A friend lent me this marvelous book and I was simply swept away. I’m fascinated by history anyway so the search for a bit of WWII history by deep wreck divers John Chatterton and Richie Kohler was right up my alley. That being said, the book far exceeded my expectations for a non-fiction accounting of their feat. It is a well written adventure filled with courage (some may say insanity), intrigue, mystery, sorrow, loss, and achievement. I couldn’t put it down!
If you enjoy WWII history and exploration to find answers then this book is a must read. If ocean wrecks intrigue you, pick this up. The true characters involved in this mission to identify this particular WWII wreck off the New Jersey shore were outrageous and fun, except one that you almost feel sorry for. The frustration and intense research involved in their endeavor was made clear. I was certainly moved by the transformation of Richie Kohler from simply diving on a wreck to this becoming a much more personal task.
The dangers of deep water wreck diving were made entirely cringe worthy in Kurson’s writing and he creates a great sense of respect for the courage of these divers. The book was simply awesome. Find it on Amazon: Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II.