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burlesot's review against another edition
5.0
This is a powerful true story about redemption and forgiveness. The first 5-star book of the year for me!
jaij7's review against another edition
4.0
I read this out loud to my 73 year old father and he wouldn’t believe it. Great book when you can surprise my worldly father. I enjoyed this story immensely.
swtmarie's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed learning about this little known story during WW2 with my son and husband. When I first started reading the story, it was upsetting to hear how he (Nobuo Fujita, the Japanese pilot) was tasked with dropping bombs in Oregon to start fires in the forest and kill American people. But as the story progresses, it reveals how the soldiers were just doing what they were told to, just like the American soldiers or any soldier in that sense. Fortunately, his bombings were unsuccessful and he went back to his home in Japan to live out his remaining days with his family. It was a shocker to hear that the city he tried bombing in Oregon, wanted to invite him out to be a guest of honor at their Memorial Day festival and to reconcile the past. At first I was shocked to hear they would do such a thing but as the story goes on, I also was shown the power of forgiveness and reminded of how important it is no matter the situation. This act of kindness had a ripple effect on the community and the world and taught an important lesson. As a heads up, this story does mention kamikaze and seppaku, which is a traditional form of Japanese suicide brought on by shame.
victorialynch's review against another edition
5.0
As a small trigger warning, they do mention Japanese soldiers dying by suicide as a honorable death but no one dies. Beautiful story of diplomacy and friendship.
katiec0303's review against another edition
5.0
This book is absolutely amazing. I had never heard this story before and it is one that should be known to everyone. The lesson of forgiveness and compassion is incredible. We need more of this in our day. I plan to share this with my students for Veterans Day this year and teach them the importance of acceptance and forgiveness even in times of great trials. This is so well written and opens the doors to so many great discussions.
shighley's review against another edition
4.0
Another case of, "Why hadn't I heard of this before?" Such a fascinating story. The only thing that disappointed me was the typography; I wish the letters had been a bit more bold, and in some cases, larger. Sometimes the spacing did not make sense to me, and the words were overwhelmed by the illustrations.
derby5's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent and informative read for ALL ages! This is the first time I'd heard about mainland bombing that happened in Oregon back in 1942.
emeelee's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I can't believe I'd never heard this story. A touching recounting.