Page Turner / Edited by Peter McDermott
At least two media outlets – the Boston Globe and the Christian Science Monitor – used the word “cinematic” when praising William Doyle’s "PT 109: An American Epic of War, Survival and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy.”
Maybe it’s not so surprising that Doyle can achieve that effect, for he produces TV shows for HBO, A&E and PBS that are often tied into his books.
It’s likely, though, that of the many positive reviews and endorsements the book has gotten, the author values this one the most: “I have to say, William Doyle’s ‘PT 109’ is the finest book I’ve ever read on the subject: the best written; the most well-researched and accurate. It covers every aspect and brings many new things to light. Doyle has done a wonderful job.”
For those are words from William Liebenow, Lt. Commander, USNR (ret.), skipper of PT 157, JFK’s tent mate, battle colleague and boat commander of the mission that rescued the future president behind enemy lines in August 1943.
Doyle said that the book is also the story of how that famous wartime adventure propelled “our most admired modern president” into the Oval Office, “with the help of his father Joseph P. Kennedy, who was a publicity genius with vast amounts of cash.”
Library Journal describes the book as a “gripping account of John F. Kennedy’s monumental test of leadership and survival during World War II, and how his actions set him on the path to political greatness.”
Doyle quotes top JFK aide Dave Powers as once saying: "Without PT 109 you have no President John F. Kennedy."
Said the author: “I found the 98-year-old man who saved JFK at sea, and he gave me incredible detail. The book is based on huge amounts of research, something I always try to do in my books.
“I specialize in narrative nonfiction, often American history, which I try to write like good fiction,” he said.
The approach has won the admiration of prominent historians like Douglas Brinkley, who described the latest as “masterfully written.”
When Doyle is not writing and lecturing, he might be found running around the Central Park reservoir – “my big hobby” – close to his home, or lecturing in Finland, “where my son attends the greatest public school system on Earth.”
William Doyle
Place of birth: New York City, grew up in Stuyvesant Town
Spouse: Naomi
Children: 8-year-old son Brendan.
Residence: Upper East Side, part-time in Joensuu, a university town in remote Eastern Finland, where I have a faculty appointment.
Published works: “Inside the Oval Office: The Secret White House Tapes from FDR to Clinton”; “An American Insurrection: James Meredith and the Battle of Oxford, Mississippi, 1962”; “A Soldier's Dream: Captain Travis Patriquin and the Awakening of Iraq”; “Navy Seals: Their Untold Story.”
William Doyle.
What is your writing routine? Are there ideal conditions?
I treat it like the very tough, very rewarding job that it is. I work from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m., with breaks. I have a writer's office inside the New York Public Library.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Switch off your phone and read books by the boatload. Get a day job first to gain life experience. Treat writing like a business. Expect, welcome and learn from constant rejection and frustration. Promote yourself. Cultivate media contacts so you can get the word out. Read Writers Digest and Publishers Weekly for publishing industry tips.
Name three books that are memorable in terms of your reading pleasure.
“No Ordinary Time” by Doris Goodwin, “The Day of the Jackal” by Frederick Forsyth, and “A Moveable Feast” by Papa Hemingway.
What book are you currently reading?
I am reading “A Moveable Feast” for about the 100th time. Reminds me of my 2004 honeymoon in Paris.
Name a book that you were pleasantly surprised by.
Everything by mystery writer James Patterson, my former boss at advertising agency J. Walter Thompson. He writes to entertain, which is the most difficult and critical job of a writer.
What book changed your life?
Leo Tolstoy's short story “What Men Live By.” It is perfect. And it describes my father, an ethnically Irish-American World War II veteran who worked hard, was extremely charming and had one goal in life – to come home and spend time laughing, singing, exchanging stories and spending time with my mother, sister and me. He pulled it off for 40 years and is my model in life, along with my mother. Both were ravenous readers, and I guess it rubbed off on me.
What is your favorite spot in Ireland?
The back streets of Dublin, and any Irish breakfast table that serves a big juicy Irish breakfast.
You're Irish if...
You cry when you see 100 beefy Irishmen in skirts marching toward you playing bagpipes.
William Doyle will read from “PT 109: An American Epic of War, Survival, and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy” at the Irish Arts Center, 553 West 51st St, on next Tuesday, June 7 at 7:30. This is the paperback launch of the book originally published last October. Tickets can be bought by calling 866-811-4111. For more information, go to irishartscenter.org.
