Unconditional defeat : Japan, America, and the end of World War II /

This book explores why and how the US defeated Japan, from November 1943 to the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For those looking for a well-written account of the last half of the Pacific War, this work will certainly satisfy. Zeiler (Univ. of Colorado) has an excellent sense of balance, allotting space to each island battle based on its importance to the overall war. The author's chief insight is to offer a very unflattering account of General MacArthur. To say that he fled from Corregidor in shame, or that he hanged Yamashita for humbling him in Manila, belies the facts. President Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to leave Corregidor, and Yamashita was executed for atrocities committed against Filipino citizens. There are excellent maps, a fine bibliography, and an adequate index. Statistics are used judiciously. On the negative side, there is little new information. Overall, this is a worthwhile purchase for academic libraries with strong history programs. Small, cash-strapped libraries may still rely on earlier works, such as Ronald Spector's Eagle against the Sun: The American War with Japan (CH, Mar'85) and Williamson Murray and Allan Millet's A War to Be Won: Fighting the Second World War (CH, Oct'00). ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. M. O'Donnell formerly, CUNY College of Staten Island