المراجعة التحريرية | A masterpiece of historical reportage, brilliantly bringing to life the savage battle for Manila--one of the most dramatic and disturbing episodes of World War II.--Alex Kershaw, New York Times best-selling author of Avenue of Spies This is General Douglas MacArthur as you have not heard him; this is World War II as you have not seen it before; this is history written with a wide sweep and deep focus, the prose and reporting falling in aching rhythms on scenes of beauty, despair, defiance, the terrible trespasses people make, and their striving to endure. James Scott's skill as a reporter and his precision as a stylist make this story unstoppable from the very first scene. Across these pages falls the shadow of a history we thought we knew well, but in Scott's telling, so much is revealed and illuminated. A bold surprise of a history book. A treasure for lovers of stories beautifully told. Transcendent.--Doug Stanton, New York Times best-selling author of The Odyssey of Echo Company and 12 Strong A relentless narrative of one of the darkest chapters of the Pacific War....Deeply researched and superbly written.--Ian W. Toll, New York Times best-selling author of The Conquering Tide An excellent but wrenchingly graphic account of one of the least commemorated massacres in World War II....Scott has dug very deep into the U.S. and Philippine records of the battle and uses them deftly....[He] wields the vivid testimony of the rare survivors to portray the full horrors of the events.--Richard Frank Powerful narrative history...impossible to put down.--Bob Drogin Scott has done history a service in recording for all time this dark chapter in the Pacific War. What Iris Chang did for our understanding of the Rape of Nanking, James M. Scott has now done for the Battle of Manila. Here is a sweeping tale of frenzied fighting and heartbreaking devastation, written by a meticulous historian who has unflinchingly probed the truth of this largely forgotten episode from the Pacific.--Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers and On Desperate Ground A chilling, sometimes horrifying narrative of some of the fiercest urban fighting of World War II....Scott gives voices to the victims, and that is an important service to history....[He] is a fine writer, and he musters his considerable talents to move the storyline forward.--Hal Bernton A masterful reconstruction of the horror of the battle. |