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Rating: 
Summary: Artful Examination of the Human Cost of War
Review: Buruma's style has always been one of immediacy, providing the reader with a sense of the author's own intimate knowledge and devotion to the subject matter. "Wages of Guilt" is no exception: Buruma provides a thought-provoking and thorough examination of the deeply felt guilt over WWII crimes felt in Germany and the unique perspective of the Japanese toward their activities during the Pacific War (1939-1945). Buruma is particularly adept at discussing the latter, as his previous book, "Behind the Mask," displayed a remarkable insight into Japanese cultural mores. Here the author provides interviews and intriguing observations in his quest to discover how two diverse cultures could be guilty of such horrific crimes -- and how they have learned to deal with their past. Recommended for students of military history, philosophy, or for just trying to understand the human condition. David R. Bannon, Ph.D.; author "Race Against Evil."
Rating:
Summary: Artful Examination of the Human Cost of War
Review: Buruma's style has always been one of immediacy, providing the reader with a sense of the author's own intimate knowledge and devotion to the subject matter. "Wages of Guilt" is no exception: Buruma provides a thought-provoking and thorough examination of the deeply felt guilt over WWII crimes felt in Germany and the unique perspective of the Japanese toward their activities during the Pacific War (1939-1945). Buruma is particularly adept at discussing the latter, as his previous book, "Behind the Mask," displayed a remarkable insight into Japanese cultural mores. Here the author provides interviews and intriguing observations in his quest to discover how two diverse cultures could be guilty of such horrific crimes -- and how they have learned to deal with their past. Recommended for students of military history, philosophy, or for just trying to understand the human condition. David R. Bannon, Ph.D.; author "Race Against Evil."
Rating:
Summary: Dealing with the Past
Review: Ian Buruma takes a look at the various ways in which the people of Germany and Japan have dealt with the legacy of the atrocities committed by their countries during World War II. His book was especially timely in the case of Germany because he began writing it shortly after the unification of the Federal Republic and the GDR, when discussion of Germany's past was widespread both at home and abroad. Buruma is also well qualified to comment on Japan because he lived there for many years and speaks the language.To summarise, the "The Wages of Guilt" finds that the German people, at least in the western part, have been more ready to come to terms with their war legacy than the Japanese. There are Nazi sympathizers and Holacaust deniers aplenty in Germany, but they seem to be confined to the fringes. In Japan, however, rightist elements remain powerful and the official line is to portray the war as an economically driven power struggle in which any excesses committed by the armed forces occurred in the heat of battle, thus denying any similarity to the behaviour of the Nazis. Moreover, Hiroshima and Nagasaki are viewed as atrocities on par with any act committed by the Axis powers; racism and a perverted scientific curiosity are among the motives attributed to America in its decisions to drop the bombs. Buruma explores the efforts to re-examine the war through the prism of German and Japanese reactions to Auschwitz, Hiroshima, Nanking, the war crimes trials, etc. and the result is a troubling and thought provoking meditation on the power of history and the psychology of escape. Check this one out, it's worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: This book is quite eye opening. It compares the memory and guilt of WWII in modern Germany and Japan. It looks at how the Germans of today and the Japanese of today look at their countries role in WWII and responsibilty for many atrocities. Readers will be shocked to see how many people in Japan show no remorse or understanding for their role in WWII. While, Germans tend to carry an intense amount of guilt for the war. This makes for some thought provoking reading. And unfortunately, as much as I love Japan and Japanese culture...my visits to Hiroshima confirm the thesis of this book
Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: This book is quite eye opening. It compares the memory and guilt of WWII in modern Germany and Japan. It looks at how the Germans of today and the Japanese of today look at their countries role in WWII and responsibilty for many atrocities. Readers will be shocked to see how many people in Japan show no remorse or understanding for their role in WWII. While, Germans tend to carry an intense amount of guilt for the war. This makes for some thought provoking reading. And unfortunately, as much as I love Japan and Japanese culture...my visits to Hiroshima confirm the thesis of this book
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