East Wind Rain: The Pictorial History of the Pearl Harbor Attack, the 50th edition, by Stan Cohen (oversize TPB, 1992, $4)
Just "another book about Pearl" was what I thought when I saw this book. Well, yes, it is "another book" about the Pearl, but one I learned a lot from, both intellectually and emotionally.
Strangely, the photo I found the most haunting didn't show planes, or ships, or bodies, or wreckage of any kind. No, it was the one taken of the Marine Barracks Parade Ground one hour after the attack. You see the parade ground, a whole bunch of tents, and about 5 large barracks. There are also a number of soldiers sitting or leaning on the ground. Except for two things everything looks normal. One is the abnormally black sky in the background. All you can see of the Navy Yard and its burning ships behind the barracks is a veil of thick oily smoke. In the forefront a man is sitting on the ground with his gun beside him. His face shows both shock and anguish. He is crying. Except for the sky and the man everything looks peaceful. Crop out the man and the smoke and you have the makings of a beautiful Christmas card.
I didn't know most of the damage to Honolulu itself was from anti-aircraft shells falling back to earth, or that 65 civilians died. I also did not know that 32 sailors from the Oklahoma were rescued when holes were cut in its upturned steel hull with blow torches. What joy they must have felt when they first saw the sky. A year later the West Virginia was raised. The bodies of three sailors were found in what had been an air pocket. They had managed to stay alive for more than 2 weeks. What horror they must have felt waiting to be rescued, then realizing they never would. Even so, at least those three sailors could go home to be mourned. Pockets of poisonous gas in the Arizona kept many of her dead from ever being retrieved.
Amazingly the Pennsylvania, the Maryland, and the Tennessee, would be back on duty within weeks. It would take years but the West Virginia would also fight again. The Nevada and the California would be refloated, the Nevada to join the war, the California to be used as scrap. The wreckage of the Arizona, of course, is now a memorial.
New to me was the Japanese propaganda. I had never seen Japanese war posters, nor had I seen their one year anniversary postage stamps of the attack. The US sure didn't print a stamp showing the bombing of Hiroshima! (Not that we didn't do things we shouldn't, but at least we didn't do that.)
On the practical side, I like this book because of its construction. Somehow the pages are reinforced at the binding. This book is going to be around for awhile. Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (L-mf)
