Saipan: Oral Histories of the Pacific War

by Bruce M. Petty (Author)

14 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0786409914

ISBN-10: 0786409916

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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.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bruce M. Petty worked as a nuclear medicine technologist for fifteen years before moving to Saipan in 1995 to research this book. Five years later, he moved back to his home in Fairfield, California.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ McFarland Publishing (October 1, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 216 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0786409916
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0786409914
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.256 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.75 x 0.5 x 11.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,947,414 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,380 in Asian History (Books)
- #5,777 in Military History (Books)
- #35,750 in World War II History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
14 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		73%
4 star		13%
3 star 0% (0%)		0%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		14%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Diane

Real life experiences of both civilians and military in an important Pacific battle.

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2021

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My husband and I served as Peace Corp Volunteers on Saipan in 1970-72. I knew about the war to some extent and visited sites mentioned in the book. I snorkeled around abandoned tanks inside the reef. Locals spoke little about what had happened though and I was not comfortable asking too many questions. It was a hard book to read. I took it slow. I thought the oral histories were wonderfully well done with detail beyond just what happened on Saipan. This is a book that I will keep for my children and grandchildren.

Helpful

M. Sheehan

Great Read

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2013

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In addition to locating the perfect individuals to interview including local natives, Mr. Petty obviously worked with numerous local scholars that are referenced in his introduction to help clarify the unique relationships between the Japanese, Chamorros and other natives from nearby islands. Understanding the people you are interviewing and what they went through is key to this type of writing and Mr. Petty clearly did homework.

I found the interviews fascinating. I especially enjoyed the interviews with the local natives of Saipan, Tinian, Rota, Palau and Guam. In addition I found the interviews with all ranks of the U.S. Military very informative. My father was with the USMC on Saipan and Tinian so these narratives provided fantastic first-hand insight that matched many of the memories that were told to me by father during the rare times that he actually spoke of those traumatic experiences.

Great Read!

3 people found this helpful

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Liz

Born in Saipan

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2021

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My dad’s story is in this book

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howard m. hoffman

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2017

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Brings home the reality of total war more than anything else I have ever read.

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Julio Mendoza

Great!

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2021

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Highly recommend to curious readers of of history, WW2 and the Pacific Theater

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bruce edwards

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2015

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excellent account of the battle of Saipan

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Terri L. Welisek

Very good product. Pretty much right on with every other ...

Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2015

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Very good product. Pretty much right on with every other review. The "pocket" for the handgun would not be easily accessible for a "High Noon shootout", but I don't think that is the intent. If you want to feel comfortable carrying a compact handgun with a normal shirt this would be the way to go.

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M. Schilling

War, up close and personal

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2002

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.

6 people found this helpful

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