Finished: The Caine Mutiny (Wouk) Pulitzer Prize winning book that follows the life of Ensign Willie Keith, a wealthy young man who gets assigned to a run down mine sweeping destroyer during World War II. We see the ship through his eyes, and watch as Willie does things we agree with and don't agree with, all the while coming into his own aboard the ship. When a new captain is placed on board not long after Willie arrives, none of the crew knows what a nightmare they are in for. The executive officer of the boat, Steve Maryk, has his hands full being responsible for all the men, being an example to Willie, and being 2nd in command to Captain Queeg, the new captain. As it turns out, Queeg is basically a coward who would rather berate men for the tiniest little details (i.e., shirttails untucked, etc.) rather than get anywhere near actual gun fire. Many incidences occur aboard The Caine which are a result of his incompetence, but he always blames the reasons on the crew to his higher ups. At a critical point in the South Pacific, the ship is hit by a typhoon, and with his irrational behavior, and after weeks of watching the captain deteriorate mentally, Maryk relieves the captain of his duties via an emergency navy rule. Maryk calmly saves the ship that was about to capsize, and when the crew returns to home base, Maryk is court marshalled and stands trial, with Willie named as his accomplice. I've had this book on my list to read for awhile, but was always a bit daunted by its 500+ page length. I'm so, so glad I finally read it! Wouk is such a good writer and develops each character to a tee. His descriptive prose takes you right to each location as well. If you've seen the movie, it really doesn't do the book justice...but it's a pretty good condensed version. :-)