Launching Liberty tells the remarkable story of how President Franklin D. Roosevelt partnered with private businessmen in the early 1940s to begin the production of cargo freighters longer than a football field, ships he affectionately dubbed “ugly ducklings.” These colossal Liberty ships took over six months to build at the start of his $350 million emergency shipbuilding program. But the government turned to Henry Kaiser, the man who had delivered the Boulder Dam ahead of schedule and under budget, yet had never built a ship in his life. Kaiser established a network of shipyards from coast to coast and recruited tens of thousands of workers eager to contribute to the war effort. Launching Liberty is a tapestry of voices reflecting the diverse American experience of World War II. From the halls of the White House to the cramped quarters of half-finished cargo ships, we hear from naval architects, welders, nurses, engineers, daycare providers, and mothers balancing family life with the demands of wartime economy. This book uncovers the inspiring, untold stories of those who rose to the challenge during one of America’s most tumultuous times.
Doug Most is an award-winning journalist and author of three books whose career has spanned newspapers, magazines, and universities up and down the East Coast, from Rhode Island to Washington, D.C., to South Carolina to New Jersey to Boston. His 2014 nonfiction book, The Race Underground, tells the story of the birth of subways in America and was adapted into a PBS American Experience documentary. His latest book, Launching Liberty (August 2025, Simon & Schuster), tells the story of the building of America’s World War II Liberty ships. He works now as executive editor of the university's daily newsroom and an assistant vice president at Boston University.
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