SHAKING UP THE WORLD

STORIES OF THE NAVAL ACADEMY CLASS OF 1957

by James D. Paulk ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 10, 2024

Graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy’s 1957 class share stories of personal triumph, military service, and sacrifice in this nonfiction anthology.

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, who served as a submarine officer before entering the private sector with Procter & Gamble, Paulk first wrote about his time at the academy in his 2023 memoir, Swimming for Our Lives. So popular was the book with fellow alums that dozens of graduates from the 1957 class contributed to this anthology of short essays from their time at the academy and beyond. Paulk’s class first arrived at the academy for “Plebe Summer” in 1953, and their initial number of 1,160 midshipmen dwindled over the next four years to 848 graduates. Their class year corresponded with rising Cold War tensions; within a year of Paulk’s graduation, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite and the USS Nautilus nuclear submarine completed the first submerged transit of the North Pole. In this celebratory collection of 81 anecdotes, graduates recall the ways the academy prepared them for success. Among the 1957 class graduates was Charlie Duke, who writes, “I fell in love with airplanes during my junior year at Annapolis.” Duke would go on to serve NASA’s Apollo missions and remains the youngest person to walk on the moon. Other graduates include Adm. Bruce DeMars, who served as director of the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, and Brad Parkinson, who helped develop the Global Positioning System.

While the vignettes offer humorous and laudatory reflections on the academy, a number of authors also honor those who sacrificed their lives in service. Two 1957 alumni were prisoners of war for more than five years after being shot down during the Vietnam War, and many more were killed in the conflict. Bob Brown, for example, flew 300-plus combat missions in Southeast Asia before being killed in action in 1972 while flying on a mission from Thailand to North Vietnam. In a particularly gripping entry, Jerry Barczak shares his experiences as a hostage in July 1985 while he was a passenger on the hijacked TWA flight 847 in Cairo, Egypt. Other graduates found success outside of military service, like Bob McElwee, who worked for more than 20 years as a referee for the National Football League. The variety of voices gives readers a fly-on-the-wall perspective at a class reunion as dozens of 1957 graduates celebrate their accomplishments and reflect on their glory years at the academy. It’s not often that a book with so many different authors works so well, and it’s a testament to Paulk’s decision to provide a venue for his fellow alums to tell their stories rather than attempt to write his own history of the class. The book’s engaging, conversational narratives are accompanied by a wealth of full-color photographs and conclude with a photo gallery of the academy and a class reunion. From chance meetings with actor Gregory Peck to harrowing rescues at sea in the Indian Ocean, this is a fascinating glimpse into the experiences of a single Naval Academy graduating class.

A charming, celebratory account of the Naval Academy Class of 1957.

Pub Date: May 10, 2024

ISBN: 9781665306737

Page Count: 339

Publisher: BookLogix

Review Posted Online: June 12, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

HISTORY | GENERAL NONFICTION