Customer Reviews

We Remember Pearl Harbor!

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"We Remember Pearl Harbor" is a collection of 50 personal accounts by civilians who lived through the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent war years on the Hawai'ian islands. Each account is anywhere from four to ten pages long, with numerous photos to augment the personal stories. Despite the fact that the accounts were written by average people, many of whom were in their teens or twenties when the attack occurred, the stories are surprisingly well written. Consistently, they highlight the surprise of the attack, the unpreparedness of the islands, and the impact December 7, 1941 had on the eyewitnesses. Also covered in detail are the blackouts, curfews, rationing, censorship, etc. that became part of everyday life on the islands for the three years of martial law following the attack.

Although Lawrence Rodriggs tried to sample views from many different people, a number of the accounts are from related people, such as friends and family. Although this limits the representativeness of this sample of accounts somewhat, it has the nice effect of allowing the reader to see connections between individual accounts and experience the consistency of some of the themes that govern each account.

One must note that most of the accounts were written long after the war - thus, they are not free of post-hoc interpretation. Nevertheless, this book represents a worthwhile addition to any serious library about Pearl Harbor and should be very useful for anybody who wants to give these historical moments a personal face.

Lawrence Rodriggs has given us a glimpse into the souls of those who were on Oahu the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. Their lives were changed forevermore. In their interviews with the author, each person recalled in vivid color the events of that day. A variety of races was represented, as were men, women, boys and girls, from a wide range of occupations and backgrounds. Having read military accounts of Pearl Harbor, it was with great interest that I read the eyewitnesses of civilians in their own words. For many, it was as if it had happened yesterday. These people did whatever was necessary to survive during those most difficult days. They showed deep commitment to their families and to our country. Their resilience is an inspiration to all of us.