Blossoms in the Wind: Human Legacies of the Kamikaze

M.G. Sheftall has used his intimate knowledge of the Japanese language, culture, and people to craft a superb history of the Kamikaze corps, linking the young men of this group with the Japan of today. He has researched the subject matter and people well. It is an outstanding work and a timely one: the motivations, behavior, and attitudes of suicide bombers have never been more important. I would also like to add that while the research is immense -- Professor Sheftall waded through vast tracts of Japanese records and interviewed family members and surviving pilots -- the writing style is entertaining and gripping at the same time. It makes good reading not only as history, but as writing -- vaulting from blazing ships on the high seas one moment to the quiet solemnity of the Yasukuni Shrine the next. I was mildly surprised that this book was not nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in its category.

The author has done important original (and exhaustive) research into a topic that is as relevant for us today as it was during World War II. Although this is a difficult topic, the author's fresh prose, good sense of humor, and extensive knowledge of Japanese history and culture make the book entertaining and even amusing in places. Read this.

Reading this story made me realize how little I actually knew about the reasons that led to the formation of the Kamikaze squadrons. I applaud the author's research into the writing of this book. The Japanese war machine was not given the recognition that the other axis power war machines have had since the ending of WW2. I think that the WW2 Japanese aircraft designers are ignored in the aviation magazines of today. While I was stationed in Japan from 1968-1970 I would buy the Koku Fan and other Japanese aircraft magazines I could find in the Tokyo area. I was stationed by Tachikawa AB where the Japanese airraft designers worked on their advanced aircraft which I still think were superior to many of the West's aircraft. I know that their aviation units were forced to use low octance fuels made from pine pitch mixed with alcohol to power their aircraft. The Japanese pilots were able to fly quite well despite these limitations. So I would recommend this book highly to anybody interested in learning more about the Japanese struggle to win the war they had already lost when they bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941

Let us never forget the human struggles that history has taught us in the Pacific War: From the attack on Pearl Harbor to the aftermath of the atomic bomb. M.G. Sheftall takes a bold step to record the personal stories and views of the pilots of the infamous tokko program more popularly known as "kamikaze" to the West. This is a topic that is much taboo as it is revered in Japan. It's a topic that only a non-Japanese can research, for it would be "academic suicide" for any Japanese to partake. Sheftall does a great job of giving a non-biased story, and explains in painstaking detail to the Western reader what went through the hearts of the men and women in the tokko program. Several passages brought tears to my eyes. Japanese poetry and Haiku, personal letters, actual newpaper translations and such are scattered throughout the book. There are also about 15 pages worth of black and white pictures. Sheftall doesn't justify the tokko program, but he convinces you that any soldier willing to fight for their country has the same fire burning in their hearts. He asks the question at the end: Does the fighting spirit that made Japan a World power still exist in the modern Japanese?

Well written and researched book on interesting topic. A balanced blend of chapters giving the history of the kamikaze from the 1940's and up to date interviews with the pilots during the last few years. Mr. Sheftall's keen interest in the Japanese culture and his years spent teaching and researching there show well in the depth of his descriptions of the mindset of another era. 400+ pages hard back with photographs, thorough refrence section, nice sleeve design make this book great value. Particularly liked the dedication in the inside pages wishing that his sons never have to see war.