On April 23, 1943,the seventy-man crew of the USS Grenadierscrambled to save their submarine—and themselves—after a Japanese aerial torpedo sent it crashing to the ocean floor. Miraculously, the men were able to bring the sub back to the surface, only to be captured by the Japanese. No Ordinary Joes tells the harrowing story of four of the Grenadier’s crew: Bob Palmer of Medford, Oregon; Chuck Vervalin of Dundee, New York; Tim McCoy of Dallas, Texas; and Gordy Cox of Yakima, Washington. All were enlistees from families that struggled through the Great Depression. The lure of service and duty to country were not their primary motivations—they were more compelled by the promise of a job that provided “three hots and a cot” and a steady paycheck. On the day they were captured, all four were still teenagers. Together, the men faced unimaginable brutality at the hands of their captors in a prisoner of war camp. With no training in how to respond in the face of relentless interrogations and with less than a cup of rice per day for sustenance, each man created his own strategy for survival. When the liberation finally came, all four anticipated a triumphant homecoming to waiting families, loved ones, and wives, but instead were forced to find a new kind of strength as they struggled to resume their lives in a world that had given them up for dead, and with the aftershocks of an experience that haunted and colored the rest of their days. Author Larry Colton brings the lives of these four “ordinary” heroes into brilliant focus. Theirs is a story of tragedy and courage, romance and war, loss and endurance, failure and redemption. With a scope both panoramic and disarmingly intimate, No Ordinary Joes is a powerful look at the atrocities of war, the reality of its aftermath, and the restorative power of love.

No Ordinary Joes: The Extraordinary True Story of Four Submariners in World War II

Biographies & Memoirs

Colton, Larry

Leaders & Notable People

Crown

Goat Brothers

An account of the lives of five men who were fraternity jocks at Berkeley during the 1960s follows their journey through college and to adulthood, describing how they tackled love, Vietnam, race riots, Reaganomics, and more. Reprint.

History

Americas

Dell

A noted journalist and author of Goat Brothers profiles a Montana high-school girls' basketball team--made up of Crow Indian and non-Native American girls from a rural town beset by racism, alcoholism, and other problems--that carries on its shoulders the dreams and hopes of a Native American tribe during their winning season. 50,000 first printing. Tour.

Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn

Literature & Fiction

United States

GRAND CENTRAL PUB.

In Native American tradition, a warrior gained honor and glory by "counting coup" -- touching his enemy in battle and living to tell the tale. This is a modern story of... COUNTING COUP In this extraordinary work of journalism, Larry Colton journeys into the world of Montana's Crow Indians and follows the struggles of a talented, moody, charismatic young woman named Sharon LaForge, a gifted basketball player and a descendant of one of George Armstrong Custer's Indian scouts. But "Counting Coup" is far more than just a sports story or a portrait of youth. It is a sobering exposé of a part of our society long since cut out of the American dream. Along the banks of the Little Big Horn, Indians and whites live in age-old conflict and young Indians grow up without role models or dreams. Here Sharon carries the hopes and frustrations of her people on her shoulders as she battles her opponents on and off the court. Colton delves into Sharon's life and shows us the realities of the reservation, the shattered families, the bitter tribal politics, and a people's struggle against a belief that all their children -- even the most intelligent and talented -- are destined for heartbreak. Against this backdrop stands Sharon, a fiery, undaunted competitor with the skill to dominate a high school game and earn a college scholarship. Yet getting to college seems beyond Sharon's vision, obscured by the daily challenge of getting through the season -- physically and ps

Counting Coup

WARNER BOOKS

A magazine writer describes his years as a fraternity boy at Berkeley in the early 1960s, discussing his ambitious classmates, their dreams, and their disappointments during a decade of promise. 75,000 first printing. $75,000 ad/promo. Tour.

Random House Value Publishing

Counting Coup : A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn

Counting Coup is the story of the girls basketball team of Hardin High School in Montana. Larry Colton shows readers the hardscrabble existence of a rural small town beset by racism, alcoholism, and domestic violence, and in so doing produces a touching, heartfelt, and beautifully written true story that will leave readers cheering for the girls they have come to know.

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Demco Media

No Ordinary Joes: The Extraordinary True Story of Four Submariners in War and Love and Life

Military

About the Author\nLarry Colton lives in Portland, Oregon.

Idol Time

Timber Press

Meschery, Tom

Timber Press, Incorporated

Their names were Bob Palmer, Gordy Cox, Tim McCoy, and Chuck Vervalin, and in 1941, when they joined the navy, they were not trying to prove their patriotism—they were just looking for a job that would provide "three hots and a cot." But on April 22, 1943, the war took a terrible turn for them. While on patrol deep in enemy waters, their submarine, the USS Grenadier, was torpedoed and sent crashing to the ocean floor. Listed as lost in action and given up for dead, all four had in fact miraculously escaped the ship, only to be captured by the Japanese. The four men spent the next two and a half years as POWs, enduring barbaric torture and starvation, unable to communicate with their wives and families. When they were freed, they were forced to find a new kind of resilience as they struggled to resume their lives in a world that seemed to have forgotten them. In Bob's case, it would be more than thirty years before he was reunited with the love of his life—the wife who had left him for a well-bred naval officer after he came back from the war.By turns panoramic and intimate, No Ordinary Joes shows us, through the lives of four "ordinary" men who endured extraordinary circumstances, the tragedy of war and its aftermath, and the restorative power of love.

Historical

Tantor Audio

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Colton, Larry. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Colton, Larry

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Colton, Larry. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

No Ordinary Joes: The Extraordinary True Story of Four Submariners in World War II

Goat Brothers

Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn

Counting Coup

Goat Brothers

Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn

No Ordinary Joes: The Extraordinary True Story of Four Submariners in War and Love and Life

Idol Time

Idol Time

No Ordinary Joes: The Extraordinary True Story of Four Submariners in War and Love and Life