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A PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF SPRING 2021
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat comes the gripping untold story of one of the most heroic units that fought in World War II
'My favourite kind of history book: grippingly written, full of incredible drama, and focussing on individuals rather than numbers and statistics' James Holland
On December 7th 1941, the Japanese Navy bombed Pearl Harbor. For many Americans, the surprise attack was a call to arms - but for the soldier sons of Japanese-American immigrant parents, it brought prejudice and scrutiny over where their loyalties lay.
In Facing the Mountain, Daniel James Brown tells the unforgettable story of the Japanese-American men who volunteered for the US Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team and displayed incredible courage on the brutal battlefields of Europe. Achieving the impossible in often near-suicidal missions, including rescuing a 'lost battalion' surrounded by Nazis in the French mountains, the 442nd went on to become one of the most decorated units in US history. Yet at the same time, their parents were put in camps and stripped of their livelihoods, and an equally brave battle was being fought in the courtroom back home.
A cinematic tour de force, Facing the Mountain puts a real-life band of brothers in the history books where they belong and reminds us that victory is rarely as simple as we think.
About the author
Daniel James Brown is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat, The Indifferent Stars Above, and Under a Flaming Sky. He has taught writing at San Jose State University and Stanford University. He lives outside Seattle.
Summary
A PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF SPRING 2021
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat comes the gripping untold story of one of the most heroic units that fought in World War II
'My favourite kind of history book: grippingly written, full of incredible drama, and focussing on individuals rather than numbers and statistics' James Holland
On December 7th 1941, the Japanese Navy bombed Pearl Harbor. For many Americans, the surprise attack was a call to arms - but for the soldier sons of Japanese-American immigrant parents, it brought prejudice and scrutiny over where their loyalties lay.
In Facing the Mountain, Daniel James Brown tells the unforgettable story of the Japanese-American men who volunteered for the US Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team and displayed incredible courage on the brutal battlefields of Europe. Achieving the impossible in often near-suicidal missions, including rescuing a 'lost battalion' surrounded by Nazis in the French mountains, the 442nd went on to become one of the most decorated units in US history. Yet at the same time, their parents were put in camps and stripped of their livelihoods, and an equally brave battle was being fought in the courtroom back home.
A cinematic tour de force, Facing the Mountain puts a real-life band of brothers in the history books where they belong and reminds us that victory is rarely as simple as we think.
Report
'My favourite kind of history book: grippingly written, full of incredible drama, and focussing on individuals rather than numbers and statistics. The 442nd Nisei Regiment who fought so brilliantly up through Italy really were forgotten heroes of a forgotten campaign, but through painstaking research and brilliant story-telling, Daniel James Brown has put the flesh back onto these men. Facing the Mountain is a terrific book' James Holland
