- Hardcover: 368 pages
- Publisher: Brassey's (UK) Ltd (1 Sep 1990)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0080374409
- ISBN-13: 978-0080374406
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 15.5 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,198,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
God's Samurai: Lead Pilot at Pearl Harbor (The Warriors)
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Product Description
Synopsis
This is the story of Mitsuo Fuchida, the career naval aviator - and, later, internationally known Christian evangelist - who not only led the air attack on Pearl Harbour, but participated in most of the fiercest battles of the Pacific. As well as a record of historical events, it is the personal story of a man swept along by his times. Reared in the vanished culture of early-20th-century Japan, war hero Fuchida returned to his home town to become a simple farmer. After a scandalous love affair came his conversion to Christianity and years of touring the world as a non-denominational evangelist. The authors also collaborated on "At Dawn We Slept" and "Miracle at Midway".
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is made of two parts, of which the first one is surprisingly weak, when the second one is even more surprisingly interesting.
I was very surprised that the man who led the Pearl Harbour attack and was present on Nagumo's flagship at Midway in the heat of action had ultimately not that much to say about those historical moments. In fact the whole part describing Fuchida's military career was very disappointing. In his account he avoids almost completely the topic of Japanese war against China, which raged already for four years before Pearl Harbour. His description of the Pacific War is very superficial and he mostly just repeats all the good advice he gave to his superiors, which of course they did not listen to. One can even have the impression, that Japan would win the war if only its leaders listened to Commander Fuchida. In the whole first part of the book there is only one chapter which I found extremely interesting (and very funny), describing Fuchida reporting about Pearl Harbour attack to Hiro Hito himself during a rare audience granted by the Emperor in December 1941. The rest of this first part is very poorly written and presents also a double weakness - if you are not familiar with Pacific War history, you will not understand it and if you have some knowledge of this topic, you will get bored...
The second part of the book, describing Fuchida's civilian life in the ruins of post war Japan and especially his conversion to Christianism, was to my surprise much more interesting. Even today many Japanese are not very friendly towards Christianism and 60 years ago anti-Christian feeling was much stronger there. The cultural shock between the new convert and his neighbors and friends was very strong. Even more interesting is the description of contacts between Fuchida and Americans during his travels to USA in the 40s and 50s, when the memory of Japanese atrocities were still fresh. One of the strongest moments is the meeting between Fuchida and families of sailors killed during Pearl Harbour raid.
For all those reasons I found this book half-disappointing and I would really advise you to go superficially through the first half and begin the real lecture in 1945, when jobless and ruined Fuchida begins a new civilian life with only the clothes on his back and his homeless and undernurished family looking at him with happiness that he survived but also hope that he will be able to provide for them...
I was very surprised that the man who led the Pearl Harbour attack and was present on Nagumo's flagship at Midway in the heat of action had ultimately not that much to say about those historical moments. In fact the whole part describing Fuchida's military career was very disappointing. In his account he avoids almost completely the topic of Japanese war against China, which raged already for four years before Pearl Harbour. His description of the Pacific War is very superficial and he mostly just repeats all the good advice he gave to his superiors, which of course they did not listen to. One can even have the impression, that Japan would win the war if only its leaders listened to Commander Fuchida. In the whole first part of the book there is only one chapter which I found extremely interesting (and very funny), describing Fuchida reporting about Pearl Harbour attack to Hiro Hito himself during a rare audience granted by the Emperor in December 1941. The rest of this first part is very poorly written and presents also a double weakness - if you are not familiar with Pacific War history, you will not understand it and if you have some knowledge of this topic, you will get bored...
The second part of the book, describing Fuchida's civilian life in the ruins of post war Japan and especially his conversion to Christianism, was to my surprise much more interesting. Even today many Japanese are not very friendly towards Christianism and 60 years ago anti-Christian feeling was much stronger there. The cultural shock between the new convert and his neighbors and friends was very strong. Even more interesting is the description of contacts between Fuchida and Americans during his travels to USA in the 40s and 50s, when the memory of Japanese atrocities were still fresh. One of the strongest moments is the meeting between Fuchida and families of sailors killed during Pearl Harbour raid.
For all those reasons I found this book half-disappointing and I would really advise you to go superficially through the first half and begin the real lecture in 1945, when jobless and ruined Fuchida begins a new civilian life with only the clothes on his back and his homeless and undernurished family looking at him with happiness that he survived but also hope that he will be able to provide for them...
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an excellent book which not only gives useful background information on the events leading up to Pearl Harbour but also relates the wonderful grace of God at work in Mitsuo Fuchida - the lead pilot during that attack.
Five years after the war ended he was given a tract that outlined the testimony of an American who became a Christian during his time as a POW in Japanese hands. Fuchida was gripped by this and obtained a New Testament for himself. Upon reading this he repented of his sins and accepted Jesus as His Lord and Saviour.
During the next 25 years he travelled extensively preaching the Gospel both in Japan and overseas. His travels included a further visit to Pearl Harbour - this time on a mission of peace not destruction!
This is a stirring account of God's grace to one who was not only lost but, deeply arrogant before his conversion, and a book that I highly recommend.
Five years after the war ended he was given a tract that outlined the testimony of an American who became a Christian during his time as a POW in Japanese hands. Fuchida was gripped by this and obtained a New Testament for himself. Upon reading this he repented of his sins and accepted Jesus as His Lord and Saviour.
During the next 25 years he travelled extensively preaching the Gospel both in Japan and overseas. His travels included a further visit to Pearl Harbour - this time on a mission of peace not destruction!
This is a stirring account of God's grace to one who was not only lost but, deeply arrogant before his conversion, and a book that I highly recommend.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
15 reviews
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
A materfully written and truly inspirational book!
16 Aug 2000
Format:Hardcover
A friend of mine introduced me to this book in April of this year. He told me it was unlike any book about the Pacific war that he had ever read. Although skeptical at first, I sill went ahead and purchased the book. I left it on my book-shelve for several months and forgot all about it. As I began packing up in July to move I noticed this book again, so I picked it up and began reading it. I found the style of writing extremely fluid, and the chapters were concise. This well balanced account of Mitsuo Fuchida life traces it from his days as an Imperial naval aviator to Christian evangelist. 'God's Samurai' is a truly inspirational book filled with numerous accounts of honor, bravery, loyalty, and sacrifice - all the codes of a Samurai warrior. I have enjoyed this book tremendously, and I have just begun reading, 'Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan: The Japanese Navy's Story' by Mitsuo Fuchida, Roger Pineau (Editor),Masatake Okumiya(Contributor). Both 'God's Samurai' and 'Midway' are 'must-have' books for anyone who is truly interested in the Pacific war and naval battles!
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Another home run by the Superlative Prang team!
22 July 1998
Format:Hardcover
I'm an avid military historian, my specialty is WWII Pacific theater - Pearl Habor is my favorite reading area. I read Prang's books because he and his team produce the best written books on that era on the market today. (Possibly even the best written military histories of any era!) Prang has such a unique historical perspective - he was there so through him we actually hear the real voices of the people of that era. Beyond that extraordinary first hand experience, this book is as heavily researched and referenced as any I've found. While it provides remarkable historical perspective, there is a theme that would be compelling for even the non-historian. This is the story of Mitsuo Fuchida who lead the mission to attack Pearl Harbor. This is a man who had committed his life to his Emperor and Japan's goals. The book traces a profound, almost mind-boggling evolution in this man's life from Japanese warrior to a Christian missionary spending time in the United S! tates! Prang et al breath life into history and provide something for more than just us in the narrow audience of military historians.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Reconciliation in the midst of Clash of Civilizations
24 Oct 2001
Format:Hardcover
An awesome true story. Definitely one of the three best books I've read in the past decade. In a time like this of Osama bin Labens and shocking inter-civilizational conflict, Fuchida's life story shows how true reconciliation and inter-cultural brotherhood can be experienced. It gives hope in spite of the huge obstacles to inter-cultural understanding. A powerful human interest story. Don't miss it!
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