WINNER OF THE 2014 SAMUEL ELIOT MORISON AWARD FOR NAVAL LITERATURE
SELECTED FOR THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY'S CHIEF OF NAVY READING LIST, 2014
"Comprehensive and compelling... a narrative as fascinating as any fictional spy story... Act of War is likely to be the definitive account of the Pueblo incident." — The Virginian-Pilot
“Outstanding and necessary.” -- Booklist, starred review
“Brilliant... One walks away from this book with a deeper appreciation for the burdens of command, and a new gratitude for the men and women who wear a uniform and sacrifice for our freedoms…. With Act of War, Cheevers has created a magnificent historical narrative that reads like a great novel but accurately presents the facts.” —Deseret News
“A deep, gripping narrative of the Pueblo story… harrowing.” — Alastair Gale, Wall Street Journal blog
“Readers who appreciate intense accounts of survival against difficult circumstances will find this book enthralling… It deserves a wide audience.” -- Library Journal, starred review
"Mesmerizing... a striking tribute to the Pueblo's commander and crew who acted honorably under horrendous conditions."--Murray Polner, History News Network
"Act of War is international in scope, well written, and an enjoyable read... highly recommended... [a] gripping account of personal service, tragedy, sacrifice, and perseverance of the crew that played out within the heightened international tensions of the Cold War." -- Proceedings magazine (Published by the U.S. Naval Institute)
"Excellent history... [Cheevers] adds many new insights from his relentless digging." -- John R. Satterfield, Naval Historical Foundation
"Eminently readable." -- Richard A. Mobley, Studies in Intelligence
"Cheevers’ thorough research, multiple interviews, and access to now declassified government documents enable readers to experience the failure firsthand." -- Christopher Lee, WarOnTheRocks.com
“Sweeping in its power and importance as a historical document and absolutely
riveting in its personal stories of sacrifice and heroism, Act of War is
the best kind of narrative nonfiction. From the halls of power in Washington to
the heaving seas of the Pacific and to the cold, stark torture rooms of
Pyongyang, this book leaves no stone unturned. This is a masterwork by Jack
Cheevers. I devoured Act of War the way I did Flyboys, Flags of
our Fathers and Lost in Shangri-la.”—Michael Connelly, #1 New York
Times bestselling author of The Gods of Guilt and The Black Box
“A riveting, superbly-researched, and revealing account of a Cold War clash at sea between
the United States and North Korea—and of the courageous captain of the
Pueblo, who stood up both to his brutal captors and to the Navy brass who
tried to make him a scapegoat to cover up their own failures.”—David Wise,
author of Tiger Trap: America’s Secret Spy War with
China
“Cheevers skillfully brings to life one of the most dramatic events of the Cold War,
a story of torture, imprisonment, secret negotiations and White House deal making. Today, the Pueblo remains the only commissioned U.S. ship on display as a war trophy by a foreign government. Act of War sheds new light on how that happened, and at the same time it
shows how quickly espionage, and miscalculation, can lead to all-out war.”
—James Bamford, author of Body of Secrets, The Shadow Factory, and
The Puzzle Palace
“Jack Cheevers is not only a terrific researcher but a master storyteller.
Act of War reads like a Cold War thriller—I couldn’t put it down.”
—James Scott, author of The War Below
“With vivid clarity, Cheevers tells the amazing story of the capture of the Pueblo
and its crew—one of many dangerous showdowns between North Korea and the
U.S. A fascinating, well-rendered account of a little known episode in the
on-going conflict on the Korean peninsula.”—Sheila Miyoshi Jager, author of
Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea
“A fitting tribute to the Pueblo crew, a timely reminder of the nature of the North Korean
regime (now developing nuclear weapons), and, not least, a great read.”—Jack F.
Matlock, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, 1987-91, and author of
Reagan and Gorbachev
“Using a trove of declassified CIA materials and interviews, Cheevers provides
a valuable new addition to our understanding of what happened in January 1968
when the North Koreans attacked and captured the USS Pueblo.”
—Larry Berman, author of Zumwalt: The Life and Times
of Admiral Elmo Russell “Bud” Zumwalt, Jr.
“Jack Cheevers' true account of the USS Pueblo will not only glue you to your seat,
you'll be stunned anyone survived at all.”—John Geoghegan, author of Operation Storm
SELECTED FOR THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY'S CHIEF OF NAVY READING LIST, 2014
"Comprehensive and compelling... a narrative as fascinating as any fictional spy story... Act of War is likely to be the definitive account of the Pueblo incident." — The Virginian-Pilot
“Outstanding and necessary.” -- Booklist, starred review
“Brilliant... One walks away from this book with a deeper appreciation for the burdens of command, and a new gratitude for the men and women who wear a uniform and sacrifice for our freedoms…. With Act of War, Cheevers has created a magnificent historical narrative that reads like a great novel but accurately presents the facts.” —Deseret News
“A deep, gripping narrative of the Pueblo story… harrowing.” — Alastair Gale, Wall Street Journal blog
“Readers who appreciate intense accounts of survival against difficult circumstances will find this book enthralling… It deserves a wide audience.” -- Library Journal, starred review
"Mesmerizing... a striking tribute to the Pueblo's commander and crew who acted honorably under horrendous conditions."--Murray Polner, History News Network
"Act of War is international in scope, well written, and an enjoyable read... highly recommended... [a] gripping account of personal service, tragedy, sacrifice, and perseverance of the crew that played out within the heightened international tensions of the Cold War." -- Proceedings magazine (Published by the U.S. Naval Institute)
"Excellent history... [Cheevers] adds many new insights from his relentless digging." -- John R. Satterfield, Naval Historical Foundation
"Eminently readable." -- Richard A. Mobley, Studies in Intelligence
"Cheevers’ thorough research, multiple interviews, and access to now declassified government documents enable readers to experience the failure firsthand." -- Christopher Lee, WarOnTheRocks.com
“Sweeping in its power and importance as a historical document and absolutely
riveting in its personal stories of sacrifice and heroism, Act of War is
the best kind of narrative nonfiction. From the halls of power in Washington to
the heaving seas of the Pacific and to the cold, stark torture rooms of
Pyongyang, this book leaves no stone unturned. This is a masterwork by Jack
Cheevers. I devoured Act of War the way I did Flyboys, Flags of
our Fathers and Lost in Shangri-la.”—Michael Connelly, #1 New York
Times bestselling author of The Gods of Guilt and The Black Box
“A riveting, superbly-researched, and revealing account of a Cold War clash at sea between
the United States and North Korea—and of the courageous captain of the
Pueblo, who stood up both to his brutal captors and to the Navy brass who
tried to make him a scapegoat to cover up their own failures.”—David Wise,
author of Tiger Trap: America’s Secret Spy War with
China
“Cheevers skillfully brings to life one of the most dramatic events of the Cold War,
a story of torture, imprisonment, secret negotiations and White House deal making. Today, the Pueblo remains the only commissioned U.S. ship on display as a war trophy by a foreign government. Act of War sheds new light on how that happened, and at the same time it
shows how quickly espionage, and miscalculation, can lead to all-out war.”
—James Bamford, author of Body of Secrets, The Shadow Factory, and
The Puzzle Palace
“Jack Cheevers is not only a terrific researcher but a master storyteller.
Act of War reads like a Cold War thriller—I couldn’t put it down.”
—James Scott, author of The War Below
“With vivid clarity, Cheevers tells the amazing story of the capture of the Pueblo
and its crew—one of many dangerous showdowns between North Korea and the
U.S. A fascinating, well-rendered account of a little known episode in the
on-going conflict on the Korean peninsula.”—Sheila Miyoshi Jager, author of
Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea
“A fitting tribute to the Pueblo crew, a timely reminder of the nature of the North Korean
regime (now developing nuclear weapons), and, not least, a great read.”—Jack F.
Matlock, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, 1987-91, and author of
Reagan and Gorbachev
“Using a trove of declassified CIA materials and interviews, Cheevers provides
a valuable new addition to our understanding of what happened in January 1968
when the North Koreans attacked and captured the USS Pueblo.”
—Larry Berman, author of Zumwalt: The Life and Times
of Admiral Elmo Russell “Bud” Zumwalt, Jr.
“Jack Cheevers' true account of the USS Pueblo will not only glue you to your seat,
you'll be stunned anyone survived at all.”—John Geoghegan, author of Operation Storm
