Books like Japan, a modern history by James L. McClain

An analysis of IQ, genetics, environment, social class, and education in the United States, examining how intelligence test scores reflect both biological and social factors.

Marius Jansen traces Japan’s evolution into a modern state, from adopting Western models and expanding trade to industrial social change and post‑war occupation reforms, highlighting individuals—writers, artists, thinkers and leaders—who shaped it.

Herbert P. Bix’s Pulitzer‑winning biography traces Emperor Hirohito’s reign from his birth into a divine dynasty to his pivotal role in Japan’s military expansion, wartime decisions, and postwar transformation.

George L. Hicks exposes the organized system of Japanese ‘comfort stations’ in World War II, detailing how women were coerced into prostitution and how the Japanese government concealed the atrocity.

A spy thriller set against the backdrop of World War II Paris, focusing on Jean Casson's tumultuous romance and moral compromises during the occupation.

On March 11, 2011, a 120-foot-high tsunami smashed into the northeast coast of Japan, leaving more than eighteen thousand people dead. It was Japan's single greatest loss of life since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. Richard Lloyd Parry, an award winning foreign correspondent, lived through the earthquake in Tokyo and spent six years reporting from the disaster zone. Ghosts of the Tsunami is the intimate account of an epic tragedy, told through the perspectives of those who lived through it. -- Adapted from book jacket.

"When Emperor Meiji began his rule, in 1867, Japan was a splintered empire, dominated by the shogun and the daimyos, who ruled over the country's more than 250 decentralized domains and who were, in the main, cut off from the outside world, staunchly antiforeign, and committed to the traditions of the past. Before long, the shogun surrendered to the emperor, a new constitution was adopted, and Japan emerged as a modern, industrialized state.". "Despite the length of his reign, little has been written about the strangely obscured figure of Meiji himself, the first emperor ever to meet a European. Most historians discuss the period that takes his name while barely mentioning the man, assuming that he had no real involvement with the affairs of the state. Even Japanese who believe Meiji to have been their nation's greatest ruler may have trouble recalling a single personal accomplishment that might account for such a glorious reputation. Renowned Japan scholar Donald Keene sifts the available evidence to present a rich portrait not only of Meiji but also of rapid and sometimes violent change during this pivotal period in Japan's history."--BOOK JACKET.

A thrilling tale of espionage and love in wartime Paris, featuring a foreign correspondent who must navigate the treacherous politics of Europe as he races to protect a clandestine newspaper and its brave editors, journalists, and scientists who risk everything for a free Italy.

Martin Dugard recounts the dramatic 1998 Sydney‑Hobart Yacht Race, a storm‑ridden event that produced multiple yachting accidents and large‑scale search and rescue operations across Australian waters.

Downfall uncovers how American leaders discovered in summer 1945 that their blockade, bombardment and planned invasion strategy had failed, as Japan prepared a massive defense on Kyushu, forcing a final clash of arms.

A detailed study of Japan’s rise to aggression and the U.S. unpreparedness in the Pacific during World War II, examining causes, policies, and key events that shaped the conflict.

In 1841, rescued by an American whaler after a terrible shipwreck leaves him and his four companions castaways on a remote island, fourteen-year-old Manjiro learns new laws and customs as he becomes the first Japanese person to set foot in the United States.

The 1930s were perhaps the seminal decade in twentieth-century history, a dark time of global depression that displaced millions, paralyzed the liberal democracies, gave rise to totalitarian regimes, and, ultimately, led to the Second World War. In this sweeping history, Piers Brendon brings the tragic, dismal days of the 1930s to life. From Stalinist pogroms to New Deal programs, Brendon re-creates the full scope of a slow international descent towards war. Offering perfect sketches of the players, riveting descriptions of major events and crises, and telling details from everyday life, he offers both a grand, rousing narrative and an intimate portrait of an era that make sense out of the fascinating, complicated, and profoundly influential years of the 1930s.

A biography of Bayard Rustin, focusing on his work as a civil rights organizer and strategist, including his role in the Montgomery bus boycott and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Andrew Gordon’s authoritative survey traces Japan’s transformation from the Tokugawa era through the Meiji, Taishō, Showa, and Heisei periods, detailing political, social, and intellectual shifts that shaped modern Japan.

Warriors of the Rising Sun chronicles the Japanese military's transformation from honorable "knights of Bushido" into men who massacred thousands during the Pacific War. Crucial in bringing about this change was Western rejection of Japan as an aspiring colonial power, as well as the West's racist, anti-Japanese immigration policies. Japan's leaders chose military brutality as a necessary means to achieve a rightful place in the world. Today, Japan has the second largest military budget in the world. What lessons have her leaders learned from the past wars?