Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, I should disclose that I’m a political conservative but not necessarily a fan of Bill O’Reilly. Nevertheless I have read several of his “killing book series,” and I have found them invariably superficial in depth but otherwise well-written and interesting — written in accordance with marketing techniques for popular, best selling books. “Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan” is no different, but it’s arguably better, if not the best of those I have read so far in the series. The reason for this is perhaps that O’Reilly is not dealing with a controversial subject, and is free to narrate history with suspense while propounding his usual winning and acceptable populist viewpoint with little risk of possibly offending propriety or violating taboos. This happened very successfully with his book on “Killing Kennedy.” With “Killing Jesus” he was careful to remain confined in his narrative within the acceptable know facts surrounding the “historical Jesus” without theological speculation, and without advancing any new biblical theories or launching new historical research. Second, if you have enjoyed his previous books you will love this one. In this new book, the Japanese are clearly the bad guys for triggering the war in a treacherous and infamous fashion at Pearl Harbor, and O’Reilly is free to engage in unhindered patriotism, and supportive of whatever blow America intended and delivered to the vanquished Japanese. And thus unhindered in his point of view and on the right side of history, O’Reilly and Dugald have written a basic but very interesting account of how “America killed the Rising Sun.” There are not, and the reader should not expect, any, new revelations. The narrative on the fierce fighting in the various Pacific islands is spectacularly written with suspense and élan. The climax of the book is reached with the dropping of atomic bombs and this is recounted accurately and objectively. On the other hand, there is insufficient background material, little on espionage and political intrigue, and not enough information on the other players involved in the Pacific theater. Don't expect to hear the other side; for example how the Japanese were forced into war by the necessity of raw materials barred to them and the machinations of Pro-Stalin communist agents (See Operation Snow: How a Soviet Mole in FDR's White House Triggered Pearl Harbor and Stalin's Secret Agents: The Subversion of Roosevelt's Government) who had infiltrated the U.S. government. Suffice to say we are on very safe ground with this book, and the action flows unimpeded. The book should serve as a spring board for further reading for students and enthusiasts, but should not be expected to be a definitive account of World War II history in the Pacific theater. (For those interested in a book coming from a different perspective, see (The Imperial Japanese Army: The Invincible Years 1941-42 (General Military)) The book then is recommended with commendations for the initiates and with the caveats above for the connoisseurs of World War II.