The Rising Sun

The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945

By: John Toland

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

This Pulitzer Prize-winning history of World War II chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of the Japanese empire, from the invasion of Manchuria and China to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Told from the Japanese perspective, The Rising Sun is, in the author’s words, "a factual saga of people caught up in the flood of the most overwhelming war of mankind, told as it happened - muddled, ennobling, disgraceful, frustrating, full of paradox."

In weaving together the historical facts and human drama leading up to and culminating in the war in the Pacific, Toland crafts a riveting and unbiased narrative history.

©1970 John Toland (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

First rate history

Wow. You come away from this book feeling like you actually understand what would posses the Japanese to launch into a war they knew that they would lose if it went on very long and why they fought so hard right to the end. If all history books were this good why would you ever read fiction?

Surprising History

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. This book gives a fascinating insight to the War in the Pacific from the Japanese perspective.

What other book might you compare The Rising Sun to and why?

Perhaps "Brothers, Rivals, Victors: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and the Partnership That Drove the Allied Conquest in Europe".

Which character – as performed by Tom Weiner – was your favorite?

None.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No this is a long detailed history and requires one to concentrate to get most out of it.

Any additional comments?

This is a great history because it does show just how divided Japan was over war in the Pacific. It also shows the nuances of the social changes that were driving Japan prior to 1939.

Buy it

Finish this book! The start will be a bit rocky, but after a couple hours of you'll be deep in the best 1 volume pacific theatre book!

Moving Journey.

Fantastic , detailed, and always interesting , The Rising Sun opens the history of an ancient and proud culture.

Excellent insights into The Empire of Japan

Like possibly many casual readers of history, I am a lot more familiar with the European events of WWII and the influence and leaders of the Nazi regime. To younger generations, Tojo and Hirohito are not household names. This book does an excellent job at giving a background into the culture and structure of a government and military that would attack Pearl Harbor without (from the American perspective) provocation. Of course I could only interpret it from my western understanding of things, but the author does a decent job at not casting any judgment. I suspect (though can't say for sure) it is based heavily on the memoirs of many Japanese citizens and soldiers based on the description of events, recollections, and conversations.

The beginning of the book is a little tough for an English speaker like myself to get into. A lot of the names were difficult for me to file away and remember who that was a few sentences later. I suspect a physical copy of the book would make this a bit easier as you can scan up to understand who the individual was. It also begins with an uprising event that characterized Japan prior to the war and is an important story but one I was completely unfamiliar with and found it challenging to get involved in. Once, however, I stuck with it for a little while I became captivated by the book. Toland balances the goings on of the government, the emperor, the chief members of the military along with the actual battles and recollections from individual Japanese airmen and soldiers. American generals and admirals and some of the more important diplomatic events on the allies side are also shared when it's appropriate.

Acknowledging my own biases, I found myself at times resenting certain individuals and at other times sympathizing with some. The recollections of many of the individual Japanese are fascinating. Toland does not provide his own commentary on their opinions and lets the reader judge their memories and actions.

I would definitely recommend this book for those interested in WWII history who would like to try to understand the Japanese perspective, culture, and motivations. I should also add that it was quite excellently narrated. The voice is clear and pleasantly conversational. His voices for Tojo and the emperor was so distinct it was immediately clear to me when he was quoting one of them. He easily pronounced all of the Japanese words and place names and I was never once taken out of the book to ponder or be distracted by the way he said or phrased anything. It was seamless and excellent.