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In Blood, Flowers Bloom: A World War II Story of Valor and Forgiveness Across Generations
An intergenerational story of war, forgiveness, and memory told through stolen and returned battlefield souvenirs.
How do we remember war? How do we forgive? In Blood, Flowers Bloom illuminates one of the last untold stories of World War II, the common act of soldiers, sailors and Marines taking their enemy's possessions after victory. This is the story of a single Japanese battle flag found among the belongings of a long-passed American WWII veteran, originally belonging to a Japanese soldier. In telling the story of this flag, and its journey from battle in the Philippines to a shed in upstate New York, award-winning writer, Samantha Bresnahan reveals the way in which objects represent generations of trauma, imperialism, and memory.
Weaving through time, In Blood, Flowers Bloom tells the overlapping stories of two families, that flag, and a decades-long here we meet American Iwo Jima veteran Marty Connor, Japanese imperial Naval captain turned Buddhist monk Tsunezo Wachi, and Masataka Shiokawa, the resilient son of a Japanese soldier killed in battle at Okinawa. These three men could have lived and died as enemies—that was their historical prerogative. Instead, they banded together as uneasy allies, and then eventual friends, in their shared mission to return artifacts taken by American GIs to their rightful owners, giving Japanese families a new opportunity for closure and healing the wounds inflicted by loss of loved ones—both physically and spiritually.
How do we remember war? How do we forgive? In Blood, Flowers Bloom illuminates one of the last untold stories of World War II, the common act of soldiers, sailors and Marines taking their enemy's possessions after victory. This is the story of a single Japanese battle flag found among the belongings of a long-passed American WWII veteran, originally belonging to a Japanese soldier. In telling the story of this flag, and its journey from battle in the Philippines to a shed in upstate New York, award-winning writer, Samantha Bresnahan reveals the way in which objects represent generations of trauma, imperialism, and memory.
Weaving through time, In Blood, Flowers Bloom tells the overlapping stories of two families, that flag, and a decades-long here we meet American Iwo Jima veteran Marty Connor, Japanese imperial Naval captain turned Buddhist monk Tsunezo Wachi, and Masataka Shiokawa, the resilient son of a Japanese soldier killed in battle at Okinawa. These three men could have lived and died as enemies—that was their historical prerogative. Instead, they banded together as uneasy allies, and then eventual friends, in their shared mission to return artifacts taken by American GIs to their rightful owners, giving Japanese families a new opportunity for closure and healing the wounds inflicted by loss of loved ones—both physically and spiritually.
- GenresHistoryNonfictionWar
248 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 1, 2025
(I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest & original review.)
I don't know if it's the current state of the world mixing with my love of history, but Samantha Bresnahan's account of valor and forgiveness across generations gave me chills. Reading it gave me hope.
When you read accounts of wars, maybe especially World War II, it's easy to discount 'I was following orders' as a flimsy excuse. It's easy to see the sorts of propaganda that say one race, one faith, one nationality is lesser (and as such more dangerous) than another and leave it at that.
It's not always easy to see that the world wars were fought by young men who were, in fact, following orders and who did, in fact, follow those orders in part because they were told that theirs was an enemy worth fighting - and sometimes it was enough to say 'we fight for freedom' and sometimes they were told they were fighting against monster-like armies intent on violently destroying their mothers, their wives, their children.
And after the war, they had to live with it - often alone with little to no help.
So when the men like Marty Connor came to see the 'souvenirs' they'd collected in the Pacific both as gruesome reminders of an awful time and as things they'd want their families to have it'd been them who died and had their bodies looted, it became a powerful connection as they started returning the items to Japan.
The people Bresnahan highlights in this account; Marty Connor, Tsunezo Wachi, Masataka Shiokawa... they are the sorts of people who give humanity it's name. And it's hope.
Bresnahan honors them, their part in the war, and the part in the world after beautifully. And in doing so, tells a story the world needs to hear because there are lessons about ourselves to be found in it.
I don't know if it's the current state of the world mixing with my love of history, but Samantha Bresnahan's account of valor and forgiveness across generations gave me chills. Reading it gave me hope.
When you read accounts of wars, maybe especially World War II, it's easy to discount 'I was following orders' as a flimsy excuse. It's easy to see the sorts of propaganda that say one race, one faith, one nationality is lesser (and as such more dangerous) than another and leave it at that.
It's not always easy to see that the world wars were fought by young men who were, in fact, following orders and who did, in fact, follow those orders in part because they were told that theirs was an enemy worth fighting - and sometimes it was enough to say 'we fight for freedom' and sometimes they were told they were fighting against monster-like armies intent on violently destroying their mothers, their wives, their children.
And after the war, they had to live with it - often alone with little to no help.
So when the men like Marty Connor came to see the 'souvenirs' they'd collected in the Pacific both as gruesome reminders of an awful time and as things they'd want their families to have it'd been them who died and had their bodies looted, it became a powerful connection as they started returning the items to Japan.
The people Bresnahan highlights in this account; Marty Connor, Tsunezo Wachi, Masataka Shiokawa... they are the sorts of people who give humanity it's name. And it's hope.
Bresnahan honors them, their part in the war, and the part in the world after beautifully. And in doing so, tells a story the world needs to hear because there are lessons about ourselves to be found in it.
April 9, 2025
I received an advance reading copy of this book from NetGalley.com in exchange for a fair review. This book had a fascinating topic. It's the story of Japanese and American soldiers who fought at places like Iwo Jima during World War II. At the time, many U.S. soldiers took 'souvenirs' from their deceased Japanese counterparts. Items such as swords, guns, notebooks, flags, etc, were coveted. As years passed, many felt it was time to return these items to the families of the original owners. Enter former American soldier, Marty Connor, and former Japanese officer, Tsunezo Wachi, who united to form a group to take these items and try to locate family members of those who never made it home. It is a story of healing and moving forward between men who were once bitter enemies. My biggest complaint about this book was how the author went off into tangents about things that did not contribute to the story. We did not need pages of psychological ideas about what makes people collect things or pages detailing what collectible objects signify. And that was just two examples, there were several more. Focusing on these brave men (both Japanese and American) and how they came together over a noble cause would have been more than enough.
May 13, 2025
This book is overrated on Goodreads. It's a non-fiction account of returning a Japanese flag to the family/relatives of a fallen Japenese soldier on Iwo Jima.
Some of the extraneous copy was interesting. Most had nothing or little to do with the crux of either the war, battle, or various aftermath occassions for these principle prime characters to overlap. The daughter of the American solider or the nephew of the Japanese soldier. In fact there was so much verbosity about collecting "stuff" in general and other psychology discussions of forgiving as there were personal stories. The photos were 4 star excellent. People in their times and soldier roles especially.
The copy that covered Marty's story and life, especially within the battle and his military years was 4 stars. The rest was not. 2.5 stars at most.
With all the compassion or virtue signaling effusions of the daughter going into nearly constant overload upon her own actions - at some points I would not have continued reading. Marty's and the monk's stories kept me going.
Somehow and I knew many men (WELL to listen/ hear their tales and to know aftereffects over the years or for their early deaths from actions survived during this exact WWII period) who were in Okinawa taking and/or in the Pacific Theater waiting to invade on ships there! Well, this just FAILS to grab the visciousness of the Japenese occupations. Or most of the reality for that cognition needed too. IMHO- you don't "get" how that theater WAS at all from this portrayal of it.
Some of the extraneous copy was interesting. Most had nothing or little to do with the crux of either the war, battle, or various aftermath occassions for these principle prime characters to overlap. The daughter of the American solider or the nephew of the Japanese soldier. In fact there was so much verbosity about collecting "stuff" in general and other psychology discussions of forgiving as there were personal stories. The photos were 4 star excellent. People in their times and soldier roles especially.
The copy that covered Marty's story and life, especially within the battle and his military years was 4 stars. The rest was not. 2.5 stars at most.
With all the compassion or virtue signaling effusions of the daughter going into nearly constant overload upon her own actions - at some points I would not have continued reading. Marty's and the monk's stories kept me going.
Somehow and I knew many men (WELL to listen/ hear their tales and to know aftereffects over the years or for their early deaths from actions survived during this exact WWII period) who were in Okinawa taking and/or in the Pacific Theater waiting to invade on ships there! Well, this just FAILS to grab the visciousness of the Japenese occupations. Or most of the reality for that cognition needed too. IMHO- you don't "get" how that theater WAS at all from this portrayal of it.
July 18, 2025
This is a story from a different perspective than we normally see from a book about WWII. It is primarily the story of a hard nosed marine and Japanese soldier-turned-Buddhist priest who fought on Iwo Jima and the son of a Japanese soldier killed on Okinawa, and how their experiences led them to the unlikely mission of returning the “souvenirs” taken by Americans from the bodies of the enemy dead. This book only touches on the atrocities committed in the pacific theater during the war. Those battles, those experiences, are simply the foundation from which the character and integrity of these men grew. War made them enemies, time spent carrying the burden of war time memories led them to a mission that turned them into respected friends. Along the way, there are others who join in their work and we learn their stories too. The author tells the story with a quiet dignity, just like these men. The story of these men is a testament to the empathy and healing that can come when we stop thinking in terms of “us and them” and really notice how similar we all are.
December 3, 2025
War and Connection
This book is about the return of Japanese flags taken during WW2. Stories of marines and battles in the Pacific are followed by meetings between the same marines and family members of deceased . It is an amazing true story, and very similar to when my father, a marine in WW2, returned a photo album to a soldier's widow n 1972. This led to a friendship which lasted years. Amazing.
This book is about the return of Japanese flags taken during WW2. Stories of marines and battles in the Pacific are followed by meetings between the same marines and family members of deceased . It is an amazing true story, and very similar to when my father, a marine in WW2, returned a photo album to a soldier's widow n 1972. This led to a friendship which lasted years. Amazing.
July 2, 2025
Astounding. I know so little of the WW II Pacific front. This was very well written and held my interest from start to finish.
July 9, 2025
As the son of a WW 2 Vet that has a Japanese Honamura Flag, I have often wondered about its origin. This book is a compelling story - testimony about the Marines of Iwo Jima. Very good read.
August 30, 2025
Such a beautiful story
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews