kapgar 's review for:

Flyboys: A True Story of Courage by James Bradley

4.0

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The Flyboys were an elite bunch of young men just barely out of their pubescent years thrown into war when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Movies and books, to date, have glorified their existence, making them out as just barely less than Gods. After being tipped off about the potential for a story and already having gained literary renown for his in-depth researching of the Battle of Iwo Jima, James Bradley tackles not just the U.S. interpretation of what happened to many of the Flyboys who were shot down in the Pacific Theater, but he also obtains first-hand accounts from Japanese soldiers and civilians, families of the flyers, and others who have any sort of knowledge of what the truth may be. What results is a deeply moving and oft times grisly story of pride, love, hatred, and survival that reaches back as far as the origins of the Empire of Japan. Simply put, it is amazing how thoroughly Bradley researched this book. What he uncovers about the war and its deadly results far exceeds anything that has been put in print before. For a grisly insight into the seldom-told truth behind the World War II Pacific campaign or just to learn about the nature of true wartime inhumanity, look no further.