Pearl Harbor an Illustrated History

With photographs, paintings by Tom Freeman, and soldier and civilian testimonies, Pearl Harbor: The Day of Infamy An Illustrated History memorializes a day of bitterness, sorrow and resolve for many Americans. Author Dan van der Vat (The Good Nazi) finds that ""America's worst military disaster"" became ""her greatest triumph."" Sen. John McCain's introduction expresses no ill will toward the Japanese, and van der Vat tells part of the story from the points of view of various Japanese soldiers: e.g., the ensign who bombed the U.S.S. Oklahoma, a bomber pilot who ""had never felt so scared"" and afterward ""felt so sad and lonely to see all the empty beds."" ( May 15)