42 pages • 1 hour read
Left for Dead
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Left for Dead is a work of military nonfiction for young adults by Pete Nelson. It tells the true story of what happened to the men whose ship, the USS Indianapolis, sank during World War II in July 1945. Hunter Scott, who wrote an introduction for the book, studied the incident for a school history fair project and became determined to discover the truth about what happened. Dismayed by the miscarriage of justice surrounding the naval disaster, Hunter began a campaign to exonerate Captain Charles B. McVay and to have the bravery of the survivors recognized. Published by Random House in 2002, Left for Dead won the 2003 Christopher Award and was named in the 2003 American Library Association’s top ten list.
Content warning: This guide discusses suicide and violence.
Plot Summary
Left for Dead begins with a preface which provides context for the events to come. The USS Indianapolis is a cruiser in the United States Navy captained by Charles B. McVay III. The cruiser sets out from San Francisco in mid-July 1945 with components to complete the atomic bomb destined for Hiroshima. After dropping these components at Tinian, McVay and his crew continue onto Guam and then set sail for Leyte, in the Philippines.
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