No comments about Prisoner of the Emperor: An American Pow in World War II.

No comments about Shapers of Japanese Buddhism.

2 comments about The Hunt for Tokyo Rose.

1. I had expected that the author would reveal a lot of what Tokyo Rose actually broadcast and, especially, the effect it had or was expected to have on our troops in the Pacific War. Plus, obviously, some followup on how she was eventually arrested in the U.S., etc. This text is a very good historical and legal account about Tokyo Rose (the one chosen for this book), her biography, her time in Japan, how she got involved, how she was arrested in the U.S. and so on, but the narrative is so detailed that it becomes boring and tends to lose the general reader's interest. On the other hand, if you are interested in Tokyo Rose's life and personal problems, and demand a lot of very detailed and specific biographical and prosecutorial information, this is the book for you. Sorry, not what I was looking for...



2. Six months ago I was traveling along the coast of Washington, when I woke up to the terrible TV scenes of fire and death and collapsing buildings. I wrote my first thoughts in my diary: "As events unfold, I worry of our response. Will internal security become Gestapo like? Will we isolate ourselves? What about our civil rights or the rights of dark guys with beards and robes?" To know what could happen, we only needed to look back to the internment of Japanese-Americans or the case of "Tokyo Rose" (Iva Toguri).

   If you are interested in World War II history or the excesses of patriotism, this is a book you should read and keep in your library. Mr. Howe has done a through job gathering the events and as a bonus describes the world of living in an enemy's country. I also value the picture Howe paints of life as a POW in Japan. It's nice that he has humanized some of the Japanese military, even to the point of letting us see that there were good and bad on both sides. Consider, for example, the support Iva received from the fighting GI's and compare it to the pettiness of the (mostly) non-combatant government agents.

   Howe's writing style could have been more readable and there were a few errors of fact. (p. 244 Doolittle's first raid was in 1942 and not two years later.) These did not detract excessively.

   Our challenge today as Americans is to avoid another case of "Tokyo Rose".

2 comments about Lt. Bill Farrow: Doolittle Raider.

1. The overall story of the Doolittle Raid on Japan in early 1942 is well known. It's been covered in many histories and in the famous book/movie '30 Seconds Over Tokyo.'
   
   This is a new book that covers the raid with an emphasis on Bill Farrow, pilot of 'Bat out of Hell,' number sixteen, the last plane to take off from the Hornet. As is well known, the planes took off early and the additional distance meant that they couldn't complete the mission as planned due to fuel consumption. But they still went.
   
   'Bat out of Hell' ran out of gas on the coast of China and the crew captured. Lt. Bill Farrow, Lt. Dean Hallmark, and Cpl. Harold Spatz were given a mock trial and executed by firing squad in an ancient cemetery in Shanghai.
   
   This book is a tribute to Lt. Farrow as well as to the rest of the men on the raid. Not only did the raid do a great deal to cheer up American morale, it affected the war in that from then on the Japanese were aware that they did not live on an unapproachable island. From then on they kept substantial reserves of forces at home, making them unavailble for use in the actual fighting.
   
   There is another book on Bill Farrow: 'Tall and Free as Meant by God' written by his aunt and available used once in a while.
   
   Finally I find myself wondering if the Japanese people really realize what they did in World War II with incidents like the execution of Farrow/Hallmark/Spatz. The general view in Japan is that everything was going along peacefully until we started dropping atomic bombs on them.



2. A good inciteful book with insights into one of the early heroes of WWII. Highly recommended reading for people to appreciate the sacrifices of our servicemen.

5 comments about The Girl With the White Flag: An Inspiring Story of Love and Courage in War Time.

1. Title: The Girl with the White Flag: An Inspiring Story of Love and Courage in War Time
   Author: Tomiko Higa
   Genre: Memoir
   
   Synopsis: Tomiko Hiko was seven years old on the island of Okinawa when Allied forces land. Decades later, she discovers a picture of herself as a child, carrying a white flag and surrendering to enemy forces, with a line of Japanese soldiers behind her. Finding the picture triggered repressed memories, which were compiled in this short memoir of the war years, particularly the invasion. Separated from her family, she faced the enemy alone.
   
   Quote: "Remembering Father's words to die with a brave smile, the author waves at the camera."
   
   Grade: B+
   Review: I first read this book in high school, and it is one of the few I picked up at that time that I remember vividly. I have to come back to it every few years to see if it is as moving as I remember it. OF course, it always is. It's a great book the other side of Okinawa, family, love, war.



2. I just googled this book to show to my friend becasue its recommended as a childrens book and when i read it in 4th grade (im 24 now) this book scared the poop out of me. I dont think its a ppropriate for young children. I still cringe thinking about some of the chapters where she is forced to squezze puss from her amputated friends limbs. Ewwww! Amazing story but i think you should be a bit older before you absorb the ferocious atrtocities of war.



3. This book with its unadorned account of survival through the terrible battle of Okinawa is an important reminder of just how cruel war is, especially to those caught in the middle. Little Tomiko struggles against all odds and lives to tell this amazing story of desperation and courage. Not for sensitive kids; I would recommend this to middle schoolers and older - this is the real thing, not just a video game. Heartbreaking and horrifying, but with beautiful moments and miracles.



4. I thought this book was okay. You would like it if you liked learning about Japan during WWII, but I found it badly written. The end is unsatisfactory and the way it was written, even though it was non-fiction was boring to me.



5. Excellent moving tale of young girl's survival during battle of okinawa. An excellent book for teachers to use in their classes. Having lived in Okinawa and studied the battle, the book lends a gentler more personal insight into the plight of the Okinawans who were often forcibly removed from shelters such as caves to make room for Japanese troops. Over 100,000 civilians perished in the conflict.

1 comments about The MUSIC OF LIGHT: THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF HIKARI AND KENZABURO OE.

1. This is the best book I've read this year. It covers so much: a family's love for their brain damaged child and their commitment to the grueling, challenging years raising him in a society that wants him to just disappear. It is at once literary criticism, classical music criticism, cultural commentary, biography, pschology, psychiatry, medicine and a touchingly told love story between man and son. By the end of this book you will have fallen in love with Hikari the sweet savant from Kobe and his wonderful father, Kenzaburo.

3 comments about I-Boat Captain.

1. Excellent first person account of submarine warfare as conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. The IJN had a very different doctrine on submarine and anti-submarine warfare than either the USA or Germany. Capt. Orita notes the IJN Admiralty's lack of faith and lack of understanding of submarine & anti-submarine warfare, and how their lack of understanding translated itself into a very poor underwater warfare doctrine that proved to be one of several undoings for the IJN. Orita believes that the outcome in the Pacific Theater would have been very different if the IJN had attached greater importance to anti-submarine warfare, and if the IJN had more aggressively deployed submarines. Orita's facts and figures are hard to deny.



2. Captain Orita was one of the most active Japanese submarine commanders to have survived WWII. He details his experiences in hunting U.S. and British ships throughout the Pacific Ocean. He discusses how other Japanese submariners sank the Yorktown carrier and the Indianaplis cruiser. He details the different classifications of Hirohito's submarines. He notes how and which various Japanese submarines were sunk on their missions. He describes how his submarines attacked Sydney Harbor and shelled Santa Barbara, CA. He discusses how Japanese submarines conducted resupply missions throughout New Guinea and Guadalcanal, and the difficulties that they experienced. He is able to put a very human face on the stoic pilots of the Kaiten "one way" suicide submarines, and how their one- and two-man crews trained, and sometimes failed in horrible drowning accidents. He seems to be a little vexed in that he believes that the Japanese submarines sank a lot more Allied ships that what the Allied navies are willing to admit. Not an "exciting" battlefield suspenseful reading book, but a nice, well written view from a true seafarer who survived the worst that Davy Jones' sea locker had to offer.



3. Captain Zenji Orita's book is a memoir and overview of the Japanese submarine service during the war in the Pacific. It provides the reader with an insiders's look at bitter arguments within their naval staff on the advisability of plans to attack Pearl Harbor and Midway Island. Orita writes the Japanese navy of WW2, "had the world's smallest,largest,slowest,and fastest submarines with a small airforce mounted on its decks." The book's dust cover proclaims,"How Japan's Submarines Almost Defeated the U.S. Navy in the Pacific !" This is a publishers attempt to capture interest and not an opinion shared by the author. Orita explains Japan's submarine operations changed after the defeat at Midway Island and were never effectvely "interposed between the beach head (and harbors) and supply sources." The Japanese had a superior torpedo, but suffered grave losses due to better anti-submarine tactics, weapons and radar. Orita describes the duality of trying to save his own crew while transporting individual Kaiten underwater suicide missions, and reveals canceled plans to bomb the Panama Canal by submarine launched aircraft. The book is illustrated with photographs of Japanese submarines, military personnel, and the Naval Academy at Etajima.

4 comments about Prisoners in Paradise: American Women in the Wartime South Pacific.

1. A good book informs and entertains. A great book informs, entertains and forces us to ask questions. Kaminski's book cannot be read without introspection. As she details a horrifying scenario, military detention of women and children on foreign soil, and delves into how that situation affected women's roles, the reader is compelled to ask, "What if this happened to me?"

   Is it better to keep one's head held high or better to feed your child? Is it better to uphold the vestiges of social class and civilization or is it better to put a roof over your children's heads? Over and over, Kaminski forces the reader to wonder, "What would I do in a similar situation?"

   Kaminiski's depth of research and understanding of the topic shines on every page. These heroic women, until now so disregarded by history, owe her a great debt.

   For any person who marvels at the power of roles to dictate worthiness, this book is a must read. I wish we'd had this book when I attended women's studies classes. Thank you, Dr. Kaminski, for bringing this unknown part of history to light.




2. What does it take to survive? What does it cost? This brilliant, fearless, absolutely page-turning book examines the plight of American women caught in the camps. The women in this book burst alive on the page with stories you just can't forget. Just beautifully written! Can't wait to read more from the very talented Kaminski.



3. ...one of hope and survival. The women come to life as their story is told of how they went from a life of leisure with servants to do the work for them to doing everything by themselves with little help from their men. Ms Kaminsky does an excellent job telling these women's story and her book is a great addition to my bookshelves.



4. Fourteen thousand civilian Americans spent the years of World War II as "guests" of their Japanese conquerors. The author tells the story of more than a dozen American women who were interned by the Japanese or took to the hills to escape being captives. Most of the Americans were residents of the Philippines, but one was interned in Borneo, another on Celebes and a third in Hong Kong.
   
   The best known of the internees, Agnes Newton Keith,was a well known author before the war and wrote a chilling account, "Three Came Home," of her three years in captivity. Several of the other women also published their stories or were interviewed by the author.
   
   I can't think of anything more frightening than to be stranded with your children ten thousand miles from home in wartime and being totally at the mercy of a cruel enemy. Fortunately, the Japanese, for all their savagery in China, did not usually physically abuse the Caucasian women. However, hunger, isolation, and the fear of the unknown were potent factors. Perhaps the most amazing part of this story is how well and effectively the women coped with their fate.
   
   There is a bit too much of academia in the narrative. The drama of the lives of the captives -- or those who evaded captivity -- could have been better exploited. The thematic approach taken by the author involved much skipping around from woman to woman and made it difficult to become familiar with them individually. But, the story is good and interesting, the research impeccable, and the book well worth reading by World War II buffs, feminists, and people interested in the impact of extreme stress on human beings.
   
   Smallchief

2 comments about From China Marine to Jap POW: My 1,364 Day Journey Through Hell.

1. Chittenden's book is historical, inspirational and highly compelling. Few books are able to accurately portray life of the China Marine turned Japanese Prisoner of War. His book reminded me of the gratitude that is owed to all those men who sacrificed so much for our nation.



2. being a 43 year old, and not yet born durring this period of history, I found that the life of this gentleman was exremely interesting to say the least. The personal letters home where by themselves worth reading this fine book. How fortunate for us all that he survived, and through his account of his experience, we can learn of a time that young men and women of his generation, stepped up and saved this country, and the world, from tryany.

2 comments about Prisoner of the Turnip Heads: The Fall of Hong Kong and the Imprisionment by the Japanese.

1. The cruelty and depravity demonstrated by the Japanese during their occupation of Hong Kong between 1941 and 1945 is one of the less well-documented chapters of the Second World War. Yet, as George Wright-Nooth demonstrates with such freshness and clarity in this autobiographical account, it is as great a story of heroism, endurance, and poignancy as any other of its time. The image of 33 individuals, British, Chinese and Indian, preparing to be executed by beheading, and being comforted from among their own group by an Sandhurst-trained Indian officer and a Hong Kong Chinese man leading prayers will long remain in the mind. What also brings the book to life are the diary extracts and the author's excellent memory for detail, which superbly capture the sense of a young Englishman caught in the sweep and suffering of a wider tragedy, but somehow retaining his spirit, his inquisitiveness and that uniquely British sense of humour that shines undimmed through fifty years and the terrible things he saw and experienced.



2. This is a very moving and well-written memoire; given the tragic events, it is not possible for such a book to do other than include some very sad & brutal stories. I have visited Hong Kong on numerous occasions and it was interesting to relate the events described in this book to the places I knew.