KAYE TROUT'S BOOK REVIEWS 1

I specialize in reviewing Print-On-Demand (POD) published books for my website and Midwest Book Review. Please query for a review by email to hgunther234@hotmail.com.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

MORNING OF THE RISING SUN: THE HEROIC STORY OF THE BATTLES FOR GUADALCANAL by Kenneth I. Friedman, Ph.D

BookSurge Publishing
www.booksurge.com
Genre: Historical
Rating: Excellent
ISBN: 9781419680960, $39.99 (Amazon-$26.39) 702 pp.


First, let me say...the writing of this book was a monumental undertaking and particularly well done considering its size and content. The book is 10"x7", 1 ½" thick, and weighs over 3 pounds–not light-weight bedtime reading for us gals, and that’s the paperback edition. However, don’t let its size intimidate you. This is a very personal, well-organized, thorough accounting of this lengthy battle.

Quoting from the back cover:


"Morning of the Rising Sun: The Heroic Story of the Struggle for Guadalcanal by author and historian Kenneth I. Friedman, Ph.D., provides a thorough and thought-provoking examination of this pivotal struggle fought between the US and the Japanese Empire during the early days of the Second World War. Like other earlier battles such as Verdun in World War I and Stalingrad in World War II, both sides sent every gun, airplane, and man they could spare to Guadalcanal to decide who would win. When the Americans evicted the last Japanese solider from Guadalcanal in February 1943, the Japanese strategy shifted from the offensive to the defensive, and they began to lose territory. The Americans were now on the offensive and would not stop until they sailed into Tokyo Bay to accept Japan’s surrender aboard the USS Missouri. Dr. Friedman is also the author of Afternoon of the Rising Sun: The Battle of Leyte Gulf."

If you’re a history buff or have a special interest in WWII, I’m certain you will find this book worth your money and time. I particularly enjoyed the personal memoirs from that time period, the attack on Pearl Harbor and this lengthy struggle.

Kaye Trout - February 12, 2008