Flyboys
A True Story of Courage
By James Bradley 

     Flyboys is about nine pilots shot down during WWII. Its backdrop is the history of both American and Japan. The author also takes readers through the Armed Service's change from ground and water to air. It's the kind of subject matter that will pique the interest of both military and civilian reader.

      Bradley goes into graphic detail about the conditions and treatment these men and others endured at the hands of the Japanese military. Fair warning: the graphic cruelty of the Japanese military (beheadings, beatings, and cannibalism) is hard to stomach. The one pilot who was rescued at sea and returned home was former President Bush. The author discloses how the loss of the other pilots, to this day, haunts his thoughts.

     Flyboys starts off slow, but picks up quickly. It's revealing, shocking, and gruesome, the kind of book that is hard to forget and demands discussion. Highly recommended.