Rating: 
Summary: "I am what I am"
Review: To borrow a phrase from the times. This book is simply a good way to read about stories that we need to hear. It is what it is and need not be judged as something it does not pretend to be. We of the baby boom generation grew up with silent fathers. Not much of this was ever discussed within our hearing. Those men believed that what happened in the Pacific should stay there. I know the complaints against popularized history and implied irreverence that are raised against this text by the professionals have some merit, but this book is not for that group. Nor is it just feel good, salute the flag patriotism, of the post Desert Storm era. It speaks about the costs , personal, moral and social, of war. Not Vietnam, but "the Good War." And it shows us that war is not a sanitary sport with umpires calling fouls. Real people, real innocents inevitably suffer. Real soldiers suffer. In an age of personalized agonies on television (sattelite reporters imbedded in combat, showing the pain of the individual) we are apt to either over personalize to the degree that we forget the great atrocities our troops fight against or to become desensitized to pain and suffering in a sort of body-count numbness. This book runs counter to that. It shows the actuality of heroism and it shows the horror of the situations which engendered it. Some of that horror so bad that it was classified, even in an age of propeganda. All in all, it is an easy read, referenced but not academic, but it is a disturbing read. It shows what people are capable of doing. And I must say, I have much more respect for all the "boys" of 41 -46.
Rating: 
Summary: Falls Prey to multi-cultural myths
Review: James Bradley does present a legitimate look at a minor battle.
His prose is easy to read and to a certain degree engaging. When
he sticks to the historical account of Chici Jima he probably
gets the story right, and provides valuable information to the
reader. Unfortunatly I can't say much postive about the rest of
the book. Bradley falls trap to the typical multi-cultural trap
of assuming a lot of negatives about American history and postulating that other nations attrocities were justified by
attrocities Americans committed in the past as well. While we
have legitimatly done some horrible things in the past, like the
Sand Creek Massacre he implies that such events were frequent
and comprable to what the Japanese did to the Chinese and Americican prisoners in the Pacific theatre. This seems a jump
in logic to this reader and smacks of an almost American self-loathing. In addition the book is just plain depressing. The
accounts of cannabilism were almost too unbearable to read
about especially those that occured in New Guinea.
Rating: 
Summary: A Spellbinding Read
Review: This book is a must read. Mr. Bradley has done an incredible amount of research in preparation for telling the sad story of eight young American pilots during history's most brutal war.As for the criticisms made by other reviewers regarding his supposed anti-American bias. Let me just say that I am a patriotic American. I love this country. And as such, I understand the criticisms of the author's decision to attempt to draw parallel with the expansion of America, the Filipino rebellion, and certain actions of American soldiers in WWII as equal to the outright barbarity of the Japanese Army. However, I think their criticisms miss the mark. Mr. Bradley seems unequivocably on the American side. He is not defending or rationalizing Japanese barbarity towards the Chinese, Koreans, Allied troops, etc. I feel he is merely trying to teach us why the Japanese, in their minds, felt they were justified in starting the war, pillaging much of Asia, and treating POW's with such malice. He does not excuse their misguided judgments, but at least helps us to understand WHY they may have thought that way. I, for one, appreciated the effort. I didn't always agree, but I figure that was the point, because although the Japanese had their point of view, I wouldn't have agree with it back then, any more than I do now. This is a phenomenal book that is much more than just the story of 8 Flyboys.
Rating:
Summary: Very Balanced and Fair (and Shocking)
Review: As the reviews on this site indicate, most American mass media book buyers are unfamiliar with and simply refuse to accept that the American military committed many acts of barbarity and several acts of outright terrorism to win the war with Japan. In my view (and the view of the author), these acts were completely justifed. Flyboys tells the remarkably savage and brutal tale of the Japanese mistreatment and murder of 8 fighter pilots over the South Pacific in the last year of World War II. What the book brilliantly does is place that savagery in context, exploring Japan-American relations over the last two centuries, and reflecting on how the Japanese military perverted ancient Japanese codes of conduct to justify a war of aggression. Apparently, many reviewers cannot possibly even entertain the author pointing out that America also expanded across the continent and elsewhere by aggressively conducting war (against the Mexicans, the Spanish, Native Americans etc.), or that American leaders responded to Japanese barbarity by dehumanizing the enemy and by firebombing major urban Japanese population centers. Not only that, FDR blatantly covered up the civilian targets and deaths with euphemistic language and insistence that the bombs dropped were intended for military targets only, not civilian population centers. Of course, given the nature of the enemy resistance, the reader is not led to conclude that the firebombs were illegitimate means to end the war. Rather, they were necessary to save massive American casualties from a ground invasion of Japan. The author treats this subject very fairly and does a masterful job of putting the decisions made by our leaders in context, with solid historical sourcing. To me, this effort to place the primary story in historical context is one of the best features of the book. The book is meticulously researched, and every fact recounted is supported by citation and documentation. The book is a brutal and horrific look at the Pacific war, and is unforgettable. You will be very moved by the end of this book, and will look at the veterans of the Pacific war with new-found respect and admiration for a difficult job performed with unusual bravery and courage.
Rating:
Summary: A Dark Hole with Unfathomable Secrets
Review: It strikes me as inappropriate to evaluate this book in correlation with Bradley's previously published Flags of Our Fathers. Although both books examine portions of World War Two in the Pacific, each focusing on specific individuals (i.e. the six Marines who raised the American flag on Mount Surabachi and the eight "Chichi Jima Flyboys"), Bradley's two books examine quite different situations and raise quite different issues. His father (John Bradley) was among the six who raised the flag so presumably young James knew quite a bit about the conquest of Iwo Jima, defended by 22,000 Japanese soldiers. Only decades later did Bradley learn (from recently declassified material) that an even greater number (about 25,000) defended Chichi Jima only 150 miles nearby. The same material also revealed the fates of eight Flyboys who had been captured by the defenders of Chichi Jima. In this volume, Bradley tells their story, one which is "a story of war, so it is a story of death. But it is not a story of defeat." To a significant extent, the best military historians demonstrate the skills of cultural anthropologists as they create a context or frame-of-reference within which to present their accounts of combat and of those engaged in it. For example, Bradley explains why Chichi Jima had even greater strategic importance than did Iwo Jima in 1944. Of even greater interest to me is the macro perspective he provides on the Japanese military mentality which viewed surrender as an act cowardice. To understand the "why" of what happened on Chichi Jima in 1944, Bradley invites his reader to accompany him on a "journey" back in time, "back 149 years...to another another century. Back to when the first American military men walked in No Man's Land." Much of what Bradley then shares is comparable with events and insights revealed by James Clavell in his novel Shogun. Barbarity is often in the eyes of the beholder. While most of the heroes in Bradley's book are Flyboys and most of the villains are Japanese officers, it would be simplistic to accept that as a definitive explanation of the "why," the ultimate destination of the aforementioned "journey." However brutal and barbaric decapitations and cannibalism may be, are they any more or less so than systematic incineration of urban areas and all who reside there? War is indeed "a story of death." Nonetheless, I felt revulsion in response to the behavior of the senior officers on Chichi Jima. Those who survived were tried and convicted of crimes against humanity, then executed...and should have been. With mixed results, Bradley juxtaposes his macro view of quite different cultures with a close examination of those involved in events occurring in No Man's Land. The narrative is less cohesive than in Flags of Our Fathers, probably because Bradley attempts to cover more, and much more complicated human experiences. Thanks to him and his extensive research, we now know exactly what happened to the eight airmen on Chichi Jima. Their fates are no longer "a dark hole, an unfathomable secret." For that, we and especially their loved ones and comrades should be grateful.
Rating:
Summary: Bias not balance
Review: The author purports to tell a story of courage. Instead the reader is subjected to an exercise in moral equivalency masquerading as balance. He obliquely blames America for causing the war and creating the Japanese monsters who then treated foreign prisoners of war and civilians so horribly. The book is readable and clear and appears to be reasonably accurate regarding general events in history and would agree with other accepted historical references. The "new" information he presents is supported by first person accounts and corroborated by other witnesses. However, deception and bias are subtle and widespread in this book. The leaders of Japanese imperialism are referred to throughout the book by the positive euphemism "Spirit Warriors", while American aviators are flippantly called "Flyboys." Mao is called "wily" and the Japanese "ruthless," even though Mao's record of murdering 65 million of his own countrymen dwarfs the transgressions of the Japanese. He waxes nostalgic about the closed Samari culture of pre Commodore Perry Japan, where the price of peace is the absence of personal freedom and threat of instant beheading. Every mention of a Japanese crime against humanity is followed by a description of an American act which he implies justifies the crime or a flashback of an atrocity committed by Americans on other continents or another century. The author readily admits that the indiscriminant bombing of Japanese cities precluded the need to invade Japan proper and therefore saved more lives than it cost. However, he uses the application of American airpower anywhere, even in battle, as justification for cruelty and inhumanity. As a student of history my whole life, the only news in this book was how truly evil and unspeakable the behavior of the Japanese leaders was toward people who were not blessed enough to live in the "Land of the Gods." If you have any doubt of this, after reading this book, ask yourself whether you would rather be a Japanese prisoner of the Americans or an American prisoner of the Japanese.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Outstanding
Review: I recently read Flags of our Fathers and found it an amazing story of one of the most brutal battles in the Pacific war. The author has the ability to put an epic event in human terms.
Flyboys is no less compelling. Bradley should be commended for his even portrayal of all combatants involved. Many readers seem insulted that American atrocities are mentioned along with Japanese. I believe that Bradley is right on.
When Bradley relays his conversation with one Flyboy who is ambivilent about comparisons between American conduct and Japanese, Bradley reminds him that the Japanese civilians being intentionaly straffed were likely moraly outraged too.
Bradley has the remarkable ability to honor the bravery of our fighting men, while reminding us of the inexcusable horror of war.
Rating:
Summary: Moral equivalence not withstanding, I liked this book
Review: As numerous previous reviewers have stated, the offensive portion of this book is its attempt to equate Japan's conduct of the war with America's conduct of the war and other wars in America's history. In order to suport his view, the author disregards two key points: 1) The American reporting of American atrocities such as the Sand Creek Massacre and certain incidents in Phillipines was clearly of an accusatory nature as, indeed, the American press accurately presented the My Lai Massacre of Viet Nam vintage in an accusatory manner. The Japanese press's coverage of the Japanese atrocities including the infamous beheading contests sparkles with all of the joy of a drunken tailgate party or touchdown celebration. There is simply no moral equivalence between a country that exposes and condemns its excesses and a country that celebrates its atrocities. 2) There is simply no American equivalent to the cannibalism practiced on several of the victims mentioned here as well as other victims elsewhere in the Pacific War. Cannibalism would never have been allowed by the American government, the American military, or the American people. If not official policy, Cannibalism was at least tacitly approved by the Japanese government, military, and people. Despite these obvious errors of analysis, the author is at least honest enough to present the facts disproving his thesis even if his thesis itself is never repudiated by him. The story told here is a compelling one and the style of writing is interesting. If you can stomach the anger the author's bias well engender, this is a good book. I have a thesis, incidentally, and I will use this book as exhibit A. My thesis is that there is no anti-American like and American anti-American.
Rating:
Summary: WAR IS HORRIFIC NO SPIN NECCESARY
Review: Some reviewers felt that the description of war atrocities in the phillipines and the napalm bombings of Japan as being apologetic or having a political slant. This is my first review so bear with me. I have read many accounts of many wars particularly the Civil war ( not very civil) James Bradley I feel shows that in war, regardless of all the rules of war, is in any and all events horrific- civillians and many innocent men women and children kiled and mamed in horrible ways even today. In Iraq our news broadcasts hide some of these things from the american people but we should know that war is horrific and not some TV edventure. Bradleys history is one of war in perspective.I recommend this book for anyone interested in what our aviators faced when they scrambled thair planes into the air day after day.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Terrific
Review: I was somewhat apprehensive when getting this book. I had read Flag of Our Fathers by Mr. Brady and truly enjoyed it; but, that book was partially about his father and I was afraid he would not be able to carry through on another book. I was thrilled that my apprehension was misplaced. This is a terrific book. Mr. Brady uses the story of eight aviators shot down over an island called Chicha Jimo (neighbor to Iwo Jima) as the thread that holds the book together. Fortunately, the book is far more than that. Mr. Brady gives a thumbnail history of Japan for the 250 years preceding Pearl Harbor. With that history he explains the evolution (devolution?) of that country's thinking about colonization (why can't it do in China what the European powers were doing all through Asia?), the Kamikaze military and honor system and then the bastardization of that system. He is even-handed in his relating Japan's history as well as our own hypocrisies in the waging of the war. Although he points out our short-comings, he by no means takes the revisionists' side in the anti-atomic and anti-American strategy debate. He also provides the history of aviation in American military history starting with Billy Mitchell's extremely accurate predictions on air dominance and its ability to ruin Japan. As he follows the air war in the Pacific, he provides great insight with amazing supporting statistics about the effectiveness of our air power in the that theatre. He also includes surprising insight to our aviation losses. I could not put this book down. It is readable, although graphic at times. Mr. Brady effectively uses the thread of the eight downed flyboys to tell the story of aviation in the Pacific theatre which is nicely set up by Japn's history leading to the war. I highly recommend this book.
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