Description
Book SynopsisPresents diaries and correspondence left by members of the tokkotai and other Japanese student soldiers who perished during the World War II. Outside of Japan, these kamikaze pilots were considered unbridled fanatics who willingly sacrificed their lives for the emperor. This book explores writings, which speak otherwise.
Trade Review"Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney's book is designed to challenge Western perceptions of the kamikaze generation. By assembling brief biographies of some of the young Japanese who perished on suicide missions, and by quoting extensively from their wartime diaries and poetry, she portrays a group of literate, thoughtful people, most of whom hated the war and were reluctant to die." - Sunday Telegraph (UK) "If we wish to understand the phenomenon of terrorism in the modern world... the first and most necessary step is to understand our enemies. We must give respect to our enemies as courageous and capable soldiers enlisted in an evil cause, before we can understand them. Kamikaze Diaries gives us a basis on which to build both respect and understanding." - Freeman J. Dyson, New York Review of Books "The poems, letters, and diaries featured in this book give the lie to the notion that Japan was unified behind the war.... Kamikaze Diaries is a timely and necessary correction of a popular myth, and an important contribution to the understanding of Japan at war." - Economist"
