Customer Reviews

Of War & Weddings; A Legacy of Two Fathers

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Of War and Weddings by Jerry Yellin 1995 Sunstar Publishing, Ltd. Of War and Weddings, A Legacy of Two Fathers is Jerry Yellin's legacy to his family, to his country and to the nation of Japan. The book is not just Yellin's extraordinary story of his experiences as a fighter pilot in the Pacific during World War II. it is also a story of the prejudice spawned by war and carried in the hearts of two war veterans, both military pilots, one Japanese and one American. Through the marriage of their children, the two fathers learn to make peace with their war experiences and allow the burdens of hatred for a nation and for a race to be lifted from their lives. With fascinating detail and moving honesty, Yellin navigates deftly in time between escorting B-29 bombers in raids on Tokyo in 1945, and visiting a rebuilt Tokyo on business and family trips in the 1980's. In the end, he has escorted readers on a journey which takes them through the darkness of war and brings them to the light of acceptance, understanding, and peace.

My father wrote this book. It is an extraordinary story about an extraordinary man. It reveals to us the fact that we are all really connected on a deep level and that war is such a cruel experience for anyone to go through.

50 years my father fought against the Japanese. Now they are his in-laws. What a co-existence of opposites! This is a wonderful book about how a man can fight against a whole country and then 40 years later fall in love with the people and the culture he fought against. Be ready for an emotional ride and a wonderful ending.

My father flew P-51's in the 78th Fighter Squadron with Jerry Yellin off Iwo Jima. So it was with great anticipation that I opened this book. Thoughtful, insightful, poingant ... I could offer a long list of adjetives but it would not be sufficient to explain how this book touched me. It helped me understand both war and peace, and it helped me understand my father, who died young in 1976. He, too, became a writer, and was on his way to great things when cancer struck him down. One can't help but think, especially given the utter trash that makes up 75% of what comes out of Hollywood, that "Of War & Weddings" would make a terrific movie, one that could influence generations to come for the better. Maybe it can still happen. I took the time to find Jerry and meet him and his lovely wife at their home in Florida. Truly gracious people. Jerry stands as a true spokeman for the greatest generation.

I can't say that I can give this book a proper review as I am more a reader than a writer but here's my two cents worth....This book was given to me by a dear friend and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I have read many books about World War II especially the Pacific war and my father and uncle both served in the conflict. I am sixty-seven years old and served in the US Army during the Vietnam era. I have never had any real hatred for the Japanese people because of the war. Sure, when I read the WWII books I hate the Japanese that we were fighting at that time. But when the war was over the hatred was over, at least as far as I am concerned. This book is not a politically correct book that makes Americans look like the bad guys. Both sides were villains at one time or another and the book is fair in explaining it. It just showed that no matter what we can all get along. Wish there had been a few photos of the people involved as it would have been nice to actually see them rather than picture them in our minds. There is a picture of Mr. Yellin on the back cover. A beautiful book. Five stars from me!

Jerry Yellin's very personal story is a real gift. It is hard to imagine anyone but a man with the experiences he has had could have shared the insights in this book. I happened to sit next to the author on a Pacific flight in 2009, and there was something about him that made me want to read this work. My father - a 91-year old WWII fighter pilot vet - and I both read this, and both enjoyed. It provided great insights on what it was like for that generation coming of age with the world at war. However, mostly this book is about the author's personal journey of reconciliation with Japan. I enjoyed his stories about wartime, but also the stories he is told by Japanese acquaintances who lived the pre-during-post WWII years there.

"Of War and Weddings" is a beautifully written book. For an old P-51 fighter pilot, author Jerry Yellin is a good stick when it comes to "flying words around on the page." There are times in the story when I had to stop reading, close my eyes and reflect on the words, then continue on.

Jerry Yellin knows how to weave a good story from long ago memories that were sitting right there on the edge, just waiting to be released. I highly recommend this book. It restores your faith in humanity!

Kathleen M. Rodgers
author of the award-winning novel "The Final Salute"

This book changed my life! I had a very distorted (and angry) view of the Japanese all these years, but this book has opened my mind to the fact that we (humans) are basically are all alike.
Written very well. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to make sense of our war with the Japanese. The book changed my life! Thanks, Jerry for your service during the war and after
through these books.

I read this book after meeting the author in summer 2000 at Volk WANGB. I should have enjoyed it, but I didn't. The reason for that is that I met the author and read the book at a time that I went through some very scary things that the book talks about. To put it in the author's words (faultily remembered): "I distrusted the Japanese when I heard about Manchuria. My distrust turned to anger when I heard about Pearl Harbor. My anger turned to hatred when I heard about Bataan. Later, I learned that we invaded Indian lands. Then I heard about how we sent troops in while we negotiated with them. Finally, I heard about the Trail of Tears, in which Indians were marched from Florida to Oklahoma and buried alive if they could not keep up."
Despite, my personal feelings coinciding with the book, I have read it several times and have recommended it to several friends, including one of my teachers- it is a must-read book!

This book is very well written and easy to read. I especially liked the part where Jerry Yellin is explaining what the Baatan Death March is to Yas, his Japanese friend. Jerry askes Yas how the Japanese could be so cruel. Yas comes back with how Americans treated the American Indian during the March of Tears and they go on to discuss the bombing of Hiroshima. This part is very inlightening. I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults alike. In fact we will be selling it shortly in the bookstore of the War in the Pacific National Historical Park on the island of Guam.