Shadow Divers

I had no interest in reading a book about deep sea divers because what else there is to know about it other than some people dive but deep.

But by the end I was gripping my seat, holding my breath, and ranting to my SO at length about the intricacies of deep sea diving. It's just that good. Read it if you want to know what humans are capable of, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Makes me appreciate humans a little bit more. I think I became a better person by the end there.

A bit slow moving, with a big emphasis on the research the divers did in order to identify this sunken U-boat and U-boats in general.

The author must have Circus Barker blood somewhere in his family tree. He really has a ‘flair for dramatics' in telling the story. He also seems to have taken excellent notes or really good recordings of second hand sources to retell what someone no longer alive was thinking. I prefer the less wordy and dramatic flair of [a:Jon Krakauer 1235 Jon Krakauer https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1430856379p2/1235.jpg], but still applaud the level of work involved in the telling of this story... and what a contrast! Kurson is ocean themed, Krakauer has many mountain themes.I enjoyed the mystery and especially the research! I lived in Washington for a while, in the Navy Yard neighborhood no less, so I'm familiar with the National Archives and the Navy Yard Museum. I'd always wondered what researchers do when they're behind the closed doors of an archive and after the Trade Tower bombing and Navy Yard shooting, the Navy Yard is no longer as accessible as it once was.

The book started slow with what I thought was an overly-detailed description of the diving process, but as I got into the book I realized the importance of laying that foundation. I enjoyed learning about the mystery of the sub, the “treasure hunt” for an identity, and the tenacity of John and Richie. I admire their passion. Not surprising but very interesting were the incorrect historical reports (and probable reasons why they were incorrect) regarding WWII subs. You can't always take history books at their word...

A good story, but I feel that a better author could have done a better job with it. Every backstory chapters had my eye's glazing over, and I found the ending very anticlimactic. But still an interesting story that did a very good job discussing the dangers of deep wreck diving.

This book combined many of my interests and knowledge. I always like reading about nautical adventures and I have worked as an archivist for nearly twenty years. I enjoyed reading how Chatterton and Kohler researched the history of World War II German U-boats and how they gathered evidence from the submarine to discover the truth.