RaveThe New York Times... a magisterial and beautifully written book ... Dower\'s writing is graphic and extremely moving when he describes what it was like for an ordinary person living in Japan between August 1945 and about 1949, when economic conditions improved. The book includes many amazing documentary photographs ... Another area where Dower is at his descriptive best is in his chronicling of the outpouring of free expression immediately following the collapse of the stifling militaristic ideology of surrendering one\'s whole being to the service of the state ... John W. Dower both deplores and applauds in this richly nuanced book, which is such a pleasure to read.
