Imperial Japan's World War Two, 1931-1945 /

Gruhl's new book was prompted, he says, by the realization that the brutality that took place in the WW II Pacific Theater has been overlooked or discounted. His goal is to present a comprehensive statistical analysis demonstrating the extent of havoc caused by Japan's expansionist zeal between 1931 and 1945. The text bristles with data about death, dismemberment, and dislocation in every region in which Japanese forces were active. This summary data is expressed more comprehensively still in an accompanying Web site . The sum of the material is intended to demonstrate that a largely unacknowledged holocaust occurred in Asia as well as in Europe during the WW II years. Without disputing the proposition that the Pacific region was the site of astonishing carnage, it would be reasonable to question the author's many estimates/guesses about various undocumented losses, and his dubious calculations concerning such categories as "severely affected" war orphans, refugees, and the like. The more solidly grounded and convincing data are all drawn from well-known English-language sources. Clearly, notwithstanding Gruhl's claims, this material has not been overlooked and obviously is not unknown. As a result, this new book seems to be mostly an attempt to sensationalize a widely acknowledged story. Summing Up: Optional. Graduate students/faculty. W. D. Kinzley University of South Carolina