2 comments about Japanese Army Air Force Units and Their Aces: 1931-1945.

1. The careful translation of the original text into a more nicely-flowing English; the influence of the master historian, Chris Shores; the decision to publish by the renowned Grub Street Press: this should be a much better book than the volume detailing the naval fighter units of Japan by the same authors.

   But it's not.

   If you spend the better part of forty dollars hoping for a book that is more like Mr. Shores' "Bloody Shambles", Mr. Ford's "Flying Tigers", or even Mr. Bergerud's "Fire in the Sky", then you'll be sorry.




2. This handsome, detailed book lifts the curtain on the Japanese army units that fought in China, Southeast Asia, and the home islands during World War II. It's based on a Japanese-language text by a noted historian and an aviation buff, and rendered into workable English by the British historian Christopher Shores. The result is a much more accessible book than the earlier one by the same Japanese authors about the larger Japanese navy air force. There are many photos, side-views of JAAF fighters, accounts of the major campaigns, biographies of the aces (happily arranged in alphabetical order so you can quickly look them up), and an appendix listing every major air combat and every JAAF pilot lost in 15 years of war. A solid book that belongs in the library of every serious student of the Pacific War. -- Dan Ford

5 comments about Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei.

1. I agree with the reviewers who found the book repetitive, a little boring and more about his family than Japanese culture. While he attempts to provide many insights I fear that most of them are dated now 16 years later. Also the author makes such a big deal about seeing the hometown of his grandfather and when he finally gets there after 300 pages there is absolutely no payoff.



2. I appreciate Mura's contribution to Asian American literature and his courage to reveal himself, which is very atypical for Asian/Asian American men. His struggles with his racial identity and journey to find connections with his grand parents' homeland were fascinating. Being a person of Japanese ancestory, I believe Asian/Asian American men can personally relate to Mura's story. I also recommend his other book,"Where the Body Meets Memory", which reveals further on his issues and helps to complement this book.



3. An overwraught and overwritten diary about how hard it is to be David Mura, wealthy American of Japanese descent. Hello? Hard lives are lived on the West Bank, in drought-striken East Africa and in Northern Ireland. This self-indulgent work trivializes real suffering.



4. I can't comment with any authority on this book regarding its literary merit. However, I can say that, having lived life as a sansei just as David Mura has, I found this book a compelling read -- a book whose feeling and emotion was/is quite consistent with mine. This is so even though for the most part we seem to have lived very different kinds of lives. Our principal commonality appears to be that a stay in Japan during young adulthood played a pivotal role in helping us learn something about ourselves. Trivial and obvious? Perhaps. Anti-white and/or anti-American (as has been stated by other readers here)? I don't think so.



5. I am a Japan-born Japanese who lives in Boston for over 10 years and it is my strong pursuit to learn cultural encountering points between East and West especially, to name, Japan and US. The book caught my eyes immediately when I first saw it in a bookstore since I thought I can read about this Japanese American who know more about US than Japan although he must have been exposed to a some level of Japanese-ism over the course of his upbringing. My expectation from the book was to see the complex mosaic of his feeling toward Japan and its culture now that he lives in the country Japan. Unfortunately, it was not what I retrieved from the book since he was rather in a rare subculture of Japan and read little about his interaction with Japanese as cultural encountering. However, it was certainly a personal memoir of an expat who lives in a foreign country but knows the intricacy of Japan. This will not be a book for those who want to read his statements of Japan. But it will certainly be an interesting reading if you want to read the life of this expat who can describe his personal experience in more Japanese familiar terms.

2 comments about Eight Prison Camps: A Dutch Family in Japanese Java (Ohio RIS Southeast Asia Series).

1. I am a surviving prisoncamp child myself, and would like to be able to get a copy of this book. Started my own autobiography, but need some help with names of camps, and dates. I was there with my mother, brother and 2 sisters, while my father was a prisoner of war and taken to Singapore. We all survived. So please help. Thank you



2. One of the few books that had come across me which glued me to it. When I read a book it usually took me two or three weeks, if it is a good book, to finish it. Well, this book took me just 3 days to read from cover to cover. A compelling jouney of a family though unspeakable hardship, miserly and ignorance. This book draw you into the day to day life of the writer's life while she and her family was in the camps. At time I felt I can smell the odor and felt the hot summer heat in the camps. One thought keep popping up, this could be a great movie, perhaps direct by Steven Spielberg. One down side of the book is that it could use better editing, I can spot numerous errors thoughout the book that can be at time distracting but in no ways diminish the book's content

5 comments about Conduct Under Fire: Four American Doctors and Their Fight for Life as Prisoners of the Japanese, 1941-1945.

1. Talk about one's world being turned upside down. One moment four young military doctors are enjoying good marriages and pleasant military postings in exotic locations, and in the next they are thrust in the midst of horrific battle and subsequently imprisoned under grotesquely inhumane conditions. That these men were able to endure such horrid conditions and go on to live important, useful, satisfying lives is awe inspiring.
   
   In light of Japanese Premier Abe's recent denials of Japanese Imperial Army atrocities concerning so-called "Comfort Women," this reading takes on special significance. This story is further evidence of the shameful brutality foisted by Japan during its brutal and unprovoked aggressions during the 1932-1945 wars it foisted upon its much weaker Asian neighbors and, ultimately and self-defeatingly, with the U.S. and its allies.
   
   If you can find the CD version of this book on tape, it is well worth purchasing. The narration is superb.
   
   --Bill Todd-Mancillas
   Communication Studies
   Ca. St. Univ. at Chico



2. I had seen this story on cable and bought the book afterwards. It is a very moving story and written so well. I have to say I am ashamed of the way the US treated these people during their horrible ordeal.



3. The title and synopsis of "Conduct Under Fire: Four American Doctors and Their Fight for Life as Prisoners of the Japanese, 1941-1945" led me to beleive that I would read about the in-depth personal experience of four US doctors as P.O.W.s. However, the book does not read like a memior or biography, but rather like any third-person account written by a historian from a distant vantage point.
   
   That is not to say that "Conduct Under Fire" is a bad book, but the fact that the title men are hardly mentioned throughout the greater part of the book is a serious flaw. John Glusman does provide the reader with background information of the four doctors, one of which is father, Murray Glusman. Unfortunately, the details of the doctor's personal experiences were infrequent once the book covered the time frame of World War II. In fact, I could not help but wonder if the author's research into his father's time as P.O.W. was limited to rummaging through sparse stash of old letters and a fireside chat with his old man. Glusman (the author) does record the harsh condition of Japanese P.O.W. camps for American troops based on the writings of others, but the reader is left to assume that the doctors' tenure as P.O.W.s was identical to that experienced by thousands of other American P.O.W.s. While it the suffering they endured at the hands of Japanese was certainly horrific and they deserve our respect, "Conduct Under Fire" lacks a unique element that could have distinguished it from numerous of other P.O.W. books.
   
   If you are simply looking for an account of Japanese prisoner camps or even of the struggle against Imperial Japan, then "Conduct Under Fire" is worth the time. Glusman does give remarkable detail to the pre-war climate in the Phillipines and Shanghai, the seige of Bataan and Corrigedor, the American submarine campaign that strangled Japanese shipping, and the B-29 raids that led to massive firebombings and yes, the atomic bombs.
   
   Although "Conduct Under Fire" promised to deliver an account of the war through the eyes of the author's father and three other doctors, the reader is left with text that could have been placed by a historian far removed from the horror.



4. This book is terrific. It is a well researched piece of scholarship and heartfelt. The author is not judgmental towards the Japanese despite their treatment of his father. As a result, the author's descriptions of the Americans "conduct under fire" shows how brave they really were.
   I could not help but get angry when I read that these men have had no proper compensation for their loss or even an apology from the Japanese government.



5. A half-century after the end of World War II we now see an extraordinary tide of books revealing the under-side of the conflict. The passing of time, the opening of previously restricted documentation, and a less romantic view of events have conspired to produce this literature. Among them are Ghost Wars, Fatal Voyage, Burma Road. These well researched volumes open to the reader the true character of war unembellished by governments eager to maintain the spin of patriotism for the sake of public morale. The latest and most formidable book in this genre is Conduct Under Fire: Four American Doctors and Their Fight for Life as Prisoners of the Japanese (N.Y.: Penguin Group, 2005). John A. Glusman, editor in chief of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, is the author and son of one of the four doctors. He sets the story in the larger context of the war in the Pacific so it is not simply the chronicle of medical doctors working in prisoner of war camps in the Philippines and Japan. A narrow focus would have been sufficient to describe the bravery and skill of the doctors in their years of suffering as and with POWs. But Glusman opens for the reader the larger picture of the military and political events that inevitably had a profound impact on the POWs. It was a fate of the POWs not only to deal with often sadistic Japanese captors, but they also were faced early on with the results of the U.S. failure energetically to prosecute the Pacific war in favor of the European theater, the frightful toll of more than 10,000 prisoners who died when US submarines sank Japanese ships ferrying prisoners to Japan, and the terrifying effects of fire-bombing of Japanese cities where additional POWs lost their lives. In the midst of this harrowing period, the US doctors heroically saved lives, improvised medical procedures without even minimal supplies, and managed to maintain the highest vision of their vocation. Glusman has honored his father and the thousands of POWs by telling this honest story. He also boldly reminds us all of the frightful cost of war on the human spirit in a time when inevitably warfare's result is annihilation of everything human.

1 comments about Zen Haiku: Poems and Letters of Natsume Soseki.

1. We really get to see a different side of the great novelist Natsume Soseki in this compact little volume. The haiku are refreshing, often whimsical with a light touch of humor. A few thematize Zen ("Emptiness, no holiness, Bodhidharma's statue: Daffodils in the water" p. 107), some thematize Buddhism more generally ("Buddha Nature, if compared, Must be this White bell-flower" p.96), but most, while good, do kind of leave you wondering what is specifically "Zen" about them, but no matter. A real surprise though were the examples of Soseki's paintings and calligraphy; I knew he dabbled with watercolor painting but had little idea he was this accomplished in traditional East Asian art forms in this manner. These add a real nice touch to an artistically arranged book that can still fit in your pocket and travel along wherever you happen to go.

1 comments about General Wainwright's Story.

1. Truly an amazing biography of the allied Philippines General. It is a shame this book is out of print as it provides insight found in few other WWII books. It really should be part of any comprehensive World War Two reference library (personal or public).

No comments about As I Have Loved You.

5 comments about The War Journal of Major Damon "Rocky" Gause.

1. I read this book about 4 or 5 years ago when I was stationed in Germany. It is one of the best books about WW2 I have ever read. And what makes it so fascinating, is its a true story! I wrote the author after reading it to tell him how much I enjoyed it, and he wrote me back! Great guy. Highly recommend this book to everyone with an interest in the subject.



2. 
   
   I dont doubt any of the details of Major Gauses escape story,its no doubt a great and authentic ocean survival story: but being written during the war, which Mr Gause did not survive, its perhaps fancifully fallacious in its account of the US defence during the Japanese invasion of the Philipines itself, in the tradition of wartime flag-flapping movies like 'Bataan', which attempt to make a glorious rallying cry of something pretty ignominious.
   
   If the campaigns of Singapore/Malaya and Philipines were Allied victories instead of complete, total, and lets face it, easy Japanese victories, we'd be deifying them as brilliant miraculous Allied offensives against a numerically superior enemy defence.
   
   As it is, and as I see here in some of these reviews, and as we understandably did at the time, we cop out and falsify the truth talking about 'overwhelming Japanese forces' in places like Corrigidor, Bataan and Malaya/Singapore, or similiarly excuse German walkover victories in 1940-42.
   
   the truth is, as all serious military historians certainly know now, and those in the know knew then, is that the Japanese forces that took half the Pacific and Asia as far as the Burma/India border in 1941-42 were not 'overwhelming' numerically, were in fact typically outnumbered overall by the US and British Commonwealth defending forces-add to that, the defenders typically were in possession of lavish supplies compared to the spartan Japanese.
   
   In context here, what Im saying in relation to the Gause account of Corregidor and Bataan, is I perhaps doubt the complete accuracy of his claims of Japanese killed in some incidents, as an ex-WW2 German said once of our war-movies,
   'if you had killed as many of us as easily and cheaply as in all these movies, we would have been already losing in 1939 and completely wiped out by 1940, instead of mostly kicking your arses for at least half the war and lasting 6 years against half the world.'
   
   its true. Some historians , Allied, have soberly admitted that Allied victory was in fact rare except where the ALLIES showed up in overwhelming numbers, where the Allies were either defending or attacking. And there probably were no Allied offensives from numerical inferiority, whereas, even with the Japanese, less than 50000 rampaging Japanese SOMEHOW took the Kra peninsula from at least 100000 British Commonwealth troops, and in the Philipines, it was about the same ratio Japanese to US.
   
   More honesty and credibility in some areas, please.



3. Written in the first person, this is one of the better personal accounts of WWII that I have read. Despite the the author not being a professional writer, Gause has the ability to tell a story. If some of the stories have perhaps become blurred with the passing of time, it does not distract one bit from the overall deeds of the author and him comrades. I have had the wonderful opportunity over the years of talking with and listening to many veterans of this war and others, and having spent over twenty years in the service myself, I can pretty well spot crap when I see or hear it. This is honest stuff. Recommend you read this one and also add it to your collection.



4. Beautifully written and unpretentious, this book amazes and inspires! A classic World War II account!



5. "The War Journal of Major Damon 'Rocky' Gause" is a well-told, exciting survival and escape story of World War II. Lieutenant (at the time of the events related in this book) Gause was a pilot stationed in the Phillipines when General MacArthur was ordered to retreat. His plane being destroyed, he fought with the American troops to the bitter end of the defeat of Corregidor, and through the kindness of the Filipinos and natives of the South Pacific, escaped via a 3,200 mile route to Australia.

   This story may perhaps be the greatest survival and escape tale from World War II. It's full of close calls (a Japanese submarine surfacing next to their craft), thrills (a disguised Nazi officer trying to murder Gause and his companion, Lt. Osbourne, in their sleep), quirks (getting much-needed help from a leper colony) and hardships (their small wooden craft being thrown about in a storm). The book also has some truly touching moments--the kindness and loyalty of the Filipinos who were willing to aid Gause despite the risk, and the picture of Gause with his son, whom he saw for a mere few hours before his deployment and subsequent death in Europe in a training exercise.

   The book is written simply (but is not a simple book), and not too politically correct (which I don't think Maj. Gause would care for being, anyway). The story flows well, and the foreward and afterword by Maj. Gause's son are well-done. The book would be improved by the inclusion of more maps showing their route and a timeline, and perhaps the reproduction of some of the original ship's log pages.

   The book also has a prologue by Stephen Ambrose (whose imprimatur should promptly silence those questioning the credibility of the story).

2 comments about Saicho : The Establishment of the Japanese Tendai School.

1. Knowledgeable and lots of detail. I would prefer Japanese sutra names to sandscrit names, my only quarrell.



2. This Berkeley Buddhist series volume is the definitive work of the founder of Tendai Buddhism in Japan. This volume of the series steps you through the beginning of Saicho's life into his later years fighting for an ordination platform on Mount Hiei. Included are details concerning the rise of Tendai Buddhism away from the influential Buddhism of Nara. Saicho's views of the bodhisattva precepts and his wish to move away from the Hinayana goals of the Ssu fen lu precepts. This is a treasure of Buddhist history in the Heian period.

   This work is a must for any serious Buddhist researcher. Critical for any Tendai researcher to read.

4 comments about Fading Victory: The Diary of Admiral Matome Ugaki, 1941-1945.

1. The central issue in an autobiography is the character of its author. Ugaki's is replete with what he calls "Navy fighting spirit." He's sentimental, about family, lost friends and Nature. He's positive, in the worst circumstances. He's the quintissential naval officer; but, like Halsey, his strengths are also weaknesses. He understands his enemy, but underestimates him. He attacks when he should consolidate or retreat. He divides forces in the face of an enemy of unknown strength. He always "takes the bait." He never questions the logic of serving a government that has no more steering than a barge. Because his book reveals what he knew and when he knew it, it corrects misappreciations on both sides. It also exculpates Truman for dropping the Bomb, as it describes Japan's reserves hoarded against invasion and records fanatical desire to use them to the last man. Why did Ugaki commit suicide?--to take responsibility, obliged to atone for failing. He says his death will help keep alive naval spirit until Japan can rise again. Like other fascists, he blames men, not their ideology, for defeat, while looking forward to the next war. Despite his penchant for poetry, Ugaki is not a complicated man. He deserves the respect due to all those who live by a code not of their own making. His book is a study of one such man. I found it difficult to read, because of the form imposed on it as a diary and the ubiquitous feeling that Ugaki is writing for History. Read this book after you've read others about the Pacific War; it pulls missing pieces together--for example, that the Japanese were reading Allied codes, too. For a first-hand look at the consequences of decisions Ugaki made in abstraction, read Tamaichi Hara's "Japanese Destroyer Captain."



2. Though I am a Japanese American born after WWII, I wanted to know what was going through the minds of the Japanese in Japan who decided to bomb Pearl Harbor and get involved in the conflict. This book got me about as close as I could get to talking to someone high up and powerful in the Japanese naval command. The highs, the lows, the delusions, the misconceptions, the hopes, aspirations - they are all clearly laid out. The account of Yamamoto's death and Ugaki's survival is better than an Indiana Jones-tale. The main thing you come away with is this man's patriotism and devotion to a misguided cause. Ugaki and Japan seriously misjudged their strength versus the power and resources of the United States and their allies.



3. Anyone who calls themselves a true historian of the Pacific War should read this book. There are a variety of things that make this "Fading Victory" unique and important. First and foremost, Ugaki was one of Japan's leading military men and he was privy to the Japanese planning of much of the Pacific War. His mistakes, conceptions of the wartime situation, and commentary on the Allied victories and defeats create a new dimension to the Pacific War that standard histories do not provide. Furthermore, the account, unlike other wartime accounts, was not doctored or recalled years after the event. This means that what Ugaki wrote in, say June 4, 1942, is how Ugaki perceived the situation as it happened. Finally, "Fading Victories" also details the gradual defeat of Japan and how a Japanese patriot perceived it. It is almost sad to hear Ugaki in 1945 speak of countering raids by hundreds of American planes with a mere handful of Jpanese aircraft. If this were not enough, Ugaki also writes extremely well and the editors did a fantastic job of correcting him and presenting what really happened. The net result is that Ugaki's own biases become readily apparent. Do not pass this one up!



4. I wondered whether this was going to be a boring self-serving narrative, but once I started reading it, it was so interesting that I couldn't stop. Ugaki details his day to day activities and lets you know his opinions and insights as he goes along. You get to like the guy, even though you know, in some cases, he's trying to fool himself about who's going to win the war. He is involved in just about everything in the Pacific War, and he narrates nicely. One of the best parts that you look forward to is where he and Yamamoto are shot down by U.S. planes. (Yamamoto is killed, but Chief of Staff Ugagki survives miraculously.) - The editor of this book every now and then corrects Ugaki (in italics) when Ugaki makes claims, such as ships sunk and planes shot down. This is extremely helpful, else you might think like Ugaki. This way you can sort of analyze Ugaki and where he's coming from. - Ugaki, the consumate samurai ends the book by demanding a kamakazi plane so he can die gloriously by sinking an enemy ship. He is unsuccessful. In the end, you sort of like and admire the guy. Very good reading if you are into the Japanese version of the Pacific War.