The Storm on Our Shores

One Island, Two Soldiers, and the Forgotten Battle of World War II

By: Mark Obmascik

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

This “engrossing” (The Wall Street Journal) national best seller and true “heartbreaking tale of tragedy and redemption” (Hampton Sides, best-selling author of Ghost Soldiers) reveals how a discovered diary - found during a brutal World War II battle - changed our war-torn society’s perceptions of Japan.

May 1943. The Battle of Attu - called “The Forgotten Battle” by World War II veterans - was raging on the Aleutian island with an Arctic cold, impenetrable fog, and rocketing winds that combined to create some of the worst weather on Earth. Both American and Japanese forces tirelessly fought in a yearlong campaign, with both sides suffering thousands of casualties. Included in this number was a Japanese medic whose war diary would lead a Silver Star-winning American soldier to find solace for his own tortured soul.

The doctor’s name was Paul Nobuo Tatsuguchi, a Hiroshima native who had graduated from college and medical school in California. He loved America, but was called to enlist in the Imperial Army of his native Japan. Heartsick, wary of war, yet devoted to Japan, Tatsuguchi performed his duties and kept a diary of events as they unfolded - never knowing it would be found by an American soldier named Dick Laird.

Laird, a hardy, resilient underground coal miner, enlisted in the US Army to escape the crushing poverty of his native Appalachia. In a devastating mountainside attack in Alaska, Laird was forced to make a fateful decision, one that saved him and his comrades but haunted him for years.

Tatsuguchi’s diary was later translated and distributed among US soldiers. It showed the common humanity on both sides of the battle. But it also ignited fierce controversy that is still debated today. After 40 years, Laird was determined to return it to the family and find peace with Tatsuguchi’s daughter, Laura Tatsuguchi Davis.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mark Obmascik “writes with tremendous grace about a forgotten part of our history, telling the same story from two opposing points of view - perhaps the only way warfare can truly be understood” (Helen Thorpe, author of Soldier Girls).

©2019 Mark Obmascik (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

Excellent and touching

Do not be disappointed when listening to the book thinking it will be another book on a segment of WWII;just give it the opportunity. You will not regret it.

Moving Story

I have listen to many war stories over the years on Audible. The Storm on Our Shores is one of the most moving stories in years.

Small World

This is a devastatingly beautiful story of two lives bound by fate to meet. They were born worlds apart, and brought together by the decisions of generals who never knew them as the men they were. They were only pawns in WWII. Yet, their lives have touched so many people. This is a true story of how small our world truly is.

Great WWII Book

So we'll told , this true and touching book! I highly recommend that every one read this book!

The untold battle in school history books

Amazing story. My Great grandfather was a cook on a ship sent to Attu. I am glad I learned more about it.

History and 2 good stories

This book is great! I never knew about this battle. I also knew little about post war Japan, other than getting our boys out.

Spellbinding

An incredible WW2 story that is not even really about the war. I could not stop listening

Finished in Two Days

I'm really not sure why I'm the first one on Audible and second on Goodreads to write a review on "The Storm on Our Shores". This book was recently released a few days ago and 60 Minutes even had a segment on Attu and the forgotten battle in World War II. Mark Obmascik is even a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and yet there is no solid reviews.

"The Storm on Our Shores" is one of the best history books that I've ever read on WWII. I've always had an instant infatuation on this war because no matter how much I read and studied, there is always untold stories to be told. Unlike other wars, WWII had two combat enemies. Germany and Japan. Hitler and his ruthlessness has been retold over and over, but there is very little information on the battle with the Japanese.

This book is awesome. Not only Mark Obmascik explains what happened on Attu island, but he also introduce the two soldiers on opposite side of the line and their life before the gun fire. This book is more about the diary that Tatsuguchi wrote while he was in combat. He only served in the Japanese military because he was called on. Tatsuguchi was an American at his heart because he had a life in California and went to medical school before he got enlisted.

I could had easily finish this book within a day. This was the most excellent information on Attu because Obmascik reported this forgotten war flawlessly. Excellent information on racism for the Japanese in the States after the war too.

If my review doesn't compels you to listen or read "The Storm on Our Shores", then I have failed to write a five star review. I wouldn't be surprise if Mark Obmascik will win another Pulitzer for this book.

Wonderful Story of War in the Aleutian Islands

This was a remarkable book, a great book to listen to if you are a history buff, a romantic, or just interested in WW II in the Aleutian Islands. Having been to islands during my Army days this was a deeply personal book for me. the loneliness, the cold constant wind and rain, and the joy of one sunny day in a month was a remembrance of days past. Thanks to the author I have a deeper understanding of the battlefield that I have seen up close. This story is one that makes the other stories about the islands open up with some personal color. Glad that we have fine people on both sides of war that help us understand once again the sacrifices of our volunteers. Thanks for your service seems inadequate, perhaps we should say thanks for doing what 99% now avoid.

Amazing listen about an obscure part of US History

This is an amazing story, which really developed characters. It showed me a part of US History that I had only heard a few rumblings on growing up. I would highly recommend this book, as it shows the conflict of morality and duty in war, as well as the futility and heartbreak of those involved.