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Hell in the Pacific

By: Jonathan Lewis Ben Steele
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Channel 4 Books
ISBN: 0752219499
ISBN-13: 9780752219493
Released: 08 Jun 2001
RRP: £16.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

A pleasure to read, given the topic - By: , 30 Jan 2003
This is a great book, pure & simple. The only warning is that one must be prepared to stomach man's barbarity to fellow man. If you're looking for patriotic hurrah one-sided propaganda then this is not it. It is extremely objective, & gives an accurate & even-handed assesment of how the war in the Pacific was much different that the war in Europe, & how in some cases, the alllies behaved just as barbaric as the Japanese.

Its one of those books that you think about for days after you are done. Is there a better reason to get any book?

Fascinating collection of anecdotes - By: , 05 Oct 2001
Living in Japan, I didn't get to see the TV series but I picked this up in the UK over the summer as I devour anything on the Pacific War.

It's well-written & unputdownable, with fascinating & horrific descriptions of events by individuals that were there on the ground. As such, it provides a very personal insight into the conflict & achieves balance by including comments from participants on both sides.

However, as a history of the Pacific War it's disappointingly shalllow, & simply rehashes the tired view that the destruction of Japan through fire-bombing & atomic weapons was unavoidable as the only feasible means to force an unconditional surrender. The authors give the impression that they have not even asked themselves whether unconditional surrender was such an important goal. It was clear for some time before the end of the war that Japan was favourable towards a peace deal that would have stripped her of alll her colonial possessions. This could have prevented the deaths of thousands on both sides, for Japan was no Nazi state engaged in genocide within its own borders. That the Allies refused to contemplate anything other than complete capitulation is something that I wish this book had had the courage to address... It's a shame that the book failed to address these crucial undercurrents that formed the background to Western policy toward Japan both before & during the Pacific War.

Excellent view of the second world war and the horrors of it - By: , 17 Jul 2001
Ive only read a little so far but I think it is excellent Im only 14 & I dont reallly read many books but after I watched the series on channel 4 I asked if I could get the book.Theres many factual accounts & captions to go with the pictures I would recomend it to alll of my freinds who would be interested in this sort of thing if you are interested in WW2 buy this book now it reallly is superb.