They Call It Pacific (Annotated): An Eye-Witness Story of Our War Against Japan from Bataan to the Solomons


Clark Lee - 1943
    They Call It Pacific is an insightful account of events leading up to the war and beyond from an authority on Japanese-American affairs at the time. It is also a thrilling journal detailing Lee’s unbelievable real-time escape from the Philippine Islands with the help of the Filipino resistance. The book contains extensive accounts of the battle for the Philippines on Bataan and Corregidor, interviews with soldiers including General Douglas MacArthur, talks with Japanese prisoners, and descriptions of combat as the author accompanied Navy pilots such as Swede Larson on flights over Guadalcanal. This new edition of They Call It Pacific has been updated with footnotes and images from the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. *Includes original footnotes. *Includes photographs from World War 2.

Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II


Richard Reeves - 2015
    The U.S. Army immediately began rounding up thousands of Japanese-Americans, sometimes giving them less than 24 hours to vacate their houses and farms. For the rest of the war, these victims of war hysteria were imprisoned in primitive camps.In Infamy, the story of this appalling chapter in American history is told more powerfully than ever before. Acclaimed historian Richard Reeves has interviewed survivors, read numerous private letters and memoirs, and combed through archives to deliver a sweeping narrative of this atrocity. Men we usually consider heroes-FDR, Earl Warren, Edward R. Murrow-were in this case villains, but we also learn of many Americans who took great risks to defend the rights of the internees. Most especially, we hear the poignant stories of those who spent years in "war relocation camps," many of whom suffered this terrible injustice with remarkable grace.Racism, greed, xenophobia, and a thirst for revenge: a dark strand in the American character underlies this story of one of the most shameful episodes in our history. But by recovering the past, Infamy has given voice to those who ultimately helped the nation better understand the true meaning of patriotism.Praise for Infamy“A compulsively readable, emotionally rich and passionately written account of the internment of 120,000 American Japanese in concentration camps during World War II.... Reeves' excellent Infamy, the first popular, general history of the subject in more than 25 years, reminds us that not only can it happen here, it did.... Every reader who has lived the post-9/11 era will immediately notice the parallels.”— Los Angeles Times “Highly readable.... The story of this national disgrace, long buried...still has the power to shock. [Infamy is a] vivid and instructive reminder of what war and fear can do to civilized people.” —Evan Thomas, The New York Times Book Review“History's judgment is that internment...was wrong. Mr. Reeves's excellent book gives us an opportunity to learn from past mistakes.... Reeves is especially good at bringing to life the social experience of internment.” — The Wall Street Journal “Richard Reeves's book on the harsh, prolonged and unjustified internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II is a detailed account of a painful and shameful period in modern American history. Infamy combines Reeves's journalist's training with his historian's eye to give us a page-turner on how hysteria at the highest levels can shatter our most fundamental rights. Brace yourself and read this very important book.” — Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation “For years, the unjust relocation and incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast during World War II - the majority of them American citizens - was shrouded in shame and secrecy.... [Infamy's] greatest strength is probably Reeves's masterful use of anecdotes, which enliven an epic story with poignant tales of individual hardship, courage, and endurance.” — The Boston Globe “Infamy tells the story of why and how the American government--with the full support of its citizenry--illegally interned Japanese-Americans. Richard Reeves even-handedly examines this dangerous precedent-setting time when the Constitution was trampled by misinformation, prejudice, and fear. Today as Muslim and Hispanic immigrants are being blamed for America's ills, Infamy is a timely and important read.” — James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and The China Mirage “In Infamy, journalist Richard Reeves...provides a sweeping and searching account of this appalling chapter in the history of the United States.... Reeves reserves the heart of his book -- and rightfully so -- for a narrative of the heartbreaking experiences of evacuated individuals and families.” — San Francisco Chronicle “Infamy...is perhaps the most thorough history of the relocation to date.” — The Denver Post “More than 120,000 Japanese-Americans were locked up during World War II...[and Infamy] tells their tale with energy, compassion and moral outrage.... With meticulous care [Reeves documents] the decisions made in Washington by the world's most powerful men, and how those decisions affected the lives of ordinary Americans whose only crime was to be of Japanese descent.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune

Asia's Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific


Robert D. Kaplan - 2014
    Kaplan offers up a vivid snapshot of the nations surrounding the South China Sea, the conflicts brewing in the region at the dawn of the twenty-first century, and their implications for global peace and stability.

World War Two: A Short History


Norman Stone - 2013
    The victors, however, valued vengeance even more than stability and demanded a massive indemnity from Germany in order to keep it from rearming. The results, as eminent historian Norman Stone describes in this authoritative history, were disastrous. In World War Two, Stone provides a remarkably concise account of the deadliest war of human history, showing how the conflict roared to life from the ashes of World War One. Adolf Hitler rode a tide of popular desperation and resentment to power in Germany, promptly making good on his promise to return the nation to its former economic and military strength. He bullied Europe into giving him his way, and in so doing backed the victors of the Great War into a corner. Following the invasion of Poland in 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany -- a decision that, Stone argues, was utterly irrational. Yet Hitler had driven the world mad, and the rekindling of European hostilities soon grew to a conflagration that spread across the globe, fanned by political and racial ideologies more poisonous -- and weaponry more destructive -- than the world had ever seen. With commanding expertise, Stone leads readers through the escalation, climax, and mournful denouement of this sprawling conflict.World War Two is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the twentieth century and its defining struggle.

Empire of the Clouds: When Britain's Aircraft Ruled the World


James Hamilton-Paterson - 2010
    And what aircraft they were. The sleek Comet, the first jet airliner. The awesome delta-winged Vulcan, an intercontinental bomber that could be thrown about the sky like a fighter. The Hawker Hunter, the most beautiful fighter-jet ever built and the Lightning, which could zoom ten miles above the clouds in a couple of minutes and whose pilots rated flying it as better than sex.How did Britain so lose the plot that today there is not a single aircraft manufacturer of any significance in the country? What became of the great industry of de Havilland or Handley Page? And what was it like to be alive in that marvellous post-war moment when innovative new British aircraft made their debut, and pilots were the rock stars of the age?James Hamilton-Paterson captures that season of glory in a compelling book that fuses his own memories of being a schoolboy plane spotter with a ruefully realistic history of British decline - its loss of self confidence and power. It is the story of great and charismatic machines and the men who flew them: heroes such as Bill Waterton, Neville Duke, John Derry and Bill Beaumont who took inconceivable risks, so that we could fly without a second thought.

Mr. Darcy and the Angel of Kent: A Variation on Pride & Prejudice


Martin Hunnicutt - 2021
    They are touring the towns in Kent beginning with Canterbury’s famous Cathedral before making their way to Ramsgate. In this coastal town, Elizabeth meets Georgiana Darcy and an interesting couple from the nobility. Summoned by the Duke of Portland to Ramsgate after his wife dismisses Mrs. Young as being totally unsuited to be a young gentlewoman’s companion, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy arrives and immediately clashes with the opiniated Miss Elizabeth Bennet.Now a larger party, the troupe journeys along the coast to Dover to escape from Mr. George Wickham who haunts Ramsgate for unknown reasons. Then the party travels to Folkstone, another coastal town in Kent and near Rosings Park. However, just as the party is to set out for a picnic outside the town, someone fires cannons into the town. Near the docks, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth see that a French battleship is firing on the small English town! Fearing General Bonaparte is leading the French armies to invade England, the party flees to Rosings Park, only two hours away.The next morning, the Gouldings depart with Miss Darcy for London while Mr. Darcy returns to Folkstone to investigate the size of the invasion force. Despite Mr. Goulding’s protests, Elizabeth remains at the manor house to help care for the Duchess of Portland who collapsed during the bombardment. The duchess dies after another day, leaving Elizabeth and the servants to help the duke deal with his grief and prepare to send the body of the duchess to London.Mr. Darcy returns with news that the attack at Folkstone was a feint to create fear among the common people of invasion, and to kidnap the Duke of Portland, a former Prime Minister. Unwilling to await the arrival of the regular army, Mr. Darcy seeks the assistance of the militia in Ashland to restore order to Folkstone. In his absence, Mr. Wickham appears at Rosings Park with French soldiers and Marshal Joachim Murat, seeking to take the Duke of Portland prisoner.Despite threats from Wickham and the Frenchmen, Elizabeth and the servants help Lord William, Duke of Portland to slip away from the potential kidnappers. That same day, Mr. Darcy returns with the militia, and they drive the invaders away from Rosings Park. In the final minutes, as the French retreat toward Folkstone, Mr. Darcy duels a French captain who is trying to get Marshal Murat away. During the duel, Elizabeth subdues the Marshal just before Darcy is wounded as he dispatches his opponent.When he awakens, Mr. Darcy believes an angel has come to Kent to save him. When his vision clears, he realizes his angel is none other than Miss Elizabeth Bennet and for some unknown reason, she is applying honey to his head wound. Mr. Darcy’s cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, arrives with the regular units of the British Army and they capture the last of the French invaders at Folkstone.Elizabeth returns to London where she remains at Gracechurch Street until George Wickham and Marshal Murat are tried by the Royal Courts. Safe with her aunt and uncle, Elizabeth cannot dismiss her reaction to her experiences at Rosings Park but letters from her family and friends help. When she returns to Longbourn, regular day-to-day tasks are welcome but also confining.That autumn, at the Assembly Ball, the gentleman who has become the Netherfield tenant brings his sisters and a friend to the gathering. Mrs. Bennet is hopeful that a suitable gentleman has appeared in Meryton and immediately believes Jane can capture his attention. But many ladies and gentlemen are disturbed when they see his friend – how can their daughters display themselves before Mr. Bingley with that fierce looking friend around him? But then Elizabeth catches sight of the man and she is excessively pleased to discover that Mr. Bingley’s friend is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Enola Gay: Mission to Hiroshima


Gordon Thomas - 1977
    From diplomatic moves behind the scenes to Japanese actions and the US Army Air Force’s call to action, no detail is left untold.Touching on the early days of the Manhattan Project and the first inkling of an atomic bomb, investigative journalist Gordon Thomas and his writing partner Max Morgan-Witts, take WWII enthusiasts through the training of the crew of the Enola Gay and the challenges faced by pilot Paul Tibbets.

The Ocean in the Closet


Yuko Taniguchi - 2007
    In the sounds of ice breaking in the river, silkworms eating mulberry leaves in the night, and Mahler played on the double bass, her characters hear the music of human suffering and redemption. . . . The Ocean in the Closet is a compelling and moving novel.”—Kyoko MoriIn sunny California, the Vietnam War may have just ended, but nine-year-old Helen Johnson’s world is beginning to crumble. Her father, a former POW and Vietnam veteran, has become increasingly distant; her mother, a Japanese adoptee, is struggling with mental illness; and her six-year-old brother is too young to understand what’s happening. Determined to find out more about her mother’s past and with a boldness that belies her timid self-image, Helen writes to her great-uncle Hideo in Japan, beginning a journey that will take her across the ocean and through the imperial legacies of both countries.As Hideo and his wife recount the stories of his family’s silk business in Hiroshima, their experiences in China and Japan during and after World War II, and the fate of his sister Ume, Helen’s grandmother, they discover that although their lives have been darkened by war, their future can be healed by tending their shared roots. In this beautiful debut novel, Yuko Taniguchi creates a moving story of hope and redemption, of tragedy and resilience, and of the secrets, burdens, and ultimate strength that lie in a young girl’s heart.Yuko Taniguchi, author of the critically acclaimed book of poetry Foreign Wife Elegy, was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1975. At the age of fifteen, she came to the United States and attended high school in Maryland, obtaining her collegiate degrees in Minnesota, where she continues to make her home. Visit her website at www.yukotaniguchi.com.

Captured Mafia Bride: A Dark Mafia Romance


Mae Doyle - 2021
    I wanted her. I took her. When Arabelle's father promises her to his rival as a peace offering, I have to step in.One bullet and it would all be over.But when I saw her, I knew I couldn't let her go.She's simply too perfect.I can't keep my hands off of her even though I know I'm going to ruin her.I'm never going to be able to walk away, no matter the repercussions. There's nothing that I won't do to keep her for my own.She's in my house, but I want her in my bed.And then I'm never letting her go.

The Battle for Okinawa


Hiromichi Yahara - 1995
    Critical acclaim for The Battle for Okinawa"An indispensable account of the fighting and of Okinawa's role in the Japanese defense of the home islands." --The Wall Street Journal"A fascinating, highly intelligent glance behind the Japanese lines." --Kirkus Reviews"The most interesting of the 'last battle of the war' books." --The Washington Post."A fascinating insider's view of the Japanese command." --Dallas Morning NewsCOLONEL HIROMICHI YAHARA was the senior staff officer of the 32nd Japanese Army at Okinawa.A Military Book Club Main Selection

War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War


John W. Dower - 1986
    As Edwin O. Reischauer, former ambassador to Japan, has pointed out, this book offers "a lesson that the postwar generations need most...with eloquence, crushing detail, and power."

The History Buff's Guide to World War II


Thomas R. Flagel - 2005
    Flagel unveils the big picture by using detailed top-ten lists, ranking the best, worst, first, and most significant elements of the largest and deadliest conflict in history.

War and Our World


John Keegan - 1998
    The themes Keegan concentrates on in this short volume are essential to our understanding of why war remains the single greatest affliction of humanity in the twenty-first century, surpassing famine and disease, its traditional companions.

Battle Cry of Freedom, Vol 1


James M. McPherson - 1988
    

World War II: Behind Closed Doors; Stalin, the Nazis, and the West


Laurence Rees - 2008
    In the summer of 1945 many of the countries in Eastern Europe simply swapped the rule of one tyrant, Adolf Hitler, for that of another: Joseph Stalin. Why this happened has remained one of the most troubling questions of the entire conflict, and is at the heart of Laurence Rees' dramatic book.In World War II: Behind Closed Doors, Rees provides an intimate 'behind the scenes' history of the West's dealings with Joseph Stalin - an account which uses material only available since the opening of archives in the East as well as new testimony from witnesses from the period. An enthralling mix of high politics and the often heart-rending personal experiences of those on the ground, it will make you rethink what you believe about World War II.