A vibrant leviathan that sailed the world's oceans in the name of the United States, she was already twenty-seven years old on December 7, 1941. But she was still the pride of the Navy and favorite of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who witnessed her keel laying in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1914. Like an ageless siren, the USS ARIZONA could still draw a smile, even from those newfangled aircraft carriers whose airplanes buzzed her like angry bees during war games. Had the awful events of that fateful Sunday morning not occurred at Pearl Harbor, the ARIZONA probably would have passed the rest of her life peacefully and been scrapped sooner than later. However, her fate would be to serve as a focal point of hate and vengeance when she and most of her crew were incinerated. But...was it a bomb that destroyed her, or was ARIZONA the first casualty of longstanding international gamesmanship that led to war for the United States? A STRING OF PEARLS engages the reader in a series of "what-ifs." Get to know ARIZONA's men. Listen in on conversations between Churchill and Roosevelt and Russian diplomats. Fly in a Spitfire during the Battle of Britain. Visit with ordinary military men who would be asked to perform extraordinary feats. Get to know the women who loved and sacrificed for them. Fly in the Japanese formations as they rehearse for and attack Pearl Harbor. And settle back to listen to Glenn Miller's orchestra play "A String of Pearls."
About the Author: About Ben Baglio Benedict A. Baglio is a retired school administrator, counselor, and teacher. He remains active in K-12 educational issues as a consultant. He has served in leadership positions of various professional organizations nationally and in the middle states region. He also is an adjunct professor in education at Hofstra University, where he obtained his Ed.D. in 2003. Ben is a dedicated writer of historical fiction. He has published the first two of a four- volume saga of World War II, entitled A String of Pearls and I'll Be Seeing You. American Patrol and It's Been A Long, Long Time are due to be released in 2014. The series takes the reader from the years leading up to Pearl Harbor through V-J Day, providing "what if" questions to historical events and outcomes. Another novel entitled As Time Goes By. Just released, it tells the story of a modern day Navy fighter pilot who, through a crisis of faith, gets to meet his hero, a naval aviator who heroically died during the epic Battle of Midway. A time- travel fantasy for sure, the book is nonetheless historically accurate, and mirrors the attention to detail that marks Ben's writing. A novel centered on the angst and horror of the Vietnam era is "in the works." He also authored The Kids Are The Easy Part - An Insider's Perspective on School Reform. The book relates his perceived shortcomings of the current round of educational reform, and offers solutions to address them. Ben is a lifelong Long Islander, currently living in Patchogue. He is married, is the proud father of two sons, and two wonderful grandsons.