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Annotated Bibliography
Chang, Iris. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World
War II. New York: Penguin Books, 1997. Chang’s purpose is to draw
connections to the viciousness of the Japanese to the “slaughter in
Europe” by looking at the take over of the capital city of the Republic
of China, Nanking in December 1937. She details the acts of the “Japs”
and also explores why the atrocities happened. She concludes that the
Cold War helped to silence the voices of the victims. This book is easy
to read and understand. Chang sheds light on a rarely discussed topic,
Japanese brutality, which all readers should learn the full story.
Daws,
Gavan. Prisoners of the Japanese: POWs of World War II in the
Pacific. New York: Quill, William Morrow, 1994. Daws tells the
story of the allied prisoners taken captive by the Japanese in World War
II. He discusses “bushido” and how it changed. Daws calls the war a
“race war”. He makes a great point of saying his accounts are in the
survivors “vocabulary”. This book is full of accounts but almost seems
too much for one book to take on.
Dower, John W. War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific
War. New York: Pantheon Books, 1986. Dower draws on cartoon,
Japanese slogans, and other visual images to show how race played a
large role in World War II. He examines war crimes and why the Japanese
followed a superior race methodology. This book gives a great look at
how race can play a role in the brutality of a war.
Gruhl,
Werner. Imperial Japan’s World War Two 1931-1945. New
Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2007. Gruhl examines the Pacific
War by exploring more than just America versus Japan. He felt most
Americans did not understand the Japanese crimes against the Chinese and
eastern Asia. He gives details of the atrocities committed by the
Japanese. Included in his book is a great chapter on the Historiography
of the World War II.
Harsh, Joseph C. “Why Truman Dropped the Bomb.” Christian Science
Monitor, August 4, 1995. Harsh’s article gives incite to the
Historiography of World War II. According to Harsh, Truman had “three
things to bear in mind” when deciding to drop the atomic bomb. First,
with the success of the test of the first atomic bomb, what if the next
one failed? Second, what would the casualties be? Third, what would be
Russia’s gain by helping with the war? This is a quick but clearly read
and understandable account leading up to the decision of Truman.
Jonathon Watts Special to The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian
Science Monitor. Boston, Mass.: Aug 28, 2002. pg. 07. Watts’s article
addresses the issue of biological warfare during World War II by the
Japanese. Tokyo courts acknowledged that Japan had used biological
weapons but no compensation would be given the victims because of
international peace treaties. This article gives a current day view of
how the Japanese still hide from taking total blame for their war
crimes.
Norman, Elizabeth M. We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American
Nurses Trapped on Bataan By the Japanese. New York: Pocket Books,
1999. Norman draws on letters, diaries and interviews to give a
gripping tale of what the survivors dealt with during the battle and
then, when they were taken prisoners when Bataan fell to the Japanese.
The story is told by the nurses at Bataan with detailed accounts that
read like a novel.
Hastings, Max. Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45. New
York: Borzoi Book, 2007. Hastings’s examines the war by looking at it
as a whole. This book contains a wealth of information and covers a lot
of territory. It has a chapter regarding the “Yamato spirit” of the
Japanese and several pertaining to their unrelenting and brutal ways of
war. Hastings’s reader would definitely have to be a well read
individual to get through all the information contained.
O’Donnell, Patrick K. Into the Rising Sun: In Their Own Words,
World War II’s Pacific Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat. The
Free Press, 2002. O’Donnell gives the reader an intriguing view of the
Pacific War by those who fought the day to day battles. He begins each
chapter with a little background then let’s the soldiers tell their
account. The book is easy to read and flows well for even a beginning
scholar. Account after account gives a personal and historical
accounting of the Pacific War. O’Donnell accomplishes his goal of
documenting the war for future generations.
Sledge, E.B. With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. New
York: Presidio Press, 1981. E.B. Sledge was a marine that fought in
the Pacific War. In his book he gives detailed firsthand accounts of
the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa. This book gives graphic details of
the battles and can really shock anyone not familiar with war.
Spur,
Russell. A Glorious Way to Die: The Kamikaze Mission of the
Battleship Yamato, April 1945. New York: New Market Press, 1981.
Spur gives a detailed description of the suicide mission of the Japanese
battleship, Yamato. Chart, ship plans, and photographs help give more
precise look at the plan for Yamato. This book is very detailed and
precise.
Tanaka, Yuki. Hidden Horrors: Japanese War Crimes in World War II.
Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1996. Tanaka gives an eye opening
account of the “crimes” the Japanese committed during World War II. He
gives numerous examples of the biological warfare that the Japanese have
yet to admit too. He also examines the human experimentation that
occurred and draws connections to Hitler’s regime. This wealth of
information is a great first look at the war crimes in the Pacific
theatre.
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