April Book Reviews
contributed by Brace Books
The following book reviews appeared in the print issue of Ponca City Monthly magazine. Get full access to all online articles, videos, and content by becoming a paid subscriber. We offer free and paid subscription plans. Find rack locations to pick up your free print copy here, or subscribe here to get online access plus exclusive content.
Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor
by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll, Jr.
Reviewed by Lorrie Layton
Let’s talk authors first. Mark Harmon portrayed Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS for 18 seasons. Leon Carroll, Jr., was the real deal. He was a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps. When he left the Corps, he spent the following 20 years as a Special Agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). When Carroll retired from NCIS, he became the technical advisor for the television drama NCIS.
The authors thoroughly researched their subject matter. Footnotes on most of the pages are proof. Ghosts of Honolulu shares the covert history of Honolulu before, during and after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan.
There are many people we meet throughout Ghosts. The protagonist is American-born Japanese American naval intelligence special agent Douglas Wada. Through him we gain an understanding of the Japanese American culture in Hawaii, as well as learning how the Naval Intelligence Service (NIS) carried out its investigations prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, throughout World War II and the subsequent International Military Tribunal for the Far East (the war crimes trials).
Another critical person in this story is Takeo Yoshikawa, aka Tadashi Morimura, the Japanese spy in Honolulu. His cover is vice-consul at the Japanese Consulate. He is tasked with reporting daily on the readiness of the American Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor.
Throughout Ghosts of Honolulu, we see how Japanese Americans became suspect overnight simply based on their ancestry. We meet the people charged with building the lists of those Japanese Americans who will be interred immediately once war is declared. We meet those who work to show the American government the loyalty the Japanese American community in Hawaii has for America.
This is an exceptional book, documenting part of our history of which many of us have been unaware. I’m hoping Harmon and Carroll team up for another.
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The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 1)
by Rick Riordan
Reviewed by Lorrie Layton
My favorite thing about this book is not the characters, although they’re amazing. Nor is it the storyline, which is a lot of fun. It’s not even how the series is based on Greek mythology plopped down in our present-day world. Nope, my absolute favorite thing about The Lightning Thief is the chapter titles. Really. OK, how about these?
· I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher
· Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death
· My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting
· I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus
· We Get Advice from a Poodle
Remember your basic Greek mythology? Zeus was the head honcho of the Greek gods. Each Greek god was associated with specific aspects of life. For instance, Ares was the god of war; Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty; Athena was the goddess of wisdom and courage; and Hades was the god of the underworld. These gods regularly squabbled amongst themselves; they also regularly became infatuated with humans, resulting in progeny who were demigods (half god and half human).
The Greek gods haven’t changed over the centuries. They’re still squabbling, still becoming infatuated with humans and still producing demigods. Percy is one of those demigods. Just like Hercules, Perseus and others were given quests in the really olden days, Percy is given a quest – and it’s a doozy. Zeus’ lightning bolt has been stolen. If Percy doesn’t return it to Zeus before the summer solstice (in 10 days), the gods will go to war with each other. (The last time the Greek gods warred, we experienced The War Between the States.)
Percy, along with Annabeth (daughter of Athena) and Grover (Percy’s best friend and a satyr) set out to accomplish the quest and save Olympus. This is one of my very favorite books, ever.
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