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ayaktruk's review against another edition
4.0
Found this little paperback gem in a thrift store up in Enid, OK. While my wife and daughters peruse for treasure, I usually head to the book aisle, looking for a cheap thrill.
Sakai's book jumped out at me, so small and barely read. $.99 was all it was.
I knew who Saburo Sakai was. I have distinct memories of my father telling me about him. I'm not sure why he knew about him. Perhaps it was his love of war, or about anything that related to his heritage. Perhaps it had something to do with witnessing the Zero's flying over head on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor. He was 9-years old and remembers his father screaming obscenities at the planes while standing on the tin roof of the family house in Maui.
Sakai wasn't there, but perhaps my father pictured him as such.
This book, originally published in 1957, is a fascinating read and flows easily. Don't get bogged down in the dates and places, just let the stories of combat and survival and death wash over you as you picture the horror that all war is.
Sakai's book jumped out at me, so small and barely read. $.99 was all it was.
I knew who Saburo Sakai was. I have distinct memories of my father telling me about him. I'm not sure why he knew about him. Perhaps it was his love of war, or about anything that related to his heritage. Perhaps it had something to do with witnessing the Zero's flying over head on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor. He was 9-years old and remembers his father screaming obscenities at the planes while standing on the tin roof of the family house in Maui.
Sakai wasn't there, but perhaps my father pictured him as such.
This book, originally published in 1957, is a fascinating read and flows easily. Don't get bogged down in the dates and places, just let the stories of combat and survival and death wash over you as you picture the horror that all war is.
isd's review
3.0
The story flows like a movie and is quite interesting from the beginning to the end.
My only real complaint is that Caidin made plenty of stuff up for the book. Why bother? As if the stories of a fighter pilot couldn't be interesting enough "as is".
My only real complaint is that Caidin made plenty of stuff up for the book. Why bother? As if the stories of a fighter pilot couldn't be interesting enough "as is".
eleven_hummingbird's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
4.0
A semi-novelized autobiography of one of Imperial Japan's top flying aces, Sakai Saburo.
As a historical piece, this text draws upon Sakai's own account, the written records of Saito Masahisa, and various interviews. Which of these sources is being drawn at any time is unclear, nor is it obvious when the editors choose to speak, though certain passages certainly show more suspect than others, largely those involving combat or romance. There are accusations and debates swirling around the memoir, mostly regarding numbers of confirmed air kills. As much of these are within Japanese academic circles, and are largely frivolous in my opinion, I cannot make greater comment.
This is not by any means a dry historical text. Sakai's story takes the reader along with him from a small village in Kyushu, to the airwar in China, over jungles, through storms and squalls, to volcanic Rabaul, to the fortress of Iwo Jima, to the bustling streets of Tokyo, and over the wide seas that separate them all.
As is often the case with aviation military history, this is a much cleaner account of the Asia-Pacific War than will be found in any worthwhile narrative from the ground. The atrocities, racism, rape, and violence of war are hardly to be found here. Sakai recalls how distant and inhuman the airwar felt, and only two instances of graphic violence appear in the text. The firebombing of Japan is described, though I suspect this was edited to be kept at a minimum.
Sakai holds that Tokkotai pilots (kamikaze) were all volunteers. The complexities of systemic social pressures, top-down indoctrination, and bottom-up patriotism are not explored. He himself attests to the brutality of his own training, but does not make meaningful criticism. Sakai comments on the wildly dishonest, Orwellian propaganda in Japan proper, and describes his disgust at the time, but again does not make any exploratory criticism.
Overall Sakai's account offers a thrilling and revealing window into the national-militarist culture of early Showa Japan, though it should not be taken as one that is entirely reliable nor by any means singularly representative.
As a historical piece, this text draws upon Sakai's own account, the written records of Saito Masahisa, and various interviews. Which of these sources is being drawn at any time is unclear, nor is it obvious when the editors choose to speak, though certain passages certainly show more suspect than others, largely those involving combat or romance. There are accusations and debates swirling around the memoir, mostly regarding numbers of confirmed air kills. As much of these are within Japanese academic circles, and are largely frivolous in my opinion, I cannot make greater comment.
This is not by any means a dry historical text. Sakai's story takes the reader along with him from a small village in Kyushu, to the airwar in China, over jungles, through storms and squalls, to volcanic Rabaul, to the fortress of Iwo Jima, to the bustling streets of Tokyo, and over the wide seas that separate them all.
As is often the case with aviation military history, this is a much cleaner account of the Asia-Pacific War than will be found in any worthwhile narrative from the ground. The atrocities, racism, rape, and violence of war are hardly to be found here. Sakai recalls how distant and inhuman the airwar felt, and only two instances of graphic violence appear in the text. The firebombing of Japan is described, though I suspect this was edited to be kept at a minimum.
Sakai holds that Tokkotai pilots (kamikaze) were all volunteers. The complexities of systemic social pressures, top-down indoctrination, and bottom-up patriotism are not explored. He himself attests to the brutality of his own training, but does not make meaningful criticism. Sakai comments on the wildly dishonest, Orwellian propaganda in Japan proper, and describes his disgust at the time, but again does not make any exploratory criticism.
Overall Sakai's account offers a thrilling and revealing window into the national-militarist culture of early Showa Japan, though it should not be taken as one that is entirely reliable nor by any means singularly representative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and War
Minor: Domestic abuse and Violence
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