List $39.99

Written by Evan Thomas - Audio book performed by George K. Wilson - Unabridged Nonfiction - 13 COMPACT DISCS - 15.75 hours

Publisher, Recorded Books (November 2006)

Based on oral histories, diaries, correspondence, post-war testimony from both American and Japanese participants, Evan Thomas provides an almost cinematically suspenseful account not only of the great culminating sea battle and the Pacific naval war, but of the contrasting cultures pitted against each other. The book focuses on four naval commanders, two American, two Japanese, whose lives collided at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944—a clash involving more ships (almost 300), more men (nearly 200,000) and covering a larger area (more than 100 thousand square miles, roughly the size of the British Isles) than any naval battle in recorded history. Sea of Thunder is the story of the titanic and grotesque cultural misunderstanding between people who consistently misjudged and underestimated each other.

About the Author: Evan Thomas is the author of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (with Walter Isaacson); The Man to See: The Life of Edward Bennett Williams; The Very Best Men: Four Who Dared, the Early Years of the CIA; and Robert Kennedy: His Life. He is the assistant managing editor of Newsweek magazine and lives with his wife and two daughters in Washington, D.C.

About the Narrator: Multi-talented George Wilson got his start in broadcasting as a news director with American Forces Radio and Television in Thailand. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, West, he trained for the stage in London, and later became a founder of Broadway Local, an improvisational comedy group that performed in New York theaters and nightclubs.

Wilson’s film work includes a lead role in the cult classic, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. He has also appeared on many popular daytime dramas: One Life to Live, Ryan’s Hope, and The Doctors. His voice is often heard on The Guiding Light .His face has been seen in dozens of broadcast commercials, and his voice has been heard on hundreds more.

Wilson is also a prolific writer. As co-founder of Soundbites, Inc., he wrote and performed in over 500 short topical editorial cartoons for radio, as well as several one-hour Year-In-Review satire comedy specials for National Public Radio. His NPR news comedy has been heard on Weekend Edition, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Performance Today. His radio work has also been syndicated nationally to public radio stations under major grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. His Soundbites satire received the national CPB Gold Award for Best Public Service Program and several international radio awards. His topical humor pieces have also been published in the Internet daily paper The American Reporter and were featured on America Online.

With such a rich background in broadcasting, journalism, theater, and political satire, George Wilson is adept at narrating a wide range of works. Look for him on histories such as Duel of Eagles and The Annals of Tacitus. He excels in biographies, bringing you into the vivid company of characters like A.P. Hill. And he is the perfect narrator for Carl Hiaasen’s darkly comic novels, including Tourist Season and Lucky You.