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Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice Audiobook
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Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From America’s “forgotten war” in Korea comes an unforgettable tale of courage by the author of A Higher Call.
Devotion tells the inspirational story of the U.S. Navy’s most famous aviator duo, Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown, and the Marines they fought to defend. A white New Englander from the country-club scene, Tom passed up Harvard to fly fighters for his country. An African American sharecropper’s son from Mississippi, Jesse became the navy’s first black carrier pilot, defending a nation that wouldn’t even serve him in a bar.
While much of America remained divided by segregation, Jesse and Tom joined forces as wingmen in Fighter Squadron 32. Adam Makos takes us into the cockpit as these bold young aviators cut their teeth at the world’s most dangerous job—landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier—a line of work that Jesse’s young wife, Daisy, struggles to accept.
Deployed to the Mediterranean, Tom and Jesse meet the Fleet Marines, boys like PFC “Red” Parkinson, a farm kid from the Catskills. In between war games in the sun, the young men revel on the Riviera, partying with millionaires and even befriending the Hollywood starlet Elizabeth Taylor. Then comes the war no one expected, in faraway Korea.
Devotion takes us soaring overhead with Tom and Jesse, and into the foxholes with Red and the Marines as they battle a North Korean invasion. As the fury of the fighting escalates and the Marines are cornered at the Chosin Reservoir, Tom and Jesse fly, guns blazing, to try and save them. When one of the duo is shot down behind enemy lines and pinned in his burning plane, the other faces an unthinkable choice: watch his friend die or attempt history’s most audacious one-man rescue mission.
A tug-at-the-heartstrings tale of bravery and selflessness, Devotion asks: How far would you go to save a friend?
Praise for Devotion
“Riveting . . . a meticulously researched and moving account.”—USA Today
“An inspiring tale . . . portrayed by Makos in sharp, fact-filled prose and with strong reporting.”—Los Angeles Times
“[A] must-read.”—New York Post
“Stirring.”—Parade
“A masterful storyteller . . . [Makos brings] Devotion to life with amazing vividness. . . . [It] reads like a dream. The perfectly paced story cruises along in the fast lane—when you’re finished, you’ll want to start all over again.”—Associated Press
“A delight to read . . . Devotion is a story you will not forget.”—The Washington Times
“My great respect for Tom Hudner knows no bounds. He is a true hero; and in reading this book, you will understand why I feel that way.”—President George H. W. Bush
“This is aerial drama at its best—fast, powerful, and moving.”—Erik Larson, New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake
“Though it concerns a famously cold battle in the Korean War, make no mistake: Devotion will warm your heart.”—Hampton Sides, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers and In the Kingdom of Ice
“At last, the Korean War has its epic, a story that will stay with you long after you close this book.”—Eric Blehm, New York Times bestselling author of Fearless and Legend
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"Moving multidimensional story of the whore and the glory of war."
— nick (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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Once again, Adam Makos demonstrates himself as a rising star in historical nonfiction. Getting the story is only half the battle. Telling the story is where he thrives.
— Colin Heaton, co-author of The Star of Africa -
Adam Makos immerses you in a story so crisp that you’ll forget you’re reading a book. Prepare to be swept away.
— Michael Tougias, co-author of The Finest Hours -
In this beautifully written book, Adam Makos reveals a long-lost story of heroism set in the frozen realm of North Korea. You won’t be able to put it down.
— Joseph L. Galloway, co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young -
At last, the Korean War has its epic, a story that will stay with you long after you close this book.
— Eric Blehm, New York Times bestselling author of Fearless and Legend -
Lovingly rendered and meticulously researched, here is a tale of true friendship across the racial divide. Though it concerns a famously cold battle in the Korean War, make no mistake: Devotion will warm your heart.
— Hampton Sides, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers and In the Kingdom of Ice -
This is aerial drama at its best—fast, powerful, and moving.
— Erik Larson, New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake -
My great respect for Tom Hudner knows no bounds. He is a true hero; and in reading this book, you will understand why I feel that way.
— President George H. W. Bush -
A delight to read . . . Devotion is a story you will not forget.
— The Washington Times -
A masterful storyteller . . . [Makos brings] Devotion to life with amazing vividness. . . . [It] reads like a dream. The perfectly paced story cruises along in the fast lane—when you’re finished, you’ll want to start all over again.
— Associated Press -
Stirring.
— Parade -
[A] must-read.
— New York Post -
An inspiring tale . . . portrayed by [Adam] Makos in sharp, fact-filled prose and with strong reporting.
— Los Angeles Times -
Riveting . . . a meticulously researched and moving account.
— USA Today -
“An inspiring tale…portrayed by [Adam] Makos in sharp, fact-filled prose and with strong reporting.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“A masterful storyteller…[Makos brings] Devotion to life with amazing vividness…[It] reads like a dream. The perfectly paced story cruises along in the fast lane—when you’re finished, you’ll want to start all over again.”
— Associated Press -
“[A] true story of heroic actions by wartime pilots, told in a flamboyant and slightly overwrought style. This time the conflict is the Korean War and Makos’ tale centers on the first African American US Navy carrier pilot, Jesse Brown…Makos tells a good story.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Narrator Dominic Hoffman deftly conveys this account of loyalty and camaraderie in the Korean War. The story depicts the lives of two Navy pilots—Ensign Jesse Brown, who was one of the first African American Navy aviators, and Lieutenant Tom Hudner, who was white. The arc of the story recounts the fateful events that bring them together with the Marines they support on the ground. Jumping between the Navy and the Marines, the account describes the lives of men from diverse backgrounds—from their youth in the years before the Korean War to to the fateful day when their lives intersect near the Chosin Reservoir in December 1950. Hoffman delivers this story of self-sacrifice in a clear, deep voice. His performance is an effective match of voice and text.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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An Amazon.com bestseller
Devotion Listener Reviews
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Elizabeth James, 10/27/2015
About Adam Makos
Adam Makos, hailed as “a masterful storyteller” by the Associated Press, is the author of the New York Times bestsellers A Higher Call and Spearhead and the critically acclaimed Devotion. Inspired by his grandfathers’ service, he chronicles the stories of American veterans in his trademark fusion of intense human drama and fast-paced military action, securing his place “in the top ranks of military writers,” according to the Los Angeles Times. In the course of his research, he has flown a World War II bomber, accompanied a Special Forces raid in Iraq, and journeyed into North Korea in search of an MIA American airman. Visit him online at AdamMakos.com and follow him on Instagram.
About Dominic Hoffman
Dominic Hoffman, winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration, has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice. He is a Los Angeles–based actor of stage, screen, and television. He has appeared in such television shows as The Shield, NYPD Blue, and The Jamie Foxx Show. He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art as well as the American Conservatory Theater.