LIBRARY JOURNAL
March 15, 2005

“Broadcast journalist Hamann revisits a historical event he covered earlier in his career—a riot between black soldiers and Italian POWs during World War II at a Seattle army fort, resulting in a suspicious death. The subsequent courts-martial convicted many of these black soldiers on flimsy or nonexistent evidence. Several years later, Hamann found that given such factors as media censorship during wartime and the availability of now declassified documents, there was a completely different story waiting to be uncovered. Though it can be difficult to follow the dozens of players in the investigation and ensuing courts-martial, Hamann helps by offering razor-sharp characterizations. A battle of wits and wills unfolds dramatically, as shady bystanders, innocent victims, phantom instigators, and bumbling army officers all get their turn under Hamann’s microscope. Hamann’s lively narrative and incisive commentary raise the standard for investigational writing. Recommended for public and academic libraries.”

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