Japanese American Books

Book was pretty much brand-spankin' new as far as I can tell, and arrived when it was supposed to. Super!

I don't know how anyone could read this novel and not appreciate the text and visuals simultaneously. It would be easy to just read the text, but the visual representations created by Mine Okubo are profound and provide the viewer with a greater understanding of the events that Mine Okubo and other Japanese Americans underwent while in the camps. Unlike other graphic novels, the text and image are separate and not integrated. Some may find this difficult to read the text and than view the picture or vice versa, but the sketches were created while Mine Okubo was in the camp and than the descriptive text was added later to correspond with the visuals. These sketches were a descriptive journal for Mine Okubo, who like so many others wasn't allowed to bring in cameras or video recording devices to capture what she underwent and saw while in the camps. Personally, I found the text and visual continually playing of one another and neither one would have been nearly as successful without the other.

Many of the internment camps no longer exist and what remains, "are pieces of concrete, pipes, and wire," they are but a cemetery to the past. Mine Okubo has created a piece of living history and has produced a personal memoir for herself and the United States. This even should never be forgotten and should be a key portion of history that is taught within our private and public schools. Art is an expressive outlet that provides a means of releasing tension, anger, sadness, and anxiety. During the internment other artists and writers were creating profound works of art to communicate and further understand their own circumstances. For anyone that questions the relevance of this text a film that is worth watching is called, "9066 to 9/11." This film takes a look at the secretive footage taken by Japanese American Internees in the camps and corresponds their hardships and mistreatment with our current predicaments based on the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

I, personally, have never been into comic books, but since reading Maus I and Citizen 13660 I have found a new appreciation for art mixed with text. This graphic novel is excellent. I disagree with the idea that we need to know the "deep insight into the feelings of the author"; that is what makes this novel so powerful. She intentionally leaves the emotions up to her audience. This is not necessarily a story about woe is me. It is a story about survival, when life hands you lemons you make lemonade and you share it.
I do agree with the dark sense of humor within this novel. And I must say I like it. Life was hard for the Japanese. These camps were not easy and sometimes rather inhumane. The weather was extreme, the food was scarce, and there was absolutely no privacy. But Mine Okubo is able to take some terrible scenarios and laugh at her characters, which enables her audience to laugh. It also made me think about what it means to have freedom and privacy. Today, people rarely even talk to their parents and siblings, let alone, their neighbors. As depicted in this novel people were practically living on top of one another. And to be to find a sense of humor through it all shows an amazing sense of character.
Overall, I think this novel is a thoughtful, selfless, piece of art. It shouldn't lose credit for being a graphic novel, or lacking drama. It should be applauded for the value of the factual, overall picture painted within it. It should be applauded for allowing its readers to be affected in anyway that it may, the book world is full of tear jerkers, we don't need anymore soap opera text filling our minds with junk.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. At that moment, the terrible suffering and war that seemed so far away from America reached its shores. America was no longer safe. People panicked, and anyone of Japanese decent became the enemy, even if they were loyal U.S. citizens. Not so much unlike the Jews of Europe, the Japanese of America were sent to detention camps out of fear that they might still be loyal to Japan and betray the U.S. Among the many Japanese prisoners was Mine Okubo, who wrote and illustrated her biography, Citizen 13660, about what it was really like to live in Japanese internment camps during World War Two. Okubo's account is full of detail and elaborate drawings on every page, giving the reader an inside scoop into what internment camp life was really like.

Citizen 13660 is a complete account of Okubo's life from the start of WW2 in 1939 to when she was released from the internment camp after living in several other camps over a couple of years. She was a Bay Area resident living in Oakland when she and her brother were forced from their homes along with 110,000 other Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. They had to put most all their belongings into storage and leave for Tanforan Relocation Center, which was located in what is now South San Francisco. The living conditions were poor, and the camp was a mess. It was not the ideal place for any human beings to live. She goes into great detail about every aspect of camp life, and it was startling to realize just how bad the Japanese Americans had it. For example, "the flush toilets were always out of commission," (pg. 72) "the sewage system was poor," (pg 78) and their living quarters was a "20 by 9 ft. horse stall." (pg 35)

If you are looking for a book that is well written and a great piece of literature, I would recommend reading some other book. Citizen 13660 is mostly just simple sentences describing the detailed illustrations on every page. Rather than describing her life through words, she tells her story through beautiful pictures. Yet even with minimal words, she still manages to get her message across. I recommend this book to people who are looking for an easy yet interesting read, and to people who would like to know the real story behind the Japanese internment camps.

The novel Citizen 13660 is an exceptional graphic novel that describes the events of the Japanese internment camps. I truly enjoyed the novel by Mine Okubo because it used both illustrations and text to describe the events of the internment camps. Another reason that I really enjoyed the novel was because Okubo describes the camps the way that she experienced them. She doesn't add detail to make the events more or less atrocious. In other words, it wasn't a personal attack on the American people, which is what I expected before opening the novel. Furthermore, Okubo provides a basic understanding of what Japanese internment camps, which is something that I feel that people need to learn about. I think that it would be an exceptional novel for junior high and high school students to read since many American history books don't discuss the Japanese internment camps. Also, since cameras, video recorders, etc. were banned from internment camps and since most of the camps have since been destroyed, Okubo's illustrations illuminate what it was like to live in the internment camps. The images of the hard straw coming out of a thin covering that was supposed to be their bed and the restrooms that provided no privacy and unhealthy conditions are stuck in my head. For those that truly believe these camps were created for the protection of Japanese people, I would like you to look at Okubo's illustrations and explain to me your definition of the word protection.
As previously stated, there are limited pictures and videos from the Japanese internment camps. However, if you are interested in viewing footage of the internment camps, the film "Something Strong Within" provides footage from ten different internment camps. Through this film, you can see the horrid conditions that the Japanese people had to live in. It also shows images of teenagers graduating high school in an internment camp. I found these images to be extremely effective because there are so many things that we take for granted that the Japanese and Japanese Americans didn't have the opportunity to experience. Through this film and Mine Okubo's graphic novel, people can learn about the struggles that the Japanese experienced during World War II.

The author is known for his previous book, "Doomed From The Start" which is the history of the USAAF's fighters' struggles in the Philippines from December 8, 1941 until the surrender of Bataan. It was ground breaking hisotry and is the standard reference on the subject.

This book looks at the results of just one day and asks "why?" Why was the Far East Air Force virtually destroyed on the ground the day after Pearl Harbor when there was plenty of warning about the attack on Pearl Harbor. The answer will surprise and dismay you. It is meticulously researched with numerous references and footnotes, but it is not dry history. There are plenty of first person stories woven into the book. It is well worth the price if you are an aficionado of WWII in the Pacific.

A minor criticism is maps--there are virtually none--one small one that is so small in scale it is almost impossible to read and 50% of the airfields mentioned in the text are not shown. When will publishers learn that if you are publishing WWII history, include good maps that cross-reference the places written about in the text?

Overall, a first class read and sure to be another "standard reference".

This book is a blow by blow account of the Japanese attack on Clark Field on December 8th 1941. Starting even before MacArthur was recalled to day in July 1941, the author tells the story of how the Japanese planned their attack, and how the FEAF was created and reinforced and eventually attacked on December 8th.

The low rating of for the bad analysis and absurd over the top dislike of MacArthur, who is seems was to blame for every mistake. The bad analysis results from the desire of this micro-history to inflate its importance of the Japanese attack, as well as leaving important questions unanswered.

The truth is that the FEAF was "Doomed at the Start", (which BTW, is the title of much better book about the the P-40 fighter pilots in the FEAF from Dec 1941-to May 1942). Given that lack of AAA protection for the airfields, the lack of spare parts or reinforcements, and being outnumbered 3-1, it was never possible for the FEAF to have accomplished anything.

The author never makes clear how 18 B-17s on their first combat mission, flying unescorted to an bomb a Formosa harbor with unknown targets could have accomplished anything significant. MacArthur is blamed for the disaster although he did nothing more than delay the decision to attack till 10am and order a photo recon. The fact is that 18 B-17s were simply too little to have accomplished anything.

An interesting book, with a lot of detail. It is refreshingly free of hero-worship and nationalistic cheerleading.

This is a follow up book to "Doomed From the Start" written by William Bartsch. This book takes the extra notes from his earlier work with interviews from both sides and numerous extracts from "Doomed" and Walter Edmonds book "They Fought With What They Had" and forms a very comprenhensive look at the events leading up to and immediately through the attacks on Clark and Iba Air Fields on 8 Dec 1941. The book starts in 1940 when the Air Corps begins modernizing the forces in the Philippines and looks at all the attempts by subordinate personnel to provide adequate forces, defense, and doctrine for the air forces of the far east. The book looks at the development of the Japanese operation plan and shows how junior officers and NCO's proved that the attack on Clark didn't require aircraft carrier support for escorts. This book illuminates enough blame for everyone above the rank of major in the chain up to and including FDR. The book points out a study conducted by Maj Hoyt Vandenburg (later AF Chief of Staff) after listening to briefings by Sir Hugh "Stuffy" Dowding on lessons learned by the RAF from the Battle of Britain which recommended action which if implemented might have delayed the final fall of the PI to a point that would have crippled the Japanese timetable most likely in a fatal manner. IMO a delay in taking Luzon by 6 months would have been fatal to Japanese intentions, a relatively secure Subic and Manila Bay would have provided a staging area for American submarines which would have made southern Japanese expansion untenable.
The largest points to come out of the book may have been obvious before reading but are still worth noting:
1. American fighter aircraft and pilots were not up to the task of intercepting the Japanese even if suffecient numbers had been available for the intercept, most of the Americans never got above 18,000 feet, the Japanese bombed from 21,000.
2. MacAurthor or his chief of staff Sutherland was criminally negelent in releasing the Air Force to conduct offensive operations against Formosa...these may not have prevented the strikes against Clark but would have severely restricted future Japanese operations from there after repairs to the bases. Additionally it would have preserved the B-17's lost on the 8th.

Overall this is an excellent book for those interested in delving into the formulation of a disaster that was 8 December1941. It left me screaming inside "IDIOTS, do un to others BEFORE they do un to you!"

Well what can I say, another masterpiece from Bill Bartsch. "December 8, 1941" and his other book: "Doomed at the Start" has answered many quesitons on the early air operations in the Philippines. Again wish I could personally congratulate you on this Mr. Bartsch..

Tony Feredo
Philippines

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3A80YKC8W7UEE New Chronology is a theory validated by astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient manuscripts that asserts: that Antiquity and Dark Ages are phantoms invented in the 16th 18th centuries. Human civilization is barely 1000 years old!

New Chronology complies with the most rigid scientific standards:

- It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know;
- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion;
- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically;

New Chronology goes by the following basic axioms:
- Chronology is the basis of history;
- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;
- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history are fantasy and hoax;
- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;
- The closer in time is a given manuscript to the events described the less distortions it contains;
- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Fomenko asserts: There was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by over two centuries of yoke and slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a trilingual state with Arabic and Turkic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that official Russian history is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scholars brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs. Their ascension to the throne was the result of conspiracy, so they charged these imported historians with the mission of making Romanov's reign look legitimate.

Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate Godunov rulers and the ambitious Romanov upstarts.

As Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, he successfully removes a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one: the Ancient Rome: the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the 14th century A. D., the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece.

The Ancient Egypt: the pyramids of Giza become dated to the 11th to 14th century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less. The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the 11th to 15th century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone, like enormous Dendera horoscope that hangs in main entrance to the Louvre museum in Paris.

He was the first one to decipher and date unambiguously all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case.

English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the book "History: Fiction or Science?" portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such ancient history. Period. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the 17th 18th century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them otherwise.

Islam with all its key figures appears as late as 15th-16th century A. D. as a branch of proto-Christianity. This is amply illustrated by imagery of Prophet Mahomet, archangel Gabriel, Heaven and Hell of this period. In today's Islam all imagery of the things living is taboo.

Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th 17th century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a proto Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian!) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.


The history of religions according to Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the 11th century and Jesus Christ ), Bacchic Christianity (11th to 12th century, before and after Jesus Christ), Jesus Christ Christianity (12th to 14th century) and its subsequent mutations (15th to 17th) into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on..

Saint Augustine was quite prescient when he said: "be wary of mathematicians,.. particularly when they speak the truth."

Henry Ford once said: "History is more or less bunk!"

Prominent mathematician Anatoly Fomenko not only proved it for a fact, but as true scientist tried to upgrade it into a rocket science.

This book will change your perception of History forever!
What if Ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt were invented during Renaissance?
What if The Old Testament was a rendition of events of the Middle Ages?
What if Jesus Christ was born in 1053 and crucified in 1086 AD?
Sounds Unbelievable?
Not after you've read "History: Fiction or Science?" by Anatoly Fomenko, the genius mathematician.
Armed with astronomy and computers Anatoly Fomenko turns History into a rocket science.

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

During my years in the military, my last 26 months were spent in the Yokohama-Tokyo area on the Kanto Plain. A short distance from the Navy/U.S.M.C. military installation where I lived, lay the Tokaido Road. On this ancient main road, which ran from Kyoto to Edo (Tokyo), just a few miles southwest from our base was the 'Minaguchi-ya' of this book.

We were only 20 minutes or so from Odawara, the medieval castle town at the base of Mount Fuji and the Hakone Mountains. Many of the wood cuts and pen and inks in this book came from this area, with Hiroshige and Basho, among others, spending much time there. This area too was one of the 53 government post stations or gates on the ancient Tokaido Road. Only a short distance from Mount Fuji is of course Shimizu Harbor, Miho, and Suruga Bay, all mentioned in the book.

One of the Japanese college students working in our barracks lived on the Izu Peninsula. 'Takish' saw that I was reading JAPANESE INN and offered to bring me some material from his home area of which he was justifiably proud. One of the anomalies of that area is the black sand covering the beaches. The brochures and postcards he brought added even extra enjoyment to my reading of JAPANESE INN. Here I was a young man from Ohio serving in the military and all the places mentioned by Oliver Statler were relatively close to hand.

As Mr. Statler continuously points out, much of Japan's earlier history happened in this area. It still remained a very revered area during my stay from October, 1962 through December, 1964. With Kamakura, between Yokohama and Odawara, once being an earlier capital of Japan. The area discussed in this book is not only historical but it is extremely picturesque, remaining a resort area of hotels, hot springs, and golf courses to this day. The festivals and Odawara castle continuously bring visitors from far and wide, making it a very active area for sightseeing.

Anyone interested in Japan and her pre-modern era has a real treat awaiting should they decide to read JAPANESE INN. I've read the book about this historical inn several times since leaving Japan, and each time it transports me back to those happy years in that area where I once resided, so long ago. I was young and that area of Japan was one indescribably wonderful in which to growup. I spent much time in the area, even camping out overnight at Kojiri campground, in the Hakone Mountains. And at age 61 its affect remains with me to this very day.

Yomu, Tanoshimu. Domo arigato gozaimasu.

To read, to enjoy. Thank you very much!

Semper Fi.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for it's sweeping view of history from the Warrring States Period to a visitation to the inn by the Emperor and Empress of Japan. I first became interested in Japanese history, through James Clavell's Shogun when I was thirteen years old. Once reading the Japanese Inn, I believe it was highly probable that Clavell was inspired by this book, since many of the characters and some of the books events appeared in his novel including the legendary sword "Oil-Seller" and how the blade got its name. The book contains such accounts of famous characters and events as Tokugawa Ieyasu, the tale of the 47 Ronin as they traveled through the Tokaido, and the famed outlaw and entrepreneur of the Tokaido, Jirocho, and his friend and the famous sword saint Tesshu.

The characters and places were so compelling that they prompted me to search for the Japanese Inn. Unfortunately, when I arrived on the Old Tokaido Okitsu Station, I asked a local resident where the ancient inn was. She showed me a building located on the street that appeared to be an art gallery, which was apparently once the Minaguchiya. Although, disappointed that it was no longer there, other sites which the book mentioned were kept in tact, such as Seikenji, the place where Tokuagawa Ieyasu was held hostage as a boy. Altogether, this was an interesting book of a Japanese family witnessing the events and people that shaped Japan.

This book is one of the best I've read on Japan. Statler has created a mix of fiction and non-fiction that creates a view of Japanese society through periods of turmoil and peace. Highly recommended reading.

By using his experiences as a civil servant during the American occupation of Japan and the accounts from several generations of inn-keepers of the Minaguchi-ya, Oliver Statler wrote this well-written part-fiction/part-nonfiction book, which was published in 1961. The book drives the readers to experience the development of social Japanese society through the history and survival of an ancient Japanese inn from mid-16th century to the 20th century. Through the eyes and the lives of the inn-keepers of the Minaguchi-ya, the author created a fascinating story that narrates major incidents of Japanese history from 16th to 20th centuries, and he captures the readers to encounter Japanese culture with his use of Asian metaphors and portrayals. There are fifteen chapters in the book with the addition of a "Postscript," which pointed out the facts behind the story of the Minaguchi-ya and its inn-keepers. By looking at the founding of the Minaguchi-ya, the banning of Christianity, and the end of Tokugawa rule as seen in "Japanese Inn," one can understand some of the major social changes of Japan from 16th century to the 19th century.

As evident in the second and third chapters of "Japanese Inn," the founding and the establishment of the inn called Minaguchi-ya occurred during the most critical period of the history of Japan. It was a period of the late 16th century; a period of changes and instability for Japan. It was a time of war between the clans (or noble families) of Japan for dominance and power. An internal war or any battles that took place on one's own land would interrupt their way of life, including their sense of peace and prosperity. During the fighting, the chief of the mountain clan, Takeda Shingen, had "installed one of his samurai" by the name of Mochizuki to a commanding post in a fort at Okitsu (p. 13-15). It was at Okitsu where Mochizuki had a new house built for his family, but it would soon become an inn at an unforeseen time. Mochizuki had no desire or duty to become an innkeeper since he was an honorable samurai. However, when Tokugawa Ieyasu of Tokugawa clan captured Mochizuki's fort and the Takeda clan was defeated, Mochizuki had lost his "samuraiship" but he was not looking for reasons to "lose all honor" in inn keeping, especially for men of important rank (p. 18, 22-27). When a man of higher rank, like a feudal lord, passed by and needed a rest, Mochizuki would feel obligated to take him in for a night's lodging. He may not see his duty as an innkeeper for his customer, but as a samurai for his lord. In the Western year of 1590 with the defeat of Hojo clan, a military leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi became a ruler of Japan which became a united country, and Mochizuki sensed in the eyes of the passing travelers that there was a "new spirit in the land" (p. 34-37). It was a spirit of new energy and a new sense of unity in which the Japanese people would face a new future for Japan. Soon thereafter, Hideyoshi died and Ieyasu became a shogun in which he "set about to found his own dynasty" of Tokugawa family; a family that would rule Japan for the next 250 years, an era of peace and stability (p. 38-40). Along with the founding of the inn, Mochizuki witnessed a first great change in Japan that laid a course for a peaceful and stable country until the mid-19th century.

The second part of the fourth chapter of "Japanese Inn" explores the interaction between an Englishman and Mochizuki and the banning of Christianity in the early 17th century. Since the spread of Christianity reached throughout the Old World including East Asia and Japan, the Japanese people favored a trade with the West because they had benefit from it. And the Christian priests would install their own churches in the lands of Japan and convert as many Japanese people as they could. Due to the increasing trade with the West, the Japanese people would meet many foreigners and learn much about other countries. One of the foreigners that Mochizuki took a great liking to was an Englishman by the name of Will Adams, who was the first Englishman in Japan and "the first European to stay" in Mochizuki's home (p. 58). One of the reasons that Mochizuki enjoyed the company of Adams was his stories about adventures beyond the Japanese seas and his first encounter with Ieyasu. Because Mochizuki was fascinated with Adams' stories and enjoyed his company, he would live out the rest of his life being in awe of other countries and of his new ruler of Japan.

But, the trading with the West would become a problem for Ieyasu, which he believed was causing serious trouble within his own government. Since the Shinto and Buddhism were the religions of Japan, Ieyasu was willing to tolerate the Christians because of the benefited trade, but he soon found out that Japanese Christians were causing "scandals, corruption, and intrigue...within his own palace" and in Japan (p. 67). Ieyasu then became furious and might have soon seen Christianity as destroyer of Japan's religions that he favored. In the early year of 1614, he issued an edict to outlaw Christianity in Japan which lasted "for two and a half centuries," and had all Christian churches in Japan destroyed or "pulled down" to be used as brothels (p. 69). Because of the edict, the trade with the West stopped increasing and Japan shut itself from the rest of the world's development. If the trade with the west would be still increasing for the next 250 years, Japan would have been a different country and the Tokugawa government would have ruled the country less than 250 years because the Japanese people would have opposed it or other events could have changed the government. But, the Japanese government still remained under the same ruler, the Tokugawa family for 250 years. As for Mochizuki, he saw "very little of his friend Will Adams" after the edict, and he, himself, soon died a natural death and a year later, his son hung up a sign that said "Minaguchi-ya," which signaled the house of the late Mochizuki an official inn (p. 70). In "Japanese Inn," the interaction between an Englishman and Mochizuki brought about the interesting stories for the enjoyment of Mochizuki while the banning of Christianity in Japan during the early 17th century closed Japan's doors from the West.

During the mid-19th century when an era of modernity crept across the Japan Sea toward the fixated medieval Japan, the Tokugawa rule came to an end as witnessed in the twelfth chapter of "Japanese Inn." This chapter deals mainly with a man named Jirocho who "mirror the times between 1820 and 1893" because they were the times that "saw the old government toppled" while new government emerged, saw the 250 years of Japan's isolation ruptured, and saw Japan's entrance into the modern era (p. 246). The 1800s became important and a major change for Japanese people because it would appear to be a new era for them and it would change their views of the world. As a mirror of Japan's changing times, Jirocho was a transforming man from being a "young terror" during childhood to a professional rice merchant, to a gambler, to a peaceful man who served the law, and he was called the Tokaido's number one boss (p. 247-289). Because of Jirocho's infamous reputation, the Japanese people would still view him as an interesting Japanese character of the 19th century. During the changing period in the mid-19th century, the seventeenth innkeeper of the Minaguchi-ya was a man by the name of Mochizuki Hanjuro I whose skills as an innkeeper helped the inn to "move with the times," especially when the fire swept across the town of Okitsu in the winter of 1879 and turned Minaguchi-ya into ashes and it needed to be rebuilt (p. 242, 269, 285). It was Hanjuro's effort in rebuilding Minaguchi-ya that it would fit with the modern times while maintaining its medieval customs and its spirit of Japanese ancient ways. During the period of changes, one major change was the end of the Tokugawa rule in Japan. In 1867, the fifteenth and last shogun by the name of Tokugawa Yoshinobu ended the "Tokugawa supremacy" in Japan, "relinquishing his power to the Emperor" due to the increasing "foreign intercourse" from other major countries which Japan had no choice but to accept the foreigners' demands, and with the intention that the Japanese empire "will be able to maintain its rank and dignity among the nations of the earth" (p. 270 - 71, 280). With an indirect rule of Tokugawa ending, a new power was placed in the hands of the Emperor, whose imperial family were only viewed as head of a state for many centuries, and a new government was formed under the rule of the Emperor. Having the Emperor as a supreme ruler of Japan would have given the Japanese people a new sense of loyalty and a view of the future for their modernized country. By observing Jirocho's infamous reputation as Tokaido's number one boss, Innkeeper Hanjuro's effort in bringing the Minaguchi-ya into the modern times, and the decline of the Tokugawa rule, one can comprehend how the era of modernity greatly affected Japan's feudal culture of 250 years.

In Statler's "Japanese Inn," one can understand some of the major social changes of Japan from late 16th century to the 19th century by looking at the founding of the Minaguchi-ya, the banning of Christianity, and the end of Tokugawa rule. A former samurai Mochizuki had witnessed a first great change that created a peaceful and stable Japan for the next 250 years. As evident in the fourth chapter of the book, the interaction between Will Adams and old Mochizuki brought interesting stories for the interests of Mochizuki while the banning of Christianity in Japan for good reasons during the early 17th century closed Japan's trades with the West and the rest of the known world. A few important events that an era of modernity that greatly affected Japan's feudal culture of two and a half centuries including Jirocho's infamous reputation as Tokaido's number one boss, Innkeeper Hanjuro's effort in bringing the Minaguchi-ya into the modern times, and the decline of the Tokugawa rule. Oliver Statler's "Japanese Inn" is an interesting read, and it offered an intriguing picture of Japanese culture and social society during the 400 years period.

It is of a strong opinion for this to be recommended for the general readers, whom desire to obtain an understanding about the Japanese History.

Oliver Statler`s book Japanese Inn is a semi-fictional account of the goings-on at the Minaguchi-ya over the course of 400 years. In it, the Minaguchi-ya is the backdrop for all sorts of characters from Japan`s past. From Tokugawa to Hiroshige to Saigo Takamori. It`s a great way to present Japanese history to the novice, and an entertaining read. While the author readily admits that some of the historical figures may never have stayed there, that fact doesn`t detract from the story. It is still a good panorama of life in Tokugawa and pre-war Japan

I have to agree with many of the reviewers here that Project Kaisei is one of the most satisfying mystery novels in years. I have been very unhappy with recent trends in American mystery genre where farfetched plots and characterizations have become the norm just to keep uneducated and unattentive readers entertained. Too many publishers and novelists are pursuing fast-paced, cheap sensationalism nowadays, with almost no regard to realism and depth of characterization. It's been a while since people began complaining about modern-day movies where good plots and solid character-development take backseat to aimless violence and cutesy one-liners. Sadly, the same can be said about modern-day fictions as well. Project Kaisei stands out as one of the shining exceptions to the rules, however.

The plot, although it could have been better had it been edited by a more able hand, is by far the most realistic plot among its peers. The characters are complex and well-developed throughout the novel. The writing is often prosaic and may have room for improvement but is of no major consequence. Most importantly, Project Kaisei succeeds in presenting realistic people in a realistic situation, as they are faced with unseen enemies and predicament of international proportion. If you like popular movies and popular mysteries nowadays, this novel is probably not for you. If you don't, this novel may really be an outstanding read.

Project Kaisei is a perfect story for a motion picture. This is not an ordinary detective story nor is it a typical novel of suspense. This is also a story of love, honor, strength, and courage. The story is so rich because there are so many elements interacting in a complex way. As some reviewers have said, the story is also about a realistic depiction of Japan and its people. It is very entertaining but at the same time, it is thought-provoking and moving, too. I can think of a few flaws in the story, however. Otherwise I would have given this five stars. One big flaw, I think, is that book never really addresses the problem of how anyone can conceal something as grand as a nuclear weapons program from the eyes of the general public. Maybe it is possible. After all, North Korea might already have developed nuclear bombs while we were busy messing with a no-threat country like Iraq. In any case, I think Project Kaisei is a story to be remembered for a long time to come.

I usually don't read mysteries, but a friend of mine recommended this book to me, so I decided to read it. Well, what a pleasant surprise this was. After the first page, I couldn't put it down. So I stayed up all night trying to finish this novel and ended up missing work the next day. I don't know if other mysteries are as good as this one, but now I'm hooked (at least temporarily). Project Kaisei is definitely one of the most exciting and interesting stories I have ever read. It is a modern-day adventure story with a very serious theme. It is a perfect blend of mystery and romance. I think you'll like it very much.

Project Kaisei is a timely and thoughtful masterpiece. It seems to me nowadays that far too many stories are written just to shock people or for instant gratification, but Project Kaisei is unlike such stories. I don't believe I need to go into what the story is about since it's already discussed here by other reviewers. Suffice it to say that this story makes all of us think about where we are and what may need to be done to get out of the predicament we all face. It is a mystery by all means and in this sense, the story is very entertaining. But the value of this novel goes way beyond simple entertainment. It is elucidating and perceptive. It is also haunting at times.

In addition, Project Kaisei is probably one of the most realistic mysteries I have ever read. As Mark Schreiber of The Japan Times points out, "In fact, I don't recall ever having read a mystery in which the detective put in so much legwork and encountered so many dead ends. (Unlike the fictional variety, who invariably encounter villains by the second or third chapter, real detectives can no doubt attest to the amount of effort they expend on a difficult case.)" I think this author has produced a novel that will be remembered long after our generation is gone.

I read Mr. Naito's second novel "Mendiola" first and I was so impressed that I decided to read this book, "Project Kaisei." I was not disappointed. The book seems to be slow going at first and have some unnecessary details here and there, but I think these things are what is making this novel very realistic. I read some comment that too much detailed information is written in this novel, but it's really nothing if you compare it to authors like Tom Clancy. I wonder if they feel the same way if this story was about streets of New York rather than Tokyo. I fear that we are being somewhat of racist when we read books written by foreign authors or movies produced by foreign directors. I cannot say this is the best mystery I have ever read, but certainly this is one of the best. The story is full of twists and exciting moments, and what's better, it really makes us think about what we are and where we stand.

Like Mr. Muller, I had always assumed that all of the Japanese-American soldiers in WWII were volunteers. I was shocked and saddened to discover that after the government insinuated that not only Japanese immigrants but native born Americans of Japanese descent were not "truly" American; the same people would force them to fight for the country that had so wholly ignored their rights not only as citizens but as humans.

There is a definite sympathetic tone throughout the whole book that some people might call "slanted," but I have yet to read a book about historical accounts that does not spend the majority of it's time supporting the author's views.

However, any reader worried the author's passion may contaminate the authenticity of this book should rest assured that it is written in a professional manner. The only point in this book that displays Mr. Muller's personal feelings is a brief forward. Otherwise the book is written purely from the internee's points of view, most especially those who later resisted the draft. All of the author's research -- including quotes and many of the Japanese-American's personal feelings -- are documented in an extensive bibliography.

My only complaint about this book is that the author continuously refers to the different Japanese-American generations by the terms common to that period.(i.e. "Nisei" was a referral to native born citizens and their immigrant parents were called "Issei.") Not only were the many terms confusing, but I found the action pointless, and offensive.

If you are interested in the biography of Japanese-Americans, WWII, or history in general this book is worth reading.

The Japanese American draft resisters responded to Pearl Harbor not with an ultra-nationalism for the America that had treated them and their families so unjustly, but with a principled insistence on America's higher ideals. By vindicating that choice, Professor Muller's work helps to preserve for all of us the same choice of responses in the wake of 9/11. For many Americans, especially Asian Americans and Arab Americans, waving the flag today combines and conflates a message of patriotism with a historically well-founded fear that we will be counted as less than fully American when America, the one and only nation we love and call home, faces a time of crisis. In the face of these conflated meanings, it is only with a free conscience that an American can ever hope to invest a choice to dedicate his life to his country with the meaning he intends. The resisters remind us that in a time of national crisis, the freedom of conscience is the most precious freedom of all.

We know about the 120,000 Americans of Japanese heritage who were imprisoned and interned in ten concentration camps in the USA during WWII "By Order of President" Roosevelt and the Army, in places like Tule Lake, Heart Mountain, and Minidoka. We know about the young men, the Nisei, who served their country with distinction in the 100th Battalion and 442nd regimental combat team in Italy and Europe, while their families were stripped of their civil rights and property. But what about those young men who resisted their draft order since they had no civil rights? What of those who were imprisoned and never pardoned after the war? In hindsight, weren't they just as courageous? What about the courage of Federal Judge Louis Goodman? The author of this book, himself the son of a refugee, the grandson of a man who was sent briefly to Buchenwald from Frankfurt, and was tagged an enemy alien in the USA, has written this excellent, well researched book that will be an excellent resource to students of U.S. history and the fight for civil liberties.

This book is typical of the many modern historical re-interpretations of the evacuation and relocation of the people of Japanese ancestry during WWII.

Prominent features among these writers is that the centers were prisons, surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards with guns pointed at the inhabitants who were living under horrendously grim conditions of "incarceration" only because they happened to be of the Japanese race. Muller states their plight "among this country's most shameful and egregious human rights violations."

The main premises of the book are as follows:

1. The Nisei draft resisters were just as "patriotic and courageous" as their fellow Nisei among the 100th and 442nd who died or were wounded.

2. The Japanese American Citizens League was against these resisters when they should have supported them. The JACL has since supposedly accepted them.

3. The resisters proved the inconsistency -- indeed, the injustice -- of the US Government's policy regarding their evacuation and relocation.

4. The loyalty questionnaire was unnecessary and therefore harmed relationships and caused divisions.

5. The US Govt. and WRA were wrong to draft the Nisei who were "imprisoned" in "internment camps."

6. The resisters may have been right, they may have been wrong. At any rate, everyone needs to be OK about it and no more hard feelings, please.

If you are a member of or a veteran of the US armed forces, this book will definitely anger you. No doubt it has angered many Japanese Americans.

I heard about this book in a seminar in Seattle on Japanese-American internees during WWII. I immediately wanted to get it. Some hint about Japanese-American CO's, who were imprisoned just near Seattle, along with Quakers? I had to find out!

This is a well researched book, copious footnotes, with extensive primary and secondary sources. Better yet, Muller is a good author. Don't always get that with a good research non-fiction work. He had me interested, wanting to find out more, hating to put the book down. Muller doesn't simply come off as a bleeding-heart- he dispassionately relates the experiences of the Japanese-Americans, and critiques their actions, with both positive and negative assessments. Yet he manages to bring out in the end how atrocious the actions were of our government- to take people, strip them of their rights, deny them their basic rights as citizens, and then call them to kill others, on the basis that they *are* citizens. He tells the story of how they came to be in the camps, how the decisions were made to put them in the draft (assisted greatly by the JACO, 2nd generation Japanese who were willing to sell out their own people in order to gain more respect from the American government), how and why some chose to resist, and the long struggle that came from the results of those actions, leading up to the present day.

There was one most excellent quote in the book. One judge, after the internment camps are disbanded, writes how the constitution should guarantee basic rights to everyone in our land- regardless of if they are citizens or not. The parallels between the experiences of the Japanese-Americans in WWII and those of another ethnicity today are chilling.

I didn't know anything about Japanese Military rifles from WWII. The internet quickly lead me to this book as the most practical guide. It is. You can quickly get your knowledge base up to speed. I use it as a reference now. It's decently laid out with most of the information you need.

I used a Japanese Type 44 Carbine and Hornady Ammo to shoot a doe last week. I think Japanese Rifles, available now at gunshows for 200.00 or less, are going to increase rapidly in value. I was surprised at how well they shot. Nice to have this book as a guide.

Clint Eastwood, as Police Inspector Harry Callahan, popularized Smith and Wesson's Model 29 revolver in .44 Magnum as "the most powerful gun in the world!" Sales skyrocketed as collectors and shooters scrambled to get one.

As a director, Eastwood's two films about the World War II battle for Iwo Jima seem to have sparked collector interest in Japanese rifles. This is long overdue, in my opinion.

The Arisaka rifle which served Imperial Japan during World War II is an interesting, historical artifact of the war which shaped the world we know. And, some Arisakas are capable of excellent shooting if they are in good condition.

The author was born on Saipan and has had a life long interest in Japanese militaria, especially rifles. His writing is easy to read and accurate insofar as I can determine.

The book is well illustrated by black and white photographs and line drawings and enhanced by sections on bayonets, slings and an excellent bibliographic essay. The book is well laid out and easy to read. Its value as a quick reference would be improved by the addition of a good index, but I guess you can't have eggs in your beer all the time.

McCollum credits the older MILITARY RIFLES OF JAPAN by Fred L. Honeycutt, Jr., and F. Patt Anthony for much of his material. He's focused his own JAPANESE RIFLES OF WORLD WAR II on Arisakas, the Type I rifle as well as improving the somewhat cumbersome format of the older book. And, he's added new material.

For most collectors who want to go beyond the occasional article in a gun magazine, or the chapter on Japanese small arms in Smith and Smith's SMALL ARMS OF THE WORLD, McCollum's book will be perfect. Although you're not going to find anything about the origins of firearms production in Japan, or such 19th century rifles as the Muratas, you will find good, reliable information about the rifles you're likely to see in Clint Eastwood's films about Iwo Jima, the Arisakas.

If you want more depth and more history, try to find a copy of Honeycutt and Anthony's MILITARY RIFLES OF JAPAN. For most of us, however, McCollum's JAPANESE RIFLES OF WORLD WAR II is perfect.

I like this book and gave it five stars.

This is a short book but packs more useful information about WW-II Japanese Rifles into every page an books of much larger bulk. Reasonably priced and a very good value. If you collect or are interested in Japanese rifles this is a must have book

i am not a japanese collector, but i have found that this book has given me the basic knowledge to shop for japanese rifles with much more knowledge. this impression is in line with what much more knowledgeable collectors in this area have told me.

This is an excellent book for collectors who are gonna identify any japanese rifle producted between 1905 and 1945.
There is a large range of pictures and images which help the reader to understand all the marks of production of any arsenal.
Unfortunately informations about Arisaka rifles are narrow , because all the documents about the production of those rifles was destructed under the bombings during the war.
There is nothing better for a collector approaching to japanese rifles.

This is one of the best written book I have ever read. Very emotional A DEFINATE MUST READ BOOK

As much as "Three Came Home" is a story of war, it is a story of love. Mrs. Keith's love for her husband and son are paralleled with her hatred of internment. She balances the good in people, even the enemy, with the bad. The clear message is that war is what makes people bad. I enjoyed this book. It is beautifully written, with every sentence eliciting some kind of emotion in the reader. Mrs. Keith is an admirable woman for her literary accomplishments and her ability to share her experiences on a very personal level.

This book contains the wartime memoirs of Agnes Keith. In 1939, Keith published a book "Land Beneath the Wind," describing her life as the wife of a British colonial official in Northern Borneo. She and her husband Harry were on home leave in North America in 1939 when she finished writing the book. However, Harry was called back early to Borneo from his leave because of the war clouds on the horizon. Agnes, who was pregnant, soon followed, and several months later, gave birth to their son George in Sandakan. Although there had been talk of evacuating women and children from colonial outposts in the Pacific, no orders came through for evacuation before the Japanese invasion, and Agnes refused to leave Harry behind voluntarily. Thus, when the Japanese arrived, all three Keiths were still in Sandakan, and were soon interned in prisoners' camps for the duration of the war. In this book, Keith recounts the stories of how she, George, and Harry survived life in the camps. Her tale was so remarkable that it was made into a movie shortly after the war.

Readers of Keith's earlier book will be stunned at the change in tone of her writing. In Land Beneath the Wind, Keith writes with an airy, scattered-brained style, almost as if she were afraid that otherwise, she would be taken too seriously. Indeed, it was perhaps her humor itself that made her first book popular. But the light tone is gone completely from this book. The nightmare of the prison camps, where random beatings were a certainty, but food was often unattainable, and hygiene nonexistent, took away her carefree nature and matured her overnight beyond her years. For more than three years, she struggled daily to find any kind of food for George, from wormy rice to just plain worms. This woman of colonial privilege traded family heirloom jewelry for a chicken, and learned to hoard night soil for use as fertilizer.

From the start, the Japanese camp leader recognized her as a special prisoner, because he had read Land Beneath the Wind. He required her to keep a journal of her camp adventures for future publication to show how "humane" the Japanese treatment of prisoners had been. So every day, after she completed her required prison work, she had to write for this commander about how wonderful camp life was. When that was finished, she secretly wrote up notes describing what life was really like, and hid them in cans buried under their huts or in the latrines. The most amazing part of her experience is not only that she and George and Harry survived at all, but that through it all, she managed to come away from the camps without blind hatred for the Japanese. She recognized that some of the prison guards were evil, but that many couldn't help but obey their superiors. The years of captivity for the Keiths robbed them of their youth, their health, and the better part of George's childhood, but Agnes finds fault not with Japanese people, but rather with the idea of war itself.

After seeing the 1950 Claudette Colbert film version of this book, I was interested in reading the memoir on which the film was based. Agnes Keith was married to a British government officer when the Japanese took Indonesia during the early days of World War II. Keith and her toddler son were taken to a POW camp; her husband spent the rest of the war in a men's camp under even worse conditions. Keith's memoir describes the starvation, the cruelty, the inhumane conditions, disease, torture, hard labor and the women's superhuman struggles to keep their children alive and relatively healthy. The story is not only about survival, but about the power of love. In the book an occasional racist remark, typical of the times, creeps in, but she also occasionally inserts insights into the humanity found even in some of her captors, and certainly in the Indonesian people. The book ends with little bitterness, and primarily a plea for peace. The film was remarkably faithful to the book, sanitizing and softening some details because film audiences weren't expected to see Claudette Colbert fighting rats, living in abject filth, or dropping down to 80 pounds. The film is still very powerful; the book even more so. This is a well-bound trade paperback edition.

Three Came Home is a well-written, true story of a woman and her son's internment in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Borneo during WWII. Agnes Newton Keith creates a vivid portrait of the conditions under which the prisoners lived and of their day to day lives. She also makes it clear that people are not inherently good or bad; they are often victims of circumstances. Her love for her son and hope that they will be reunited with her husband keep her going and morally-centred. An absolutely excellent book!

There are some better books covering this subject, but this book is still a decent read and I recommend it for those interested in this theater of war. Hunt's story of survival from the Bataan death march and his eventual work with a guerilla detachment were very good and include many personal aspects. But if you are looking for a lot of "combat" recollections, those are not here. This is a more general and personal account of survial. In addition, at times, the author's main purpose in writing this book seems to be to respond to and challenge other US-led guerilla leaders who have either written their own accounts or were considered rivals to Hunt and his leaders. This detracted from the overall story in my opinion, but perhaps this is important contribution from a purely historical aspect.

We received the book promptly however preferred hardbound copy, which Amazon may not have had in stock. We are still seeking hardbound copy although this extra paperback will suffice for our research.
This should be required reading re WW2 history in schools and colleges; and should be in all libraries.
jdm

What I wanted out of this book was not really what I got. I wanted a personal memoir filled with interesting anectdotes, recountings of battles the author fought in and guerilla operations, in short: adventure. Perhaps you will think that a little bloodthristy of me, but it is what I bought the book for.

However, I found these things to be few and far between. There are a trifling amount of these kinds of episodes, but mostly Ray Hunt and his ghost writer gloss over these points of interest (for me, anyway) to comment on generalities of guerilla life in the Philippines and "to set the record straight." Though this was the first book I have read on guerilla operations in the Philippines, it quickly became clear that there are several camps with opposing views about what really happened during the war among US/Filipino guerilla forces, and each tries to get its version of events to be taken as history. Mr Hunt makes an effort to give his side of the story throughout the book from mostly personal information, so in this respect I think he did a good job.

He also takes the opportunity to unapologetically wax patriotic. He is unflinching in his thoughts that the US and MacArthur are always doing right, a tone which sometimes was too strong for me to take seriously. At one point he claims that the best thing for the Philippines after the war would have been to make it "the 49th state,"(this was before Hawaii and Alaska were admitted) presumably because America was and is the best thing going anywhere.

In short, this book is not one of men in battle and the hardships they undergo. It is one man's first person view of a seemingly ongoing argument about this particular bit of history, as well as providing a wealth of general background on the subject. I suspect that there are other, better books to buy on all these categories, and would recommend this book only to those who are deeply interested and want to read everything they can find on it.

Ray Hunt has turned out an informative book of his World War II years, first as an American soldier in the Philippines, secondly as a prisoner and escapee from the Japanese, and third as a guerilla fighting the Japanese until the American army finally re-captured the islands.

Personal accounts of guerilla war are likely to be replete with fabrications as the participants build themselves up, tear others down, and exaggerate their exploits. Hunt seems more honest than most. He doesn't sugar-coat his actions, nor portray himself as the second coming of Napoleon. The book alternates between describing his personal experiences and putting them in context with descriptions of the various guerilla movements in the Philippines, including the Communist Huks, local politics, an account of the American invasion, and his own role as a guerilla leader. He strives to be fair and balanced and comes closer to achieving that than does Fox News.

The best part of the book, in my opinion, were the several chapters in which he described his life on the run from the Japanese, the hardships and disease he suffered and overcame, and the assistance he received from Filipinos. My criticism of the book would be that Hunt never really describes in detail the military operations the guerrillas undertook. Thus, it is somewhat difficult to evaluate the contribution guerilla groups made to winning the war.

Hunt's story of his three years as a guerilla in the jungles, mountains, and rice paddies of Luzon is vivid and credible. This is probably one of the better books you can read about the Philippines under Japanese occupation.

Smallchief

This book is one of those excellent works by the University Press of Kentucky. They publish a great number of WW II personal narratives concerning the more obscure activities and less known theatres. I recall one written by a bandsman, the only one such I ever saw.
This review is based on the 1988 Pocket Book newstand edition of the 1986 hardback original.
The book is well written, quite thorough, and extensively sourced and noted, in contrast to many such works in which all that is set down about the author is in the blurb on the cover. There is also a handy map of Central Luzon printed on the inside back cover, a really great idea so that one can easily find it. Why don't other publishers do that? There is also a very useful index which covers not just personal names, as do so many, but has also subject listings to various topics.
As contrasted to the original book published during WW II, with the title "American Guerilla in the Phillipines", this one does not whitewash the dirty and brutal aspects of the war and its aftermath. All in all, a very interesting and well written work which deserves a place on the shelves of Spec Ops, "grunt" history, and personal narrative collections.

First off, do not think that this will give you an in-depth look at the combat situations these groups entered into. A great deal is only touched upon, i.e. "they encountered strong resistance, then the enemy fled", but the actions of valor that these men did individually is given considerable attention.
What this book is mainly focusing on is the "military necessity" that created a sort of legal racism that was not held across the board. The fact that these men did what they did despite how their very own country treated them is inspiring at the very least.
But I do feel that this book can mirror current events as well. Granted, I hope we have learned that lesson, but we can still look at this example when we deal with other nations who are predominately non-white and assume that "they" are all the same, for indeed they are not.

Robert Asahina does a very good job at telling the story of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up of predominantly Japanese Americans. A relative of Asahina's, interestingly, was in an entirely different Army unit and is nowhere to be mentioned in the book, other than on the dedication page: "To Shoichi Asahina, M.D., Captain, U.S. Army, 1943-45, 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armored Division..." The "Sources" section contains some very good archival sources, especially where related U.S. Government files may be found.

The only demerit in the book is where Asahina sporadically makes comments on the evacuation and relocation issue, usually in agreement with modern re-interpretations of that period. Asahina, in fact, insists on placing key words in quotes, calling them euphemisms, which is typical with such authors who prefer activist terms such as "forced removal" and "concentration camps."

The major section containing the author's philosophical comments on these controversial issues can be found in the Appendix, which, frankly, could well have been omitted as it really has no bearing on the main subject matter. It is more of a ranting rebuttal of recent books by authors like Michelle Malkin and David Lowman. These authors, and two others, Lillian Baker and Keith Robar, Asahina relegates to a whole separate section in his bibliography -- the very last, in fact, titled "Revisionist Histories." Underneath the heading is this explanation: "The allegations and 'revelations' in these works must be regarded with considerable skepticism."

This is quite a statement coming from a man who apparently gives unqualified credence to the historical revisionism and re-interpretations of a good number of books he also includes in his bibliography, e.g. those by Daniels and Muller (see also my reviews on their books).

All things considered in the Appendix, Asahina adds nothing new to understanding the evacuation and relocation of the Nikkei during WWII. One excerpt, however, will suffice to show the author's bent on this issue:

"...the 'evacuation' made so little military sense that it can only be understood as the beginning stage of a sweeping social policy of 'relocating' a politically vulnerable minority group from a part of the country where much more powerful forces, reaching all the way to the White House, regarded its members as unwelcome."

One can easily see what this Army historian is saying here -- the U.S. military made a mistake, it was not military necessity, it was "social policy" (read racism). We have heard that charge before -- "race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership" -- and Asahina parrots the same.

Asahina, along with others of his kind, utterly fail to mention the fact that the Issei were enemy aliens and the American public demanded something be done with them. We were at war with Japan; the Japanese Imperial forces were gaining great victories and ruled the Pacific arena. A very real issue also ignored is the fear of reprisals on the West Coast against the Nikkei, with a potential of civil unrest erupting into mass persecution of horrendous proportions. The real reason for the evacuation was clearly the protection of the Nikkei, who agreed themselves that this was the best policy, being quite relieved to live out the war in relocation centers. Call it what you may, but militarily it was a necessary decision during that war that Japan suddenly forced upon us.

Researchers looking for honesty in historical interpretations will not be satisfied with Asahina's views in the Appendix on the evacuation and relocation of the Nikkei during WWII. "Just Americans" need Asahina to be just honest... and drop the descriptor "Japanese" and really be "just an American."

Aside from those issues, this is a book that deserves a read in understanding more about those amazing men of the 100th and 442nd, one of whom is a dear neighbor friend of mine and who thought Asahina did a good job.

As a long time WWII history buff I can recommend this book without reservation. The author has researched this book very well and presents the facts in a compelling fashion. I was expecting certain passages to regarding how the Japanese-American population at home was treated to be one of finger-pointing, over-sentimentalization and playing the victim to gain sympathy. Boy was I wrong. Negative aspects of "exclusion", internment, and racism, are on the page but so are the bravery and resolve of these people to overcome them. The removal of the Japanese-American population from the west coast of the mainland while leaving the population of Japanese-Americans in Hawaii intact is spelled out in a way for the reader to discover the idiocy in it. For instance the reason given to the "evacuation" was the proximity of Japanese-Americans to military bases and facilities. Yet one of the future members of the 442d worked at Pearl Harbor helping to repair the facilities in the weeks and months after the attack! This book brings to light a story that should be read.

This is an interesting book that proves how reflective combat performance can be in influencing things at home. The book is geared into two parts, first is the story on the Japanese American experiences during World War II on the home front, one of the great national shames of our nation's history. Second story lies with the combat units of 442nd and 100th, all made up with Japanese Americans. The key element of this book lies with the fact that how the superb performances of these two Japanese American combat units clearly affected how their kinfolks were regarded and treated at the home front. As these two combat units performances became superior, the book clearly show how official and unofficial restrictions, racial suspicions and rancor toward their families and friends at home all lessen to considerable degree. The author managed to create a "cause and effect" between the Japanese American combat units and the homefront from where these men hailed from.

It does rise a question if these two Japanese American combat units were lousy cowardly units without any redeeming values, restrictive treatments of Japanese American at home would not be so easily lifted even after the war.

In this case, the author in this book clearly marked the Japanese Americans along the same line as the black troops who also fought pretty well for our nation and thus led to the road of desegregating the military. As we all know, desegregating the military was the first step of the civil right movement of the late 1950s and 1960s.

Overall, a very interesting and sobering book on how ethnic military forces can changed the attitude of many by their valor and sacrifices made on the field of battle.

Robert Asahina's book on the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team is one of the best I've ever read on these brave men and their families. It has very compelling and personal descriptions of the battles these men fought, but what makes it stand out is the linking to the exile of Japanese Americans to internment camps, the political environment and decision-making regarding the treatment of Japanese Americans, and the huge personal, social, and economic costs borne by these loyal Americans during this period.

It is also well-researched, thoroughly sourced and cited, and brings the history up to current levels, including the awarding of the long overdue Medals of Honor to the AJA soldiers. It also discusses the analogies drawn with the post 9/11 environment in the US.

It doesn't cover all of the AJA experience in detail, primarily focusing on the European Theater and the US mainland, but I'd recommend it highly as a first book for anyone interested in this subject. It cites many books and reference materials for interested readers that you can follow up.