I received a proof copy of this book from Netgalley. This hasn't influenced my rating, or my review in any way.

This is the first time I've read anything about the American/Japanese Front of World War II. I've delved into many books on the Western Front, and the German/Russian side, so I went into this completely blind. I've found it extremely informative, especially to someone who thought beforehand that the Americans had bombed Japan, and the latter surrendered a day later.

This is extremely thorough about three men (an American statesmen, an American officer in the air force, and a minister in the Japanese government), who were heavily involved in the days leading up it, and the aftermath. Through diary entries, conversations, interviews, etc, this detailed account is great for anyone who wants to dip their toe into this side of the war, or, if the reader wishes to improve their knowledge on the subject. I feel that this is broad enough to appeal to both kinds of historians.

The only negative I can say about this book is the tense used through-out the book. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once it stopped grating on my nerves a bit, I found the writing easy to read.

I'd highly recommend this. It's made me want to investigate further into this part of the conflict. My bookshelves may groan, since this will only increase the amount of books I have, but my curiosity has been piqued.