Gregg Jones – författare

A fascinating story of national resilience and pride through centuries of colonial rule, World War II, independence, dictatorship, People Power, and the global diaspora of Filipinos!A Brief History of the Philippines tells the sweeping story of a nation whose past is filled with epic struggles, improbable triumphs, and an enduring search for identity in a world that has too often overlooked the nation or defined it from the outside. Key topics discussed in this book include:The Philippine Islands before European contact: How geography, trade, and inter-island commerce fostered multicultural communities and political networks long before the momentous arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, a fateful encounter that ushered in centuries of Spanish and American colonial ruleThe unique role of religion in shaping Filipino identity: The fusion of indigenous beliefs and Catholicism, alongside the influence of Islam and the spiritual undercurrents that guide national life todayThe rise of the Filipino diaspora: How millions of overseas Filipino workers, artists, and entrepreneurs have spread Philippine culture around the globe, forging one of the world's most dynamic transnational communitiesThe continuing hope for equality: Japanese occupation during World War II tested the nation's resilience, paving the way for independence and the tumultuous journey of the modern republic, from dictatorship and the People Power revolutions to democracy and beyondAward-winning author and historian Gregg Jones captures the paradoxes and possibilities that define these islands in vivid detail: a country where faith and fatalism, poverty and promise, colonial legacy and global ambition coexist. The Filipino people have endured misrule, poverty, and catastrophe, yet always reemerge with an indomitable spirit and a culture as warm and welcoming as the islands they call home.

Foreword by Naomi Ostwald Kawamura of DenshoIntroduction by William Fujioka of JANMAfterword by Jonathan EigThe first comprehensive biography of unjustly forgotten Japanese American war hero Ben Kuroki, who fought the Axis powers during World War II and battled racism, injustice, and prejudice on the home front.Ben Kuroki was a twenty-four-year-old Japanese American farm boy whose heritage was never a problem in remote Nebraska—until Pearl Harbor. Among the millions of Americans who flocked to military stations to enlist, Ben wanted to avenge the attack, reclaim his family honor, and prove his patriotism. But as anti-Japanese sentiment soared, Ben had to fight to be allowed to fight for America. And fight he did.As a gunner on Army Air Forces bombers, Ben flew fifty-eight missions spanning three combat theaters: Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific, including the climactic B-29 firebombing campaign against Japan that culminated with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He flew some of the war’s boldest and bloodiest air missions and lived to tell about it. In between his tours in Europe and the Pacific, he challenged FDR’s shameful incarceration of more than one hundred thousand people of Japanese ancestry in America, and he would be credited by some with setting in motion the debate that reversed a grave national dishonor. In the euphoric wake of America’s victory, the decorated war hero used his national platform to carry out what he called his “fifty-ninth mission,” urging his fellow Americans to do more to eliminate bigotry and racism at home.Told in full for the first time, and long overdue, Ben’s extraordinary story is a quintessentially American one of patriotism, principle, perseverance, and courage. It’s about being in the vanguard of history, the bonding of a band of brothers united in a just cause, a timeless and unflinching account of racial bigotry, and one man’s transcendent sense of belonging—in war, in peace, abroad, and at home.

“Fascinating… In the end, Honor in the Dust is less about the freedom of the Philippines than the soul of the United States. This is the story of what happened when a powerful young country and its zealous young president were forced to face the high cost of their ambitions.”—Candice Millard, New York Times Book ReviewOn the eve of a new century, an up-and-coming Theodore Roosevelt set out to transform the U.S. into a major world power. The Spanish-American War would forever change America''s standing in global affairs, and drive the young nation into its own imperial showdown in the Philippines.

 

From Admiral George Dewey''s legendary naval victory in Manila Bay to the Rough Riders'' heroic charge up San Juan Hill, from Roosevelt''s rise to the presidency to charges of U.S. military misconduct in the Philippines, Honor in the Dust brilliantly captures an era brimming with American optimism and confidence as the nation expanded its influence abroad.