refuses to slow down and consider what is right and just.”
{Six plus years after publication, it is worse and growing even more worse.}

[on character]
“John Wooden, the famous UCLA basketball coach and a fine leader, summed it up well: ‘Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.’”
{If this is somehow new to you, well, good. I’m glad you now know it.}

[world exposure is vital]
“Once we have studied other cultures, races, and religions, we take the step to the most challenging part of character development—practicing respect for others in a conscious, day-to-day way.”
{Americans as a rule, are bad at that. “Speak English” arrogance is embarrassing.}

[on independent thought and responsibility]
“Finding that balance—between ‘checking with headquarters’ and acting boldly—is a crucial part of character development.”
{I think the Navy is better at that than the Army. When assisting tenant commands from the other services, I was always stunned to get the response “I’ll have to check with my Colonel” from Captains (O-3) for what I thought were simple decisions.The Navy stressed pushing decision-making (and responsibility) down as far as possible - training junior officers and enlisted for greater responsibility and able to make future decisions without paralysis.}

[holistic teamwork]
“Thinking about teamwork in the context of character is important. This holds true in two very important dimensions: with our peers and with our subordinates. So often in our zeal to impress our seniors and to rally our subordinates, we do not pay enough attention to our peers. And truth be told, we are often competing with our peers for a promotion, a raise, or a better slice of the organization’s resources. Far too frequently, we do not build strong teams among our peers. Nelson understood this, and it is a powerful lesson of character that often we can accomplish so much more if we are willing not to take total and personal credit for it. “

[on personal vision]
“In my own case, I learned early that in order to exercise vision, you need the qualities of character that underlie it—patience, diligence, and a willingness to send your ideas into the world knowing they will be battered and belittled more often than not.”
{Innovation is not for the thin skinned.}

[on collected thoughts]
“Throughout my career, I would dip repeatedly into his [Admiral Lord John Arbuthnot “Jacky” Fisher] oddly constructed memoirs—really a series of jottings without much structure—to find inspiration as I, in a smaller way, tilted at my own share of windmills.”
{I have lots of jottings. Must organize and flesh out someday.}

[on mentoring]
“When I think of mentoring I have received over the years, I am humbled—and I always vow to pay it forward whenever I can.”
{Ditto}

[an awareness desperately needed in the time of the ethical and moral nadir of the Тя☭mp regime]
“When members of the US military are promoted, as Grace Hopper was many times, they do not swear allegiance to their chain of command, but rather to the Constitution of the United States—the ultimate repository of our system of values and our inalienable rights. In today’s morally challenged world, I often think “how low can we go?” in terms of the character failings in some of our leaders.”
[and…]
“More senior people need to be as loyal to their subordinates as they hope their subordinates are to them—a kind of golden rule of character. But there is another side to loyalty, and it is a darker one. When is it appropriate to be loyal to a boss who is simply a bad leader? Or demonstrates ethically unacceptable views? In this sense, we owe not blind loyalty to the individuals above us in the chain of command, but rather loyalty to the larger values of an organization or a nation.”
[and…]
“Sadly, our ethical and moral standards are becoming a lower and lower bar to surmount, and that should give us pause.”
{I am not hyperbolic in my fear that we will be long I recovering from the vile unculture of Hegseth and his even more vile boss.}

I’m not sure how this made it through editing. “But I really focused on the admiral a few years later as a senior at Annapolis when I was assigned to go to sea on the ship bearing his name, the proud USS Nimitz (CVN-72).” The Nimitz is CVN-68, and the Abraham Lincoln is CVN-72. show less

I have always been a sucker for a good sea story. Even before I joined the navy I was always reading books about great sea battles, maritime disasters and memoirs of those whose lives were spent on, or under, the sea. I discovered Admiral Stavridis when his last book, Sea Power, became popular. Having enjoyed that book I was quick to jump on this newest of his literary works.

As its title suggests Sailing True North is a collection of mini-biographies of ten admirals throughout history. One show more would think that they were chosen for their sangfroid and brilliance in battle, and in some cases it was. Nelson, Drake and the Greek admiral Themistocles had those qualities in spades. Others, though, had other qualities that aren’t often found in men of action. Some never even spent much, if any, time at sea. They included innovators, admirals whose vision and determination changed not only the navies they served but the world itself. Zheng He, a eunuch slave, made himself so indispensable to the Chinese court that the emperor gave him command of the navy and the resources to build a the largest deep-water fleet the world had ever seen. Historian Alfred Thayer Mahan, a reluctant sailor, literally wrote the book that reshaped geopolitics for generations to come. Chester Nimitz spent almost the entirety of World War II ashore in Hawaii yet took command of a fleet still smoldering from the attack on Pearl Harbor, rebuilt it and brilliantly directed the greatest sea battles in history. Others, Lord John Arbuthnot Thayer, Hyman Rickover and Grace Hopper, each propelled the world’s navies into a new age, from wooden ships to steel, to nuclear power and into the digital age.

What makes this book unique is that Stavridis examine the life and career of each of these admirals and extracts what he believes is the essential character trait that shaped their actions. Themistocles’ charisma enabled him to instill in his ships’ crews the will and determination to take on and defeat a vastly superior Persian fleet. Nimitz’s ‘self-confidence and an inner and sense of balance’ gave him the ability to direct the actions of the admirals and generals waging war in the Pacific. He said of Nimitz, "Especially in today's media environment, personality is an essential foundation piece of any leaders message. And while it is tempting to let emotion drive personality, the true acme of character is sublimating anger, pettiness, and impulse in favor of a cool, calm temperament. This was the genius of Nimitz."

In most cases Stavridis character studies shed light on the subjects but in others it seemed to me that the author was struggling to find superlatives to fit the formula of his book. As a lover of sea stories, I occasionally wished for more stories and less psychoanalysis. Stavridis makes a good argument, though, that character is something that the world lacks today.
Most of us want to be part of a society that is dependable, predictable, and stable – but this turbulent twenty-first century resembles that less and less. The stories we hear seem chaotic, disconnected and thematically barren: school shootings of children by other children; wars without end in the Middle East;…leaders who routinely lie, cheat and steal; followers who act out in spasms of anger, fulfilling Tocqueville’s dire nineteenth-century prediction that the tragedy of democracy will be that in the end we elect the government we deserve.

*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire. show less