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A review by abookishaffair
The Color of War: How One Battle Broke Japan and Another Changed America by James Campbell
4.0
This book is really made up of two stories. The first story is that of the Battle of Saipan, a very decisive battle in the Pacific theater during World War II. It was a hard fought battle that really turned around how the Americans were doing in the war against Japan. The second story is that of the Port Chicago explosion, a much lesser known event that happened during World War II that happened at a Naval munition shipping port of sorts. I actually had never heard of this event (at least that I can recall) and I really enjoy reading about World War II history.
In the battle of Saipan, most of the military personnel that fought were white. While at the Port Chicago explosion, many of the military personnel were black. The military was still really working (working might not be the best word; perhaps grudgingly and exceedingly slowly are more fitting) on trying to fully integrate the military. Even though all branches of the military desperately needed men (remember women were only in the military in a small, very specialized capacity), all branches of the military had serious misgivings about moving forward. It was stunning to see how bull-headed the military leaders were even though opening up the military to other races would have alleviated or at least helped to alleviate the dearth of personnel. It's amazing to look at how things have changed between then and the present. This is not to say that the military is perfectly equal now but man, we've come a long way.
What I liked about this book is that the two stories are told through the people that were there. You get to know the people that were there and what they were seeing and feeling and where they were coming from. I love history books that are told from the view of people. They seem more tangible and seem to touch you a little bit more. I think using stories of people that we, the readers, may be able to see a little bit of ourselves in the men in this book.
I really wish that there had been even more discussion on what was going on as far as integration and segregation in the military. You get a flavor but there isn't really that connective story between what was happening in Saipan and what happened at Port Chicago. The comparisons on how the different troops were treated is really left up to the reader, which is fine but I really wanted a little bit more.
That being said, history lovers are still going to find a lot to love about this book. One of the things that I love most about non-fiction history is seeing where we've been. It's been said that those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it. This is why we all should read history books!
In the battle of Saipan, most of the military personnel that fought were white. While at the Port Chicago explosion, many of the military personnel were black. The military was still really working (working might not be the best word; perhaps grudgingly and exceedingly slowly are more fitting) on trying to fully integrate the military. Even though all branches of the military desperately needed men (remember women were only in the military in a small, very specialized capacity), all branches of the military had serious misgivings about moving forward. It was stunning to see how bull-headed the military leaders were even though opening up the military to other races would have alleviated or at least helped to alleviate the dearth of personnel. It's amazing to look at how things have changed between then and the present. This is not to say that the military is perfectly equal now but man, we've come a long way.
What I liked about this book is that the two stories are told through the people that were there. You get to know the people that were there and what they were seeing and feeling and where they were coming from. I love history books that are told from the view of people. They seem more tangible and seem to touch you a little bit more. I think using stories of people that we, the readers, may be able to see a little bit of ourselves in the men in this book.
I really wish that there had been even more discussion on what was going on as far as integration and segregation in the military. You get a flavor but there isn't really that connective story between what was happening in Saipan and what happened at Port Chicago. The comparisons on how the different troops were treated is really left up to the reader, which is fine but I really wanted a little bit more.
That being said, history lovers are still going to find a lot to love about this book. One of the things that I love most about non-fiction history is seeing where we've been. It's been said that those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it. This is why we all should read history books!