This is a well-written history by Ian W. Toll of the earliest days of the Second World War in the Pacific as Japan begins its expansion across that sea. Toll provides detailed discussion of the men and efforts on both sides of the war, including the interactions with the US allies in that theatre, Britain, Australia, and others. There is good information about the personal lives of the major players on each side and the politics involved in the US Navy ranks and in the Japanese military. A good read that covers the period from just before the Pearl Harbor attack by Japan through the Battle of Midway.

The writing is clear and interesting without too much of the dry detail that can put you to sleep. Toll is a story teller, not just a historian. It is heavily documented with endnotes and sources. There is a detailed index for your reference.

One of the aspects of this book that made it especially relevant today is Toll’s discussion of the Imperial view of the Japanese empire and its military. They had a world view that had Japan at the center of the world and destined to dominate the entire Pacific region. In many ways their view of manifest destiny was similar to that espoused by the Chine Communist Party (CCP) today. The Chinese feel they have a right to dominate the entire world even though they only currently claim half the globe as being their rightful and historic domain. The parallels between the two imperial powers and their proven willingness to take territories they claim as their own is shocking.

From the reading I have done of books by recent authors, such as Michael Pillsbury and Johnathan Ward, the Chinese are embarking on an expansion that is remarkably similar to that which the Japanese war plan in 1941. In this case, we may learn a good deal about what to expect and how to counter it by studying the Japanese invasions in preparation for those to come from the CCP in the following years.