A review by rheren
Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides

5.0

Great book. Well-paced, lots of good background information and a good feel for what it was like, both in the prison camp, and among the Rangers who broke them out of the camp. I also particularly liked the insights into Japanese psyche, and why things were done the way they were. It goes beyond the old stereotype of WW2-era Japanese as kind of fanatical barbarians, and explains a mindset that made perfect sense if you were raised in it, but seemed horrifying to us Americans, because it was so different. I feel like I understand the whole situation from both sides better for having read this book.