Tag: Japan

  • Yakuza by Andrew Rankin

    I’ll admit it. I am one of those people who thought the yakuza are just the Japanese mafia. As with many things, I was wrong again. Luckily, I had Andrew Rankin and his excellent Yakuza to set me straight. Rankin goes back 400 years to find the roots of what would become the yakuza. The…

  • Crucible of Hell by Saul David

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Crucible of Hell: Kind of puts The Karate Kid in a whole new light. Quick synopsis: Story of the battle of Okinawa in World War II. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The movie Hacksaw Ridge is based on an actual action during the Battle of Okinawa. Fun Fact for History…

  • Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Ghost Soldiers: You’ll cancel your hibachi reservation after reading this. Quick synopsis: The story of the jailbreak for the survivors of the Bataan Death March. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: What did the U.S. Army do when their soldiers got tired in World War II? Amphetamines! (Club music begins) Fun…

  • Rampage by James M. Scott

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Rampage: You’ll cancel your hibachi reservation after reading this. Quick synopsis: Story of the battle of Manila in World War II. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Nothing “fun” about this subject matter. More people were killed in the Battle of Manila than in the Battle of Britain. Fun Fact for…