Victory in the Pacific [Paperback]

Albert Marrin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2003

covers events from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor through the battles of Midway, Guadalcanal, the Solomon Islands, Savo Island, the Doolittle raid on Tokyo, Corregidor Island, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima , and Okinawa. In each case, readers see the battles through the eyes of the men who were there, landing on the beaches, running raids in PT boats, dodging kamikaze bombers, and flying missions over Japan. In an easily accessible style, Marrin relates not only the important details of these conquests but also explains the military strategies of both the Allied forces and the Japanese. Readers get an overarching view of the war that helps to bring understanding especially as American forces drew increasingly closer to Japan and the Japanese grew ever more determined to fight to the bitter end. Marrin helps readers to understand the Japanese mindset that made surrender impossible and ultimately led to the decision to drop the atomic bomb in the interests of saving millions of lives. For the young adult reader, or even an adult unfamiliar with this period of WWII history, this book provides a sobering but inspiring look and the men and women , the nations and ideologies, that battled over half a century ago in the Pacific theater. Illustrated with diagrams, maps and photographs.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

"Albert Marrin is a professor of history who, in more than twenty juvenile nonfiction books, has attempted to make the past accessible to young readers. In award-winning books such as 1812: The War Nobody Won, Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters: The Story of the Cattle Kingdom, and "Unconditional Surrender": U. S. Grant and the Civil War, he has created a tapestry of United States history by focusing on dramatic moments and famous personalities. With biographies of leaders and tyrants from Napoleon to Hitler, Marrin has also interpreted the events of a larger world stage for juvenile readers. Additionally, his several books on the First and Second World Wars provide well-organized introductions to many aspects of those struggles. "Chairman of the history department at New York's Yeshiva University, Marrin's books for young readers complement his academic duties and writings. One of his earliest such books, Victory in the Pacific, is indicative of Marrin's thorough, no-nonsense approach to history. -"Albert Marrin" from Authors and Artists for Young Adults. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved.

Dr. Albert Marrin is a master at weaving personal perspective and historical material smoothly to give readers an interesting and reliable account of the subject. He has written over two dozen award-winning nonfiction books for young people which have been called "addictive reading" by The Horn Book. This is a wonderful clue to the type of author Marrin is. We at BFB respect his work and are so pleased to be publishing several of his titles. Three of his books, including Hitler and Stalin: Russia's Man of Steel, were School Library Journal Best Books of the Year.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Beautiful Feet Books (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893103153
• ISBN-13: 978-1893103153
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #764,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Victory In the Pacific, March 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Victory in the Pacific (Library Binding)

Victory In The Pacific is the exciting story of a dreadful war, that only a handful of books have captured and have done justice to. It is not the story of a make believe world, but a real and imperfect world. It is the story of two prideful and very different nations with different ideals. On December 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor, these two nations crashed together and the world was forever changed.
Victory In The Pacific is about the events from Pearl Harbor to the surrender of Japan. Although a complex subject and hard to follow, Albert Marrin, a renowned author on World War II, followed all events in a easily understandable chronological manner that parallels American Strategy. Simply stated, the United States had a three-phase plan to the war in the pacific. 1. Fend off Japan long enough to muster a fleet significant enough to push the Japanese back. 2. Capture main Islands in the pacific that are suitable for air assaults that can keep the smaller islands in check. 3. The forced surrender of Japan, or the invasion of. Victory In Pacific follows the war with Japan through the surrender of the Philippines, The Doolittle raid on Tokyo, Attack & Surrender of Corregidor Island, Naval battle of Midway, American landing on Guadalcanal, Naval battle of Savo Island, The Capture of the Solomon Islands, Tarawa, The Recapture of the Philippines, Iwo Jima and finally the atomic bombs. Explained in especially good detail, in which a whole chapter was devoted to, was the capture of Guadalcanal, one of the first major offensives that drove the Japanese back to their home soil.
However, many smaller battles of moderate importance were not described well. Neither did the book report on why the Japanese went to war with America and what provoked them. Another serious defect was that the war with Japan was depicted as a purely an American war, rather then telling us of the major influences of other countries at war with Japan, such as India, Australia, China, and the USSR.
Although biased toward to America, Victory in the Pacific is a fantastic book for those learning about America's involvement in the War in the Pacific. I would recommend that it be read in conjunction with a book that tells more of the Japanese war with China, India and their interests in Malaya and the Philippines. Overall though, Albert Marrin provides an excellent view of the American war in the Pacific. I would defidently recommend this book to those whose understanding of the war in the Pacific is limited, but not to those who are looking for an in depth view of the war as it only follows the war from the American side. Of perfect score of 10, I would rate it an 8.5.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT....good read and treasure it now!!, May 28, 2009

By 

Hy52baskets "NES" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Victory in the Pacific (Paperback)

My husband & I both are enjoying the book...we had fathers who served in WWII in the Pacific; one in Navy, the other in Marines..thanks for this great review, easy to read as well!!
Hy52baskets