Pearl Harbor Christmas - by Stanley Weintraub (Paperback)

About the Book

A preeminent historian's compelling history of perhaps the most remarkable holiday season in 20th-century history--December, 1941.

Book Synopsis

Christmas 1941 came little more than two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The shock -- in some cases overseas, elation -- was worldwide. While Americans attempted to go about celebrating as usual, the reality of the just-declared war was on everybody's mind. United States troops on Wake Island were battling a Japanese landing force and, in the Philippines, losing the fight to save Luzon. In Japan, the Pearl Harbor strike force returned to Hiroshima Bay and toasted its sweeping success. Across the Atlantic, much of Europe was frozen in grim Nazi occupation.

Just three days before Christmas, Churchill surprised Roosevelt with an unprecedented trip to Washington, where they jointly lit the White House Christmas tree. As the two Allied leaders met to map out a winning wartime strategy, the most remarkable Christmas of the century played out across the globe.

Pearl Harbor Christmas is a deeply moving and inspiring story about what it was like to live through a holiday season few would ever forget.

Review Quotes

Kirkus Reviews, 4/15/11

"A vivid 11-day account of a World War II holiday...A master chronicler, Weintraub's moody, intensively researched play- by-play narrative traces the final days of 1941. Ruminations, anecdotes and creatively reimagined scenarios crisply capture all of the minute details of the time and sequences of events...Erudite, sweeping and contemplative--classic Weintraub."

Publishers Weekly, 8/15/11

"A minor genre, the day-by-day chronicle, receives a fine addition as veteran historian Weintraub devotes a chapter each to the last 10 days of 1941 plus New Year's Day...Dazzling detail...Readers will enjoy [Weintraub's] opinionated portraits of the allied leaders as they hammered out strategy."

Poughkeepsie Journal, 9/4/11

"[A] compelling history of the most remarkable holiday season in the 20th century."

Library Journal, 10/1/11
"This is a more human World War II book, not of policy details, but of people trying to figure out how to proceed, with the focus on two titans of the Western Alliance (who both enjoyed a good smoke and a drink)...This stirring book is recommended for all history buffs and general readers interested in this human--and holiday--take on the war."

Booklist, 11/15/11

"[An] absorbing story."

WomanAroundTown.com, 11/12/11

"This book is chocked full of detail, yet reads like a novel."

Milwaukee Shepherd-Express, 11/22/11

"Pearl Harbor Christmas contains interesting vignettes from various theaters of war during December 1941...[Takes] on a fascinating month in history...A quick and smooth read."

Bookviews blog, December 2011

"The book captures the unique feeling of a nation on the brink of war and provides the an insight to the strategic planning of the two most respected politicians of the 20th century."

Roanoke Times, 11/27/11

"In readable anecdotal style, Stanley Weintraub gives us glimpses into the White House...In time of war, a nation needs heroes. And as someone said long ago, when war begins, truth is the first casualty. We also need people like Weintraub who make sure that truth survives."

King Features Syndicate, 11/16/11

"[An] exceptional piece of historical reporting about one of the defining events of the 20th century."

InfoDad.com, 12/1/11

"A story of two men of very different personalities and proclivities, Pearl Harbor Christmas is also a recounting of the early days of United States entry into a war that had been going very much as the Axis powers wished. Weintraub neatly juxtaposes the smaller story of the two world leaders' ideas and personalities with the larger one of events in the war itself."

Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/4/11

"For the World War II buff, this book may have some interest."

Richmond Times-Dispatch, 12/4/11

"A brief but authoritative account of 11 days--Dec. 22, 1941 through Jan. 1, 1942--during which the course of the global war began to shift profoundly. [Weintraub's] ability to meld together so many disparate elements...in such a short, swift-moving book is exemplary."

Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, 12/4/11

"A fascinating account of Churchill's history-making visit...Carefully chronicled...Contains rich anecdotal material involving the colorful prime minister...Worth reading as an account of what went on behind the scenes in the decision making that forged the strategies that led the Allies to victory."

St. George Independent, 12/15/2013

About the Author

Stanley Weintraub is an award-winning author of notable histories and biographies, including the bestselling books on wartime Christmas seasons Pearl Harbor Christmas and Silent Night. A National Book Award finalist and Guggenheim Fellow, he earned a Bronze Star as a young officer in the Korean War. He lives in Newark, Delaware.