Itemize Books During The Sand Pebbles

Original Title:	The Sand Pebbles
ISBN:	1557504466 (ISBN13: 9781557504463)
Edition Language:	English
Characters:	Jake Holman
Setting:	China,1926
Literary Awards:	Harper Prize (1963)

The Sand Pebbles Paperback | Pages: 602 pages

Narration Supposing Books The Sand Pebbles

Recommended reading as part of the Chief of Naval Operation's Professional Reading Program!
This now-classic novel by Richard McKenna enjoyed great critical acclaim and commercial success when it was first published in 1962. The winner of the coveted Harper Prize, it was on the New York Times bestseller list for seven months and was made into a popular motion picture that continues to be shown on television today.


Set in China on the eve of revolution, the book tells the story of an old U.S. Navy gunboat, the San Pablo, and her dedicated crew of "Sand Pebbles" on patrol in the far reaches of the Yangtze River to show the flag and protect American missionaries and businessmen from bandits. The plot revolves around a newcomer to the boat, machinist's mate Jake Holman, a maverick and loner who dramatically alters the lives of the crew and the people they have come to save. A faithful engine-room coolie and a pretty young missionary help Holman gain an appreciation of China and its people and discover a world of humanity and promise he has never known. It is a story of old loyalties versus new values, of violence and tenderness, tragedy and humor, and it engages the reader from the first line to the last. This new paperback edition includes in informative introduction by Robert Shenk, written for the Naval Institute's Classics of Naval Literature edition in 1984.

Define Containing Books The Sand Pebbles

Title	:	The Sand Pebbles
Author	:	Richard McKenna
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	First Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 602 pages
Published	:	May 1st 2001 by US Naval Institute Press (first published 1962)
Categories	:	Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Cultural. China. War. Military Fiction

Rating Containing Books The Sand Pebbles

Ratings: 4.24 From 1981 Users | 107 Reviews

Commentary Containing Books The Sand Pebbles

Takes place in 1926 China as the Revolution gets under way and the Chinese want to expel all foreign presence. Protagonist Jake Holman is a crew member on the US Naval gunboat 'San Pueblo' whose mission is to protect the missionaries and other non-Chinese people in the area. Jake is unlike the other crew members, he want to learn about the Chinese culture. He befriends a 'coolie' working in the engine room and a missionary, Shirley Eckert. During his interactions with the crew he does affect

The year is 1926; the place, Hunan Province, China, on the Yangtze River. Revolution is in the air, as the Kuomintang movement vies to free China from the unequal treaties from the Boxer Rebellion and from the pervasive presence of western gunboats patrolling the rivers, exercising what is known as gunboat diplomacy. Jake Holman is a ships engineer, a machinists mate beginning a stint on the U.S. gunship San Pablo, an iron-hulled, coal-burning relic of the Spanish-American war. The crew are

In the Navy, stationed in Japan, I was waiting for a seat on a standby Air Force flight when it was announced that flight operations were shutting down for 24 hours for runway maintenance. I had time to kill but there was no lounge, no restaurant, no news stand and no one else around. At least there was a room with a cot available to me. I hadn't brought any reading matter but the day's newspaper since I always slept in flight. Pacing the enormous waiting room to give my hindquarters a break I'd

This very long but extremely interesting novel was the #9 bestseller in 1963. I have completed the bestseller portion of that year's list. Now I am on to the Award winners of the year, of which there are six.The Sand Pebbles are a nickname for the crew of the San Pablo, an old US Navy gunboat whose job is to patrol the Yangtze River, show the US flag, and protect American missionaries and businessmen. The story covers the years 1925 to 1927. Chiang Kai Shek was in those years a fairly young

c1962. Extraordinary book. It is very easy to read and the pace is maintained all the way. Probably because it was written initially to be serialised in a bimonthly magazine - the Saturday Evening Post. "Four things were important on a ship: bunk, locker, place at the mess table and the engine room. The engine room was most important, because it as Jake Holman's sanctuary from the saluting and standing at attention and saying sir that went with life on the topside. Monkey-on-a-stick life, he

I bought the book because I loved the movie! It's one of my favorites with Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Kenna, and many more actors who eventually became famous in later years. The script, musical score, scenery was beautiful, so I chose to read the book. I was not disappointed.Thankfully, the movie followed the book closely. It's during the Chinese revolution when The U.S. Navy operated deep inside China on small gunboats the size of a small freighter. It was a self-sustaining

On the plus side, I was entranced by the narrative, perhaps because the author (McKenna) and protagonist (Holman) seem to be one in the same. The scope setting were fascinating, and I learned about a moment of history I had little knowledge of. I also enjoyed the authenticity of the ambiguity and messiness of war, revolution, bigotry, and a whole host of "isms. On the down side, the book left me momentarily depressed about the existential comparison of the protagonist's life and a scrap of