I know some of you on here are well read, so I thought someone might have a suggestion. I am looking for a good book on the Pacific theater in WW2. I dont want a read on battlefields or military strategy, instead I am looking for something that discusses pre-WW2 Japanese history and the evolution of their militaristic philosophy and how it played into WW2. I know that may be a lot to ask for.
If anyone does have any other recommendations on Japanese history or an above-basic-knowledge book on the Pacific theater, Ill never turn down a good recommendation.
As a sort of "pay it forward" I would recommend these to anyone interested history in general:
The Cold War - John Lewis Gaddis - A review of the entire Cold War, the major players, and its end. Not an all encompassing book, but a lot of detail the average (or even above average) person is certainly not going to know.
A Country of Vast Designs - Robert W. Merry - Essentially a biography of James K. Polk, but it goes into massive detail of his biggest accomplishment, the acquisition of New Mexico and California territories. If you want to know how we ended up with so much land in the west, and enjoy side info about people like Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, James Buchanan, and Santa Anna - this is the book for you.
George Washington's Secret Six - Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger - A short book, as a lot of information simply isnt available, but its the story of America's first attempt at Espionage, starting with the short lived mission and death of the young Nathan Hale.
One Nation Under God - Kevin M. Kruse - Covers roughly 1930-1990. It is the story of how America became evangelized. Explaining how and why we got "Under God" and "In God We Trust" injected into secular areas of life.
Ive got a bunch of others, but these are recent reads that I enjoyed.
If anyone does have any other recommendations on Japanese history or an above-basic-knowledge book on the Pacific theater, Ill never turn down a good recommendation.
As a sort of "pay it forward" I would recommend these to anyone interested history in general:
The Cold War - John Lewis Gaddis - A review of the entire Cold War, the major players, and its end. Not an all encompassing book, but a lot of detail the average (or even above average) person is certainly not going to know.
A Country of Vast Designs - Robert W. Merry - Essentially a biography of James K. Polk, but it goes into massive detail of his biggest accomplishment, the acquisition of New Mexico and California territories. If you want to know how we ended up with so much land in the west, and enjoy side info about people like Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, James Buchanan, and Santa Anna - this is the book for you.
George Washington's Secret Six - Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger - A short book, as a lot of information simply isnt available, but its the story of America's first attempt at Espionage, starting with the short lived mission and death of the young Nathan Hale.
One Nation Under God - Kevin M. Kruse - Covers roughly 1930-1990. It is the story of how America became evangelized. Explaining how and why we got "Under God" and "In God We Trust" injected into secular areas of life.
Ive got a bunch of others, but these are recent reads that I enjoyed.
