Dear General MacArthur

Reviews / Votes

This collection is a valuable asset for those who wish to understand the American occupation and Japanese attitudes toward foreigners. * Booklist * This fascinating book is ideal for cultural studies curricula. * Publishers Weekly * A pleasure to read. For academic and larger public libraries. * Library Journal * A unique volume. . . . [The letters] open a window into a frequently misunderstood Japan. -- Jonathan Mirsky * Times Literary Supplement * This is a rare gem of a book. We have nothing else like it concerning Japan. . . . To 'listen to Japan' in this manner entails rethinking conventional notions of Japanese culture in profoundly subversive ways. . . . We owe a great debt to Sodei Rinjiro for showing us what a rich, complicated, and contradictory human story still waits to be further explored. -- John W. Dower Sodei presents the reader with valuable glimpses into Japanese society during the American occupation....While the letters themselves are fascinating, Sodei contextualizes each letter so that both the novice and experienced scholar of Japan will come away with new insights. . . . Dear General MacArthur can be utilized...for those studying more contemporary U.S.-Japan relations, or applied more broadly to those researching foreign policies which involve occupations in a variety of international contexts....It has multiple levels that will appeal to a wide audience. * H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online * There are aspects of [the book] that are absolutely brilliant. Sodei's ability to reconstruct the atmosphere the letters were written in, and his explanations of the levels of honorific language used, is quite informative, and help the reader better understand the letters he highlights. Overall, the book is very readable, and within each section it flows well. . . . A valuable resource at evaluating both the attitudes of Japanese during the occupation, and the way in which contemporary historians interpret the occupation. It has multiple levels that will appeal to a wide audience. Sodei effectively demonstrates that many Japanese viewed themselves as victims of the Pacific War, and made available letters from the Japanese that will undoubtedly further research into the American occupation of Japan. -- David Rands, Austin Peay State University