At the time of Japan’s surrender to Allied forces on August 15; 1945; some six million Japanese were left stranded across the vast expanse of a vanquished Asian empire. Half civilian and half military; they faced the prospect of returning somehow to a Japan that lay prostrate; its cities destroyed; after years of warfare and Allied bombing campaigns. Among them were more than 600;000 soldiers of Japan’s army in Manchuria; who had surrendered to the Red Army only to be transported to Soviet labor camps; mainly in Siberia. Held for between two and four years; and some far longer; amid forced labor and reeducation campaigns; they waited for return; never knowing when or if it would come. Drawing on a wide range of memoirs; art; poetry; and contemporary records; The Gods Left First reconstructs their experience of captivity; return; and encounter with a postwar Japan that now seemed as alien as it had once been familiar. In a broader sense; this study is a meditation on the meaning of survival for Japan’s continental repatriates; showing that their memories of involvement in Japan’s imperial project were both a burden and the basis for a new way of life.
#340781 in Books 2009-09-22 2009-09-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.90 x .84 x 6.00l; .97 #File Name: 0520261542336 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Zoot Suit Riot Study ToolBy Pharmacy StudentLuis Alvarez describes the development of an identity for each of several minority groups during WWII. He focuses on the zoot suit counter-culture and its relation to sailers and to other minorities. This book helped me understand the significance of cultural development during WWII. It was very helpful on my college paper about zoot suit riots.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. An "A" PaperBy ratfactsMy son was assigned a paper to write on racial problems during World War II. He chose the Zoot Suit Riots as his subject. This book gave him an additional perspective that he wouldn't have gotten otherwise. I recommend it for anyone interested in Los Angeles/California history.The Power of the Zoot: Youth Culture and Resistance during World War II (American Crossroads)2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. informative but repetitiveBy Rachythis book is informative and easy to read and all; but the author keeps on repeating himself which gets pretty annoying after a while...
