Kike Wadatsumi No Koe

When this volume first appeared in Japan almost exactly a half century ago, the impact was immediate and dramatic. It became the psychological wellspring for the Japanese postwar peace movement. One person it deeply influenced was Dr. Midori Yamanouchi, who resolved to finally make it more widely available by translating it into English with the help of Joseph Quinn, S.J. It is a deeply moving collection of diaries written by young Japanese soldiers who gave their lives in a series of battles going from China, through the Pacific to the skies closer to Japan. Many of them were cultivated young university students, full of life and dreams, reflecting on the beauty of life, the love of their families and the painful duty that was their lot. These voices are sad voices, the now stilled voices of tragedy. Overall, an unmatched insight into war and the human spirit.