Name: The Bridges at Toko-ri
ISBN: 9780449206515

James Albert Michener

The story of a war-weary World War II veteran who must leave his family to fight again.

The Bridges at Toko-ri

Jeremy Anderberg

The novels of James Michener tend to be sprawling, 900-page place-based epics that bring you through the entire history of a particular spot on the planet. I read Centennial as part of my Westerns project last year and really enjoyed it.

Early in his career, though, Michener served as an embedded reporter for the Korean War; he was specifically covering the battles in the air. From that experience came this 83-page novel that follows a group of young Navy pilots, and the Admiral, as their aircraft carrier navigates the rough waters off of Korea and is tasked with taking out an important series of heavily-guarded supply bridges.

The story pulls you in right away. Michener depicts the harrowing realities of landing an airplane on an aircraft carrier better than any other author I've encountered. Average Joe can't really imagine the stress involved both for the pilot and the man on the ship who's responsible for leading him in; with Michener's writing, you can imagine it. The same can be said for the harrowing missions the squadron embarks on.

Interestingly, even just a week later, I don't really remember the main character's names. And yet their stories are imprinted into my memory. With such a short novel there obviously isn't much depth, but I guarantee you'll remember the events and conversations.

The Bridges at Toko-Ri isn't a well-known novel; I only found it while specifically searching for the best novels of the Korean War. I'm not sure why that is, but to my mind, it's worthy of being a classic in the realm of war novels. (And will only take you an afternoon or two to read.)

The Bridges at Toko-ri

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