John Dower

John Dower has long been a family friend and a highly acclaimed author. He taught at the University of Wisconsin - Madison from 1971 to 1986. Currently he serves as the Ford International Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was executive producer of a documentary film, which was nominated for an Academy Award, entitled - Hellfire: a Journey from Hiroshima. And his book, Embracing Defeat, received the National Book Award in 1999.  -  John

• Hellfire (1986 Academy Award Documentary Nominee) (as part of Hiroshima No Pika). Hellfire is "an in-depth portrait of the Marukis and their methods of creating some of the world's most hauntingly powerful artwork. The humanity that shines through--and the Marukis' passionate anti-war statements--makes these two films highly worthwhile for classes, discussion groups, or anyone seeking to appreciate these uniquely creative people."
• Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II, 1999. New York Times: "a magisterial and beautifully written book" Publishers Weekly: "The writing of history doesn't get much better than this." National Book Award

• War Without Mercy, 1987.
  This monumental history has been hailed by the New York Times as "one of the most important books ever written about World War II in the Pacific." 20 pages of illustrations.
  National Book Critics Circle Award for non-fiction. Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Prize.
  Amazon.com Books: Dower's premise in War without Mercy is a startling one: Though Western allies were clearly headed for victory, pure racism fueled the continuation and intensification of hostilities in the Pacific theater during the final year of World War II, a period that saw as many casualties as in the first five years of the conflict combined. Dower doesn't reach this disturbing conclusion lightly. He combed through piles of propaganda films, news articles, military documents, cartoons--even entries in academic journals in researching this book. Though his case is strong, Dower minimizes other factors, such as the protracted negotiations between the West and the Japanese.

• Japan in War and Peace: Selected Essays, 1995.   hardcover
• Japanese History and Culture from Ancient to Modern Times: Seven Basic Bibliographies by John W. Dower and Timothy S. George, 2nd Edition, 1995.

      Midwest Book Review: 
  Japanese History and Culture from Ancient to Modern Times is an indispensable reference book for every researcher, teacher, and student of Japanese history, social and politics. It is the most detailed and complete bibliography of Japanese history in the English language. It has over 5,000 entries on 360 pages, covering reference works, fiction and non-fiction texts, scholarly monographs, anthologies, and articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers. Japanese History and Culture from Ancient to Modern Times is divided into seven topical bibliographies: Ancient and Medieval Japan: From the Earliest Times through the 16th Century; Early Modern and Modern Japan: 1600-1945; Japan Abroad: Foreign Relations, Empire and War from the Restoration to 1945; Japan and the Crisis in Asia 1931-1945: Primary Materials in English; and Occupied Japan, the Cold War and Asia. Japanese History and Culture from Ancient to Modern Times is enlarged and updated through mid-1994 and includes an index of author's names.

   

• Elements of Japanese Design: A Handbook of Family Crests, Heraldry and Symbolism, 1971.
• Empire and Aftermath: Yoshida Shigeru and the Japanese Experience, 1878-1954, ©1979, (Harvard East Asian Monographs, No 84), 1989.
• Hiroshima Murals: The Art of Iri Maruki and Toshi Maruki by John W. Dower and John Junkerman, 1985.  This book covers the same subject as Hellfire: a Journey from Hiroshima, a documentary film, for which John Dower served as the executive producer. The film was nominated for an Academy Award.

• John Dower on Iraq - Lessons From Japan About War's Aftermath - New York Times, 20 Oct 2002.
• John Dower - Ford International Professor of History at MIT
• A Warning from History: Don't expect democracy in Iraq by John Dower, February, 2003.
• Cultures of War: Pearl Harbor Hiroshima 9/11, 2004 (webcast)
• Comparative Insights: Marshall Plan, Japan, and Iraq, 2005 (webcast)
• Visualizing Cultures, MIT online course