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Drawing on American and Japanese songs, slogans, cartoons, propaganda films, secret reports, and a wealth of other documents of the time, Dower opens up a whole new way of looking at that bitter struggle of four and a half decades ago and its ramifications in our lives today. As Edwin O. Reischauer, former ambassador to Japan, has pointed out, this book offers "a lesson that the postwar generations need most...with eloquence, crushing detail, and power."

Average Customer Rating:

A+, I was satisfied 100%	Customer Rating:
I got the product right on time and i couldnt be satisfied more with it. Thank You.

Not fantastic, but good.

Customer Rating:

I had to read this class for a WWII 300 level History class. I'm not a History major, but decided to take my elective in this. From that perspective, I found the book to be interesting, but dull. Very dull. Getting through the pages was a struggle for me. Concepts were valuable as well as Dower's analysis of propaganda on both Japanese and American sides. The included comics and cartoons was great--it really gave an idea of feelings at the time and what people were seeing. Book is very long winded, but does provoke deep thought.

One of the best J-history books I've ever read

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There are many other excellent reviews, so I'll keep this brief. I'm a grad student in Japanese Lit, and I focus heavily on history and historical works - Kobayashi Takiji, for instance, or Kurihara Sadako. I've been blessed with a great history professor and the opportunity to read a number of books and articles, particularly on this period in time. Dower's War Without Mercy is one of the best I've ever read, in any time period for any country. It is amazing. I also recommend that readers buy Embracing Defeat, which is Dower's post-war book. Both are fantastic.

No balance	Customer Rating:
Among the many flaws which significantly discredit his thesis, Dower fails to provide a serious look at how the war in the Pacific was fought as compared to the war in Europe, or really any other wars for that matter. Worth the read if only to discover errors in his analysis, and should not be taken as a definitive account of how the US fought the Japanese in WWII.

A Look At Selves and Others

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This is a thought-provoking treatise about the hate and racism found in all peoples of the world. It causes one to take stock of what is, and what was in a very violent and trying time. Both the Japanese and the Americans, among others, propagandized their populations to get them to hate "the enemy." This book looks at the techniques and substance used by both sides in the Pacific War of 1931 to 1945 and how it affected the attitudes of each toward the other. I recommend this as a good read for anyone who is interested in the Pacific conflict and what was used to fan the antagonists into the fury that brough about, fought, and ended the bloody Pacific War.