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Yasuo Kuwahara

Kamikaze: A Japanese Pilot's Own Spectacular Story of the Famous Suicide Squadrons Paperback – March 27, 2013

by Gordon T. Allred (Author), Yasuo Kuwahara (Author)

43 ratings

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Kamikaze squadrons recruited teenage boys and converted them into human bombs. These boys became suicide pilots whose sole purpose was to die for the Emperor. During World War II, the Kamikaze caused the greatest losses in the history of the United States Navy.At age 15, Yasuo Kuwahara entered military service where he suffered through basic training so brutal, nine men of his squadron committed suicide. After qualifying for fighter pilot school, he survived ferocious aerial combat and barely escaped death at the hands of the American enemy. Upon receipt of his final attack orders he returned home near Hiroshima to bid farewell to his family, but amazingly escaped his suicide mission due to one of the cruelest ironies of World War II.

Print length

274 pages
Language

English
Publication date

March 27, 2013
Dimensions

6 x 0.62 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0976154757
ISBN-13

978-0976154754
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—This classic World War II autobiography, first published in 1957, opens when Kuwahara received a visitor one night in 1943. While the gentleman had come under the pretense of congratulating the teen for his high academic achievements, it soon became obvious that he really intended to recruit him for a regiment in the Japanese Emperor's air force. Kuwahara trained as a kamikaze pilot, a pilot who straps himself into a plane and then divebombs into the target to gain glory and honor for himself and the Japanese Empire. His training is depicted as inhuman; he was beaten and tormented on a daily basis, all to devalue his own sense of humanity and individuality. It's absolutely terrifying reading about boys and young men so ready to plunge to their deaths. For balance, the author shows a number of people who spoke out against the war effort, a surprising detail that confronts the decades-old stereotype of an entire nation rallying hopelessly behind a dying empire. The book closes with a grim portrayal of the U.S.'s atomic bombing of Hiroshima and its grisly aftermath. Through the eyes of a terrified young man, Kuwahara's descriptions of the horrors of war are accessible and compelling to teens. This book has not become dated, and readers will appreciate the updated introduction, written in light of its 50th anniversary.—Matthew L. Moffett, Pohick Regional Library, Burke, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"This classic World War II autobiography [is] absolutely terrifying reading. Kuwahara's descriptions of the horrors of war are accessible and compelling." —School Library Journal

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ American Legacy Media; 7th edition (March 27, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 274 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0976154757
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0976154754
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.62 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,490,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #317 in Historical Japan Biographies
- #899 in Piloting & Flight Instruction
- #1,606 in Suicide (Books)

Customer Reviews:
43 ratings

Customer reviews

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3 star		9%
2 star		7%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Sehome

Good Fiction, but be warned.

Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2018

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Excellent... fiction, based on conjectural factual events.
Prof Allred is known for "creative writing" and this book shows his skill. I enjoyed the story. I have read first hand accounts by Japanese soldiers and officers, but nothing like this book.
No boy in his mid-teens could possibly have made this account, to Allred or anyone. He would have had to make detailed copious notes in a diary every single day.! Yet the book rather brazenly suggests first-hand information. The text is literally loaded with quotations. This is the work of a man much older than the young Japanese, a man very skilled at creative writing and fiction! The teenaged Japanese pilot may indeed have existed in reality but this story is not his personal one, but one ghost-written.
It is a good novel, in my view, worth reading, but take the details with a big grain of salt.

3 people found this helpful

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Don Waters

Disappointing

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2021

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I bought this because, based on the ads, it was an accurate account of a real pilot's experiences. However, it is not. The preface clearly warns that this might not even be true and in any case, had little verification by independent sources. The original story was reportedly published in magazine articles and only later make into a book. It should have remained a short story as it has been overly amplified by just about every imaginable adjective and adverb, and flowery descriptions to make it book length. Tiring to read and boring.

There are some very accurate observations of the Japanese psyche and culture, but these do not compensate for the lack of actionable material.

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History buff

Great insight in the training but not sure of the rest of it.

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2012

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I gave this 4 stars because it takes you to some of the horribly brutal training Japanese military personel went through. As far as some of the training, I'm not so sure. He claims he dived in training with his eyes closed & basically felt when the time was <right> to pull out! I don't know of any pilots anywhere at any time who would do that! He was suposed to be an army pilot but he claims he flew the A6M Zero. Sorry, but that was a navy plane & the army & navy never split each others planes up to be flown by the other service. Though there were rare instances where the same plane was produced for both services, the zero was not one of these. As for the other questionable things in this book another reviewer covers these nicely. As far as emotional stress & the toll it took to be kamikaze awaiting death this is first & another reason why I gave 4 stars. If you want to read more about the kamikazes then I recommend the following: the sacred warriors,Japan's suicide legions, the kamikazes( by E.P. Hoyt), blossoms in the wind the human legacies of the kamikaze(the best I think), kamikaze Japan's suicide gods, & the divine wind. Have fun with these. You'll learn alot more.

5 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Great read

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2018

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Thoroughly enjoyed this. It's fascinating to get this perspective from a totally different perspective. Very well written and engaging. Couldn't put it down.

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Robert D. Martin

An excellent first-hand account of an amazing period in history

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2013

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I first read this book in 1969 when I was in school, and became completely absorbed by the story. For many years after that I had wondered if the book was still in print, and only recently discovered that it was not only still in-print, but that it was also available in e-reader format, so I bought it and re-read it. It is a wonderful narrative about the dedication of of a generation of Japanese to their way of life and their emperor, and their willingness to sacrifice all to maintain it in the face of overwhelming odds. I believe that young people especially should read this book, as it shows a way of life that is the diametric opposite of our 21st century world. Gorden T. Alread (who first recorded the experiences of pilot Yasuo Kuwahara has added a poignent and fascinating to the forward of the book.

If you want an insight into the Japanese during WWII, this is an excellent read.

Helpful

Jammed

History bluffs will love this WWII story

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2020

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Read this story several decades ago. Superb story.

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2016

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Excellent, Well pleased

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2017

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This was very well written and interesting.

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Top reviews from other countries

T. STEEL

Stunning!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2019

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A fascinating story, well written, whether a true story, or fiction. Somewhere within it is the Japan, and we can find the Japanese, I know, and admire.

Richard Tillman

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 8, 2016

Verified Purchase

Brilliant read

Iain Williams

Excellent Account of History

Reviewed in Australia on November 6, 2019

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An excellent account of history which provides an incite into the world of the Japanese airman and how they were trained. The book has been written exceptionally well. However, the line between historical fact and fiction has been blurred beyond recognition, which is unfortunate. The author has embellished the facts to the extent that this book is the equivalent of a Hollywood movie - based on fact, but only at the core....

Please read the other reviews.

Well worth reading for an overall understanding of how the Japanese think,and what one person’s experience may have been like as a Kamikaze pilot.

Canadian Customer

half of this book was a waste for me.

Reviewed in Canada on April 16, 2014

Verified Purchase

If you bought this book to get some insight into the psyche of Kamikaze pilots you will be dissappointed. More than half the book is the story of Kuwahara's childhood, his experience in harsh army training and his first love affair. Only the last few chapters about his flying experience and first hand account of Hiroshima when the bomb was dropped were interesting.

One person found this helpful

Ben Sandford

stunning read

Reviewed in Australia on March 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

so honest- the training of the pilots will make you wonder what they did to their own, but the story is brilliantly written and gives a perspective from a soldiers point of view. highly recommended read

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