About this title: In this highly autobiographical novel, the protagonist, a boy named Jim, is interred in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in China during World War II--separated from his parents, and forced to struggle for survival in an alien world. The story culminates in the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date Published: 1984
ISBN-13:9780671530518ISBN:0671530518
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Dust Jacket has some edgewear present. -, Hard Cover, Very Good / Very Good. read more
Binding: MASS MARKET PAPERBACK
Publisher: Washington Square Press
ISBN-13:9780671530532ISBN:0671530534
Description: Very Good. 0671530534 Condition: VERY GOOD. (Book may have one or a combination of the following characteristics: former library book, cover wear, name written inside cover, light underlining/highlighting, remainder mark, etc. Overall, the book is in solid shape. This is a blanket description. Please e us if you require a specific, detailed description of the book condition. We will typically respond within one week of your request). read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Date Published: 1985
ISBN-13:9780671530532ISBN:0671530534
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Cover has wear along binding with small chips and some creases; tanned pages appear to be unmarked. read more
"The book is realistic, written in the second person, and very frank without being either overly grahpic or morbid, when describing the misery and death endured as a prisoner of the Japanese in China, during WWII. There is hardly any likeness between the book and the movie. The book is reality, the movie is, at best, loosely based upon the book. The book can get almost mundane, whereas the movie is idealistic and action packed for the feel-good appeal. For someone who has traveled to or lived in the Far East, the book makes it easy to visualize the sights, smells, the flora and fauna, and the living conditions the author knew as a young boy turned teen-ager living and surviving in pre-war and WWII China.
A worthwhile book to add to your library."
"This was a very interesting book. Probably like most people, when I think of WWII, I think of a few historical "touchpoints": Nazi Germany, Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, Hiroshima. The biggies.
This book isn't about any of them. Well, not directly. This book is personal and intimate and shows the gritty underbelly of a war that people like to romanticize. Heck, even the main character romanticized the war, and he was living it!
Quickie synopsis: Jim is happy and sheltered living in Shanghai with his parents. War starts. Jim is separated from parents and then begins a crazy messed up survivor-journey through Japanese invaded and war-torn China to try to find them.
Now I like gritty and realistic coming of age type stories. This one was an interesting look at what happens when you have to come of age not only while a war is taking place, but smack-dab in the middle of it, suffering and starving and unsure of tomorrow, even while seeing the world through a child's eyes. The fascination with both cars and planes got a bit tiresome, but what the heck else did he have to entertain himself with?
Two things did get rather on my nerves:
First, the dialogue felt very fake and unnatural. Yes, I do realize that this is a well-mannered and enthusiastic 11 year old doing his best to survive, and if that means ingratiating himself to anyone and everyone he meets, then so be it. But, is it REALLY necessary to repeat everything that is said to him? Is he a boy or a parrot? Example- Basie says: "I took good care of you, Jim." Jim says: "You took good care of me, Basie."
Second, twice during the course of the book, Ballard used the phrase "Two years ago, when Jim was younger...". This just annoys me for some reason. Two years ago, obviously Jim was younger. Why say it? We're not dumb. Actually, I'm being picky. No we're not dumb readers, but I don't really think that Ballard meant it that way. I think he was trying to say that Jim has matured in a very short time, but just chose a really bad way of saying it.
Anyway, those are nit-picky things, but they were distracting to me. Overall, the story was interesting and gave a different insight to a situation that I hope I never find myself in."
"I give this one 3.5 stars but alas because no half stars are allowed 4 stars it is.
Jim is suddenly separated from his parents during WWII in China. Young Jim is then forced to survive the horrors of war on his own. Without any adults willing to help him and because of his European descent Jim is sent off to a Japanese concentration camp until the end of the war.
This book was a bit hard for me to read because it is written through the eyes of a young child experiencing some really difficult situations. He gets taken advantage of many times due to his innocence but it is his innocence that really helps him get through such tough situations. Although I admittedly did not enjoy every aspect of the book it left me with some great images and really got me thinking about the repercussions of war especially on the psyche of young children."
"would classify Empire of the Sun as an adventure novel about a boy's life during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in WWII.
The book is graphic and spares no details about how people die, but it wasn't graphic to the point where I had to put it down. Halfway through reading this, I realized that it was not fiction and was actually an autobiography, which made it a bit more difficult to read the particularly gruesome parts.
Empire of the Sun not only has an accurate portrayal of how a teenage boy would act during internment, but also the thoughts that would run through his head. There are parts in the book which had me on the edge of my seat because I was sure the boy was about to die, but knew that it couldn't happen logically since it's a biography.
Ballard not only provides an exciting adventure story, but also great insight into the human condition. While I wouldn't exactly call this an uplifting book, I did feel better after reading it. I feel the same way about it as I feel about Schindler's List: I wouldn't call it enjoyable, but it's definitely something that people should read."
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