Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Return to Saipan

My Dad was a fighter pilot whose major engagements were in the Pacific; specifically the islands of Saipan and Tinian. It was with great interest, then, that I ordered and read Warriors in the Crossfire, a short YA novel by Nancy Bo Flood.

This novel tells the story of a family of indigenous natives in Saipan who were occupied by the Japanese and who were left on their own, as were all of the inhabitants, to survive or perish in the the cataclysmic battle for the island. It is a very interesting perspective about war to explore.

While avoiding particulars about the moment in history, Flood does a convincing job of creating individuals of dignity, who become "collateral damage" within events beyond their control; in a situation where "good" and "bad" armies are both reduced to deadly menaces and courage takes on yet another expression.

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