God's Samurai: Lead Pilot at Pearl Harbor (The Warriors)

Rating:
Summary: A materfully written and truly inspirational book!
Review: A friend of mine introduced me to this book in April of this year. He told me it was unlike any book about the Pacific war that he had ever read. Although skeptical at first, I sill went ahead and purchased the book. I left it on my book-shelve for several months and forgot all about it. As I began packing up in July to move I noticed this book again, so I picked it up and began reading it. I found the style of writing extremely fluid, and the chapters were concise. This well balanced account of Mitsuo Fuchida life traces it from his days as an Imperial naval aviator to Christian evangelist. 'God's Samurai' is a truly inspirational book filled with numerous accounts of honor, bravery, loyalty, and sacrifice - all the codes of a Samurai warrior. I have enjoyed this book tremendously, and I have just begun reading, 'Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan: The Japanese Navy's Story' by Mitsuo Fuchida, Roger Pineau (Editor),Masatake Okumiya(Contributor). Both 'God's Samurai' and 'Midway' are 'must-have' books for anyone who is truly interested in the Pacific war and naval battles!

Rating:
Summary: A materfully written and truly inspirational book!
Review: A friend of mine introduced me to this book in April of this year. He told me it was unlike any book about the Pacific war that he had ever read. Although skeptical at first, I sill went ahead and purchased the book. I left it on my book-shelve for several months and forgot all about it. As I began packing up in July to move I noticed this book again, so I picked it up and began reading it. I found the style of writing extremely fluid, and the chapters were concise. This well balanced account of Mitsuo Fuchida life traces it from his days as an Imperial naval aviator to Christian evangelist. 'God's Samurai' is a truly inspirational book filled with numerous accounts of honor, bravery, loyalty, and sacrifice - all the codes of a Samurai warrior. I have enjoyed this book tremendously, and I have just begun reading, 'Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan: The Japanese Navy's Story' by Mitsuo Fuchida, Roger Pineau (Editor),Masatake Okumiya(Contributor). Both 'God's Samurai' and 'Midway' are 'must-have' books for anyone who is truly interested in the Pacific war and naval battles!

Rating:
Summary: Reconciliation in the midst of Clash of Civilizations
Review: An awesome true story. Definitely one of the three best books I've read in the past decade. In a time like this of Osama bin Labens and shocking inter-civilizational conflict, Fuchida's life story shows how true reconciliation and inter-cultural brotherhood can be experienced. It gives hope in spite of the huge obstacles to inter-cultural understanding. A powerful human interest story. Don't miss it!

Rating:
Summary: Reconciliation in the midst of Clash of Civilizations
Review: An awesome true story. Definitely one of the three best books I've read in the past decade. In a time like this of Osama bin Labens and shocking inter-civilizational conflict, Fuchida's life story shows how true reconciliation and inter-cultural brotherhood can be experienced. It gives hope in spite of the huge obstacles to inter-cultural understanding. A powerful human interest story. Don't miss it!

Rating:
Summary: A Japanese Fighter Pilot becomes an Evangelist
Review: Excellent detailed story of Pearl Harbor's lead Navy pilot who through special circumstances wrought only by God found himself after the war travelling in the USA with Billy Graham and preaching the Gospel in Christian Crusades.

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Summary: This work is based on 137 interviews of the PH leader.
Review: Fuchida was truly a samurai. This is his story as told to Gordon Prange in a series of 137 interviews. It depicts the planning and the execution of the attack on Pearl Harbor. It also delves into Fuchida's conversion to Christianity and his evangelistic endeavors. It includes the original map that Fuchida used to brief the Emperor after the PH attack. Fuchida was the only person who was at Pearl Harbor, Midway and Hiroshima.

Rating:
Summary: Another home run by the Superlative Prang team!
Review: I'm an avid military historian, my specialty is WWII Pacific theater - Pearl Habor is my favorite reading area. I read Prang's books because he and his team produce the best written books on that era on the market today. (Possibly even the best written military histories of any era!) Prang has such a unique historical perspective - he was there so through him we actually hear the real voices of the people of that era. Beyond that extraordinary first hand experience, this book is as heavily researched and referenced as any I've found. While it provides remarkable historical perspective, there is a theme that would be compelling for even the non-historian. This is the story of Mitsuo Fuchida who lead the mission to attack Pearl Harbor. This is a man who had committed his life to his Emperor and Japan's goals. The book traces a profound, almost mind-boggling evolution in this man's life from Japanese warrior to a Christian missionary spending time in the United S! tates! Prang et al breath life into history and provide something for more than just us in the narrow audience of military historians.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This book deals with the life of Captain Mitsuo Fuchida and his conversion from the attacker of Pearl Harbor to Christian minister. About half the book condenses the war years. The other half focuses on his religious conversion after the war. The book does not delve too deeply into the character of Fuchida's colleagues like Admirals Yamamoto and Nagumo and Captain Minoru Genda. Neither does it go into much detail into the battles Fuchida took part in or his role as part of the Naval High Command after Midway. For the avid military historian looking for a detailed account of Fuchida's role during the war and his comprehensive views on what Japan did wrong, the lack of detail on the war years and the seemingly greater emphasis made on Fuchida's religious conversion in the second half of the book will be a great disappointment. Look for book entitled "Midway: The Battle that Doomed Japan" written by Fuchida himself and Masatake Okumiya instead.

Rating:
Summary: Another home run by the Superlative Prang team!
Review: This is one of the most enojyable books I have read to date! As an avid reader, and historian, it was refreashing to take a look into the life of one of WW II's leaders. What touched me most was the impact that Christianity had on Mitsuo Fuchida. The ability of Christianity to reach across cultures and languages to transform the life of one of Japan's foremost heros impressed me considerably! I also enjoyed reading about Fuchida's experiences in WW II - especially his role in hte planning/executing of the attack on Pearl Harbor and his impressions of the devastation created by the A-Bomb. I highly recommend this book! It is very fast paced - sure to keep your interest. A must buy

Rating:
Summary: A truly outstanding and interesting book!
Review: This is one of the most enojyable books I have read to date! As an avid reader, and historian, it was refreashing to take a look into the life of one of WW II's leaders. What touched me most was the impact that Christianity had on Mitsuo Fuchida. The ability of Christianity to reach across cultures and languages to transform the life of one of Japan's foremost heros impressed me considerably! I also enjoyed reading about Fuchida's experiences in WW II - especially his role in hte planning/executing of the attack on Pearl Harbor and his impressions of the devastation created by the A-Bomb. I highly recommend this book! It is very fast paced - sure to keep your interest. A must buy