The Eagle and the Rising Sun: The Japanese-American War, 1941-1943: Pearl Harbor Through Guadalcanal

By Alan Schom

Book Overview

Alan Schom's histories and biographies have been celebrated for their iconoclastic approach and a dramatic focus on extraordinary personalities meeting at the crossroads of history. In this magisterial history of World War II in the Pacific, he shows how the conflict was in neither the United States's nor Japan's best interest. On one hand, the American government and people were as inadequately prepared for war as any major power has ever been; on the other hand, Schom's close reading of Japanese military and political documents reveal that their supreme command knew they could not possibly win.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393049248
• ISBN13: 9780393049244
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 540 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

The Eagle and the Rising Sun: The Japanese-American War 1941-1943: Pearl Harbor through Guadalcanal

ENJOYABLE READING-----THE TRUTH HURTS----WE ARE NOT THE KNIGHTS IN SHINNING ARMOUR. WOULD RE-READ AGAIN.

An enjoyable read !

Well, evidently a number of "armchair historians" enjoy besmirching Mr. Schom ... I guess Richard Feynman was right: "Who cares what other people think?" I very much enjoyed the book. For me it was a welcome departure from the usual dull, heavily biased, analysis of the period. In addition, I loved the human interest stories interwoven with discussions of global events. Well worth the time investment!

A good operational history from Manchuko to Guadalcanal.

Having read extensively on the subject matter within this book previously, it was nice to read a build up to Pearl Harbor (making the subtitle of the book somewhat of a misnomer) and not just diving into the war in the first chapter. I had read the history of SE Asia preceeding WWII in bits and pieces mainly, but had never read anything where the author skillfully and successfully put it all into a compelling narrative before. Additionally, the author frequently added small biographies of many important historical figures. Some last less than a page, others up to five pages of information (like McArthur). Regardless, these are revealing and convey excellent information to the reader regarding motivations, personalities, and mannerisms. In several cases the author presents evidence about such historical figures in a somewhat objective manner and lets the reader form their own opinion before either lambasting or praising the actions of such figures. Never over the top however. Largely, the author doesn't get into much minutiae regarding combat operations and instead concentrates on policy decisions and operational history and the people that made or reacted to these events. That's not to say there aren't any reference to combat and it's impact, however it's just not a history intended to be that detailed in this regard. Regardless, it is still compelling and highly informative about the personages and policies of the period in question. Overall, a highly regarded operational history with detailed information on the people who made the deicions at the time. Maps are decent, but not detailed and the bibliography is well documented as well. Not an unflawed history by any means, but certainly full of relevant and detailed information in the areas specified earlier.

Nice Touch

I really enjoyed this book. Not one of the negative reviewers could point out that Schrom was wrong about any of his criticisms of the key players especially MacArthur. MacArthur has got a free ride for too long. So does the Japanese imperial familay for its part in the horrendous war crimes they committed. If you read a lot of miltary history and want something that adds new information, this book has it.

Early War in the Pacific

This book gives a good overview of the Pacific theater of operations in WWII from Pearl Hargor through the battles of Guadalcanal. Intersperced with the main line are many mini-biographies of major players in the action. While the work is, as a whole, fairly well-written, some of the detail becomes mindnumbing, causing the eyes of the reader to glaze over. The author takes many of the Navy and Army leaders to task for their failings, particularly Douglas MacArthur, who appears to be the chief villain in the piece. According to the author, if MacArthur had done some things differently, there might have been quite different outcomes. Hindsight is always 20-20, as we well know, but it's always interesting to see that our national heroes have their own failings also. This is by no means a "perfect" book, but it's worth reading to get the overview of the time period and the action that took place within it.