Memories of War: Micronesians in the Pacific War (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780824831301)

Micronesians often liken the Pacific War to a typhoon, one that swept away their former lives and brought dramatic changes to their understandings of the world and their places in it. Whether they spent the war in bomb shelters, in sweet potato fields under the guns of Japanese soldiers, or in their homes on atolls sheltered from the war, Micronesians who survived those years know that their peoples passed through a major historical transformation. Yet Pacific War histories scarcely mention the Islanders across whose lands and seas the fighting waged.

Memories of War sets out to the fill that historical gap by presenting the missing voices of Micronesians and by viewing those years from their perspectives. The focus is on Micronesian remembrances--the ritual commemorations, features of the landscape, stories, dances, and songs that keep their memories of the conflict alive. The inclusion of numerous and extensive interviews and songs is an important feature of this book, allowing Micronesians to speak for themselves about their experiences. In addition, they also reveal distinctively Micronesian cultural memories of war.

Memories of War preserves powerful and poignant memories for Micronesians; it also demonstrates to students of history and culture the extent to which cultural practices and values shape the remembrance of personal experience.

Author: Suzanne Falgout, Lin Poyer, Laurence Marshall Carucci
ISBN-10: 0824831306
ISBN-13: 9780824831301
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Language: English
Published: 10/30/2007
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.70d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2008 pg. 32