The Raft: the courageous struggle . . .

by Robert Trumbull
Hennepin County Library audiobook 5 discs
read by Grover Gardner
genre: non-fiction autobiography / memoir

This was a very interesting account of three men during WWII who had to ditch their plane at sea and survived for 34 days in a rubber raft. It bothered me that the pilot "told" the story (Robert Trumbull) and called the other two men "boys" and "lads." His "of course, I was in charge" attitude bugged me, too. Yes, he was the oldest, the pilot, and had senior rank, but the tone (in the text, not just the reader's voice) was condescending (IMO). When I realized that this account was actually published in 1942, I thought about the era and realized this was a very intriguing period piece. I almost want my dad to listen to it to get his perspective. Gene Aldrich was my favorite of the three men. He caught most of the food, had a go-getter attitude, and believed in the power of prayer.

On Amazon, this review caught my eye:

Thoughts from a relative of two of the men

By L.A. Pastula on April 26, 2007

Format: Audio CD

Thanks everyone for the great reviews!! I must however point out that being the neice of Anthony Pastula and Gene Aldrich that this book is somewhat misleading, basically because it is from one person's viewpoint that had to be the hero. The plane, btw, didn't exactly crash. After being told several times by both my Uncles that they were running out of fuel, IT RAN OUT OF GAS!!! Not something the hero of his book would confess to I suppose. My Uncles were also not helpless, uneducated, weaklings as they are sometimes made out to be either. They weren't that GREEN. They also had nothing to do with this book, because obviously, their recounts of their time at sea didn't match Dixon's. They both chose to step out of the spotlight and go on with their lives. For those that did wonder in the other reviews, they not only remained the closest of friends but they became brothers-in-law! Gene married Tony's sister. To add to that, Gene's sister married Tony's brother and that's where I come from! It is truly by the grace of God and Gene's strong personal belief in the Lord that he shared with the other two men that saved them.