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Iva: The True Story of Tokyo Rose
It is 1941, the start of Word War II. Wishing only to pursue her dreams of attending medical school at UCLA, Iva Toguri reluctantly visits her sick aunt in Japan. The start of the war traps her there. When she refuses to renounce her American citizenship, the Japanese government denies her a food ration card. Soon her mother’s family evicts her, and she struggles to survive. Forced to accept a job with Radio Tokyo, she refuses to participate in propaganda broadcasts despite unending pressure by Army management.Relief comes with the war’s end, but the extreme politics back in the United States and continuing racial prejudice against Japanese-Americans makes Iva a target. Mistakenly identified as Tokyo Rose, she is charged with treason, leading to a trial that grips the nation.
- GenresWorld War II
310 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 12, 2020
7 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Mike Weedall
4 books15 followersAvailable now, "Escape To The Maroons."
My newest book tells the little-known story of the courageous people who chose a life in one of the most inhospitable North American environments in their determination to escape slavery. Written as historical fiction, the true story of over 2,000 freedom seekers who established homes and communities deep in The Great Dismal Swamp is presented. While each day was a struggle to survive in the swamp, the formerly enslaved established vibrant communities and developed an economy that supported multi-generational families. As one swamp resident said, "The worst day in this terrible swamp is much better than the best day I ever experienced as a slave."
The term Maroons refers to areas where enslaved people could escape and not be recaptured. The largest Maroon in North America was The Great Dismal Swamp. Over 2,000 square miles and bordering the States of Virginia and North Carolina, this extreme environment became home to individuals who demonstrated the strength and commitment of their race. Historium Press will release the book this summer.
My two previous historical fiction books continue to get good reviews. The recent anniversary of President Gerald Ford issuing a Presidential Pardon for treason charges reminds us of one of the great injustices ever handed down in the United States. Trapped in Japan during World War II and forced to work for Radio Tokyo, this loyal American never participated in propaganda broadcasts. Caught up in the post-war political frenzy against Japanese Americans, the parallels to our current political environment is striking. "Iva: The True Story of Tokyo Rose" is a story I'm proud to have written.
"War Angel: Korea 1950" also continues to get strong reviews. When I mention this title to people, a typical reaction is, "Oh, like the television show MASH, right?" Not at all. While the hit movie and television series sought to portray the difficult circumstances doctors and nurses experienced in Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals, in reality there was little to laugh about. When there was joking, it was typically a gallows humor given the horrifying realities. What attracted me to this story was how in 1950 Army nurses were required to be women. The conception many have that it was not until recently that females could serve near combat front lines is not true. (In 1956, US Army regulations were changed to allow men to serve as nurses.) Thousands of women experienced the most extreme medical emergencies in the worst of conditions and did so with nothing but strength.
And I'm well into the research for my next release, but if you want to learn about that fascinating story, please e-mail me at mjweedall@gmail.com.
My newest book tells the little-known story of the courageous people who chose a life in one of the most inhospitable North American environments in their determination to escape slavery. Written as historical fiction, the true story of over 2,000 freedom seekers who established homes and communities deep in The Great Dismal Swamp is presented. While each day was a struggle to survive in the swamp, the formerly enslaved established vibrant communities and developed an economy that supported multi-generational families. As one swamp resident said, "The worst day in this terrible swamp is much better than the best day I ever experienced as a slave."
The term Maroons refers to areas where enslaved people could escape and not be recaptured. The largest Maroon in North America was The Great Dismal Swamp. Over 2,000 square miles and bordering the States of Virginia and North Carolina, this extreme environment became home to individuals who demonstrated the strength and commitment of their race. Historium Press will release the book this summer.
My two previous historical fiction books continue to get good reviews. The recent anniversary of President Gerald Ford issuing a Presidential Pardon for treason charges reminds us of one of the great injustices ever handed down in the United States. Trapped in Japan during World War II and forced to work for Radio Tokyo, this loyal American never participated in propaganda broadcasts. Caught up in the post-war political frenzy against Japanese Americans, the parallels to our current political environment is striking. "Iva: The True Story of Tokyo Rose" is a story I'm proud to have written.
"War Angel: Korea 1950" also continues to get strong reviews. When I mention this title to people, a typical reaction is, "Oh, like the television show MASH, right?" Not at all. While the hit movie and television series sought to portray the difficult circumstances doctors and nurses experienced in Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals, in reality there was little to laugh about. When there was joking, it was typically a gallows humor given the horrifying realities. What attracted me to this story was how in 1950 Army nurses were required to be women. The conception many have that it was not until recently that females could serve near combat front lines is not true. (In 1956, US Army regulations were changed to allow men to serve as nurses.) Thousands of women experienced the most extreme medical emergencies in the worst of conditions and did so with nothing but strength.
And I'm well into the research for my next release, but if you want to learn about that fascinating story, please e-mail me at mjweedall@gmail.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 12, 2020
Iva is a historical novel written about Iva Toguri at a time where World War II was in action. It is 1941, and Iva really wishes to pursue medicine. For this, she has to go to Japan and see her sick aunt, and as the war begins while she is there, she is trapped and refused to give up her American citizenship. As life in Japan increasingly becomes unbearable for her, Iva is evicted by her family and forced to work at Radio Tokyo in an environment filled with propaganda and politics.
Racism, injustice, and discrimination dominate against Japanese-Americans, and Iva is mistakenly charged with treason and identified as Tokyo Rose at the end of the war, causing her to go on trial and fight for her life.
The author thoroughly writes an unbiased notion of a story where your heart wanders deep into the discovery of such a world as injustice, extreme politics, and war can literally demolish life and destroy the potential for anyone, especially for Iva.
The reader cannot simply look away and ignore the reality behind the story written. The literature and the skillful writing described the emotions of Iva very well. However, it did not stop there. It made you think further and compare life with what is now and how the world has or has not changed in 2020.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read World War II stories and enjoy Asian American history.
Racism, injustice, and discrimination dominate against Japanese-Americans, and Iva is mistakenly charged with treason and identified as Tokyo Rose at the end of the war, causing her to go on trial and fight for her life.
The author thoroughly writes an unbiased notion of a story where your heart wanders deep into the discovery of such a world as injustice, extreme politics, and war can literally demolish life and destroy the potential for anyone, especially for Iva.
The reader cannot simply look away and ignore the reality behind the story written. The literature and the skillful writing described the emotions of Iva very well. However, it did not stop there. It made you think further and compare life with what is now and how the world has or has not changed in 2020.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read World War II stories and enjoy Asian American history.
May 31, 2020
Good historical fiction serves both to inform the reader about authentic events and to create an understanding of the thinking and the emotions of the players who created that history. Done well, it leaves a much more powerful impression than a simple recounting of events. Mike Weedall’s book on Iva Toguri, the woman identified as Tokyo Rose, admirably meets the standards for good historical fiction.
Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Iva fell into the classic situation of being in the wrong place at the wrong time – in Japan at the start of World War II. She made her share of mistakes and wound up living on her own and struggling to get by as a mistrusted American in a country at war. The job she managed to get at the radio station that broadcast music and propaganda to American troops in the Pacific war zone helped her keep afloat, but it also proved her downfall after the war when she was accused of treason.
Iva fell into the trap set when many figures in the American government sought scapegoats, and a Japanese-American who could be made to appear as serving the Japanese government fit the bill. Upon her arrest and return to America, Weedall slows the pace down to focus on the actions of the FBI, prosecuting attorney and judge, revealing their prejudice and calumny in obtaining a conviction on one of the eight counts of treason against Iva. She spent six years in jail and ultimately obtained a Presidential pardon from Gerald Ford.
One of my pleasures in reading history is that there are lessons to be learned, for the past is indeed prologue to the future. “Iva: The True Story of Tokyo Rose” provides a great deal of food for thought about what our standards should be and whether we met those standards in this case.
Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Iva fell into the classic situation of being in the wrong place at the wrong time – in Japan at the start of World War II. She made her share of mistakes and wound up living on her own and struggling to get by as a mistrusted American in a country at war. The job she managed to get at the radio station that broadcast music and propaganda to American troops in the Pacific war zone helped her keep afloat, but it also proved her downfall after the war when she was accused of treason.
Iva fell into the trap set when many figures in the American government sought scapegoats, and a Japanese-American who could be made to appear as serving the Japanese government fit the bill. Upon her arrest and return to America, Weedall slows the pace down to focus on the actions of the FBI, prosecuting attorney and judge, revealing their prejudice and calumny in obtaining a conviction on one of the eight counts of treason against Iva. She spent six years in jail and ultimately obtained a Presidential pardon from Gerald Ford.
One of my pleasures in reading history is that there are lessons to be learned, for the past is indeed prologue to the future. “Iva: The True Story of Tokyo Rose” provides a great deal of food for thought about what our standards should be and whether we met those standards in this case.
July 9, 2020
Revenge trumps justice
A few days ago I finished a book about Mildred Gillars - “Axis Sally.” That prompted me to read this book about Iva Toguri - supposedly “Tokyo Rose.” To me, these women couldn’t have been more different but post-war America’s lust for revenge yielded the same result.
My Dad was a flier in the South Pacific who lost friends and suffered at the hands of the Japanese war machine. I don’t judge some of those guys who grew to hate their enemy. Some felt vengeful.
But Gillars went to work for the Nazis to quench a need for fame she didn’t receive as an American bit-player. Toguri got caught in Japan against her will, worked to feed American POWs and was never identified by listeners as the woman who taunted GIs on the radio. Yet she was tried, convicted and sent to prison, while men who actually did the crimes testified under FBI duress against her. It was outright racism, just as internment of Japanese Americans was. Toguri was bound to lose either way.
This book does a decent job of telling her story, albeit with some dramatic license and a few outright errors - S.I. Hayakawa was a Senator from California, not Hawaii as stated.
A few days ago I finished a book about Mildred Gillars - “Axis Sally.” That prompted me to read this book about Iva Toguri - supposedly “Tokyo Rose.” To me, these women couldn’t have been more different but post-war America’s lust for revenge yielded the same result.
My Dad was a flier in the South Pacific who lost friends and suffered at the hands of the Japanese war machine. I don’t judge some of those guys who grew to hate their enemy. Some felt vengeful.
But Gillars went to work for the Nazis to quench a need for fame she didn’t receive as an American bit-player. Toguri got caught in Japan against her will, worked to feed American POWs and was never identified by listeners as the woman who taunted GIs on the radio. Yet she was tried, convicted and sent to prison, while men who actually did the crimes testified under FBI duress against her. It was outright racism, just as internment of Japanese Americans was. Toguri was bound to lose either way.
This book does a decent job of telling her story, albeit with some dramatic license and a few outright errors - S.I. Hayakawa was a Senator from California, not Hawaii as stated.
August 28, 2023
Many interesting facts in this book about a character that I had learned about, but didn't know all the details. Especially disturbing was the fact of the US Government intimidating witnesses, using deportation as a punishment, and tampering with evidence to get a conviction as so "to look tough on crime". Additionally, witnesses often agree to testimony to save their own skins or to receive privileges regardless of the truth.
This was an easy read and would be appropriate for an adolescent reader. In any regard, it was insightful and informative.
This was an easy read and would be appropriate for an adolescent reader. In any regard, it was insightful and informative.
June 9, 2024
Iva was both engaging and informative. The author really puts you in the shoes of Iva Toguri, and all of the challenges and injustices that she faced. If you like history and historical fiction, I highly recommend reading Iva.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews