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Occupation
The lives and loves of two families, the American McGlynns and the Japanese Todas, are intertwined in this historical saga exploring the rebuilding of a nation destroyed by war
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First published January 1, 1987
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About the author
John Toland
40 books192 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
John^Toland - 17th century theologian, Philosopher & Satirist
John^^Toland - American writer and historian (WWII & Dillinger)
John^^^Toland - Article: "The Man who Reads Minds"
John Willard Toland (June 29, 1912 in La Crosse, Wisconsin - January 4, 2004 in Danbury, Connecticut) was an American author and historian. He is best known for his biography of Adolf Hitler.[1]
Toland tried to write history as a straightforward narrative, with minimal analysis or judgment. This method may have stemmed from his original goal of becoming a playwright. In the summers between his college years, he travelled with hobos and wrote several plays with hobos as central characters, none of which achieved the stage.[2] At one point he managed to publish an article on dirigibles in Look magazine; it proved extremely popular and led to his career as a historian.
One exception to his general approach is his Infamy: Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath about the Pearl Harbor attack and the investigations of it, in which he wrote about evidence that President Franklin Roosevelt knew in advance of plans to attack the naval base but remained silent. The book was widely criticized at the time. Since the original publication, Toland added new evidence and rebutted early critics. Also, an anonymous source, known as "Seaman Z" (Robert D. Ogg) has since come forth to publicly tell his story.
Perhaps his most important work, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1971, is The Rising Sun. Based on original and extensive interviews with high Japanese officials who survived the war, the book chronicles Imperial Japan from the military rebellion of February 1936 to the end of World War II. The book won the Pulitzer because it was the first book in English to tell the history of the war in the Pacific from the Japanese point of view, rather than from an American perspective.
The stories of the battles for the stepping stones to Japan, the islands in the Pacific which had come under Japanese domination, are told from the perspective of the commander sitting in his cave rather than from that of the heroic forces engaged in the assault. Most of these commanders committed suicide at the conclusion of the battle, but Toland was able to reconstruct their viewpoint from letters to their wives and from reports they sent to Tokyo. Toland died in 2004 of pneumonia.
While predominantly a non-fiction author, Toland also wrote two historical novels, Gods of War and Occupation. He says in his autobiography that he earned little money from his Pulitzer Prize-winning, The Rising Sun, but was set for life from the earnings of his biography of Hitler, for which he also did original research.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tol...
John^Toland - 17th century theologian, Philosopher & Satirist
John^^Toland - American writer and historian (WWII & Dillinger)
John^^^Toland - Article: "The Man who Reads Minds"
John Willard Toland (June 29, 1912 in La Crosse, Wisconsin - January 4, 2004 in Danbury, Connecticut) was an American author and historian. He is best known for his biography of Adolf Hitler.[1]
Toland tried to write history as a straightforward narrative, with minimal analysis or judgment. This method may have stemmed from his original goal of becoming a playwright. In the summers between his college years, he travelled with hobos and wrote several plays with hobos as central characters, none of which achieved the stage.[2] At one point he managed to publish an article on dirigibles in Look magazine; it proved extremely popular and led to his career as a historian.
One exception to his general approach is his Infamy: Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath about the Pearl Harbor attack and the investigations of it, in which he wrote about evidence that President Franklin Roosevelt knew in advance of plans to attack the naval base but remained silent. The book was widely criticized at the time. Since the original publication, Toland added new evidence and rebutted early critics. Also, an anonymous source, known as "Seaman Z" (Robert D. Ogg) has since come forth to publicly tell his story.
Perhaps his most important work, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1971, is The Rising Sun. Based on original and extensive interviews with high Japanese officials who survived the war, the book chronicles Imperial Japan from the military rebellion of February 1936 to the end of World War II. The book won the Pulitzer because it was the first book in English to tell the history of the war in the Pacific from the Japanese point of view, rather than from an American perspective.
The stories of the battles for the stepping stones to Japan, the islands in the Pacific which had come under Japanese domination, are told from the perspective of the commander sitting in his cave rather than from that of the heroic forces engaged in the assault. Most of these commanders committed suicide at the conclusion of the battle, but Toland was able to reconstruct their viewpoint from letters to their wives and from reports they sent to Tokyo. Toland died in 2004 of pneumonia.
While predominantly a non-fiction author, Toland also wrote two historical novels, Gods of War and Occupation. He says in his autobiography that he earned little money from his Pulitzer Prize-winning, The Rising Sun, but was set for life from the earnings of his biography of Hitler, for which he also did original research.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tol...
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 25, 2015
John Toland's novel "Occupation" is the sequel to "Gods of War", an historical novel about the Pacific theater during World War II, told from the perspective of an American and a Japanese family.
The McGlynns and the Todas are finally reunited, during the post-war years of the American occupation of Japan. The main focus of the novel involves the war crimes tribunal and trials at Yokohama.
Eldest son William McGlynn has been assigned as a defense attorney. He has taken under wing the fledgeling lawyer Chaucy Snow, a naive but ambitious young woman who quickly overcomes some of her racial prejudices regarding the Japanese.
Will's brother, an MP investigator, has his hands full policing the rowdy and repulsive antics of American troops occupying the country they have defeated.
Frank McGlynn, the patriarch, has, at the age of 60, fallen in love with a much younger Japanese woman, a relationship that may have dire consequences for his job and his family.
Replete with actual historical figures and events, Toland's novel reads, at times, like nonfiction. It is extremely well-researched, utilizing a wide variety of primary sources such as court transcripts, newspaper articles, and interviews.
It is also, thanks to Toland's gifted ability for story-telling, an entertaining and thought-provoking read.
Toland does not hide his politics or love of the Japanese people and culture in this novel. His portrayal of General Douglas MacArthur, for example, is not flattering. MacArthur is portrayed as a condescending and somewhat racist prick who, as Toland describes, was a man "convinced that Japanese adults had the minds of twelve-year-olds" and a strong believer that winning the hearts and minds of the Japanese could only be accomplished by converting a majority of them to Christianity (?).
If you enjoyed the first novel, this one simply carries on the story. While not as exciting as the first, "Occupation" still manages to bring history to life in an entertaining way.
The McGlynns and the Todas are finally reunited, during the post-war years of the American occupation of Japan. The main focus of the novel involves the war crimes tribunal and trials at Yokohama.
Eldest son William McGlynn has been assigned as a defense attorney. He has taken under wing the fledgeling lawyer Chaucy Snow, a naive but ambitious young woman who quickly overcomes some of her racial prejudices regarding the Japanese.
Will's brother, an MP investigator, has his hands full policing the rowdy and repulsive antics of American troops occupying the country they have defeated.
Frank McGlynn, the patriarch, has, at the age of 60, fallen in love with a much younger Japanese woman, a relationship that may have dire consequences for his job and his family.
Replete with actual historical figures and events, Toland's novel reads, at times, like nonfiction. It is extremely well-researched, utilizing a wide variety of primary sources such as court transcripts, newspaper articles, and interviews.
It is also, thanks to Toland's gifted ability for story-telling, an entertaining and thought-provoking read.
Toland does not hide his politics or love of the Japanese people and culture in this novel. His portrayal of General Douglas MacArthur, for example, is not flattering. MacArthur is portrayed as a condescending and somewhat racist prick who, as Toland describes, was a man "convinced that Japanese adults had the minds of twelve-year-olds" and a strong believer that winning the hearts and minds of the Japanese could only be accomplished by converting a majority of them to Christianity (?).
If you enjoyed the first novel, this one simply carries on the story. While not as exciting as the first, "Occupation" still manages to bring history to life in an entertaining way.
October 31, 2022
I recommend this book to anyone who is old enough to remember the end of WW2. Being born in 1939 I remember the end of the war and the following years. I remember the attitudes of the people around me. They really didn't understand the Japanize people or what they had been through. I remember getting a toy airplane made by the Japanize. I looked inside the plane, it was made out of a tin can, and it still had the label, which was what it had been used for, a C ration. I think they had done a good job recovering from the war with some help from the USA. It was a very good read and very informational.
July 12, 2022
4+ stars. A very interesting and instructive historical fictional account of Japan immediately following WWII.
March 4, 2023
Toland is a historian, not a novelist, so this isn’t a great book. But you’ll learn a lot of interesting things about the war crimes trials in Japan.
April 11, 2015
The war is over, and MacArthur heads the occupation of Japan as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers. He employs Frank McGlynn as a special adviser, but doesn't seem to take much notice of the advice.
McGlynn's children have all survived the war, and two of them now have roles (on opposing sides) in the war crimes trials. Japan itself has been devastated and is hardly recognizable to those like the McGlynn offspring who spent their childhood years in the country and loved it.
There is much detail of the trials, the individual Japanese officers who are being held responsible for the atrocities committed by some officers and soldiers on enemy individuals and civilians. Even the Japanese people seem to feel the blame lies at the very top.
McGlynn has a hard time trying to explain the complex code of honor that has senior officers willing to take responsibility for actions committed without their consent by those under their command.
But should responsibility go all the way to the top, namely to the Emperor himself?
If you are interested in the history and politics of the times, and want an insight into the Japanese mind, wrapped up in a family saga, you will find plenty to enthrall you in "Occupation".
McGlynn's children have all survived the war, and two of them now have roles (on opposing sides) in the war crimes trials. Japan itself has been devastated and is hardly recognizable to those like the McGlynn offspring who spent their childhood years in the country and loved it.
There is much detail of the trials, the individual Japanese officers who are being held responsible for the atrocities committed by some officers and soldiers on enemy individuals and civilians. Even the Japanese people seem to feel the blame lies at the very top.
McGlynn has a hard time trying to explain the complex code of honor that has senior officers willing to take responsibility for actions committed without their consent by those under their command.
But should responsibility go all the way to the top, namely to the Emperor himself?
If you are interested in the history and politics of the times, and want an insight into the Japanese mind, wrapped up in a family saga, you will find plenty to enthrall you in "Occupation".
September 16, 2015
Tale of US and Japanese families in Tokyo during the American Occupation. Toland weaves several superficial sets of stories (War Crimes Trials, threat of Communism, black market activities, etc). Characters and stories were a bit one dimensional, but they do successfully paint a picture of life under MacArthur's rule. Toland also adds his own historical background to each story, which for me was the most interesting part of the book.
April 17, 2012
Almost like the story was devised to make the history lesson easier. Characters and their sagas were a bit stiff/wooden. Being a history buff, I enjoyed it anyway.
January 18, 2016
The plot line is not so good but the history from the documents of the Japanese War Crimes Tribunal are very interesting.
June 5, 2016
It answers a lot of questions of the occupation of Japan during MacArthur time frame....
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews