Lost at Sea: Eddie Rickenbacker’s Twenty-Four Days Adrift on the Pacific—A World War II Tale of Courage and Faith

In the 1920s and ‘30s, Eddie Rickenbacker was the modern equivalent of a rock star—popular, influential, and admired by politicians and the public at large. A Medal of Honor recipient, he was considered the greatest American fighter ace of World War I and was also a renowned race car driver, head of Eastern Airlines, and owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He even served as the inspiration for Ace Drummond, a popular 1930s comic strip. During World War II, Rickenbacker inspected bases in the South Pacific. In October of 1942, the B-17 Flying Fortress he was on ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean. Thus began a 24-day odyssey for the eight survivors—many injured, drifting at sea in small inflatable life rafts, broiling in the day, and freezing at night. The food ran out after three days, and with little water, they were circled by sharks and terrified of an encounter with the enemy. Nathan Agin provides a measured, clearly enunciated performance that allows Wukovits’s (Dogfight over Tokyo) meticulously researched story to shine.