Praise for The Flowers of Edo
“Sure to fascinate all who are interested in the lives of those who experienced the conflict between Japan and the United States in the mid-20th century.”
—Annette Gordon-Reed, Winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in History
“The Flowers of Edo is a gripping combination of military action and cultural analysis, which offers a unique and provocative perspective on the history that was—and might have been—between Japan and the United States. This is a valuable addition to the literature of understanding how the two nations faced their opposite prospects at the end of a brutal war.”
—James Fallows, The Atlantic Monthly
“The struggle of a soldier’s courage and loyalty to country is at the core of Michael Dana Kennedy’s debut novel. The Flowers of Edo embraces not only the significant historical context but the rich cultural intricacies like few historical novels.”
—James Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of Flags of Our Fathers
“An excellent book! The Flowers of Edo is a gripping historical novel focused on the final months of WWII, with an authentic Japanese setting and an intriguing plot. Both entertaining and educational—a delightful adventure and experience!”
—Admiral James R. Hogg, U.S. Navy (Ret) Commander SEVENTH Fleet (1983-85)
“The Flowers of Edo is enormously impressive and engrossing in its sweep, moving from the deck of Admiral ‘Bull’ Halsey’s battleship, to the cockpit of a Japanese fighter plane, to Japan and Hiroshima. By turns a spy’s dramatic story of survival, a love story, and a soldier’s struggle to find his place in two worlds, this novel is history brought to intimate life. Michael Dana Kennedy has written a work of enormous research and imagination.”
—Doug Stanton, New York Times bestselling author of In Harm’s Way and Horse Soldiers
“The Flowers of Edo, painstakingly accurate, captures the political, military and cultural dynamics of the closing days of World War II so well that it rings true in a way that most novels do not. What’s more, it is a gripping story, full of intrigue, adventure, and romance. I can highly recommend it to military history aficionados and everyone who enjoys a well crafted, captivating tale.”
—Forrest E. Morgan, Lt. Col., U.S. Air Force (retired) and Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation
“The Flowers of Edo is historical fiction at its best—rich in authentic detail, intelligence, and respect for the complexities of history. Michael Dana Kennedy is a skilled and empathetic author whose grasp of his material is truly impressive. He has succeeded in writing an old-fashioned page-turner.”
—Charles Kenney, author of John F. Kennedy: The Presidential Portfolio
“Michael Dana Kennedy’s fidelity to the little known historiography of both sides’ plans for the invasion of Japan—codenamed Downfall by the Americans and Ketsu-Go by the Japanese—provides readers with a glimpse of the immense human costs of what was faced in 1945 and 1946. His deep understanding of Japan’s history and culture also serves readers well, and a particular delight is that Kennedy’s Japanese are not at all the cardboard cutouts that one regularly finds in novels and film.”
—D.M. Giangreco, author of Hell to Pay: Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan
“The Flowers of Edo is an imaginative account of Japan’s final days of World War II as seen through the eyes of Ken Kobayashi, a junior Japanese-American officer in the U.S. Army who impersonates an Imperial Japanese Army officer. Kobayashi’s adventures in July and August 1945 carry him from the Philippines to Japan in a complex plot whose twists and turns produce a fast-paced drama filled with the larger-than-life personalities of the time, large doses of Japanese history and culture, and a surprising conclusion.”
—Edward J. Drea, author of Japan’s Imperial Army and MacArthur’s ULTRA: Codebreaking and the War against Japan, 1942-1945
“The author’s detailed research gives authenticity to the narrative, making the story very believable indeed. The Flowers of Edo should be enjoyed by younger generations as well as those of us who lived through the Pacific War.”
—Linda Goetz Holmes, Pacific War Historian and author of 4000 Bowls of Rice and Guests of the Emperor: The Secret History of Japan’s Mukden POW Camp
“Michael Dana Kennedy has crafted an enormously detailed saga of a family spread across generations on both sides of the Pacific, reunited in the final acts of World War II as Japanese and Japanese-Americans fight on both sides of the enormous conflict. The Flowers of Edo is the product of meticulous cultural and historical research that sets both the family and the story into richly satisfyingly drawn settings.”
—Ted Bestor, Professor of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
“Upon reading The Flowers of Edo I was vastly relieved and full of praise for Michael Dana Kennedy’s meticulous attention to factual details, and his sensitivity to cultural nuances of both traditional Japanese culture as well as the complicated ‘marginal minority’ role of Americans of Japanese ancestry. More important for a work of fiction, this is a very readable book, full of unanticipated twists and turns that are entirely plausible. Sugoi! (A samurai utterance for ‘Outstanding!’”
—Donald Teruo Hata, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of History and Coordinator of Asian Pacific Studies, California State University, Dominguez Hills.
“As a young U.S. Marine Captain in the aftermath of World War II, I served as a Staff Officer in Provisional Corps, Japan, and was stationed Gifu Air Base. In this billet I had daily association with Japanese civilians. It is from these associations that I have based much of my reactions to The Flowers of Edo. In this regard, let me say that this book is truly a classic in every meaning of the word. To all I simply say: READ IT.”
—General P.X. Kelley, USMC (Ret.), 28th Commandant of the Marine Corps
“First-time novelist Michael Dana Kennedy navigates intrigue, adventure, and romance with the ring of historical truth. His homework is evident in his grasp of weapons and machinery, operations and tactics, political and interpersonal machinations, and military, cultural, and political contexts. But his gift is in the page-turning storytelling: solid characters, trim plotting, credible dialogue. The Flowers of Edo is thought-provoking edutainment.”
—World War II Magazine
“Exhilarating debut novel… Good historical novels like this one work on several levels. The author’s attention to detail, for example, is astounding, making it easy to visualize a specific time and place and learn about ships, navy protocol and even the personal idiosyncrasies of famous officers… He also re-creates life on many social levels, from meetings between commanding officers and the Emperor to ordinary Japanese on trains and in the streets of Tokyo. By moving from high society to low to high again, Kennedy paints a fuller canvas of the period. The book’s richness, though, springs from Kobayashi’s multidimensional character.”
—Number 1 Shimbun (Correspondents’ Club of Japan monthly magazine)
“Here’s a thrilling look at the end of World War II. The author crafts an exciting, highly believable tale with the actual players—McArthur, Admiral Halsey and others—interacting with fictional heroes. Even though we know the outcome, getting there is a trip!”
—Jordan Rich, WBZ Radio (Boston)