Reading Notes: The Sailing of the Intrepid

Read: December 2025

One-Sentence Summary

A short and easy-reading history of the United States aircraft carrier the Intrepid, with a focus on its first combat voyage in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor.

My Review

So far my favorite read of 2025, and since I’m writing this in mid-December, there’s a good chance it will be the favorite. I have very little knowledge or interest of the navy or ships, so I was surprised how much I was not only riveted by this, but moved. I found myself inexplicably teary-eyed, and not just at the sad war parts. I just felt bizarrely connected to … a boat?

Who I’d recommend it for

• I would have thought I’d be recommending it to navy/military/ship buffs, but I actually wonder if they wouldn’t find it a touch simplistic. This seems to be very much written with civilians who don’t know anything about the navy or ships or war time.

• Anyone who wants to dip their toe into non-fiction but don’t want anything too meaty. This was one of the shorter books I’ve read this year, and very readable. It read more like a fictional adventure than it did dry history book (and this comes from someone who likes dry history books…)

Caveat

The Intrepid is docked just a few blocks away from my apartment in NYC, so I’ve walked/run by it hundreds of times over the past decade. It’s possible that’s why I felt so attached/interested in the book. But I still maintain that it’s a good read whether or not you’ve ever seen the actual ship!

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