Lethal Tides

March 1, 2022

During World War II, the U.S. Navy hoped to reach Japan by hopscotching across the Pacific Ocean via its numerous islands but knew little about the Pacific's tides, currents, coral reefs, and ocean-floor topography. That's where marine biologist Mary Sears came in. Sears and her team gathered information and made predictions that facilitated the navy's actions and particularly the all-important amphibious landings. From pediatric surgeon Musemeche; with a 50,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 30, 2022
Oceanographer Mary Sears’s critical contributions to the U.S. Navy during WWII are detailed in this impressive and inspiring portrait. Pediatric surgeon Musemeche (Small) examines how Sears and other members of the women’s naval reserve, better known as WAVES, “developed critical intelligence for numerous amphibious missions, prepared manuals for general use by sailors and navigators, assisted in creating survival maps for air-sea rescue, and collated bathythermograph data for use in submarine warfare.” One of the first 10 researcher fellows at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts, Sears became a leading authority on plankton despite not being allowed to sail aboard the institute’s research vessel (she relied on male colleagues to gather specimens for her). Brought into the U.S. Hydrographic Office in 1943, Sears worked alongside colleagues including oceanographic librarian Mary Grier, oceanographer Dora Henry, and marine biologist Fenner Chace Jr., to compile reports on surfs, reefs, tides, and waves for landings at Luzon, Okinawa, Iwo Jima, and other Pacific theater hot spots. Musemeche peppers the narrative with details of the sexism Sears and others faced in the military and academia, and the ways in which the war effort upended life on the home front. The result is a rousing account of talent, intelligence, and commitment overcoming prejudice. Agent: Marcy Posner, Folio Literary.

June 1, 2022
In war, sometimes the most important weapons are information and expertise, as this biography of a remarkable woman demonstrates. Musemeche, a veteran pediatric surgeon, recounts the career of Mary Sears (1905-1997), who advanced the science of oceanography while making critical contributions to the war effort. Originally a marine biologist specializing in plankton, after Pearl Harbor, she was sent to the Oceanographic Unit at the Hydrographic Office of the Navy. Though she was meant to be a "placeholder for a man" who had enlisted, her abilities soon became apparent. One of her first projects dealt with studying undersea temperatures, which were especially significant for submarines. As she gathered a (mostly female) team around her, the focus shifted to providing maps for amphibious assaults on Japanese-held islands. The near-disastrous landing on Tarawa had underlined the need for better intelligence, especially about hazards like tides, reefs, waves, and weather. Sometimes, information was available in archives and had to be painstakingly excavated. Ironically, Japanese fishing surveys often turned out to be useful, but otherwise, charts had to be developed from observations of a target. Musemeche notes that Sears had a talent for sifting through huge amounts of raw information to find the important parts. In an era when female scientists had to battle for credibility, the value of her work was quickly recognized, to the point that keeping up with the demand for data and information was a constant strain. There is no telling how many lives were saved due to her work, but Adm. Chester Nimitz, for one, said that the material from Sears' unit was essential. No doubt the men on the front lines would have agreed. Musemeche tells the story with a sense of restraint that fits the subject, and she notes that a few years after Sears died, the Navy named a new oceanographic survey ship the USNS Mary Sears--a fitting tribute to someone who made a difference. Overdue acknowledgment of an important figure in American military history.

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June 1, 2022
Musemeche fully illuminates the critical yet rarely recognized work of ocean scientists during WWII. Primarily a biography of Mary Sears, who headed the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution during the war, this title reveals efforts to study everything from how barnacles and seaweed could slow ships down to the mastery of drift calculations that assisted in the recovery of downed airman and shipwrecked sailors. The science is compelling and artfully explained, while Musemeche's revelations about the sexism Sears dealt with is particularly stunning. Women were not permitted on research vessels due to fears dating all the way back to Homer's Odyssey, which suggested they were bad luck and would prove to be "distractions." As Musemeche recounts, the military only accepted women because it had no choice. "'[I]f the Navy could possibly have used dogs or ducks or monkeys," she writes, quoting Virginian Gildersleeve, dean of Barnard College, "certain of the older admirals would probably have preferred them.'" Engaging, intriguing, and surprising, this is a title women's studies and history fans will love.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2022

A fascinating book that will be received well by scholars and casual readers of history, marine science, military operations, and women's studies, Musemeche's work shares the story of Mary Sears, an oceanographer who joined the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergecy Service (WAVES) during World War II. She went on to lead a key 400-person scientific research department. Defying gender expectations of her time, Sears diligently guided her unit, providing key intelligence to naval strategists, significantly aiding in their efforts in the Pacific and Europe. The reports of the Naval Oceanographic Unit helped pilots and sailors navigate the oceans, streamlined shore landings, and enabled submarines to escape enemy detection. Plagued by sexism in her early career, Sears and her colleagues continued to face discrimination in the Navy, even as they provided essential knowledge and worked tirelessly on behalf of the military efforts. Other vibrant members of the team, including scientists and one expert librarian, are also profiled. VERDICT An engaging, thorough story about a worthwhile subject. This biography beautifully captures the energy, sacrifice, and commitment of military personnel working in the U.S. in the 1940s and makes clear the importance of their scientific contributions to the outcome of World War II.--Sarah Bartlett Schroeder

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.