This first-ever textbook on Douglas Macarthur -- written for Japanese university students who are studying English -- focuses on those aspects of General MacArthur's career which relate to Japan. Students learn how he contributed greatly to the development of a free, democratic and prosperous Japan through the reforms introduced while he was Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers during the Occupation. In addition to teaching English reading skills, it provides a valuable lesson in history for today's Japanese youth. Book includes a useful English-Japanese glossary and one CD.
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Editorial Reviews
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"... very useful to help Japanese students learn the history of that period, in addition to learning English." --Tomoichi Murayama, former Prime Minister of Japan
Professor McBean has written about a difficult subject in an easy-to-understand style ... I applaud this excellent work. --Jerome T. Hagen, Brigadier General, USMC (Retired)
Professor McBean has written about a difficult subject in an easy-to-understand style ... I applaud this excellent work. --Jerome T. Hagen, Brigadier General, USMC (Retired)
About the Author
Bert McBean was born in 1941 in Michigan, USA. He is a member of the Japan Association of Language Teachers, the Prisoner of War Research Network Japan, and the General Douglas MacArthur Honor Guard Association. He teaches at Oita University in Kyushu.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MacArthur 101 for Japanese,
By Franklin (Osaka, Japan) - See all my reviews
This review is from: MacArthur: General Douglas MacArthur & The Occupation That Changed Japan (Paperback)
I ordered this book-knowing that it was written for Japanese students-because I am a MacArthur buff and have collected almost all books written about him. In addition, I was curious about the view of history students are getting from this text, which is written by an American. I have read about how Japanese high school history books distort, cover-up, and revise Pacific War history, especially atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Army. After reading it, I can say that students fortunate enough to use this text will get a good, balanced treatise on the war, MacArthur, and the Occupation. Apparently, they learn much about Hiroshima, Nagasaki, etc., in other words, how Japan suffered during the war, but little about the suffering Japan caused it neighbors. The textbook deals with some of this in the lesson on the Tokyo War Crimes Trials. Given the present sour state of relations between Japan and China/Korea because of visits to Yasukuni Shrine, the textbook problem, etc., this should be required reading for Japanese leaders! I recommend this book for history buffs or educators interested in how English-as-a-second-language is taught using a content-based (historical) textbook in Japan.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good History Lesson for Japanese Youth,
By History Buff (Florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: MacArthur: General Douglas MacArthur & The Occupation That Changed Japan (Paperback)
This is a simple book, with nothing insightful or original about one of the 20th century's most fascinating military leaders. When you consider that it is a textbook written for Japanese university students-who hardly know that Japan fought and lost a war 60 years ago-that is all it could be, I suppose. Although the academic/English level would be appropriate for U.S. middle or high school students, I found it to be a nice, well-written read. The Japan-based author surveyed his university students and was shocked at their lack of knowledge of a war their grandfathers fought. Apparently he felt that the Occupation of Japan should be better understood and appreciated for what it did to change Japan for the better. I thought he did a good job of presenting the material as simply as one could for English as a second language students. It is unfortunate that he mentions atrocities (Unit 731, Bataan, Nanking, etc.) only in passing because that is what they don't get in their own history books. The author seems over-flattering in his portrayal of MacArthur, who, at worst, was reviled by many and at best was controversial. Also, one wonders whether young people anywhere would want to spend so much time on one historical figure, which, to them, must seem like ancient history. Still, given the national collective amnesia in Japan regarding the Pacific War, Professor McBean's text is a welcome, commendable idea.
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