Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering: Japan in the Modern World: John W. Dower: 9781595589378: Amazon.com: Books
Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering: Japan in the Modern World Paperback – February 4, 2014
by John W. Dower (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 6 customer reviews
Historian John W. Dower’s celebrated investigations into modern Japanese history, World War II, and U.S.–Japanese relations have earned him critical accolades and numerous honors, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Bancroft Prize. Now Dower returns to the major themes of his groundbreaking work, examining American and Japanese perceptions of key moments in their shared history.
Both provocative and probing, Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering delves into a range of subjects, including the complex role of racism on both sides of the Pacific War, the sophistication of Japanese wartime propaganda, the ways in which the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is remembered in Japan, and the story of how the postwar study of Japan in the United States and the West was influenced by Cold War politics.
Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering offers urgent insights by one of our greatest interpreters of the past into how citizens of democracy should deal with their history and, as Dower writes, “the need to constantly ask what is not being asked.”
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Review
Praise for Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering :
"No historian writes with more authority than this leading historian
of modern Japan. Dower’s new work . . . shows him at the
top of his form."
—Publishers Weekly
"Scrupulously researched and bravely presented scholarship."
—Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Embracing Defeat :
"A superb history of Japan’s occupation."
—The New York Review of Books
"A magisterial and beautifully written book. . . . A pleasure to read."
—The New York Times Book Review
---
Top Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 starsIf you are a student of 20th century history, you must read this book.
ByYason December 19, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I read three books by Mr. John W. Dower; Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II, War without Mercy: PACIFIC WAR, and this book.
For my personal interest, this book is the most significant one amongst three of his books I read, especially the first chapter which is an excerpt from an essay titled “E.H. Norman, Japan, and the Uses of History”. Just by reading this section of the book, readers will learn the intellectual foundations of Mr. Dower’s interest and understanding of Japanese conflicts in early to mid-20th century.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA book to remember!
ByMugishu Kenon May 6, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
These eleven essays present many fascinating insights and a great deal of information about postwar Japan, and can be enjoyed both by readers who already have an extensive knowledge of Japan and by readers whose knowledge is not so extensive. It is a book the reader will not soon forget. Both content and writing style deserve five stars!
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5.0 out of 5 starslove the book
Bydominic yangon January 29, 2014
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Dower has done it again. This is a well-written book and I enjoy reading it very much. It's based on unpublished materials from his Pulitzer-winning Embracing Defeat.
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5.0 out of 5 starsInsightful Essays
ByCraig Freedmanon January 22, 2014
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
John Dower has had a long career investigating the history of Japan. Perhaps he is best known for his wonderful book about post-war Japan, 'Embracing Defeat'. This is a volume of essays that won't disappoint his many admirers. Each is a gem and they are the sort of essays that one can go back to and read with equal appreciation. If you are interested in Japan, this is one book you should read.
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4.0 out of 5 starsDated but still germane.
ByR. J. Fadeleyon March 30, 2015
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
This is accessible historiography in the form of a collection of essays dating back to the Vietnam era. Dower is better known for his later book on Japan, Embracing Defeat, but in some ways this volume seems more concise. A fine introduction to some basic cultural aspects of Japanese strategic thought, this book will also provide sarisfaction to the seasoned student of that fascinating and contradictory nation.
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2.0 out of 5 starsThe author is knowledgeable and provides a good deal of interesting and useful information
Bydnson December 28, 2014
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
The author is knowledgeable and provides a good deal of interesting and useful information, but his credibility and so the value of his work is compromised by his political agenda, which he insists on inserting whether pertinent or not.
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Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering: Japan in the Modern World Paperback – February 4, 2014
by John W. Dower (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 6 customer reviews
Historian John W. Dower’s celebrated investigations into modern Japanese history, World War II, and U.S.–Japanese relations have earned him critical accolades and numerous honors, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Bancroft Prize. Now Dower returns to the major themes of his groundbreaking work, examining American and Japanese perceptions of key moments in their shared history.
Both provocative and probing, Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering delves into a range of subjects, including the complex role of racism on both sides of the Pacific War, the sophistication of Japanese wartime propaganda, the ways in which the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is remembered in Japan, and the story of how the postwar study of Japan in the United States and the West was influenced by Cold War politics.
Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering offers urgent insights by one of our greatest interpreters of the past into how citizens of democracy should deal with their history and, as Dower writes, “the need to constantly ask what is not being asked.”
---
Review
Praise for Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering :
"No historian writes with more authority than this leading historian
of modern Japan. Dower’s new work . . . shows him at the
top of his form."
—Publishers Weekly
"Scrupulously researched and bravely presented scholarship."
—Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Embracing Defeat :
"A superb history of Japan’s occupation."
—The New York Review of Books
"A magisterial and beautifully written book. . . . A pleasure to read."
—The New York Times Book Review
---
Top Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 starsIf you are a student of 20th century history, you must read this book.
ByYason December 19, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I read three books by Mr. John W. Dower; Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II, War without Mercy: PACIFIC WAR, and this book.
For my personal interest, this book is the most significant one amongst three of his books I read, especially the first chapter which is an excerpt from an essay titled “E.H. Norman, Japan, and the Uses of History”. Just by reading this section of the book, readers will learn the intellectual foundations of Mr. Dower’s interest and understanding of Japanese conflicts in early to mid-20th century.
Comment| 15 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsA book to remember!
ByMugishu Kenon May 6, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
These eleven essays present many fascinating insights and a great deal of information about postwar Japan, and can be enjoyed both by readers who already have an extensive knowledge of Japan and by readers whose knowledge is not so extensive. It is a book the reader will not soon forget. Both content and writing style deserve five stars!
Comment| 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starslove the book
Bydominic yangon January 29, 2014
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
Dower has done it again. This is a well-written book and I enjoy reading it very much. It's based on unpublished materials from his Pulitzer-winning Embracing Defeat.
Comment| 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsInsightful Essays
ByCraig Freedmanon January 22, 2014
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
John Dower has had a long career investigating the history of Japan. Perhaps he is best known for his wonderful book about post-war Japan, 'Embracing Defeat'. This is a volume of essays that won't disappoint his many admirers. Each is a gem and they are the sort of essays that one can go back to and read with equal appreciation. If you are interested in Japan, this is one book you should read.
Comment| 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Report abuse
4.0 out of 5 starsDated but still germane.
ByR. J. Fadeleyon March 30, 2015
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
This is accessible historiography in the form of a collection of essays dating back to the Vietnam era. Dower is better known for his later book on Japan, Embracing Defeat, but in some ways this volume seems more concise. A fine introduction to some basic cultural aspects of Japanese strategic thought, this book will also provide sarisfaction to the seasoned student of that fascinating and contradictory nation.
Comment|Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Report abuse
2.0 out of 5 starsThe author is knowledgeable and provides a good deal of interesting and useful information
Bydnson December 28, 2014
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
The author is knowledgeable and provides a good deal of interesting and useful information, but his credibility and so the value of his work is compromised by his political agenda, which he insists on inserting whether pertinent or not.
----
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