Published Commentary: Assault on the Liberty
Analysis and Criticism
See also: Assault on the Liberty's Summary of Position.
The following quotes from critics are from the back cover of Assault on the Liberty.
"The book, which reads like a thriller, should be required reading for all government employees. The writing is first class. The relationships and conflicts of important shipboard personalities add suspense and human drama to the story." -The Washington Post Book World
"Ennes has done his homework well. His facts are well documented and his clarity of writing brings them together in a totally readable fashion. Ennes's treatment of the attack is awesome . . . an important book." -U.S. Naval institute Proceedings
"I've never read a more graphic depiction of war and its effects at sea . . . an insider's book by an honest participant." -Pulitzer Prize-winner Seymour Hersh
"As Ennes fills in the critical details of the incident, he also succeeds in giving us the human face that has been so strangely absent. Ennes's Liberty is populated by a sturdy crew that went fairly bonkers upon learning it was heading for the simmering eastern Mediterranean. We see them rowdy and brawling on their last shore leave, finally compliant before their tough, rule-bending executive officer, then heroic, palsied, bewildered and crippled during the attack." -The Washington Star
"A disquieting story of Navy bungling, government cover-up and Israeli duplicity that is well worth reading. And remembering." -The Atlanta Journal
"A graphic description of despair and bravery aboard the defenseless vessel. This is more than a detailed report: it is an inquest of cover-up in the area of inter-nation political intrigue." -The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch
"The book is remarkably enjoyable—a balance between The Cruel Sea and Mister Roberts . . . the first book in decades that makes the reader take pride in American servicemen . . . a tribute to the Navy . . . one of the finest accounts of combat at sea . . . the most important book you'll read this year." —The Hartford Courant
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