Though I am a Japanese American born after WWII, I wanted to know what was going through the minds of the Japanese in Japan who decided to bomb Pearl Harbor and get involved in the conflict. This book got me about as close as I could get to talking to someone high up and powerful in the Japanese naval command. The highs, the lows, the delusions, the misconceptions, the hopes, aspirations - they are all clearly laid out. The account of Yamamoto's death and Ugaki's survival is better than an Indiana Jones-tale. The main thing you come away with is this man's patriotism and devotion to a misguided cause. Ugaki and Japan seriously misjudged their strength versus the power and resources of the United States and their allies.

Anyone who calls themselves a true historian of the Pacific War should read this book. There are a variety of things that make this "Fading Victory" unique and important. First and foremost, Ugaki was one of Japan's leading military men and he was privy to the Japanese planning of much of the Pacific War. His mistakes, conceptions of the wartime situation, and commentary on the Allied victories and defeats create a new dimension to the Pacific War that standard histories do not provide. Furthermore, the account, unlike other wartime accounts, was not doctored or recalled years after the event. This means that what Ugaki wrote in, say June 4, 1942, is how Ugaki perceived the situation as it happened. Finally, "Fading Victories" also details the gradual defeat of Japan and how a Japanese patriot perceived it. It is almost sad to hear Ugaki in 1945 speak of countering raids by hundreds of American planes with a mere handful of Jpanese aircraft. If this were not enough, Ugaki also writes extremely well and the editors did a fantastic job of correcting him and presenting what really happened. The net result is that Ugaki's own biases become readily apparent. Do not pass this one up!

I wondered whether this was going to be a boring self-serving narrative, but once I started reading it, it was so interesting that I couldn't stop. Ugaki details his day to day activities and lets you know his opinions and insights as he goes along. You get to like the guy, even though you know, in some cases, he's trying to fool himself about who's going to win the war. He is involved in just about everything in the Pacific War, and he narrates nicely. One of the best parts that you look forward to is where he and Yamamoto are shot down by U.S. planes. (Yamamoto is killed, but Chief of Staff Ugagki survives miraculously.) - The editor of this book every now and then corrects Ugaki (in italics) when Ugaki makes claims, such as ships sunk and planes shot down. This is extremely helpful, else you might think like Ugaki. This way you can sort of analyze Ugaki and where he's coming from. - Ugaki, the consumate samurai ends the book by demanding a kamakazi plane so he can die gloriously by sinking an enemy ship. He is unsuccessful. In the end, you sort of like and admire the guy. Very good reading if you are into the Japanese version of the Pacific War.

Any one who has been to another Asian country will really enjoy this book! I got my volume when in Osaka this January. I have had several people ask where they can get it and now I know. It is a must read for anyone that is going to Japan or is studying the language.

How do I enter a "MUST HAVE" rating ... ? If I can figure that out, this book'll get mine for sure. I was alerted to the book by a friend who is teaching English in Japan and who know that I had once done the same. This book captures how weird and funny the train wreck can get when east and west collide. If you have ever spoent time in Japan, or plan to, I recommend this book. Funny and enlightening.

Tom Dillon, a long time resident of Japan, has collected a side splitting bunch of bloopers made by foreigners tangling with the Japanese language. Even if you haven't visited Japan this book will bring tears of laughter to your eyes. The chapter that features confusion over the words for closet and buttocks may cause you to injure yourself unless you keep a tight grip on your funny bone. Get a copy NOW and get one for a friend.
Should you happen to be one of the hapless souls struggling to get a hammerlock on Japanese the book is printed with Japanese text on the page facing the English text. So you may be able to chortle, guffaw and giggle bilingually.

Mismanaged anger ruins careers, lives, and happiness but there are only a handful of books on the market for the non-sepcialist general reader which address anger problems and handling the anger of others. Managing Anger offers a range of psychological and behavioral insights on what works, what doesn't, and why, with chapters providing case history examples and a range of techniques to try. Excellent, practical advice.

Excellent and comprehensive. I found this book to be full of wisdom, warmth and wit. Many practical anger management tools, as well as many profound and helpful insights.

Some people say that anger is not the problem, that violence is the problem. But there is no violence without anger. This book showed me how to identify and manage the angers of everyday life so they don't escalate into destructive counterproductive anger against the people we love.

This well-researched and elegantly crafted book provides a fascinating insight into how we came to be the most punitive society in the industrialized world . It's politics, stupid ..

A great piece of work. Insightful commentary, exhaustive research and timely topics make this book a must read for anyone interested in state politics and/or the politics of prison building.

This book should be read by everyone who wonders why the U.S. has expanded imprisonment at five times the rate of Western European nations.

This book is good to go! If you are looking to read something interesting that will keep you wanting to read more, this is the one. I had the pleasure to read several of this author's books and he is remarkable.

Return to Islamorada is a funfilled and touching book that holds your interest throughout. Anyone that has ever sailed in the sometimes ominous waters near the Florida Keys can readily identify with this book. The everchanging water conditions that threaten our very existance will bring us back to the reality of the "Real World" and remind of us what life is really all about. If you read it you will love it and perhaps it will give you something to think about...

Anyone who has ever sailed or operated a small boat will find something they can relate to in this funny,historical,and sometimes serious,novel. If you Know the Florida Keys,you will recognize many locations, if not, you will want to see them when you finish this great read. The characters are well developed, they will have you laughing but also tug at your heart. The authors use of historical flashback makes this book not only humorous but educational. Buy this one you will love it.

Model research work (61 reference pages) on the ploys of Stalin's master spy Richard Sorge.
Sorge penetrated the highest power circle in Japan and had excellent connections with the Nazi-party through the German Embassy in Tokyo.
Prange proves that Sorge informed Stalin about the German attack against the Soviet-Union (operation Barbarossa) and that Stalin didn't believe him. That Sorge pinpointed the Pearl Harbor attack is for the author a myth.
Sorge got caught by the Japanese when his spy work became careless. He hoped that Moscow would save him through an exchange of prisoners, but his friends let him fall as a burnt spy. He was hanged. Only twenty years later Moscow admitted that he was an agent of the Comintern.
Excellent portrait of Sorge: a desperate soldier of WWI, who saw in communism the salvation of humanity, but also a hard drinker and a compulsive womanizer. The definitie book on Sorge. I agree with one of the rewiewers that this work is essential historical reading about WWII.

This is an excellent account of the Sorge spy ring that operated in Tokyo prior to and during WW II. Richard Sorge was an NKVD agent (predecessor to the KGB) who was sent to find out if Japan was going to attack the USSR.

His mission was a first rate success. He was able to tell Stalin that the Japanese militarists were going to attack to the south, against the East Indies, Philippines, and Australia. They would not attack Russia unless three things happened: the Germans captured Moscow, civil order broke down inside the USSR, and the Japanese Army had a significant force superiority along the Mongolian boder.

As a result of that information, Stalin pulled army divisions out of Siberia, and was able to use them for the counterattack outside Moscow in the Winter of 1941-2. That one piece of information could well have been the key to Hitler's defeat because if Moscow had fallen, the Germans probably would also have taken Stalingrad, and then captured the oil of the Middle East. Remember, the Luftwaffe didn't run out of airplanes; they ran out of fuel.

This book is an essential item for any historian of WW II.

Richard Sorge was a spy--pure and simple. I'm not denying that. He worked for Stalin. In the 1930s, Stalin sent him to Tokyo where he became a mole in the German Embassy in Tokyo. The Japanese were onto him from the beginning. It wasn't until he got sloppy that the Tokko, the Japanese secret police arrested him. He was executed in 1944. Near the end, Sorge's spy ring warned Stalin about Hitler's plan to invade the Soviet Union but Stalin refused to listen.

This book is a comprehensive collection of neuroradiology cases which are presented in an outstanding format. In particular, the concise discussion of the differential diagnosis for each case and the inclusion of a "pitfalls/helpful tips" section are extremely helpful for residents and fellows trying to master this difficult field. Furthermore, the section on normal anatomy and pathology of cranial nerves is a fabulous resource.

I agree with the USA reviewer, It is also a good resource in neurology. The format of this atlas Clinical Vignete, comments on images, concise review of the topics are awosome. Also pictures are of high quality.

excellent cases and excellent review for the radiology boards. they are about 200 cases and concise findings and differentials for the boards. must buy for all radiology residents

Ed Watz's book 'Wheeler & Woolsey' is a superb film history of a great and sadly forgotten movie comedy team. This volume evokes the golden days of both Vaudeville and Hollywood, as we follow the rise and sad fall of Wheeler & Woolsey. Mr. Watz also sets straight the historical record that the boys were second only to the great Laurel & Hardy in the 1930's and certainly ahead of their rivals the Marx Bros., the Ritz Bros., and the Three Stooges! Readers of this book will want to go out and see the films of Wheeler & Woolsey. Watz's book is a lost treasure.

This "sleeper" book, which I picked up because of my curiosity about the subjects (they are appearing regularly on the Turner Classic Movies station) is a revelation. Positively one of the best researched and entertaining books about a comedy team from the movies' golden age, the 1930s. To watch Wheeler & Woolsey is to understand what vaudeville-type comedy is (was) all about. Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey have been overlooked in favor of teams like the Marx Bros. or the 3 Stooges. This book corrects that oversight. It is also a highly readable accounts of Hollywood politics behind the scenes at some of the major studios. If you're a fan of vintage movie comedy, get this book.

Wheeler and Woolsey were second to Laurel and Hardy in the heart's of movie going audiences of the 1930's. Since then, however, their star has faded and their acomplishments have been relegated to footnote status in the history of the golden age of comedy. Thanks to Edward Watz, Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey are alive and kicking again in a definitive history of the lovable pair and their films. Exhaustingly researched and lovingly executed, the book chronicles the career ups and downs of the most unjustifiably forgotten comedians in the history of show business. Personal biographies are included, as well as detailed accounts of all of their features and short subjects. Long time leading lady Dorothy Lee lends her first hand account of the way things happend with a refreshingly candid foreward. She also shares her memories of each of the films that she participated in with a fascinating view that only an insider could relate. The later years are chronicled in the final chapter, featuring accounts of Bert Wheeler's career after the untimely death of his partner. All in all, this book ranks along side the superlative Laurel and Hardy, The Magic Behind The Movies, and Abbott and Costello in Hollywood, as one of the most enjoyable and informative demonstration's of film history as can be expected. If you love film comedy, you should not be without this book.

The next blustery day, the kind where you stay in doors and make soup, curl up with this book and enjoy a wonderful experience. The illustrations are lovely and filled with the motion of wind. You can almost hear and feel it about you as you go into the story. The writing is lyrical and evocative, brimming with romance and mystery. A girl who does not realize she is the daughter of the stormy east wind develops into a weaver with magical talents of artistry and eventually wins her heart's desire. Here's a sample about her father so you can just imagine how lovely HER story is. "He found a girl who was not afraid of his wildness. They were wed. He built her a house of blowing branches and wind-torn cloud.They were happy there. She bore him a daughter, but then she died." I love this book and I encourage you to read it and let it sweep you up in the winds of its magic.

Beautiful story. Beautiful illustrations. Sit and dream a little with your child (or by yourself). Such joy to read a story which speaks to the heart instead of the cartoonish world which so many children's current books fall into. Your child deserves this book of beauty.

Murphy's rhythmical and mythic-sounding text conjoins with the Dillons' subdued and melancholy illustrations to create a subtle and rereadable work of art. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys fairy tales, as well as people who are looking for strong and engaging female protagonists. This one's going in my collection, and neither am I a child nor a librarian, only one who likes fine art.

I honestly believe this book has helped to change my whole perspective on life. I'm coping from depression and a low self-image and this book is really invigorating to read. The ideas are easy to understand, the concepts are well explained, and although some of the material is repeated for effect, there are some really good ideas and exercises. I thoroughtly like the journal idea where you honour all the good things you do and write down 1 good thing you did/that happened in that day. It's an excellent book. Highly recommended to teens as well.

AN OUTSTANDING TOOL FOR WOMEN TO LEARN TO DEFINE THEMSELVES RATHER THAN BE DEFINED BY THEIR MEN, THEIR PARENTS, THEIR FRIENDS. STEP BY STEP HELP FOR EXACTLY WHAT TO DO TO BECOME YOUR OWN PERSON AND ENHANCE SELF WORTH. A MUST FOR ANY WOMAN WHO EVER WONDERED WHY SHE WAS LOVABLE, OR CRIED HERSELF TO SLEEP BECAUSE HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN RIGHT....

The Woman's guide to Total Self Esteem is a wonderful book. There is a lot of information to help you understand how self-esteem works and why it's important. Then there are exercises that move you through the process of changing your thinking and feeling about yourself and your life. This book is very pro-woman and empowering. I love it!