Harrell is not hesitant in crediting God for his survival. He begins each chapter with a quote from the Bible and frequently uses Bible verses in the telling of his story.
He also includes what happened to the survivors after they are rescued and about their efforts to have Captain Charles B. McVay, iii exonerated of any blame for the lost of the ship and most of its crew.
The TA library also has a second book on the sinking of the Indianapolis:
- The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of It's Survivors by Doug Stanton