White, David Fairbank 1951-

PERSONAL:

Born 1951.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY.

CAREER:

Journalist. Has worked for the New York Times, New York, NY, and the Journal of Commerce, New York, NY.

WRITINGS:

True Bearing, Andrews & McMeel (Kansas City, MO), 1980.

Bitter Ocean: The Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including the New York Times, Journal of Commerce, Fortune, New York, Parade, and Reader's Digest.

SIDELIGHTS:

David Fairbank White is a freelance reporter and author of the military history Bitter Ocean: The Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945. Here he chronicles the World War II battles between German U-boats and Allied ships, focusing on what was considered to be the longest-running battle of the war. The book provides readers with an overview of the events themselves, as well as information on the key players in the battle, such as British destroyer expert Donald Macintyre and German U-boat captain Otto Kretschmer. Booklist critic Gilbert Taylor noted that White's "heart is decidedly with the man at the periscope or on the bridge," as he limits his details to certain key players, partly due to space issues and partly in the interest of providing a more pleasing and engaging account of the events. Brian K. DeLuca commented in Library Journal that "White could prove to be a talented military historian. But here, at least, he is not a gifted story-teller." On the other hand, a contributor to Publishers Weekly called the book a "superior history."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2006, Gilbert Taylor, review of Bitter Ocean: The Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945, p. 68.

Library Journal, July 1, 2006, Brian K. DeLuca, review of Bitter Ocean, p. 91.

Publishers Weekly, March 27, 2006, review of Bitter Ocean, p. 69.