Winner of the Pulitzer Prize; the 1999 National Book Award for Nonfiction; finalist for the Lionel Gelber Prize and the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize; Embracing Defeat is John W. Dower's brilliant examination of Japan in the immediate; shattering aftermath of World War II. Drawing on a vast range of Japanese sources and illustrated with dozens of astonishing documentary photographs; Embracing Defeat is the fullest and most important history of the more than six years of American occupation; which affected every level of Japanese society; often in ways neither side could anticipate. Dower; whom Stephen E. Ambrose has called "America's foremost historian of the Second World War in the Pacific;" gives us the rich and turbulent interplay between West and East; the victor and the vanquished; in a way never before attempted; from top-level manipulations concerning the fate of Emperor Hirohito to the hopes and fears of men and women in every walk of life. Already regarded as the benchmark in its field; Embracing Defeat is a work of colossal scholarship and history of the very first order. John W. Dower is the Elting E. Morison Professor of History at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for War Without Mercy. 75 illustrations and map
#1352280 in Books 1992-04-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.30 x 1.40 x 5.50l; 1.48 #File Name: 0393308693752 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Verbosity I say; Not Fountain of WisdomBy TruthieRockieI got through first volume on Stalin by this same writer somewhat more easily. Now I am in the middle of the second volume and wonder whether I will be able to read it to the end.Too much minutiae regarding party affairs and activities to the point of comprehensive detailed report on communist party’s history. Maybe that has value for historians or people digging out some specific facts or incidents but for the general reader: boring… Boring and quite repetition is the summary of this book.There is too much guessing of what went (or must have gone) through Stalin’s mind as events unfolded and as he did or did not do certain things. Before tackling these two voluminous volumes suggested to me by a former Soviet citizen; I was interested in getting an account of so many lives; estimated at twenty million.. Those lives were wasted because of the poor decisions and ‘pigheadedness’ of this guy; a lazy youth whose profession was ‘being a revolutionary’. The books unfortunately falls far short of accounting for that.What comes through from the two volumes is the evilness of groupthink of social animals and how they get trapped in their own collective behavior. Those stupids who suffered his purges and persecutions did not have to choose him in the first place!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The author does a good job of explaining the actions of Stalin in their ...By Lionel S. TaylorThis is an very complete study of one of the most infamous dictators in history. The author does a good job of explaining the actions of Stalin in their wider context as well as what his thought process may have been at the time of making the decision. I found the parts detailing the purge trials and the negotiations with the Nazis to be especially interesting. Even after reading this I was amazed at how someone who least deserves power can mender themselves into it and then maintain it despite various disastrous decisions. This book would make a good reference source also because each of the chapters can be read independently. This is a long but good read.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Stalin in Power: Rob't C. TuckerBy WallyWorldI have read many excellent books on Stalin's life; his reign; individual histories of many of Stalin's puppets; and the Great Terror of 1937-1938. Mr. Tucker's book is superb in its depth; breadth and clear understanding of Stalin; his accomplishments and failures; the minions and accomplices who surrounded him; the costs of his bungling; both in human and economic terms; his political purposes; and critically; the psychological forces driving Stalin and his deadly machinations. If you could read only one book about Stalin; Tucker's "Stalin in Power" is it. Essential to any library on the subject; this powerful history will provide you with a deep understanding of the most evil and Machiavellian person in modern history; a person who both horrifies us; and begrudgingly; engenders a certain amount of respect for his single-mindedness.
