Title: When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day
Author: Garrett M. Graff
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Garrett M. Graff, full cast
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: Approximately 19 hours and 42 minutes
Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio and ebook from NetGalley. Thank you!

Do you like audiobooks? My friend Laura Hivala got me into reading audiobooks. I love them. They make long drives go so much more quickly. One of my favorite audiobooks from the past few years was The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History September 11, 2001, by Garrett M. Graff. It was a profound book. It was a wonderful audiobook experience hearing the oral history told through a cast of characters. I was excited that author Garrett M. Graff has written a new oral history, this time focusing on D-Day.

In When the Sea Came Alive, Graff has used a wide variety of sources to put together a full comprehensive look at D-Day told through the point of view of those that were there and those that planned the day. The book starts in the months following up to D-Day and then gives a detailed account of the day and what followed. D-Day was June 6, 1944, and was the day the allied forces invaded Europe and turned the tide of WWII. How was such a large military operation able to surprise the Nazis?

My thoughts on this novel:
• We listened to this audiobook driving on our vacation this year. My husband, myself, and my two sons enjoyed it. My oldest 18-year-old son really likes learning about D-Day and The Longest Day is his favorite movie.

• It was very effective having the firsthand accounts told by a wide cast of characters. It gives you a depth for how horrifying it was to be on the ground and how much courage it took for the allied soldiers to push on.

• I loved the moments of compassion when a soldier passes by and really looks at the enemy. He noted how young they looked and wondered about the parents or wife waiting for the now dead soldier at home.

• It was surreal when Lord Lovat marched around with a bagpiper following him on D-Day.

• The first section was a great lead up to D-Day and the planning involved. It was very informative. I also thought it was interesting that African American soldiers found more acceptance in England than they did in the United States.

• Once the invasion started, the story seemed to unfold in real time through the eyes of the soldiers. It was intense.

• Graff did a masterful job of putting all these threads of first-person accounts together to make one compelling narrative.

Overall, When the Sea Came Alive is a compelling narrative and excellent audiobook. It’s a must read for any fan history or anyone that wants to learn more about one of the most important dates in history.

Once I got used to the way the book was presented it flowed for me. What I did like was that you got voices from all walks of life from the people in England and how it was for them to be inundated with all of these men and women from a foreign country who were just getting ready to invade France. You also got a look into the words of every soldier from private to General and Eisenhower and other top brass. All of this made for an interesting read and one that had me go back and re-read, for my father fought in WWII and not everything he talked about. I found this to be an excellent book.

A monumental work of compilation and arrangement of historical sources, When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day traces this pivotal and well-known World War II event from its 1943 operational planning and buildup to the campaign through northeast France. It was also published as close to the anniversary as possible.

Graff spent years locating and recording the sources that make up this work. They include soldiers from the United Kingdom, America, Germany and other forces, pilots, nurses, children, neighbors, sailors, politicians, photographers, reporters and many other witnesses. Totaling around 700 people there is a lot of variety and perspective beyond the key figures. Aside from the introduction and the chapters titles, the majority of the book is told through these witness snippets, but they expand beyond the traditional warrior focused narrative. Instead we learn of the direct contributions or effects of the war on African Americans, British and French civilians and various roles filled by women.

Due to some obvious constraints, it is not a direct chronology, once the boats launch for the beaches Graff opted to detail events beach by beach that takes up close to 2/3rds of the book. It's a work that highlights the importance of preparation and resources alongside courage under fire.

If possible, try the audiobook that is read by a full cast, adding more dimensions to a narrative told by those who were there.

Recommended to readers of military, nonfiction or history books.

Full disclosure: I have not finished this book yet. It is a giant! So far, it's compelling but I am taking it in small bites, not gulping. There is a lot to digest here. Graff remains the most interesting history teller around. He has yet to write a book I don't love.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

The subtitle says it all: this tells the story of D-Day and its long planning, in the words of its direct participants. The format, mostly a succession of short paragraphs attributed to each participant, seemed disjointed and jarring initially but in continuing the combined effect is powerful. It was truly a day of millions of individual experiences and having so many combined in a chronological narrative is a different take on a common topic. Highly recommended for fans of Band of Brothers, etc.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Audiobook rec! When the Sea Came Alive is the new oral history of D-Day and its impact. from the author/historian that brought us The Only Plane in the Sky. Graff has woven together over 700 voices, each with a piece of the puzzle, to expertly craft a very human story of one of the world's biggest events. To get this many stories from a generation that didn't like to share them was no small feat.

There's not much else to say about this book. Whether you are a D Day historian yourself or only remember some highlights from HS Social Studies class, this is a book to check out. Graff has tried, and I think in most cases succeeded, to amplify as many human stories, no matter how big or small, here and gives us a full picture of this historic day with moments that will be seared into our minds forever. Oral histories are one of the most powerful ways to learn new truths, and this is one of the better ones.

This ambitious nonfiction book has been receiving quite a bit of national attention in online and print media so the release timing just before the 80th anniversary of D-Day is excellent. The author has performed a workman's load of effort in compiling the hundreds of testimonials from everyday soldiers and generals (both Allied and German), politicians, private citizens (male and female). The remarkable effort is even more impressive with arranging the oral histories in chronological order. Each entry is preceded by the name and rank of the person which makes them more hard-hitting to hear simple privates give takes on their experiences. There are sections dedicated to politicians which are transcripts of famous speeches (Churchill, Roosevelt) and these are generally already well-known. The author does not sugar-coat the death and horror of the invasion which gives the reader a visceral experience and some facts hit hard such the statistic that more men were killed in the years of training for D-Day than the number perished on June 6, 1044. This is an important WWII book and should have a place in almost all libraries. Armchair historians will be thrilled.

This book is a testament to the power of oral histories and storytelling. It immerses you in the events surrounding D-Day (Operation Overlord), one of the greatest and most unbelievable military victories. As we prepare to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Allies landing on the beaches of France, this book stands out. It’s a narrative that brings you into the room with some major players, such as Lt. Gen Omar Bradley, who famously discovered that he was to command the Army in the morning paper.

Thank you for a copy, NetGalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.

A brilliant book about the truly massive operation by the Allies against the German Atlantic Wall (Atlantikwall) in Normandy. The wall comprised of an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications. The amount of extremely detailed planning conducted by the Allies that went into ensuring the operation was successful is mindblowing.
The author has recorded actual accounts of the D-Day campaign from senior politicians, military personnel of all ranks and many other eyewitnesses. I really enjoyed reading the stories from all sides of the conflict.
I hadn't read any of Garrett Graff's books before, but I will definitely commence to read more of them.
The timing of the publication of the book couldn't be more perfect, the 80th anniversary of the successful invasion.
I hate to bring up one irritating error regarding the author's comments about the bombing campaign in Germany. The British RAF bomber crews flew predominantly by night, the US bombers flew by day, not the other way around. However, this doesn't detract from the overall content of the book and I will still give it 5 stars!

Garrett M. Graff is one of the greatest oral historians of our generation. Following a similar format to his earlier book, “The Only Plane in the Sky,” he weaves an incredible tapestry chronicling the events surrounding the most consequential day in 20th-century history. There are moving accounts of people in places both high and low. It is a fascinating read that puts the reader in the middle of the action in a way few books ever manage to do. A must-read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity for me to an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This was such an amazing oral history of D-Day. I am amazed by the thoroughness and how in-depth this author went to capture the thoughts, feelings, suffering, and hope from D-Day. This book is entirely comprised of actual interviews, diaries, letters, journal entries, and speeches.

At the beginning of each chapter or change of scene, the author provides a short description of what is happening or occurring during the chapter or section. This is helpful to provide you with a guide about where the story going next and it also provides context for the following dialogues.

After the author’s heading of the section or capture. The chapter/section is filled with various snippets from people’s interviews, letters, journals, or speeches. The author compiles all of these dialogues into a story format that allows the reader to flow from one person to another providing the reader with a first-person view of D-Day.

The book starts with the planning and training for D-Day and follows the various leaders who planned the event. The planning involved was extensive, all the way to the materials and equipment needed, to the weather. The book then moves on to D-Day itself with the paratroopers landing behind the beaches, then to the attack on each various beach. After the initial invasion the book then covers the push up the beaches and covers the fighting done behind the beaches.

Quotes and speeches are given by Generals (such as General Eisenhower) Churchill, soldiers (Allies and Axis), and civilians (English, American, French and even Ann Frank).

I love the way the author complied all of these quotes and the amount of information that is in the book. I never realized how much planning and training was done before D-Day with the amount of secrecy involved.

I highly recommend this book to every history reader and to those who may want to take a jump into reading history. There is no better way to enjoy history than hearing first-hand accounts, and this author has provided a way for us to read these first-hand accounts and capture the fear, hope, and pain those involved experienced. I will definitely be on the lookout for other books this author writes and I have already bought The Only Plane in the Sky.

Wow. Graff does it again. This was another amazing, well researched, and fascinating book. I was fully immersed in D-Day. It was so well done.

Author Garrett M. Graff has been churning out critically acclaimed releases the last few years. Back in 2020, I read and reviewed his oral history of 9/11, THE ONLY PLANE IN THE SKY; a book I still think about often. Since then, he’s crafted a new and updated history of Watergate, an investigative look at UFOs and now, WHEN THE SEA CAME ALIVE, an oral history of D-Day just in time for that transformative day’s 80th Anniversary.

As nearly all those who had participated in the European land invasion are no longer with us, Graff had to comb through north of five thousand personal stories, memoirs and oral histories contained within established texts. The quotes contained within were lifted from – but not limited to – books, magazines, official reports, videos, and audio recordings. You get snapshots from the minds of combatants, generals and politicians alike. What really surprised me is that Graff made sure to include Axis voices whether it was from soldiers, commanders or speeches given by Hitler and his closest allies.

Despite having read so many books about the Second World War, I was not aware that the planning for D-Day began well over a year prior to its execution. It absolutely makes sense given how long it took to amass the sheer volume of humanity from across the Allied forces required to complete the task. Graff pulls from a treasure trove of material to lay out the logistics and hardships endured by the Allies throughout the process and the courage it took to take a run at the Third Reich as failure was not an option. Many of the stories told by those who ventured beyond enemy lines had my stomach in knots. It is simply unimaginable the courage it took to accomplish this, especially those in the “suicide wave” of Company A, the men first off the boats on Omaha beach.

There are moments in this book I will never forget.

I cannot speak highly enough of the work I’ve read to date from Graff. It’s one thing to collect all of this material for an oral history, but it is another entirely to assemble it as he has. I found this book nearly impossible to put down. For those who are fans of Graff’s earlier work as well as Erik Larson’s 2020 book, THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE, I cannot recommend this enough.

I tend not to lean into military history, but when I saw that Garrett Graff was writing this book, I knew I needed to read it. He's easily the most current readable nonfiction history author, in my opinion. Graff makes this event just as gripping as the portrayal in Saving Private Ryan, and because of the multiple perspectives, depths of investigation of the lead up and effects of the invasion, and profound insights, I'd say this sets a high bar for any book on D-Day.

The book is comparable, in its structure, to Graff's earlier work on September 11, The Only Plane in the Sky. As great as Studs Terkel may have been, this is oral history of a different nature: shorter comments that are put into conversation with each other, providing a comprehensive view of the same points in time. Graff does such a great job weaving together known historical figures such as Eisenhower, with voices of lesser known Americans.

This is a great book for those who are looking to understand the significance of D-Day during its 80th anniversary. It's easy to read, but intense and deep; not a quick read. Those who read it will find themselves more appreciative not only of the importance of D-Day, but the human sacrifice and ingenuity that comes with pulling off such a feat.

I typically don’t read military books but since I’m visiting Normandy next month I really wanted to read this. And I’m so happy I did! Very long but super informative!