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Editor’s Reviews

When it comes to the Pacific theatre of the Second World War, Morning of the Rising Sun: The Heroic Story of the Struggle for Guadalcanal by author and historian Kenneth I. Friedman, Ph.D. is the quintessential guide to the epic and stirring tale of the six-month conflict between the United States and the Japanese Empire over the vital island of Guadalcanal. Located in the Southern Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal was in the direct path of the primary supply line between the continental United States and Australia-New Zealand; whoever possessed the island would control the direction of the war in the Pacific. Meticulously researched, the author uses a bipartisan approach to convey the great dedication and bravery of both the Allied and Japanese fighting men. His attention to detail provides an embracing journey through a series of the most ferocious land, air, and sea battles in the history of war.

From Midwest Book Review:

“First, let me say...the writing of this book was a monumental undertaking and particularly well done considering its size and content. The book is 10"x7", 1 ½" thick, and weighs over 3 pounds – not light-weight bedtime reading for us gals, and that’s the paperback edition. However, don’t let its size intimidate you. This is a very personal, well-organized, thorough accounting of this lengthy battle.”

“Quoting from the back cover:

‘Morning of the Rising Sun: The Heroic Story of the Struggle for Guadalcanal by author and his historian Kenneth I. Friedman, Ph.D., provides a thorough and thought-provoking examination of this pivotal struggle fought between the US and the Japanese Empire during the early days of the Second World War. Like other earlier battles such as Verdun in World War I and Stalingrad in World War II, both sides sent every gun, airplane, and man they could spare to Guadalcanal to decide who would win. When the Americans evicted the last Japanese solider from Guadalcanal in February 1943, the Japanese strategy shifted from the offensive to the defensive, and they began to lose territory. The Americans were now on the offensive and would not stop until they sailed into Tokyo Bay to accept Japan’s surrender aboard the USS Missouri. Dr. Friedman is also the author of Afternoon of the Rising Sun: The Battle of Leyte Gulf.’”
 

“If you’re a history buff or have a special interest in WWII, I’m certain you will find this book worth your money and time. I particularly enjoyed the personal memoirs from that time period, the attack on Pearl Harbor and this lengthy struggle.”

“Kaye Trout- February 12, 2008
Rating: Excellent”
Midwest Book Review
Amazon rating:

From Kirkus Reviews:

“A fastidious account of World War II’s critical Battle of Guadalcanal”.

“Author and historian Friedman (Afternoon of the Rising Sun: The Battle of Leyte Gulf, 2001) pens an impressive, comprehensive treatise on what he views as the second World War’s most pivotal battle. The island of Guadalcanal occupied a strategic position in the Pacific theatre, and military planners from both Japan and the United States believed it was key to controlling the region. When the confrontation began in August 1942, the outcome of the war in the Pacific was very much in question, if not entirely leaning in Japan’s favor. The Japanese were clever and aggressive foes, the first to put significant numbers of men and a base on the island. But, as Friedman shows, they vastly underestimated the Americans’ resolve and presence in the region. From their dominant position in the Pacific arena, the Japanese were eventually reduced to a defensive crouch, a mind-set that plagued them for the remainder of the war. A natural storyteller, Friedman’s account of the conflict is told in a compelling, narrative fashion that deftly pulls the reader through the book’s hefty page count.”

“He does an excellent job analyzing both the micro—and macro—aspects of the battle, smoothly switching between the intimate conversations of military leaders and the historical and political implications of an American victory in the war. Friedman is also careful to present a balanced, nonnationalistic approach to the conflict; the Japanese military is frequently portrayed as a cunning foil to the Americans’ more headstrong forces. Maps, charts and even diagrams of planes keep the pages moving and will wet the tongue of any amateur military strategist. It’s a thoroughly, enthusiastically researched book that can only come from the desk of a true connoisseur of military history.”

“An impressive, meticulous and enjoyable must for any history buff's bookshelf.”

Tin Can Sailors:

“At 702 pages, Morning of the Rising Sun is not the type of book you’d pick up casually but it is the kind of book that once you pick it up you’ll find very hard to put back down. Ken Friedman has found a way of taking dry facts and figures and the myriad details of conducting warfare and making them come alive for the reader. His depth of research is astounding right down to the names of individual pilots of American and Japanese aircraft, often providing details of what they were thinking during combat actions. Friedman’s bibliography and copious end notes show careful and painstaking research that will satisfy the most dedicated historian while the descriptions of the actions and the decisions behind them – on both sides – will please any reader of military non-fiction.”

“The strategic importance of Guadalcanal to both the Japanese and to the Americans has seldom been so clearly detailed as in Morning of the Rising Sun. The Japanese, after strategic losses at Midway and Coral Sea, were desperate to find a way to cut off Allied supply lines from the U.S. West Coast to Australia. A military airfield on the island of Guadalcanal in the extreme Southern Solomon islands would serve that purpose well. For the Americans, taking and holding that airfield for our own use meant a forward base for launching attacks against Japanese-held territory in the rest of the Solomons chain. It was a must win for both sides and for the Americans it was both far from any U.S. military assistance and the fighting came at a time when the Europe First assessment was depriving Nimitz and MacArthur of needed ships, planes, manpower and materials.”

“Morning of the Rising Sun is the kind of book that students of WWII history will want to have on their libraries’ shelves for reference both because of the importance of the battles for the Southern Solomons and for Ken Friedman’s treatment of them.”

Terry Miller
Executive Director
Tin Can Sailors
Amazon review:

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