The Eternal Zero

This is a powerful and beautiful book. With the framework of a grandson looking for his grandfather's story and role in WWII as a kamikaze pilot, the story is developed from interviews of men who knew him. As the story progresses, the author delves deeper and deeper into the character of Miyrabe, the pilot. The reader learns about this man as his grandson does. The first chapters read nearly like a history of Japan's role in the war, but then each chapter becomes more and more personal and moving--until, at the end, the reader is silently begging Miyrabe not to get into that plane. But, of course, he does, and that is what the story has led up to. I have read two other works that I reacted to the same way. The first was The Crucible, the play by Arthur Miller. In the final act, the viewer/reader begs, "Elizabeth, don't lie. Tell the truth. Please tell the truth." And in Paul Murray Kendall's superb biography of Richard III, the reader is enlightened as to the true and magnificent nature of this badly maligned king. In the final chapter, again, I begged Richard Do not ride down that hill into Bosworth Field." And of course he does, because that is the history. I make these points to show how emotionally and intellectually I was involved in these two stories--through the strength of the writer's storytelling ability and his own involvement with the character--fictional or historical. In the many many works I have read, these three have elicited this reaction from me. But there is an even more important point to make about this book. It reveals the truth of the kamikaze pilot, a truth that has been hidden through myth and lies by both the Japanese government and United States government and historians. These man--boys in the last year of the war, conscripted, given a few weeks basic flight training, and forced to volunteer went to their guaranteed deaths bravely, not for the glory of the emperor or for the glory of Japan, but because they had no choice. The generals and admirals in their comfortable offices who refused to concede failure, sent these boys into these suicide missions with no hope of defeating the enemy. The kamikazes were not active at the beginning, only toward the end when the situation for Japan was dire. The foolishness and pride of those in control caused thousands of young men to die in these planes. Many died as their planes exploded from attack or malfunction even before they hit their target. They were sending boys in these planes even in the weeks after Nagasaki and Hiroshima, knowing fully that the plight of these boys was for nothing, absolutely nothing. This is an important read, a powerful read, an enlightening read. It reminds us, as we are all too often, that it is not the boys who suffer and die in the field who cause the slaughters of war, but the brass in their well-fitted offices and the industries of weaponry who do. As a side note, it is also interesting to anyone who is interested in the history of flight and aircraft in World War II. If I were still teaching, this book would be on my classroom shelf and I would strongly recommend it to my students. The truth is

As adults, Kentaro and Keiko, brother and sister, discover that the beloved man they've called Grandpa all their lives was their grandmother's second husband, and that their biological grandfather, Kyozo Miyabe, died in the War of the Pacific in a kamikaze raid. That is the fictional framework on which Hyakuta has hung this extraordinary history telling the history from the Japanese point of view. The two are fortunate to come into contact with men who knew their grandfather and learn about the war that shaped their destinies, that of their country, and the entire world. Their remembrances form an oral history, centered around Miyabe-san's complex personality and the role he played in all their lives. Most particularly, this is the most in-depth work I've read about the air war in the Pacific, the differences in ideologies between the combatants, and the materiel employed by each side. ("The battles may have taken place between aircraft carriers, but in the end it was humans fighting.") Deep in the book is a very apt analogy -- the war in Europe was more like a game of chess, involving the toppling of a king to gain dominance, whereas the Pacific war was like the game Go, involving the strategic positioning of dominance. There is so much addressed here, and from what I gather, Hyakuta was inspired to write this, his first book, at fifty years of age as a refutation of the claim that the al queda terrorists who flew into the Twin Towers are like kamikaze pilots. He points out the differing motivations and ideologies, in that the former attacked civilians whereas the latter were performing an act of war. This may be a bit simplistic, but it is startling to realize how little that distant war is understood by the current generation.

This is a fantastic book for both the story and the adaptation from the Japanese version of the text. Anyone who is interested in WWII history, from a different perspective and neither glorifying war nor hating it, and enjoy a wonderful story, check this book out. This book is also set at an easy reading level.

I enjoyed this book, and the insight into the Japanese mindset of the 1940's -- and the one now.

Excellent story from the experiences and mindset of the Japanese during WWII. A brother and sister research their Kamikaze pilot grandfather participation during the war by interviewing pilots who served with him. I learned a lot reading this book, Very enjoyable.

A very good book, quite interesting in its insight into the problems the Japanese had with their aircraft as the war in the Pacific progressed, and the diverse attitudes of the soldiers and pilots. I am not sure about his figures on how many Japanese died of starvation on Guadalcanal, but die they did, of that or disease. Really a hellish war. I suggest reading afterwards Chester Nez' "Code Talker" about his experience as one of the original Navajo "code talkers" during that same war [and telling about Guadalcanal from the other point of view].

This one really grabs you as an introspective story of the Japanese flyers and the Kamikaze mentality.

This was a gift for someone. I didn’t personally read the book, but the recipient enjoyed it.