The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors By James Hornfischer (512 pages, 100+ photos, 7 maps) Reviewer:  Terry Miller Overall Rating: Four Stars--Highly recommended. An excellent book. Only once in a great while does a book come along that manages to combine the authentic historical detail with the fast pace of the thriller. Many good books have been written on the subject of the Battle off Samar from the perspective of the Japanese admirals who led the attack, from the point of view of the American commanders who fought against them, and by those who showed us the valiance of the escort carriers. What has been missing was a view of the fighting as it was experienced by the tin cans. Jim Hornfischer has filled that void with a book filled with personal detail yet told in an edge-of-your-seat fashion that will hold the reader's attention page after page. Hornfischer shows us rather than tells us of the saga as it unfolds and he provides insights into the lives and backgrounds of those who fought and those who died in what many call the most valiant battle in naval history. He analyzes the strategy and tactics, when right and when outguessed, and presents us with a vista of action as though we were there on deck ourselves, adrenaline pumping as our ship dodges shells and maneuvers to attack Imperial Japanese Naval Forces many times our own size. He depicts the courage and dedication of the defenders in the face of impossible odds and the valor they showed as the destroyers HOEL, HEERMAN, and JOHNSTON, and the destroyer escorts SAMUEL B ROBERTS, DENNIS, RAYMOND and JOHN C BUTLER gave as good as they got. This is an important book and one that everyone interested in naval history should read and one that every destroyer veteran should have in his personal library. If you read only one destroyer book about the war in the Pacific, The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors should be that book.   Availability: Tin Can Sailor's Ship's Store.