Saipan: Oral Histories of the Pacific War [Paperback]

Bruce M. Petty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0786442441 | ISBN-13: 978-0786442447

The battle for Saipan was one of the bloodiest fought in the Pacific during World War II, and was a turning point on the road to Japan's defeat. Visible reminders of the 1944 devastation still exist: human skeletal remains are still found on the jungle floor and in caves throughout the island. Emotional reminders exist as well, for both the combatants and the civilians who survived the battle. In this work, the survivors--including Pacific Islanders on whose land the Americans and Japanese fought their war--have the opportunity to tell their stories in their own words. The author begins with a history of the Mariana Islands and other parts of Micronesia and arranges the oral histories by location: Saipan, Yap and Tinian, Rota, Palau Islands, and Guam in the first half, and by branch of service in the second half.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Bruce M. Petty served for two years on the U.S.S. Yorktown during the Vietnam War. A California native, he has lived in some interesting places including Saipan (a Pacific Island) and Saudia Arabia. His articles and oral histories have been published in The Pacific Daily News, The Marianas Variety, Umanidat: A Journal of the Humanities and Journal of the Pacific Society. Formerly a nuclear medicine technologist, he currently writes in New Plymouth, New Zealand. --World War II Magazine

"Excellent" --Catholic Library World

"This large, well illustrated...book preserves the generally interesting and frequently emotional reminiscences of civilians and soldiers who were involved in the bloody June-July 1944 liberation of Saipan" --The Journal of America's Military Past

About the Author

Bruce M. Petty served for two years on the U.S.S. Yorktown during the Vietnam War. A California native, he has lived in some interesting places including Saipan (a Pacific Island) and Saudia Arabia. His articles and oral histories have been published in The Pacific Daily News, The Marianas Variety, Umanidat: A Journal of the Humanities and Journal of the Pacific Society. Formerly a nuclear medicine technologist, he currently writes in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: McFarland (May 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786442441
• ISBN-13: 978-0786442447
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,156,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding with Wonderful Personal Touch, March 6, 2002

By 

Jeannie Haynor (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saipan: Oral Histories of the Pacific War (Hardcover)

I've always had an interest in the Pacific front and I find this book a wonderful edition to the previous books I have read. What I really like is the way the author brings in the personal stories. You can tell that Bruce Petty is a compassionate person who cares about the subject AND the people he writes about. I hope to see more work by this author and will definitely buy his next book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars War, up close and personal, January 5, 2002

By 

M. Schilling (San Rafael, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saipan: Oral Histories of the Pacific War (Hardcover)

Bruce Petty does a wonderful job of drawing people out and letting them tell their own stories about the battle of Saipan, which was one of the fiercest in World War II's Pacific Theatre. The narrators include both residents of Saipan whose peaceful existence was shattered by the war and American military men who came away from the fighting changed forever. All the survivors seem well aware that only blind luck separates them from those who perished. This book is a timely reminder that even a just war is truly Hell.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In their own words..., December 13, 2001

By 

"kc1359" (Fremont, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saipan: Oral Histories of the Pacific War (Hardcover)

Very interesting book...

As host of Chamorro. com, I've received literally hundreds of inquiries re our Mariana Islands, Chamorro culture and tradition, our language and on and on. The Pacific War is of particular interest.

I find Mr. Petty's book very interesting and believe it is a good place to start. What better way to know about the past, even if it is only the recent past and only a small part of the past, than to hear about it from those who were there and in their own words?