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!
