Danger's Hour

“This fascinating story of the deadliest kamikaze attack in World War II provides a vivid window on the war in the Pacific. But it also contains critically important insights for today’s struggle against terrorists. Maxwell Taylor Kennedy shows how suicide bombers are recruited, the role they can play in asymmetric warfare, and how our military can be resilient in face of such attacks.” – Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life and Einstein: His Life and Universe“This book is a triumph – an original conception, a dramatic narrative superbly told, with lyrical portraits of brave men on opposite sides of a titanic struggle and impeccable research masterfully rendered. With Danger’s Hour, Maxwell Taylor Kennedy’s talents as a first-rate historian, an intrepid interviewer, and a wonderful writer are on full display.” – Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals“One of the little-known aspects of World War II was the role played by Japan’s suicidal kamikaze pilots and their devastating impact on the U.S. Navy in the Pacific. Maxwell Taylor Kennedy tells their story in a detailed, vivid, credible, highly readable narrative.” – Stanley Karnow, author of Vietnam: A History“This is a riveting, thought-provoking, superbly written history that unfolds and surprises like a novel. What we are permitted to participate in is nothing short of hell: a glimpse into the most asymmetrical warfare we Americans have ever faced – the kamikaze pilot.” – Ken Burns, Filmmaker

Maxwell Taylor Kennedy graduated from Harvard University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He taught environmental studies at Boston College, where he cofounded the Urban Ecology Institute. Mr. Kennedy served as a prosecutor for three years before he collected and edited his first book, Make Gentle the Life of This World: The Vision of Robert Kennedy. Maxwell Taylor Kennedy is an avid scuba diver and co-led an expedition that located the wrecks of a fleet of pirate ships off Venezuela. He also participated in the National Geographic Explorers search for PT 109. A devoted maritime historian, Mr. Kennedy is currently an Associate Scholar of the John Carter Brown Library, a Center for Advanced Research in History and the Humanities at Brown University. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Vicki, and their children, Maxey, Summer, and Noah.

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