It’s Pearl Harbor remembrance day. As a 3rd generation Japanese American/Sansei born and raised in Hawaii (but after Dec. 7, 1941), I am indirectly affected by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. My mother was a nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Honolulu and heard the bombs dropping, and my father was a dental student at USC in Los Angeles (and was forced to flee to Chicago in the aftermath of E.O. 9066). An Uncle and a cousin served honorably in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
But this post is about author T. Martin Bennett who did meticulous research and writing to bring forth this amazing true story about Pearl Harbor, the US Air force Doolittle Raiders who bombed Japan in April, 1942, and an American missionary family who lived in Japan and the Philippines. Bennett even traveled several times to Japan to do his research over a 3 year period.
Just released a month ago on November 7, 2023 is the 3rd edition of this powerful book, with many B/W photos of the 3 parallel lives during WWII. These are 3 ultimately intersecting stories of Flight Commander Mitsuo Fuchida of the Japan Imperial Navy, Sgt. Jake DeShazer, a bombardier of the Doolittle Raiders who bombed Tokyo and other nearby cities (and became a Japanese P.O.W. in China), and the Covell family who tried to escape Japanese forces invading the Philippines.
My previous book review published in Blog for Arizona was written in March, 2014 and is still online (check our Culture/History link): https://blogforarizona.net/wounded-tiger-about-commander-mitsuo-fuchida-who-led-wwii-attack-on-pearl-harbor-book-review/.
What I wrote back then still holds true today: “It is about war & peace, extreme courage, suffering & redemption, and finally spiritual understanding. The message of love and humanity is very powerful and fulfilling in all these 3 stories.”
This 3rd edition has now numerous black & white photos of these protagonists and the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and following battles, and is thereby an accurate historical document of what happened in 1941 to 1950. The additional photos truly add to the gripping drama portrayed in this historical novel. The original 1st edition published in 2014 included only a few maps.
I highly recommend this latest, improved edition. Bennett is a former Tucsonan but is now based in Tennessee. He has been trying to get this truly inspiring, epic novel, which he originally wrote as a screenplay, into a major motion picture. All info at https://www.woundedtiger.com/
Ultimately, this is a story of transformation from hatred to love, and a spiritual message for all of us. (I am publishing this review simultaneously today in Blogforarizona.net).