1 comments about The Films of Oshima Nagisa: Images of a Japanese Iconoclast.

1. Being the World Cinema buff that I am, I always ask my friends from other countries what their favorite film from their home countries is. Whenever I've asked a friend from Japan this question, they have unanimously responded by saying "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" by Oshima Nagisa. Here in the U.S., we are led to presume it would be Kurosawa Akira, but that isn't so. For some reason, Oshima's film about Japan's atrocities during World War II resonate more, if not with most Japanese, with the younger generation with whom I interact. Maureen Turim's book "The Films of Oshima Nagisa" proceeds to tell us why, reviewing beyond Oshima's major features to include his documentaries as well. Along the way, she presents the Eastern and Japanese specific references and influences in Oshima's work rather than assume that Oshima primarily looked to the West for his inspiration as is shown in the over-emphasis in Western reviews of the Brechtian influences and the parallels to Goddard. This book also provides a solid feminist critique of Oshima's films, again with respect to what Feminism means in Japan. This book has trully enhanced my appreciation of Oshima's films and I recommend it highly.

4 comments about Prisoner of the Rising Sun.

1. This is an excellent first hand account. It is rather well done, more so than several others I have read. I do wish we had more like this one. Very inspiring. I felt it gave even a greater insight to the war in the Pacific. Recommend you add this one to your collection.



2. The author of this book is my grandfather. I found this book to be inspiring as I am also a soldier. I am in the Army and found this book to give me a greater appreciation of my profession as well as bring a greater understanding of my grandfather's life and why he is so proud. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand what POWs in the Philippines went through. I have lent my copy of his book to several of my friends and they all gave it great reviews as well.



3. William Berry has written a well-detailed, although brief, look at his attempted escape and captivity after the fall of Correigdor. While not a scholarly look at these events, the author gives a good account of his capture, escape and trek through the jungle, recapture and liberation by American servicemen from Bilibid prison in Manila. He painfully recounts the agony these men went through as they were crammed, up to 13 men at one time, into a 10 by 10 cell and forced to sit, without flinching, and stare at the wall all day.

   As a recaptured prisoner, Berry and his two comrades somehow survive the war, as the usual penalty for escape is execution. They were sent to the maximum security prison in Manila for "special prisoners", and many prisoners stopped here only long enough to be sentenced and shot. Berry, who was a fledgling lawyer before enlisting in the Navy, saw these skills save his life and the lives of his friends when being sentenced, not so much his arguments, of course, but rather how he shaped it to fit his audience (A Japanese tribunal)

   This book does not take long to read, but it is an interesting tale, and well worth the time invested. But, if you want greater scope and detail of Americans in Japanese captivity, read "Prisoners of the Japanese" by Gavan Daws, an extremely informative and well-written look at the horrors these men had to endure daily.




4. One of the few true to life books written by a WWII POW. As a history buff I find the first hand accounts in this book of the authors experiances and the others he came in contact a first rate story of America's darkest time. A must for all those who want to know more about POW's of the Japanese.

   Having been stationed in the Philippines and traveled to Battan and Corrigidor it brought the meaning of those visits a little sharper in focus.

No comments about A Dictionary of Japanese Artists: Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Prints, Lacquer.

4 comments about Baseball's Other All-Stars: The Greatest Players from the Negro Leagues, the Japanese Leagues, the Mexican League, and the Pre-1960 Winter Leagues in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

1. Peter Bjarkman said we should set the record straight and I agree. And, for the record, it appears as if Bjarkman took comments directed at him by readers of his book 'Smoke' and recycled them to my book.
   But you be the judge. Here are some of the comments readers made about Bjarkman's book 'Smoke'.
   Reader #1 - "An Almendares Blue pitcher in red on the cover shows the kind of problems that are in this book. Lennox Pearson's picture is identified as Panchon Herrera and Jose Valdivielsos as Asdrubal Baro. Tito Fuentes an outfielder? This book can misinform the uninformed; the pictures and the paper are good".
   Reader #2 - "There are countless errors of fact in the statistics and many of the players are incorrectly identified".
   Reader #3 - "The book is plagued with mistakes about Cuban history and culture. (There are) many historical errors that detract from the book's value. I am frankly embarrassed that this book may be quoted and used to write others".
   
   Bjarkman, in replying to his critics, said, "Yes, there are a small handful of typographical flaws in this book as in every other". Apparently, typos and minor flaws are acceptable in Bjarkman's books but not in others. Actually, most books contain some typos and minor flaws, and technical books that contain thousands of names are more susceptible. But, more important is whether or not the book contains information that makes it a valuable research tool. I believe 'Baseball's Other All Stars' has important statistics that contribute to our knowledge of the game, and that can be used to predict how a player will perform from one league to another.
   
   My book contains 27 tables and statistics, and formulas that let the reader predict what a player from the Japanese Leagues might hit in the major leagues. I should point out that the conversion formulas for estimating league to league comparisons were developed one full year before Ichiro Suzuki ever played his first game for the Seattle Mariners. And the prediction was right on target. The figures below show Ichiro's actual Japanese League career statistics for every 550 at-bats, compared to the major league prediction I made for him in 2000, and his actual major league statistics through 2004.
   
   Ichiro's actual Japanese League stats 550AB, 18HR, .359BA
   My major league prediction for Ichiro 550AB 8HR .337BA
   Ichiro's actual ML statistics thru 2004 550AB 7HR .339BA
   I think that's uncany predicting. Bjarkman doesn't like my methodology, but all I can say is, what works, works. And Bjarkman certainly doesn't have anything better. My conversion formula has since been confirmed by other Japanese League players in the major leagues, including Hideki Matsui, Kazuo Matsui, and Tadahito Iguchi.
   If you would like to read a book with empty rhetoric, there are several I can recommend. But if you are interested in learning more facts about the most important baseball leagues around the world, and if you would like to be able to estimate how Japanese League players, or former Negro league players like Josh Gibson, might hit in the major leagues, then 'Baseball's Other All-Stars' is the book you need. Peter Bjarkman has a copy, and I am sure he will use it many times for research over the years.



2. Someone needs to set the record straight on this book. One can argue endlessly over whether or not the book's premise (that stars from the Negro leagues, Latin leagues and Japanese League can be more properly evaluated simply by converting their actual career stats in those leagues to a major league standard of 162 games or 550 at-bats per annum) is valid or even at all insightful. Such a premise does apparently "beg the question" about the clearly different standards of play existing between these various leagues and major league baseball. It would seem far more valuable to promote a Josh Gibson or Martin Dihigo or Omar Linares by calling up detailed accounts of what their own leagues were actually like, or what their true talents actually were, from the accounts of those who actually saw them play.
   
   It is in this later area that this book falls apart, since its creditability is totally undercut by numerous (dozens and dozens!) of historical errors, typographical errors, and editorial sloppiness. I only offer a small sample here. Player names are regularly given incorrectly, including major leaguers (Ed Rommell, Ed Roush, Juan Pizzaro, Rafael Palmero, Ricky Henderson, Mickey Owens, Earl Combs, etc.) and Latin leaguers (again Pizzaro for Pizarro, Mexican league boss Jorge Pascual, Pedro Formenthal, Bienvenido Jiminez, Raphael Almeida, Andres Gallaraga, Adolpho Luque, Eusatquio Pedroso, etc.). Names of Latin teams and locales are badly mangled (Estraelles Orientals for Estrellas Orientales, Remidios for Remedios, Vera Cruz for Veracruz and Almedares for Almendares, to cite but a handful). There are incorrect descriptions of ballplayers that suggest this author is unfamiliar with their actual careers and talents. Cuban legend Alejando Oms was in fact a lefty and not a righthanded slugger, Orestes Destrada is a Cuban and not American native, 1970s-80s Cuban slugger Lazaro Junco was a lefty and not righty, as was Cuban pitching ace Jorge Luis Valdes of the same era. And most regrettably, there are inexuseable errors in the facts about Latin American baseball history. Jud Wilson was an American and not a Cuban ballplayer; it is NOT true that Bombin Pedroso's Cuban League career stats are not available; the pre-1959 Cuban League went by various names over the years, but it was never called the Cuban Winter League; baseball was NOT first introduced to Cuba in 1866 by US sailors in Matanzas; Mike Gonzalez broke into the big leagues with the Boston Braves and not the Red Sox; Mickey Mahler was a US and not a Dominican pitcher; Pop Lloyd did NOT play 27 seasons in Cuba; the first recorded game in Havana was not in 1866; Fidel Castro rose to power in 1959 not 1960, and more importantly he did not end pro ball on the island until after the 1961 season, not in 1960; the Detroit Tigers team visiting Cuba in 1909 were not world champions; the 1908 Cincinnati Reds were not the first major leaguers to visit Cuba. And Cuba is certainly not "a tiny island nation" but one of the largest islands in the world!
   
   To top it all off, the area of Latin America where baseball thrives is the Caribbean and not the CARRIBEAN. With such careless attention to details by both the book's editors and author, how can we take very seriously the rest of the detailed evaluations of ballplayers presented. The concept of this book may have been admirable, but the execution seems to harm as much as it helps the case for the lost leagues and stars the book features.



3. Another vote for a book that accurately predicts what the greatest baseball players from around the world would have hit if they had had a chance to play in the major leagues. How accurate is the prediction? Well, at least one of these baseball legends is still active. Ichiro, the Seattle Mariner's Japanese sensation, was predicted to hit .335, with 31 doubles, 10 triples, and 8 home runs. His actual numbers for his first 550 at-bats, were .342, 31-8-6. That's uncanny predicting. So, if you would like to know what Josh Gibson, Shigeo Nagashima, or Cristobal Torriente would have hit in the major leagues, and how many home runs they would have hit, this book will tell you. Outstanding.



4. This book is a landmark. It is the first book that discusses the greatest baseball players who never played in the major leagues. They played out their careers in the Negro Leagues, and in many other leagues around the world. One of the most intriguing things about the book is the statistical analysis that allows the reader to see how a player from Japan or Cuba might perform in the major leagues. The book predicted, more than one year ago, how Ichiro would do in the major leagues - and its right on the money! It also predicts how the other great professional baseball players around the world would have performed in the major leagues had they had the opportunity, players like Francisco Coimbre, Sadaharu Oh, Martin Dihigo, Josh Gibson, and dozens more. It's a fascinating educational experience, one that will surprise and shock you. If you want to become a true baseball expert, you have to read this book.

5 comments about The Dream of Water.

1. Whine, whine, whine. Get a life woman, and stop detailing every boring thing your father ever did to you.



2. In this intensely personal memoir Kyoko Mori visits her home town of Kobe, Japan, in an attempt to come to terms with her mother's suicide and her estrangement from her father.
   
   She came to America at 20, seven years after her mother's suicide, and even then knew she would never return for more than a visit. Her memoir begins with an account of the immediate aftermath of her mother's death - the shrouded atmosphere of shock and grief, her maternal grandparents gentle consideration, her father's jarring insensitivity.
   
   It then jumps to 1990, as Mori, now an American, readies for departure from Green Bay, Wisconsin, where she teaches creative writing at the university. She has always been ambivalent about the country of her birth. When people ask her if she 'goes back,' she winces at their terminology and replies, ' 'I'd like to visit sometime, but there are other places I'd rather travel to if I had the money.' '
   
   The trip is a sabbatical, justified as research for her stories and poems. She will spend four weeks sightseeing. Letters to her family are only sent from the airport: 'I could never get on the plane this morning if I had to see my family first thing upon arrival.' The people she has arranged to meet on arrival are, instead, Americans living in Japan and it is an American family she stays with.
   
   Mori skims over her four weeks traveling. She remains an outsider, treated as a foreigner. The Japanese she meets don't even expect her to speak Japanese. The reader pictures her in her American running shoes and sports clothes, a contrast to the Japanese women in dresses and lipstick, aloof in her tourist personna. But Mori begins to think she would feel alien anyway, even if she had not become so determinedly American. Kobe, where she grew up, is a modern, westernized city with little of Japanese tradition about it. The private school she went to, run by westerners, encouraged her non-conformist creativity. Even Japanese art does not move her.
   
   Upon her return to Kobe she agonizes over calling her father. She longs to see her other relatives - the maternal grandmother, aunts and cousins her father had forbidden contact with at the age of 13. Her paternal aunt and cousin who gave her so much sympathy and love in the difficult years after her father remarried. But she is Japanese enough to know that she must call her father first otherwise the others will feel awkward.
   
   The narrative is haunted by the guilt and grief she still feels over her mother's suicide, the bitterness she carries for her father. Until we meet him, it's easy to feel impatient with Mori as well as sympathetic. Sure, he was a cold, even viscious parent - depriving her of family, threatening to take her out of the school she loved, beating her for speaking her mind, full of psychological cruelties - but she also provoked him with her rash impetuosity. Perhaps Mori should be an adult about it and reconcile. How can he hurt her now?
   
   Then we meet her father and his callous behavior is as breathtaking as it is sad. The stepmother really is like something out of Grimm's fairytales. In their presence Mori becomes like a child again but the years have taught her restraint. Reuniting with her other relatives, she finds it frustrating that Japanese language and custom makes emotional expression difficult. But in the end she also finds a delicacy, even a liberation, in this. Breathing room.
   
   Mori's language is simple, unadorned, affectingly graceful. Her narrative engages the emotions as it struggles with big questions of coming of age and coming to terms with anguish that will never be resolved. In the end she remains an alien in her birthplace and the reader understands a little more about what that means.



3. The main watered down version of this book to save people the trouble of reading it: My past was traumatic, and I hate Japan. GO UNITED STATES!
   In other words? Stupid, biased, and well... BAD

   This is just like her book "Polite Lies", Ms. Mori just wants to display Japan in the lowest level doesn't she? All right, your past was traumatic. Thank you. Now either get OVER it, or just LEAVE JAPAN ALONE! I'm Japanese, just like this author but lived in the United States for seven years (from when I was 3-10) and have been living in Japan since. Now, as I am living in Japan NOW and not what? 25895039 million years ago (that's the impression I get from her book) I can tell you that the information is WRONG. Her writing style is well, beautiful and imaginitive, but her information? CATCH UP BEFORE WRITING A BOOK AND ACTING PERSUASIVE! If she's trying to lower a foreigner's view of Japan, she's probably done a fine job of it. So as a warning to all foreigners readning this book: IT'S A BUNCH OF LIES!

   She also has a load of stuff on the Japanese school system that is so wrong. It's a perfectly fine system okay? Quit bashing on it! It seems she didn't even go through it because she spent half the book boohooing about how bad it was and how EXCELLENT her AMERICAN influenced private school was.




4. This is a book I relish so much, I limit myself to a chapter a day just to stretch out the enjoyment and savor each sentence. I am an American who has lived in Japan for seven years, and it is so interesting to see the view through her eyes -- she really does capture aspects of Japanese culture that are below the surface, not normally visible, but nonetheless palpable. This girl definitely has a way with words!



5. I don't like giving a synopsis or summary of the book. Thats what reading it is for. What I do like to discuss in reviews is what kind of effect the book had on me. The mood and atmosphere of the book was on the depressing side, but that's okay. Because life is like that sometimes. Like Kyoko Mori, if you don't confront a problem correctly, it will fester in your soul until you come to terms with it. The book was realistic. I like putting down a book and knowing it isn't "too good to be true" because it is true, and I don't end up in a fantasy land.

   The book does deal with alot Kyoko's negative experiences and views of the Japanese culture. I love Japanese culture, and I think her views are totally valid. I can accept the good and bad. Why be closed minded? Kyoko even comes to appreciate and understand some of the seemingly "rude" behaviors of her Japanese friends, and can enlighten us outsiders to what might seem to be odd behavior.

   Good book. It was nice for Kyoko to let go of some of her personal demons and share this very personal and painful story. Maybe we can all be as brave as her and launch head on into what we've been dreading and fearing.

5 comments about Tale of Genji (Tuttle Classics of Japanese Literature).

1. I had to read this book for class. It wasn't that good. Conversations get confusing because its not clear who is saying what. It might be a small book but its tedious reading. I'm usually a fast reader but it took me a couple of days just to get through 3 chapters. I asked around at class and found that I was not the only one who had this problem. Its less painful if you just get a summary or if you just get someone to tell you what happens.



2. This edition is actually the first volume of the series that makes up the complete Tale of Genji. After much anticipation, fuelled by books such as The Tale of Murasaki, I was ready to take on this giant of world literature. It was quite disappointing, but perhaps much of that was due to my strong personal dislike of the title character, Genji. Presented as a `shining prince', and the epitome of manhood, I found him to be a vain and childish character who was annoying in the extreme. So when the story is based on his adventures and accomplishments, it is bound to disappoint.

   However, something strange happened with this book - by the end, I had decided to seek out the further volumes so as to complete the story. So Genji, annoying or otherwise, grows on the reader, and you feel compelled to find out what happened next. And this is the sign of a good book. And if you have any interest in Japanese literature, or Heian culture, this book is a must-read, as so much relates to it.

   This is one of the `classic' translations, and is quite easy to understand. I would recommend having `A Reader's Guide to The Tale of Genji' by William Puette on hand while reading if you want to fully appreciate all that is going on.




3. The Tale of Genji, or Genji monogatari, was written in the tenth century by Shikibu Murasaki. In it, there is a deep look at the culture and way of life of the highest classes in Heian-era Japan.

   The tale itself is about the 'shining prince'; Genji. Son of the emperor and one of his lowest consorts, Genji is fated to be one of the most important men of the age, but never able to truly ascend to royalty. This story, all thousand plus pages of it, details his life full of music, poetry, and efforts to win the hand of various ladies.

   While starting out very episodic, Genji soon turns into a more refined tale, when all the threads of story come together to create surprising relations and events that will delight the imagination in their color and depth. By the end of the book, you will have lived through so much of the characters lives that each person comes into their own, and you cannot help but hope that all will end well.

   I will say, however, that this book is somewhat difficult to get into for the uninitiated. There's much in the way of allusion to religion of the day (be it Shinto or Buddhism), and of customs that are barely mentioned due to being so commonplace at the time. As such, I would suggest something to introduce people to the Heian culture.

   My first and best suggestion would be The Tale of Murasaki, written by Liza Dalby. It's a diary of the author of Genji, Shikibu Murasaki, pieced together from poems and the real diary, and filled in with further guesses as to her life. Compared to Genji, it is very approachable, and makes reading this story even easier.

   I cannot recommend Genji enough, being quite possibly the first novel in the world, and certainly one of the best. For anyone with an interest in Japanese history, well-written romance, or just the best of the written word, Genji is sure to delight.




4. I was hesitant to start reading "The Tale of Genji" because it seemed so long and ponderous and serious. It seemed like the kind of novel you read because you should, not because it's fun. That wasn't the case at all! The book is a little obscure, a little hard to read, but it keeps me up reading it at night. The world it evokes is distant, exotic, and poetic. I haven't read the other translations, but I will say that for me it wasn't hard to keep track of who was who, despite the lack of personal names, and I'm glad that this translation stuck close to the original in that respect.



5. A longtime admirer of Murasaki Shikibu's exceptional work, I fell in love with Genji first through Arthur Waley's translation, which made this admittedly exotic novel accessible to non-Japanese readers. Curious to know more about the Heian period and culture, I acquired Ivan Morris's tremendously helpful and readable "The World of the Shining Prince." Then I discovered Edward Seidensticker's superb rendering of "The Tale of Genji," and have read and re-read that version with deepening understanding and enjoyment. Seidensticker, while presumably adhering closer to the language of the original (which even modern Japanese find difficult to read), gave us a translation which is perfumed by the sensuous beauty of what must have been a truly refined and special time and place (albeit a very limited one).

   Now comes Royall Tyler's superb effort, which comes with myriad and very helpful details: each chapter starts with an explanation of the chapter title, how the section relates to previous chapters and the cast of characters. There are also generous appendices including a chronology of events in the novel and a glossary. Line drawings throughout the two volumes (also present in Seidensticker) provide helpful visual clues as to dress and architecture. Tyler's effort seems even closer to the original language, and thereby lies the problem.

   This version unnecessarily burdens the reader with ever-changing nomenclature. Since in the original characters are known by their rank-names, and Tyler (mostly) adheres to this usage, the reader is challenged to keep up with the changes. Put the book down for a day or two and you will feel quite lost for several minutes when you restart. As an aide, the translator does provide footnotes to clue you in, but this just makes things more awkward and tedious. For example, at the start of Chapter 43, "Red Plum Blossom" in Tyler's version: "There was in those days a gentleman known as the Inspector Grand Counselor, the late Chancellor's second son, hence the younger brother of the Intendant of the Watch (1)" This same sentence in Seidensticker reads: "Kobai, the oldest surviving son of the late To no Chujo, was now Lord Inspector." How much more to the point!

   To conclude, while Tyler's translation is awesome in its scholarship and abundant detail (including sources of the poetry), it is also much less readable. To my mind, the scholarship gets in the way of the story telling. I found myself longing for my Seidensticker at many turns as I went dutifully through the Tyler. Aside from providing a more continuous flow to the story, I also found that Seidensticker's translation of the many poems in the tale more comprehensible and lyrical.

   If you are new to this literary masterpiece, you will find the Waley translation the most accessible. If you get hooked on the work, you will probably want the other two. If you must have only one version, however, go with Seidensticker.

No comments about Shapers of Japanese Buddhism.

No comments about Wally Yonamine: The Man Who Changed Japanese Baseball.

3 comments about Senso: The Japanese Remember the Pacific War (Studies of the Pacific Basin Institute).

1. The first shocking chapters of this book give us a picture of a military culture whose sadistic norms were so out of control that it's almost incomprehensible. Sometimes I wonder if the allies did Japanese soldiers a favor by killing them so they could escape an army with an absolutely sick sense of discipline. One soldier wonders how many trainees committed suicide to escape punishment: just for breaking a firepin on a rifle! On Japan's surrender, an army nurse recalls soldiers turning on and beating officers who were screaming, "Forgive me, forgive me". Another soldier remembers suffering trainees whispering, "Bullets come from behind in a battlefield". I grew up hearing Korean stories about Japanese abuse that I never thought to be true until now.
   
   It's certainly not surprising that such an army of the walking dead would commit atrocities as a norm rather than as an exception. One story recalls using prisoners as targets for new recruits who were so scared that their bayonets were shaking. He recounts how they drew a red circle around the prisoners' heart, not as a target, but as the one place you were NOT allowed to stab so the prisoners would suffer as long as possible. Many of the tales of wartime heroism are simply acts of decency in defiance of unspeakably cruel punishment.
   
   Was such ferocious sadism unique to Japan, or does this teach us about other great cultures as well? Many admire the samurai, the Zulu, the Spartans and other great warriors reknown for superhuman conduct. Perhaps this sadism is the cost of such greatness - the natural reaction of humans being held to an inhuman standard?
   
   Nevertheless, as the war drags on and unrealistic notions of superiority fade, the stories inevitably become more human and share much more in common with the horrible sufferings of all people from war. It was a war where both the innocent and guilty suffered from the fanaticism of the strong.
   
   The editors reveal that they did not publish articles that were simply long nationalistic rants. Interestingly enough, this coincides with the fact that almost no articles were written by or defended those who perpertrated this plague of barbarism. It may very well be that the anti-war bias of the editors has robbed us of a look into the psychology that gives birth to atrocity.



2. Although the project was supposed to last only a few months, Asahi shimbun were absolutely deluged with responses and they eventually printed 1,000 out of 4,000 letters received. Not only does the book give the reader a personal glimpse of what it was like to be a foot soldier, housewife, high school teacher, etc.,it is also organized in a way that details the events of the war from the first settlements in Manchuria to the occupation and even how people feel about their role today. It's a great way to get the full chronology of events as well as all the personal depictions.

   I was shocked at how the footsoldiers were treated by the officers and was surprised to read tales of killing superiors in battle, much like "fragging" occurrences in the Vietnam war. Throughout the book there are gut-wrenching stories of combat, but there is also an underlying thread of humanity; officers finding ways to keep their soldiers alive, a vacationing zero pilot who convinces a group of admiring boys not to join the military, a young soldier who secretly puts some of the bones and ashes of other soldiers into the empty boxes so the families have something to pray to.

   I sat down to read the first chapter at 6 pm but I couldn't put it down. I finished it at 2 am. My best friend teaches high school history and I'm going to copy off a few of the best stories for him to use in class. This is a must read... for anyone.




3. This book does a great service in helping us see the Japanese in WW2 as more than mindless fanatics.It is an compilation of letters written to the editors of one of Japans largest newspapers, the Asahi ("Morning Sun")Shimbun during the 50th anniversary commemorations of the end of World War 2.The stories are primarily from military participants or family members of military personnel and most are very frank and gut wrenching. I got the sense that many of the ex military men were trying to come to grips as to why they were fighting- and the answers are not what this American reader has come to expect. I have always thought that the Japanese were brain washed sub-human fanatics when it came to fighting, but many of the stories reveal compassion,caring and a full awareness of the situation they were in. They speak of heartless, cruel and inhuman superior officers who thought nothing of leading entire battalions to death in their quest for glory, but they also realize that these officers were just the products of a military system where cruel treatment of recruits was a tool to instill blind obedience to superior officers. I still don't think that this is a good excuse for the many atrocities that were committed by Japanese forces during the war, but it goes alot farther in helping me to understand how such atrocities,e.g., Rape of Nanking, Bataan death march, arose. The letters from family members are particularly poignant as they recall fathers, brothers, uncles and sons who were never seen again.I was very moved by several letters from family members who had childhood memories of the deceased soldiers that really drove the point home that war is such a terrible waste(hate to sound like a cliche). The Japanese lost more than 2 million people during the war, and it would be hard not to find a family that didn't face tragedy. I gave this book to several friends who said it completely opened up their minds about what they thought about the Japanese during World War 2.While we all agree that Japan was not right for its war of aggression and the pain and suffering it caused to millions of Asians, Americans, British,Dutch and Australians, we can now hear for the first time the voices of the Japanese participants and learn that they too cried and suffered and felt deep guilt for what they did.

No comments about Lost Names: Scenes from a Boyhood in Japanese-Occupied Korea.