Showa: A History of Japan

A fantastic book in a fantastic series that effectively communicates the horrors of war from a distinctly Japanese childhood wartime perspective, while also making sure to acknowledge and confront the deeply heinous actions of the Japanese state at this time. Given how genuinely taboo it still seems for Japanese political figures to even apologize for the crimes of their state, and how common it is for a great deal of Japanese media exports (even “historical” ones) to brush past them wholesale, this book doesn’t pull its punches.