1 comments about Kristi Yamaguchi: Pure Gold (Taking Part Series).

1. ...and for the most part, although it's geared towards a younger audience, it's a great book to have if you are a big fan of Kristi Yamaguchi, mostly for the photos it includes. There are several photos of Kristi in Albertville, both on the podium and standing with her medal after the ceremony that I've not seen in any other book and that brought back great memories of watching it live all those years ago. One of the more interesting parts of this book is that it was written before Kristi decided to turn pro, and talks about her plans for Lillehammer in 1994 (how great would that have been if it had been true?). Some of the photos are incorrectly captioned, and the book doesn't really reveal any ground-breaking information about Kristi or her life that hasn't already been covered in other books, but I recommend it for the photos. If you are a BIG Kristi fan, regardless of your age, this book will fit nicely into your collection. Otherwise, for a better book on Kristi and skating in general, check out her "Figure Skating for Dummies".

No comments about Fugitives: Evading and Escaping the Japanese.

No comments about Mastering Japanese.

No comments about SUSANOO Autobiography (Shueisha Paperback) Japanese Language Book.

2 comments about Tell Macarthur to Wait.

1. I read this book this past week and I was drawn to finish it. It was not a high polish, perfectly worded book, but that it what I loved about it. It was written by a regular person about genuine and regular people. The book made me cry and feel shame about the way I have lived my life. When you read about grown men marching who have no shoes, I guess it really does not matter if I have Nikes or a regular store brand.I believe it has changed my life in some ways. He spoke of men being beaten until they begged for death, which was the only mercy they saw in their whole existence inside the prison camp- I cried again. It was a beautifully written book and I believe all people should read this.It talks of fear and love and mercy and bravery and laughter too. I highly recommend this book. If we do not remind ourselves of what we have and why we have it and remember the sacrifices that braver people than I have made- perhaps history will be doomed to repeat itself. I was told not long ago that the Doctor Hibbs passed away a few weeks ago, he was an honorable man. In my deepest heart, I salute him and am proud to have read this book.-



2. This book is a great way to learn about the horrors that American men went through in the Philippines during World War II. It is truely remarkable that a person could live through what the author lived through, and after the war was over, come back to the states and lead a very productive life. The book would be great for anyone interested in WW2 or anyone who wants to appreciate more what our servicemen and women did for our country.

1 comments about The Sea Was My Last Chance: Memoir of an American Captured on Bataan in 1942 Who Escaped in 1944 and Led the Liberation of Mindanao.

1. Fantastic personal account of hardship, deprivation, and triumph over overwhelming odds.

2 comments about Old Taoist.

1. A good, continually absorbing study of a contemporary though tradtional Japanese poet names Kodojin(d. 1943). The writing style holds one's interest throughout and the story of the poet's life along with his poems,paintings and drawings is always delightful and interesting. If you love Japanese haiku by such masters as Bassho and chinese poetry from the Tang you will find this study worthy of your attention. I have never read a book quite like it.



2. Translations of and commentary on one author's Taoist poems are presented in a warm blend of spiritual, religious and philosophical inspection which considers the last of the great poet-painters of Japan. Over 150 of his poems are treated to an appraisal which considers both form and content in a fine coverage worthy of inclusion in any strong Asian collection.

2 comments about Prisoner of the Japanese: From Changi to Tokyo.

1. I think this was originally a self-published book (and still may be), and as someone who's fully supportive of the self-publishing industry but is also equally wary of their oft-uneven quality, I approached this one with caution. I had to do research for a book I'm writing on World War II in the Pacific and thought this book would help fill in the gaps with its on-the-ground account of the situation in Singapore after its fall to the Japanese.
   
   It turned out to be an excellent, highly-readable story of the author's experience as a POW in Changi, Korea and Japan in the years after the British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese. Wade is a gifted writer and memoirist; he relates his horrific experiences without ever detracting from the humanity of both his fellow prisoners and their captors. All -- even and including the Japanese -- leap from the page as complicated human beings caught in the mess of a bloody war. The book is a valuable asset to both professional and amateur historians alike, as it presents an eyewitness account of not only the conditions of POW camps during the war, but also of life in Singapore and China before the world exploded.
   
   MRA



2. On 15 February 1942, the Japanese captured Singapore and took 130,000 Allied prisoners of war. One of those prisoiners was Lieutenant Tom Wade. For the next three and a half years he was to suffer the indiginity and hardships of captivity and the torture and brutality of his captors, first in Changi, then in Korea and finally in Tokyo.
   This book is the story of those years in captivity. They were years of horror and despair, characterized by harsh treatment at the hands of sadistic guards who believed that a soldier who surrendered has lost all humanity. At Tokyo Headquarters in particular, Wade and his fellow POW's had to suffer the paranoid beatings and victimisation of Sergeant Matsuhiro Watanabe, who successufully avoided prosecution by the War Crimes Commission at the war's end.
   Wade's moving account of his period of captivity is characterized by the sense of determination, hope and endurance which sustained all those who share his experience from the Second World War.

No comments about My Life: Living, Loving, and Fighting (Michigan Papers in Japanese Studies, No. 26).

No comments about Miracle Worker Helen Keller Autobiography (Shincho Paperback) Japanese Language Book.