The War Room newsletter: Seven of the best books on the Pacific war
Before we begin, let me direct you to Archive 1945, in which we have been revisiting our coverage of the closing months of the second world war. You will find the latest entry from this project further down in this newsletter, and the final instalment (a report on the Japanese surrender) will be published later this week. An accompanying By Invitation guest essay, written by Eri Hotta, a historian, argues that Japan stayed in the conflict longer than necessary.
The following histories, along with one biography, chronicle the very end of the war and its immediate aftermath. Of course, the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan looms large, but these books have also been chosen to reflect how the consequences of Japan's war in Asia reverberated long afterwards.
As ever, War Room readers generously gave their time to help us compile this list. We have considered several suggestions, and we've also noted books that could serve as strong alternatives to those we ultimately selected.
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