The Blackened Canteen

by Jerry Yellin, 1st World Publishing (Editor), 1st World Library (Editor)

"On June 20, 1945, just before the end of the war, 123 American bombers took off from the island of Guam for an attack on Shizuoka, a Japanese city at the foot of Mount Fuji. The raid destroyed two-thirds of the city, taking the lives of two thousand of its citizens. Twenty-three American airmen also died when two of their planes collided in mid-air. That these twenty-three men were enemy soldiers mattered little to one Japanese person who buried their remains next to the graves of the Shizuoka citizens killed in the attack and erected a memorial for them there. Many years later, in 1971, another Shizuoka citizen learned of this. He began holding his own ceremony beside the memorial, praying for the souls of the twenty-three Americans each year on the Saturday closest to June 20. Though the two countries were once at war, the selfless action of one Shizuoka citizen over sixty years ago has built a bridge between the two countries, inspiring a campaign for peace among Japanese and American citizens, and strengthening ties between the two countries. Having campaigned for peace for many years, this beautiful story strikes a deep chord with me. I hope it will become more widely known around the world and inspire other people too." Imagine Peace, Yoko Ono "Jerry Yellin takes you from the terror of war to the everlasting hope of peace, in a unique story of World War II. -A human story like no other. God bless you, Dr. Sugano." John Colli, Nephew of Ken Colli from The Blackened Canteen "Words cannot express the true feelings of the heart when reading "The Blackened Canteen". We are brought to tears with the realization that this author cared enough to honor these fallen heroes of WWII. This fictional account has been faithfully told based on the facts of these American Soldiers lives. What a true blessing!" Lucy (Towle) Spence, daughter of Newton Towle from The Blackened Canteen

Genres: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction

277 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a very interesting read. It makes use of flashbacks and in a few places I had to back up to make sure I didn't miss something. But it was generally an easy read developing many of the individual characters who converge to being on the two B-29s that were involved in a tragic accident. Very descriptive, especially the parts in Japan such as serving tea. The only negative for me was not knowing where the line between fact and fiction was. But that is not worth knocking the review down. There is always Google for sorting that out.

[Stan Cromlish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerry Yellin tells a wonderful story about the reconciliation of nations in this story of forgiveness and understanding.

[Alicia Weimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read “The Blackened Canteen” hoping for a true story of profound forgiveness, and I was not disappointed. Although it’s written as a novel, the story is basically true. It’s about hatred between Japanese people and Americans during and after World War II and the profound forgiveness that comes soon after the war for some, and decades later for others. Keep a hankie handy. There are few things in this world as emotionally moving as true forgiveness. I read the Kindle version, which did have a lot of mistakes. But the book was worth reading anyway.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jerry Yellen takes you along as an observer in one of the 123 bombers that took off from the island of Guam for an attack on Shizuoka. You reach for a seatbelt as a disturbing, but exciting experience unfolds all around you. Thus begins the story of The Blackened Canteen.

This book has taken me far off the beaten track of my usual reading path, but I am glad that I had the experience. Although this is a story of horrible destruction, it is also a story of compassion and retrospection. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn more about the WW II and the people who took part in that war.

[Arwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My dad did the audio recording of this book...great job dad! I'm not a huge fan of the writing itself but the story was good and I balled like a baby for the last few chapters, it was very moving and a very interesting perspective to WWII