{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "description": "I've never — probably will never — be a history buff. I enjoy reading about it, value the insights gleaned from studying it but never find myself getting lost in it. I don't actively seek it out, I do value it. The latter doesn't require that I do the former. This all applies to World War II. I took advanced placement history in high school, passed, watched Band of Brothers when our class was functionally complete ahead of the school year and skipped history in college. Know the conflict, not the details. I do like World War II movies. Fury , Inglourious Basterds , Overlord and on and on. I love apocalyptic (mostly post apocalyptic) movies and the apocalyptic nature of the conflict fit nicely into that niche. Anyways. A book, a book. This was a compelling read and a more compelling read than most. A lot of history can be dry and clinical, while this takes the opposite tack of retelling the events of the day through disparate narratives of those that experienced it (from all sides even). I'll freely admit I never knew what all went into planning D-day — the feints, the deception, the logistics — and that's all retold here by those training for the day. Breach a fortified position by force and deception. There's a lot to learn here and a lot to take in by the folks who lived through this day (and there's so much to tell about — ostensibly — this single day). There's a sense of the sheer scale of the planned invasion provided by just how many narratives from different events and soldiers the author assembled. It's a singular act when viewed from far enough away, but composed of so much effort, heroism, sacrifice and horror that each participant lived through. We have more advanced technology today but we've used it to fracture and attack each other. Achieving something this unified, that required this much planning and sacrifice seems impossible now. War is hell. Now is hell. Now is not war (I guess). Good book. : The most believable of the bunch. : Bringing in floating, man-made docks to resupply the war effort too? Pretty ingenious.",
  "path": "/reading/books/9781668027813/when-the-sea-came-alive",
  "publishedAt": "2025-03-16T00:00:00Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:sttgf52vkk46f6yuknvqxvgh/site.standard.publication/self",
  "tags": [
    "history",
    "nonfiction"
  ],
  "title": "When the Sea Came Alive"
}