Japan Books

This book is a decent introduction to the Aum Shinrikyou. If you want a more detailed look read Ian Reader's _Religious Violence in Contemporary Japan_ which is not only the best source availible in english it gives comparative thoughts on groups such as the Davidians and Heaven's gate. As stated eariler this book is a good introduction because it gives good details on what makes Aum. However, don't let the title fool you too much because that is really only covered in one chapter. Also the book uses quite biased language against Asahara amd the upper echelons of Aum. Although they did do some very bad things at the end. Asahara and his group of followers at first were only trying to enrich themselves

MESSAGE:

In my new book by Edwin Mellen Press you list me TWICE as author, including as Daniel A. Matraux. My name is Daniel A. Metraux and I am the sole author of this book

Do you know Oumu Shinrikyou? There may be some people who do not know the name in foreign countries, but in Japan everybody know the name because the religion group broke incredible terro cases in Japan where is the safest county over the world, that is, one case that was a mass terro killing in Tokyo downtown metro, other that was a large terro killing in local town. The killed and injuried person was over a thousand.

You may have some questoions when you hear the title[Aum Shinrikyou and Japanese Youth], some questions why the case had the connection to the word Youth. But in my thinking, the connection is very important. Because the persons who had believed the cult reliegion was young men or women except some old person like the leader Syoukou Asahara.

In Japan now, people have many their heart ploblems. I think that the cause is many things, however one example that there are some people who are not filled by mental herlth with the overpopulated, the society that chase their benefit and so on. I have lived in Tokyo over 20 years, and I feel that the Japan is getting to bad thing on the youth mental problem especially.

For example, the number ofthe young men that have been into their home without the society activity like working and school is increasing day by day, the youg men is called [Hikikomori] in Japan, in one report, the number is said over a million. The cause that the youger do Hikikomori is various. But the some of them have their mental problems or mental disorder in medical genre. Maybe such condition is not alway in Japan, in such big city like Tokyo even if that is foreign countries, the possibirity will exist.

Oumu Shinrikyou tempted such young men with mental problems, who do not know how to live their life and so on by playing Oumu's clever tricks. There were many high school career young men like Tokyo university, medical shool etc in Oumu too. Japan is a perfect shool career society, for that if men can not enter to high school(compulsory education is till junior high school and after that the future rely on their endeavor) it is said that their future no exist. On the other hands, even if they enter to such high carrer school like Tokyo university, some of men lost their way because they had done nothing except of study in their life, it is not study in good mean, the study for entering high carrer shool only. You may think that the condition is a little curious. But in Japan the most important thing is how to enter well known university rather than what to how to study in university. Japanese universities is like brand name goods almost. When we consider about such young mental problem like Hikikomori or the distorted school carrer problems in Japan, we understand about the connection of Youth and Oumu.

I think that they that commited such terro cases is off course criminals, but on the other hands they will be victims on the points that I wrote in up writing, that some of them have their mental problems. Such thinking may not be the proper thing. But I think so.

In Japan the main theme is how to chase the county benefit, how to develop their GNP and so on. But everybody do not care about how to cope with our mental problems. That is very dangerouse thing. I think that the same shing can be said in big town over the world.

Thank you for reading my poor English and writing.

HELLO--PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAVE PUBLISHED A SECOND BOOK ON AUM SHINRIKYO--BUT YOU LIST ME AS AUTHOR DANIEL A. MATRAUX. IF YOU GO TO THAT LISTING MATRAUX YOU WILL FIND IT. PLEASE CHANGE TO MY CORRECT NAME, DANIEL A. METRAUX

On December 10, 1941, the British battleships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were sunk off the coast of Malaya by Japanese torpedo aircraft. This was the first time in history that a modern, well-armed dreadnought had been sunk on the high seas by aircraft alone. The destruction of these two battleships with such apparent ease seemed to justify the pre-war prophecies of aviation advocates such as "Billy" Mitchell and to signal the end of the battleship era. Martin Middlebrook and Patrick Mahoney present a very detailed and balanced account of this significant naval action and they attempt to assess its historical impact.

As usual, Middlebrook provides excellent background information on the key individuals, the ships themselves, their mission and the circumstances of their deployment to Singapore. Strategically, these ships were ordered by Winston Churchill to the Far East to help deter the coming war with Japan. Admiral Phillips, a high level staff officer with an understanding of war plans, was given charge of the squadron and tasked with a deterrence mission. Unfortunately, the battleships arrived in Singapore on 2 December 1941 and Japan attacked only six days later. The deterrence function of the warships was thus a failure.

Much of the book then focuses on Admiral Phillips controversial decision to sortie from Singapore in an attempt to find and destroy the Japanese invasion convoys bound for Malaya. Phillips went charging off into a very uncertain situation with only two battleships and four destroyers. He apparently believed that his magnificent warships could fight their way through to smash the Japanese convoys, while suffering acceptable levels of damage. Only a minimal effort was made to coordinate with the Royal Air Force for fighter cover prior to the sortie; a fighter squadron was dedicated to supporting the battleships but given no specific instructions.

Prior to this account, I had always believed that the battleships were sunk rather easily by a well-coordinated Japanese air attack. In fact, the Japanese squadrons were low on fuel and disordered, the attacks conducted piece-meal. HMS Repulse did a superb job dodging about nineteen torpedoes before receiving fatal hits. On the other hand, the much better-built HMS Prince of Wales was crippled early in the fight by a lucky torpedo hit that caused massive flooding and knocked out most of her electrical systems. The Japanese achieved 11 torpedo hits out of 49 launched and 2 bomb hits of 23 dropped. Just as the Prince of Wales was sinking, ten British fighters arrived over the scene. Admiral Phillips had never radioed for air support and this squadron only arrived due to the independent call for assistance by HMS Repulse. Middlebrook notes that had Phillips called for these fighters just two hours earlier, they could have disrupted the unescorted Japanese bombers and probably have helped save at least one of the battleships.

The main culprit for this disaster is Admiral Phillips. Middlebrook asserts that, "throughout the operation, Phillips continued to show a disregard, almost a contempt, for the dangers of any type of air attack" and, "Phillips was confident that his ships could defend themselves and that he was determined not to ask for the help of another service." Finally, "two great ships and many good men were lost because one stubborn old sea-dog refused to acknowledge that he had been wrong." However, despite this focus on the inter-service bickering as the main culprit of the disaster, the authors then go on to pass judgment on battleships as a whole. After this disaster they assert, battleships were little more than "floating artillery" that could only operate under conditions of friendly air superiority.

I must start this review with telling you that I have read this book at least 10 times.
It covers both the backgrond, both why the ships were sent to Singapore, but also insight about capital ships record until dec. 41. Both losses and successes. One thing often ignored is that no battleship had been lost at sea previously and therefor some decisions from Philips may look more logical to him than to us armchair admirals.

The voyage to Singapore and the events that lead Philips out on his foray are described and also Japanese moves.
Then the attack, hits, damage and so on are described with good detail almost like a report from the damage control officer.

By bad luck the first torpedo hit made massive damage on Prince of Wales and effects of this hit are shown with drawings over flooding and effects on electricity, pumps and other areas are described also.

Then the final round that ended in the sinking of the ships are described, after that comes rescue, aftermath and analysis.
All this are the whole time enrichened by lots of witnesses from people involved (massive number)both British and some Japanese that bring the story almost to a film, you can see everything going on in your mind, and a book that gives you that feeling is very good.

I always likes books that are balanced and not afraid to critisize your own leader, and Philips surely get his share.

One thing that strike me when you compare the demise of IJN Yamato and Musashi is that often the IJNs AA are critized but as I remember those ships shot down at least more US aircraft than POW and Repulse with their fantastic score of three IJN aircraft (heavy not agile twin engine bombers). This may be a testimony more to the fact that all ships (both axis and allied)were equally poor against aircraft early in the war but that VT fuzes, 40 mm Bofors and sturdier aircraft made life much more difficult later for IJN whilst IJN did not improve enough.

The death of the battleship is the theme and this is
a book that you should not miss and also good value for money

This book covers the story of the HMS Prince of Wales and the HMS Repulse from their arrival in the pacific in late 1941. It starts by covering the decisions which led to these ships being sent to the Far East despite a still viable German navy, then discusses the ships themselves, their crews, and their histories.

The book is written in a narrative style and makes heavy use of actual messages radioed to and from the vessels. These do an effective job of establishing the situation and give the reader insight into why certain decisions were made. Also used are official Japanese documents so the reader gets a view of the battle from both sides.

Diagrams of the ships show the locations of bomb and torpedo hits. During the interludes between air raids, the author covers the damage inflicted thus far in an almost checklist manner: pumps, counter flooding procedures, communication status, ventilation and lighting, steering, anti-aircraft armament... I can almost picture the officers taking account of what they have to work with and forming plans on how to prepare for the next assault.

After the sinkings, the remaining chapters cover the rescue of the crews and an analysis of the battle and its aftermath. Overall it's an easy read and presents an interesting view of a battle which was one of the first to prove Billy Mitchell right.

This very readable account of the folly of Force Z was very thoroughly researched, using official documents, logs, interviews and other conventional sources. The book combines a narrative of events with analysis of the strategic and tactical aspects involved, a detailed technical rundown regarding construction, armour, armament, and much more of the POW. The authors alternate between academic discussion and survivor's narratives, thereby maintaining tension and interest from beginning to end. It is interesting to note that the King George V class of battleships (of which the Prince of Wales was the second ship) was quite a mediocre design (see combinedfleet.com section on battleships), this a direct result of Britain building only two battleships between 1918 and 1936, resulting in a starvation of design innovation and shipyard expertise. Central in this book is the description of the errors and folly of the voyage of Force Z, and this leaves the impartial reader with deep regret upon reading of the unnecessary sacrifice of so many, who fought very bravely.

An engaging adventure enfolds when Bushi escapes a gang of school yard bullies by fleeing into a karate studio. He falls, losing consciousness and dreams (another interpretation from the book jacket is that he travels back in time) he meets the master who founded the school and has an adventure, in which he learns to escape a larger adversary by jumping aside during an attack. When he reawakens, he uses this technique to land the bully in a fountain and escapes again to attend karate class. Includes small glossary of Japanese words used in the story and vivid illustrations.

Once again Mat Faulkner have brought another great book into american liture this book is the best i love his illistrations and te story line is great i hope his next book maybe a sexquil? Will be just as good.

An engaging adventure enfolds when Bushi escapes a gang of school yard bullies by fleeing into a karate studio. He falls, losing consciousness and dreams he meets the master who founded the school and has an adventure, in which he learns to escape a larger adversary by jumping aside during an attack. When he reawakens, he uses this technique to land the bully in a fountain and escapes again to attend Karate class. Includes small glossary of Japanese words used in the story.

Once again Matt Faulkner demonstrates his outstanding abilities in the literary as well as artistic realm. "Black Belt" rises to the top among his other works such as: "Amazing Voyage of Jackie Grace," and"Jack and the Beanstalk." His illustration is so beautiful you almost need no words to read the story of Bushi and his nemesis Yag yu. What child has not lived through Bushi's experience and dreamed that he would be the victor. The story has everything that makes a book exciting for a child: Magical illustrations, a real life problem, a possible solution, and a surprise ending that leaves you wishing for more. What more could you ask for?

Shuji Nakamura worked virtually alone at a small Japanese company in 1992 when he developed the bright blue light-emitting diode, or LED, that may supplant the electric light bulb in home and commercial applications. He was employed by Nichia Chemical Industries in Anan on Japan's southern island of Shikoku. Nichia invested over $1 million in Nakamura's research on indium-gallium-nitride, a compound-semiconductor alloy most other researchers had dismissed as useless for LED manufacturing because of its many defects.

Nakamura modified standard chemical vapor-deposition equipment to achieve the uniform, nanometers-thin layers needed to emit copious blue light. As Johnstone writes: "100 times brighter than commercial silicon-carbide blue LEDs, bright enough to be seen in broad daylight." (Thus, Brilliant!)

Nakamura became a celebrity in Japan. Cree Research, Durham, N.C., the market leader in silicon-carbide blue LEDs, tried to make an alliance with Nichia. When it was rebuffed by Nichia, it tried to hire Nakamura. Nakamura remained loyal to Nichia, and turned out ever brighter and more versatile diodes. By increasing the indium content, for example, he achieved bright green LEDs, and in 1996 he announced the first blue-violet laser diode.

The blue emitting diode is essential to generate bright white light. Red and green light combined in the proper proportions with blue light yields white light. The red and green can come either from other LEDs or from the blue LED itself, using phosphors to convert part of its output to lower-frequency light. LEDs have surpassed incandescent and halogen bulbs in lumens per watt, and reached the levels that only the best fluorescent tubes can attain. Their lifetimes run from 50,000 to 100,000 hours. In widespread use, they could achieve enormous cost savings. A shift to solid-state lighting would also enormously reduce production of greenhouse gases.

Johnstone describes some of the key players in a solid-state lighting industry that grosses $4 billion a year, and promises to grow quickly. Nichia, Cree, Color Kinetics of Boston, Permlight Products of Tustin, Calif., and Carmanah Technologies Corp., in Victoria, B.C., Canada, may be significant players. Johnstone doesn't discuss Royal Philips Electronics, in Amsterdam, which has great researchers, and enormous marketing and manufacturing capabilities.

Johnstone closes the book with Nakamura in 1999 when Nakamura accepts a tenured position as the Cree Professor of Solid State Lighting and Display at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Before he can start his reseraches, Nichia sued him for leaking trade secrets to Cree. Nakamura counter-sued for profits; the case was heard at Japan's highest court amid wide-spread publicity; and it was settled in the early 2005.

Nakamura won the 2006 Millennium Technology Prize and Johnstone suggests that Nakamura may ultimately win a Nobel Prize for his work. Johnstone is a true believer; he thinks that solid state lighting is the most important advance in lighting since Edison. "Nakamura changed the world," claims Johnstone. Writing in "Scientific American", Glenn Zorpette agrees: "Nakamura put together a string of achievements that for genius and sheer improbability is as impressive as any other accomplishment in the history of semiconductor research."

As a general reader, I found this a fascinating, albeit sometimes difficult and confusing, account of that advance.

Robert C. Ross 2008

BRILLIANT! SHUJI NAKAMURA AND THE REVOLUTION IN LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY tells of the evolution of LED technology and how it was stalled over making an LED that would emit the bright blue light needed to make useful white light LEDs - until researcher Shuji Nakamura's key invention which single-handedly created the industry of solid-state lighting. Author Bob Johnstone is the first Western journalist to meet and interview Nakamura, and here provides a powerful blend of science and biography to show how the inventor made his ground-breaking discovery and how LEDs are revolutionizing the world. Any science library strong in invention history needs BRILLIANT!

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I heartily recommend this book for people who are interested in innovation, business, science, technology, etc. The book tells the fascinating story of Nakamura and the impact LEDs are having on the lighting industry.

Part One of the book tells the story of how Nakamura invented the first commercially successful GaN LED. Part Three explains how Nakamura became unwanted at Nichia and how he decided to move to UCSB. Parts Two and Four talk about some of the companies that are using LEDs to make exciting new products. I'll be a nit picker and say the book should be titled "Shuji Nakamura and the *Coming* revolution in Lighting Technology" because the revolution is just starting.

Although LEDs have been around for about four decades and everyone already owns products that incororate them, very few people understand the potential of LEDs and the impact that they will have on lighting over the next few years. The conversion to white LEDs for general lighting is underway. People will want to understand more about this phenomenon as they recognize the impact that LEDs are having on the lighting industry and energy consumption. The good news is that this book will serve as a tutorial for people who want to learn about LEDs.

Brilliant!!! Refreshing!!! Bob Johnstone is correct in espousing Shuji Nakamura as the leader of the LED revolution. Shuji's list of patents and accomplishments in his field far outshine all of his peers put together. Definitely a Nobel Prize in the works for Mr. Nakamura and hopefully a Pulitzer for Mr. Johnstone for his ability to explain this complex subject to the average reader in a true tale of high intrigue! The LED scientific community is still rather small. The competition for the holy grail (replacing the everyday lightbulb) is phenomenal. Bob and Shuji have this unusual, provocative combination that tells the story of this new high tech race. Bob spends quite a few chapters explaining the unusual and life changing ramifications of LED development worlwide. A must read for any investor or those with eco-green concerns!!!

It's a very good book, good analysis of Nikkei life in Japan.

I read this book and I found that it was more than a simple academic book with statistics, and numbers...It's a realy good view of what is a migrant life in Japan .

Here is a short, simple book examining the role and place of the ever-growing Japanese-Brazilian population in Japan. Overall, it is a well written piece of work that I found helpful in my reseach. Although it is not the most comprehensive book on Japan's new ethnic minoritiy population,the Brazilians, Roth's work is worthwhile nonetheless.

The topic of Japanese Brazilian migrants in Japan is one that very few people outside of Japan or Brazil know about. I'm glad to see that there was a book written about this issue, especially since it involves the complexity of race vs. ethnicity and issues dealing with feelings of isolation, sense of belonging and cultural acceptance, something which we all strive for. Mr. Hotaka Roth did an excellent job of researching the experiences of these migrant workers and presented them in a very honest way. You could tell that he dove into this project fullheartedly by the fact that he made an effort to not only learn Japanese and about Japanese culture, but that he also learned Portuguese and the different nuances of Brazilian culture. Unlike a lot of research books, this book was not dry and did not drag on forever. It was quick paced and easy to read and understand. It keeps the reader interested and each chapter presents itself with new themes.

In Japan, a country that is thought to be "ethnically pure", the new phenomenon of return migration poses an interesting problem. Nikkei (those who are of Japanese ancestry outside of Japan) Brazilian nationals began migrating to Japan for economic reasons in the 1990s (the government made it particularly easy for them to enter the country, assuming they would adapt to Japanese culture better than those with no ties to the country), and many decided to stay, creating minority enclaves with a culture distinctly their own and NOT Japanese. Joshua Hotaka Roth provides an analysis of Nikkei life in Japan.

Although I read this book as part of a research project, I found that it was much, much more than a dry academic book with lots of statistics (although there certainly were plenty of statistics for anyone looking for solid numerical data). Roth didn't just write about this subject; he experienced it: he worked in a factory side by side with Nikkei Brazilians, lived and associated with Nikkei, and truly participated in his subjects' way of life in Japan. The result is an intimate view of the "return" migrant's experience, including sections on the actual factory work, injury and health insurance issues, and some ways in which Brazilian Nikkei in Japan maintain Brazilian identities while adapting to Japan.

This book is great for anyone who wants to know more about Japan in this time of internationalization, anyone who is interested in international migration, issues of national identity, or anyone who just wants an interesting non-fiction read.

Reviewed by Sandra MacLean for Reader Views (3/06)

The minute you even think of doing business in China, Japan or Korea, do yourself a favour and run out to pick up this book. Author Mia Doucet avoids dry, jargon filled pages as she delivers practical tips you can use to approach these markets, giving your company a greater chance for success. She conveys the excitement of discovering a new culture while remaining tightly focused on what this understanding means for doing business.

Doucet makes getting to know your market a breeze with her easy to understand and easy to use advice. This book is full of intriguing gems of priceless information. Just this one example should rouse your curiosity: Why should you always wear clean socks without holes? (See page 114 for the answer.)

She does a great job of making the culture come to life so business planners can improve their chance of success just by being better informed than their competitors. How better to show your respect than to go the extra mile to gain an understanding of the new environment in which you intend to do business. Moreover, you will get to know some pitfalls you should avoid that could get in the way as you attempt to establish profitable relationships.

Doucet gives you clear advice on where you need to pay attention. Consider this common decision - Do you need an interpreter or a translator? Should you hire at home or do you think you can get by with hiring someone once you arrive? Well, that depends on if you "know whether to kiss, bow or go on a bender." You'll have to read the book to find out the answer! In the end, you'll understand not just what you need to do but why.

For such a meaty book, it is a surprisingly easy read. I'd be tempted to say, "Read this on your flight to the far east," but you will be very glad that you found this information long before you board the plane. Just be sure to take it with you in case you forget some of the details.

This is a book that could help a much broader audience. It's not only useful for those going overseas to do business but it would also give a tremendous advantage to any North American planning to travel in the Pacific Rim countries whether for business, pleasure or as part of volunteer organizations.

Staff members of companies on this continent who host guests from the Pacific Rim would also benefit from this information. Our western customs are so familiar to us that we may not always realize how foreign they are to visitors from other cultures. Imagine how much this greater sensitivity could enhance the experience you plan for future visits with business colleagues from around the world.

Doucet offers the reader a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of international business. It's a good read even if you have no plans at the moment to move into these markets. When the time does come, you will be very glad you have this resource in your toolbox.

With "China in Motion: 17 Secrets...", Ms Doucet has created a wonderfully useful book for every entrepreneur who is eyeing the Asian markets. With 1.3 billion residents in China alone, EVERY entrepreneur should be setting their sites on the Asian markets. (It is no surprise that this Far Eastern country has earned the moniker, "the new land of opportunity".)

Each and every one of Ms. Doucet's secrets is important. I especially appreciated #4: "Think in terms of a web of relationship". I have found this to be especially important in my dealing with Japanese associates - a very different approach from the typical Western "it's-all-about-me" perspective.

Every business person who wants to do business in China, Japan and/or South Korea owes it to themselves to buy this book. The next time I travel to one of these countries, this book will be my closest traveling companion.

I was just in China on business and upon returning my sister recommended this book. I was astonished as I was reading it because it described exactly what I had experienced. This is an excellent guide for anyone who would like to do business in China and there is nothing like actually being there and experiencing it. I do highly recommend that you read this book as well as learn Mandarin if you intend to do business in China. My hat is off to Mia! Thank you for providing this wonderful guide.

This book has many good quotes and bits of information that will help you understand what it takes and the thinking required to do business in Asia....there are many good hints from the differences in culture to personal habits that may offend the customer....an example "not writing on the back of the business card...and the thinking behind it..." Very well written book.

Maybe I expected too much from a book that was only ~$10 but it wasn't very clear on several very important topics in the book and too often resorted straight to simple conversations. Although this was a downfall, overall the book was a very enjoyable read, and was fairly informative. I hate the fact that it uses romanization, but since it always had the hiragana/kanji right below it, I will not complain too much :) overall a good book for intermediate Japanese students that want a very basic guide to speaking (and understanding) one of the more colorful dialects of Japan.

I'm a college student about to study abroad in the Kansai area and I was looking for a book that would help me to better understand the local dialect. This book is very well laid out and clearly explains the differences between standard Japanese and Kansai dialect and how to use them. There are plenty of examples that help the reader along the way.

This book does a great job of looking at the Kansai area forms of Japanese. As a dialectology fan, I found this book entertaining. Explanations and examples are extremely detailed, and a large amount of different subject material is highlighted.

In addition to people who intend to interact with Kansai area speakers, I suggest this book to those who are interested in the dialects of Japan in general. Language is an ever-changing organism, and much of the original flavor of local dialects is forever being lost in many areas. This book goes beyond being practical in that sense, because even if Kansai-ben has been greatly eroded by Tokyo Japanese in the future, this book will be a surviving record of what used to be.

A good find.

"Colloquial Kansai Japanese" is an updated and expanded edition of Palter and Slotsve's classic "Kinki Japanese*". This book was the key that unlocked the mysteries taking place in everyday conversations during a homestay in Kyoto. It enabled me to answer a very polite cabdriver in Osaka about what I had done while in Osaka. Just the other day, I became friends with a Kyoto native who was really happy to hear my "Kyoto accent", although I spoke not a word of Kansai-ben!

I highly recommend this book to:

* anyone who will spend more than two weeks in the Kansai area, especially homestay students and company workers that will need to converse with homestay family members, colleagues, local merchants, and others.
* anime otaku who watch subs rather than dubs.
* Japanese students interested in dialects.

Since I can't seem to locate my battered copy of "Kinki Japanese" after moving, I'm going to pick up a copy of "Colloquial Kansai Japanese". It's that good.

*Don't laugh, "Kinki" has nothing to do with love hotels or hostess bars. "Kinki" refers to the time when the Kansai area was the political center of Japan, and "kinki" means "the neighborhood of the capital". For many years, Kyoto was the capital of Japan. I suggest you read The Tale of Genji or Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book to capture the flavor of that era's history.

Why the title change? At one time, Tuttle published two books on this subject, the other being Peter Tse's "Kansai Japanese". Tse's book is no longer in print.

Excellent memoir, written by a guy who started out as a foot soldier before Pearl Harbor, and went on to drive Shermans on Leyte and Okinawa. The book reads fast and easy, is full of great detail, and told in a wry, reflective tone. Armor freaks especially will dig it. We need as many of these memoirs as we can get before these guys are all gone.

This book was fun to read and the author is a great story teller.

Robert Dick has given us a gem. His narrative is interesting, thought provoking, sometimes disturbing and very often humorous.
Kind of a gallows humor. Probably appropriate for the times. He explains the technical aspects of the M-3 Stuart and M-4 Sherman in an easy to understand way. I suspect that some readers will not appreciate the frequent humor but we all cope with our ghosts in different ways. Great read.

got book FAST , READ it FAST ... great story of a " NON " Eddie Murphy type , a Regular G.I.doing the job assigned to him .. not EVERY soldier did Heroic stuff on the battlefield everyday ......But he still suffered thru the cruelty of War .......

Robert Dick has given us a great war memoir from the perspective of a tanker, which is all too rare, especially where the Pacific theater is concerned. This is a good, old-fashioned war story, emphasis on the war, but with just enough of the hijinks that veterans are so good at recalling. Dick offers a rare take on what it was really like to drive a tank in battle, the bond established between the tanker and the infantry he supported, and the odds and ends of a tank battalion's activities, such as firing as artillery. He honestly shares his painful experience nearing the "breaking point" after watching ever more of his buddies die in grueling combat. Buy this book!

This is one of the best WWII books that I have read. It protrays the struggles of the individual soldiers and marines in the battle for Saipan

The importance of the capture of Saipan is two-fold. First, to most Japanese military strategists, Saipan represented the outermost reaches of the defenses of the Japanese Empire itself. Thus, its loss meant that it would only be a question of time before Japan itself was invaded and all was lost. Second, to the Allies, Saipan represented air bases from which the new B-29 planes could reach and bomb Japanese cities, including, and especially, Tokyo.

"D-Day in the Pacific" is an extremely well-written account of the actions and politics leading up to the decision to invade Saipan (and Tinian, adjacent to it), including the clash of wills between Admiral King and Gen. MacArthur, the strategies and tactics of the invasions (e.g., the separate landings by the 2nd and 4th Marine divisions), the major personalities involved on both sides, and the battles on the islands, including the well-known suicidal tactics of the Japanese, as seen not only from the perspective of the commanders but the front line troops as well. Numerous photos are also included.

As I researched the death of my Marine uncle on D-day , June 15, on Saipan Island, it became clear that Professor Goldberg's well-written and documented book would be a valuable source of information to go with all the other books I had read, including the excellent 1946 edition of the 4th Marine Division Association's historical account of the battle. In fact, in Dr. Goldberg's book, I learned of accounts from others in my uncle's company that help confirm what my family had long believed about the circumstances of his death, and a contradiction of statements of mortuary graves registration personnel at the time that were recorded in my uncle's official military personnel record I obtained.

At a recent family reunion, I obtained a copy of the unit commander's letter to my grandfather which corroborated Dr. Goldberg's account and the testimony of a member of my uncle's company contained in the book as to how he almost certainly died (despite efforts to contact this veteran from information supplied graciously by the author, I haven't gotten a response and I fear he may be one of the 1,000 WWII veterans who die each day).

Nonetheless, the book's account and the letter of my uncle's commander, written in September of 1944, match the time he went ashore and circumstances of the hostilities at the time. I was able to almost pinpoint the time of his death from the book, but most illuminating, I learned of his unit's activities during the day. His unit was part of a "feint" or diversionary tactic and was not part of the initial landing that faced murderous fire, because his unit was compensated for being part of the first wave in the assault at Namur, a previous battle. (It was traditional for combat troops seeing first combat or bearing the brunt to be made part of a reserve or backup force in the next battle)

During the reunion, I was able to give a factual account of this hero to 50 family members & descendants as we stood at his gravesite to commemorate his sacrifice at age 22.

My one lament regarding the book: I gave it away this week to my first cousin named for my uncle. Now, I have to buy another - which will make the author happy, too.

This book is a great overview on one of the lesser known battles of ww2. there is a lot of background information on the saipan and the events leading up to the invasion. recommended reading for anyone who would like to know more about saipan

We purchased this book after eating at Sansei in Maui and Oahu our first time to Hawaii and love the book. If you have never eaten at Sansei you are really missing out. Chef DK has created an amazing menu. Everything is delicious. If you are heading to Maui or Oahu, make sure you put Sansei down as a "to-do" while you are there. On Sunday and Monday night they open at 5PM and everything on the menu is 50% off for one hour. You have to get their by 4PM or so in order to get in, but it is well worth the wait.

Chef Kodama and Bonnie Friedman share all of Chef Kodama's secrets and do a great job illustrating how to create traditional and contemporary Japanese cuisine. They explain how and why each ingredient is used and translate ingredients throughout the book so you don't have to keep looking up terms when trying a new recipe. The book is simple enough for beginners to follow, yet offers some contemporary (and slightly more complex) dishes for the advanced chef.

If you love sushi and want to start making it at home, by this book.

I've been to his restaurant in Maui and the food was fabulous. So good in fact that I bought this book. While I could use more examples of fish to swap for things only a Hawaiian can get I find the recipes so easy a beginner can use them to make some fantastic food. I highly recommend this book.

For beginners, there's a nice introduction to different basic japanese foods and rolling techniques with pictures. There are recipes for sushi, and small and large entrees. I've been to one of the two Sansei restaurants on Maui and the recipes from this book definately cover some of the best things on their menu. The only minor change I could see to make it better is more information about using pre-made grocery store sauces instead of making everything from scratch.

Loved the ease of instruction in making sushi. Not hard to follow, well done. Also like the homespun family history. It is a great guide to not only sushi but everthing else in his style. A lot of fun.