Saturday, November 6, 2010

THE IMPERIAL CRUISE: A FASCINATING STORY AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
THE IMPERIAL CRUISE
A Secret History of Empire and War
By James Bradley

ABOUT THE BOOK: 

On the success of his two bestselling books about World War II, James Bradley began to wonder what the real catalyst was for the Pacific War. What he discovered shocked him.

In 1905 President Teddy Roosevelt dispatched Secretary of War William Taft,
his gun-toting daughter Alice, and a gaggle of congressmen on a mission to Japan, the Philippines, China, and Korea. There, they would quietly forge a series of agreements that divided up Asia. At the time, Roosevelt was bully-confident about America's future on the continent. This clandestine pact lit the fuse that would-decades later-result in a number of devastating wars: WWII, the Korean War, and the communist revolution in China.

In 2005, James Bradley retraced that epic voyage and discovered the remarkable truth about America's vast imperial past. Full of fascinating characters brought brilliantly to life, The Imperial Cruise will powerfully revise the way we understand U.S. history.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I was born in Wisconsin surrounded by a loving family of ten and loved swimming in cold lakes. When I was a boy I read an article by former president Harry Truman recommending historical biographies for young readers. His reasoning was that it was easy to follow the storyline of someone’s life, and they would absorb the history of the times on the journey. History soon became my favorite subject and I have been an active reader all my life.
 
When I was thirteen years old I read an article by James Michener in Reader’s Digest which I paraphrase: “When you’re twenty-two and graduate from college, people will ask you, ‘What do you want to do?’ It’s a good question, but you should answer it when you’re thirty-five.” Michener went on to write that his experiences wandering the globe as a young man later inspired his works on Afghanistan, Spain, Japan and other places.

When I was nineteen years old, I lived and studied in Tokyo for one year. I later brought my Japanese friends home to Wisconsin. My father, John Bradley, had helped raise an American flag on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima and had shot a Japanese soldier dead. My dad warmly welcomed my Japanese buddies.

I traveled around the world when I was twenty-one, from the U.S. to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, France, Germany, Italy, England and back to the United States.

At twenty-three I graduated with a degree in East Asian history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

For the next twenty years I worked in the corporate communications industry in the United States, Japan, England and South Africa.

In my late thirties I took a year off to go around the world again. On this trip I made it to base camp on Mt. Everest and walked among lions in Africa.

My father died when I was forty years old. My search to find out why he didn’t speak about Iwo Jima led me to write Flags of Our Fathers and establish the James Bradley Peace Foundation.

Flags of Our Fathers went on to be a bestseller and a movie, but few saw its potential at first. In fact, as this New York Times article documents, twenty-seven publishers turned the book down over a period of twenty-five months. This difficult and humbling birthing process inspired my live presentation Doing the Impossible.

In 2001 a WWII veteran of the Pacific revealed to me that the U.S. government had kept secret the beheading deaths of eight American airmen on the Japanese island of Chichi Jima, next door to Iwo Jima. After researching their deaths, I informed the eight families and the world of the unknown facts in my book second book Flyboys. (One flyboy got away. His name was George Herbert Walker Bush.)

After writing two books about WWII in the Pacific, I began to wonder about the origins of America’s involvement in that war. The inferno that followed Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor had consumed countless lives, and believing there’s usually smoke before a fire, I set off to search Asia for the original irritants. The result of that search is my third book, The Imperial Cruise.

I am working on my fourth book, about Franklin Delano Roosevelt and China.

Above my desk are the framed words of James Michener:
“Just because you wrote a few books, the world is not going to change. You will find that you will go to sleep and awaken as the same son-of-a-bitch you were the day before.”

For the past ten years, the James Bradley Peace Foundation and Youth For Understanding have sent American students to live with families overseas. Perhaps in the future when we debate whether to fight it out or talk it out, one of these Americans might make a difference.


GIVEAWAY
THANKS TO BRIANNE AND THE
HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I
HAVE THREE COPIES OF THIS
WONDERFUL BOOK TO GIVEAWAY!


THE RULES:
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--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST BE
SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY


HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: READ ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND THE BOOK ABOVE, AND THEN COMMENT ON WHY YOU WOULD LIKE TO WIN THIS BOOK

+1 ENTRY: TELL ME ABOUT ONE OTHER GIVEAWAY THAT IS STILL GOING ON HERE AT BOOKIN' WITH BINGO THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED. IF YOU HAVEN'T, GO ENTER SOME, AND YOU CAN COME BACK. LOTS OF GOOD STUFF TO TRY FOR!

+1 MORE ENTRY: TELL ME IF YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG AND HOW. I HOPE YOU FOUND IN THE LEFT COLUMN THAT I HAVE ADDED A WAY SO YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL NOW! I THINK IT IS THE EASIEST WAY NOT TO MISS OUT ON ANYTHING!

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, NOVEMBER 23!

GOOD LUCK!

77 comments:

Pamela Keener said...

I agree with Michener's comment about knowing what you want to be when you grow up. I am 55, retired and I still don't know. I love reading about WWII and I guess I just took it at face value not realizing, duh!!!!!!!!!, that there is the rest of the story or shall I say the beginning of the story.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

I entered Chocolate.com GC giveaway.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)com

Pamela Keener said...

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Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Team JC said...

I would love to win this for my father in law. I know he would love this book!! Thanks!
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PoCoKat said...

Love history...sounds like a great book!

littleone AT shaw DOT ca

PoCoKat said...

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Anonymous said...

I would love to know more about the Pacific part of the war. My Uncle was in the Rangers in the Pacific so it would be good to read to add to what he has written on his website.After reading about the author,I think I would like to read all of his books.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I entered the contest for 'The Confession'.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I subscribe by e-mail and the other ways listed on the blog. I have always thought that this is the best way not to miss anything.

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Anonymous said...

Carolee888 http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/? See the above link for giveaway of "The Imperial Cruise'.

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Sandra K321 said...

I love history and enjoy reading a well written book.
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Sandra K321 said...

I follow your blog via google friend connect.
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traveler said...

This interesting and compelling story appeals to me and would be ideal reading for the fall and winter. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I follow your blog via e-mail. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I entered Casting About. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

petite said...

History and World War II are my favorite era's to explore and read about. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

I am a follower. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

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debbie said...

My son is obsessed with history and would love to read this book. It sounds like it would be really interesting.
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debbie said...

I entered angelology giveaway.
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debbie said...

I am a gfc follower.
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twoofakind12@yahoo.com

Margie said...

My husband is a WWII history buff. I would love to win this book for him.
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Margie said...

I entered your giveaway for chocolate. Yum!
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Steve Capell said...

I also love to to read historical accounts of WWII. I knew that Taft worked behind the scenes from a political point of view to remove General MacArthur from his command as he seen MacArthur has cruel leader. I would really like to read James Bradley's account of this important era in our history.

On a second note his father being one of the six men that helped raise the flag on Iwo Jima is absolutely awesome. I am sure James is very proud of his father. This picture of WWII of the raising of American Flag has been labeled one of the most important pictures of WWII.

After reading about this author and all that he has accomplished I would very much like to read "The Imperial Cruise." Thanks for the opportunity.

steven(dot)capell(at)gmail(dot)com

Laura said...

I still don't know what I want to be and I just turned 39! I love reading about history and finding out about things that have happened that many might not know about. I am a follower.
Laura
laura.leahj@ gmail dot com

holdenj said...

My dad would have loved this book! He was always very interested in the Pacific during WWII and now I find that I enjoy books like this as well.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I am a GFC follower.
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holdenj said...

I entered the Crossroads giveaway.
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rubynreba said...

I really like to read about history and this sounds very good.
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I subscribe by email.
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Marjorie/cenya2 said...

The historical storyline is so interesting that I would like to know more about it.

cenya2 at hotmail dot com

Reading said...

My hubby is a history buff and I think he would love this one. Thanks for the giveaway.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Reading said...

I follow on GFC

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Reading said...

I entered Mini Shopaholic giveaway

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Reading said...

I entered Keeping Time giveaway

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Theresa N. said...

I enjoy reading about history, this sounds very interesting. Alice sounds like a can do kind of girl.
Theresa N
weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

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Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

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Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

My Dad was in the Navy for 10 years and server on the cruiser USS Rochester, so anything about the life on a cruiser totally fascinates me.


alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com

hendy said...

I would love to win this book as someone who love history and non-fiction I'm always trying to learn more about important events that happened in our past and shaped our country.
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hendy said...

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tweeted
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Unknown said...

I'd LOVE to win this for my husband. He's really into WWII and he just watched the series on HBO I think about the Pacific. He'd love this book!!

Chirth7@yahoo.com

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Shirley said...

I'd like to win this book for my son in law who is a war buff.

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Jeff said...

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