War in the Pacific 1941-1945 (General Military) Review

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(More customer reviews)In March, 2010 HBO is airing the new mini-series, The Pacific, produced by Tom Hanks & Stephen Spielberg. The program is sure to spark a wave of new interest in America's Pacific campaign during WWII. History enthusiasts looking for an introduction to this subject will be well served by this new coffee table book from Osprey Publishing. Those already familiar with the history will enjoy the many photographs, historic objects, and the book's easy-reference organization of info. War in the Pacific, by Richard Overy offers a compact history in an engaging design.
The text has a scrapbook (or maybe government file) quality with color maps, photos, and historic objects to illustrate the story. Each military operation receives a two page spread. There are four or five paragraphs of descriptive text and about seven photos with descriptive captions. Mini biographies of military commanders stand out from the main text, appearing as if they are on cards with paper clipped portraits.
I am especially impressed by the inclusion of facsimiles of period documents and publications. Having read the military records of my grandfather's WWII Army battalion, I can say there is something uniquely immediate and enlightening about reading such primary source material. The book is bound with three pockets holding copies of telling documents such as: a December 8, 1941 telegram from the US Commander-in-Chief Pacific Area warning naval units of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR's notes for his speech to Congress, pages from several battle reports, radio message transcripts, a letter from General MacArthur, and the Japanese Instrument of surrender which ended the war.
Also included is a full copy of the March 9, 1944 issue of Yank Magazine, a propaganda poster, a big pull-out map of the Battle of Midway, and a pocket guide to Australia which was issued to US forces to familiarize them with their allies.
Table of Contents:
Operations Map: Japanese Expansion
Imperial Japan
Pearl Harbor
Blitzkrieg in Asia
Corregidor: Fall of the Philippines
Battle of Coral Sea
Battle of Midway
Battle for the Solomons
Guadalcanal
Operations Map 1943
Operation "Cartwheel": War for New Guinea
Island Hopping in the Pacific: Gilbert and Marshall Islands
Operations Map 1944
Marianas: Defiance to the Death
Battle of the Philippine Sea
Battle of Peleliu
Recapture of the Philippines
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Operations Map 1945
Iwo Jima
Firebombing of Tokyo
Okinawa
The Atomic Bombs
Japanese Surrender
Index

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You don't have anything like this yet!Check your collections. Never before has such a unique assembly of rare documents been available. WAR IN THE PACIFIC brings to life the story of the heroic actions of the men who fought the relentless war against Japan in World War II. Includes recorded memories, photographs, maps, and actual reproductions of 20 rare key documents and memorabilia: the dispatch to General MacArthur to abandon the Philippines, the "Pocket Guide to Australia" issued to US army and navy forces in 1942, and much more!WAR IN THE PACIFIC is being released to coincide with the much-anticipated 10-part mini-series coming from HBO in March.War In The Pacific 1941-1945 looks at the relentless war against Japan in the Pacific Islands which formed an integral part of eventual Allied victory in World War II. Setting the scene with the unprovoked Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the almost simultaneous attack on US bases on Guam and Wake Island, it then goes on to document the bloody battles fought in the jungle islands of Guadalcanal and the Philippines and the seas of the Pacific.As fortunes turned in 1942 the Allies fought hard to regain lost ground and the intensity of battle did not waver. It tells the story of the heroic actions of the men who toiled on the islands, the names of which have now become synonymous with bloodshed, hardship and unstoppable spirit which eventually resulted in victory for the Allies: Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Rabaul, Guam, Iwo Jima and finally Okinawa.This fascinating and heart-wrenching story is brought to life by the addition of 20 carefully selected facsimile pieces of memorabilia ranging from military orders to propaganda leaflets dropped by the Japanese on US troops to the personal diaries and letters home of both generals, officers and ordinary soldiers.

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American Women And World War II (History of Women in America) Review

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(More customer reviews)Weatherford starts well but then throws out the pattern from the first chapter and gets worse by the mouthful. She uses a great deal of personal diary entries in the book which general depict a woman's frustration with her role or world and then Weatherford puts herself in the woman's shoes. For almost every "fact" that she delivers, she then adds her own take on the facts and the woman's position. Weatherford pretty soon becomes one of the diarist's angry entries page after page. For example, she repeatedly uses very petulant phrases like "once again," "finally," "sadly," "unfortunately" and the like to beat the dead horse. She also summarizes situations by making apocalyptic judgments on her data or topic, such as (p. 187) "the government ultimately could have saved itself billions of dollars in welfare costs if it had undertaken then to see that women's wages were raised to a reasonable level" and (p. 272) "Like millions of bright women before and after the war who were forced by their husbands' careers into military and college towns too small for their abilities. . ." Almost every woman described in this book gave 110% for thankless endeavors, got a crust of bread at day's end, walked two miles thru snow daily to reach her job, managed every chore under the sun without complaint, and then went to bed feeling tired but proud that she helped the war effort. Almost every man described in this book is a thoughtless bureaucrat unable to match a woman to a perfect role or place, a faithless husband or GI, a chauvinist -- an idiot in short. ONCE AGAIN, Weatherford editorializes every point and exaggerates every conclusion. The book has some merits and opened my eyes to a few things, but by and large this is hardly an objective account, but rather a tiresome tirade on the old theme of how perfect the world would be if women ruled and men silently followed orders.

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This social history focuses on the role American women played in the workforce during World War II. It describes the huge mobilization of labour necessary to supply US armed forces with machinery and weapons, and the evolution of women's roles in industry as a result of this.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Seikai: Crest of the Stars, Vol. 2: A Modest War Review

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(More customer reviews)Crest of the Stars: A Modest War picks up right where the first novel, Princess of the Empire, left off. Which is a good thing since Princess of the Empire ended off with a cliffhanger: Jinto and Lafiel were being held captive by Baron Febdash, who captured them when their desperate escape from the United Mankind fleet brought them to his orbital palace hoping to obtain fuel and supplies. Princess Lafiel has decided to take matters into her own hands and has started a rebellion among the Baron's vassals.
Just to give a quick recap, Seikai is an immensely popular space-opera series by Japanese author Hiroyuki Morioka. Anime and manga adaptations have been available in English translation for some time, but this is the first time the original novels have been translated into English. It was well worth the wait.
In the second novel we get more insight into the psyche and culture of the Seikai series' primary focus: the Abh. They are genetically engineered warriors who have made space their home, disdaining the planets inhabited by "landers." Over centuries they have built a massive empire based on both conquest and trade. We learn more about their history, including the terrible "original sin" which burdens the prideful Abh.
The real delight of this novel is to see the blossoming relationship between Princess Lafiel and Jinto, the "accidental noble" lander who had his Abh title thrust upon him when he was a young boy. Brought together by chance, they now find themselves fighting for their lives and their freedom as both war and treachery threaten them at every turn. They become refugees, trying to hide and survive in enemy territory. Though their friendship grows and they are able to work together, their radically different backgrounds too often get in the way. They are very much an odd couple, and old prejudices threaten to tear them apart. But each comes to find unexpected sources of strength in the other, and they are able to persevere together for another day.
The Crest of the Stars trilogy will conclude with the third novel "Return to a Strange World." But that will be just the beginning of a long epic, hopefully we will see the rest of the story that is still being released and enjoyed in Japan.
I enjoyed the second novel as much as the first. The adventure and conflict is peppered with delightful moments of humor and irony. Fans of the anime or manga series should note that it is in the second novel where we really start to see a great deal of material which never made it into the adaptations. We finally get the story complete and unabridged.

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Jinto and Lafiel escape from Baron Febdash's orbital palace only to fall into the clutches of the Human Unification Army. Thrust into the middle of an ugly battle for intergalactic supremacy, the lander noble and the Imperial princess must learn to work together if they want to survive.

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Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption Review

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(More customer reviews)I read this book in two days flat and I know that, had I had the time, I would have read it in one sitting. This is a book that grips you, draws you in and leaves you feeling a slightly better person for having read it.
The story is that of Louie Zamperini - a track and field star of the 1930's, who participated in the Berlin olympics, was part of the US air force in WWII, was shot down over the ocean, was adrift in the Pacific for over a month, was held as a POW by the Japanese forces and finally made it back to his life and has had the courage to live it to its fullest.
Hillenbrand is a marvellous author. I was never tempted to read Seabiscuit and this was my first introduction to her work. She is one of a few authors who can write a non fiction story in the most gripping and vivid way imaginable. Instead of being flowery or overly embellished her prose relies squarely on research and on witness accounts and yet manages to never be dull. The swiftly moving story takes the reader from Zamperini's early beginnings, his swift rise to track star, the Berlin olympics and then to the World War. This is where the story really blooms. Hillenbrand settles in for the long haul here and we get to see the air force and the B24 bombers through the words of the men who actually flew them. The sequences where Zamperini and his friend Phil are adrift at sea are vivid and strangely beautifully described. The horrors that await them at the Japanese prison camps are not glossed over but neither does Hillenbrand wallow in the gore and violence as some authors may be tempted to do. There is always a strong sense of the respect the author holds for the men whose story she is being allowed to tell.
History has perhaps focused its eye too exclusively on the war in Europe to the extent where the situation in the Pacific and the plight of POW's there has not recieved the attention and the respect it deserves. Hillenbrand's book and detailed research certainly makes a strong attempt to change that.
Solidly based on statistics and army reports from both sides of the war, Hillenbrands book paints a clear picture of the hellish conditions that the POW's endured and the utter madness of the war that was being waged in the Pacific. This is a hard story to read but one that is well worth it. The falling apart of Louie's life and his slow path to regaining his life and sense of purpose is a story that is truly inspiring. This book will find a permanent place of honor on my bookshelf.


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