Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea Main Edition
Author(s): Sheila Miyoshi Jager (Author)
Publisher: Profile Books
Publication Date: 20 Jun. 2013
Edition: Main
Language: English
Print length: 608 pages
ISBN-10: 1846680670
ISBN-13: 9781846680670
Book Description
In this blockbusting trade debut, distinguished American professor Sheila Miyoshi Jager interweaves international events and previously unknown personal accounts to give a brilliant new history of the war, its aftermath and its global impact told from American, Korean, Soviet and Chinese sides. This is the first account to examine not only the military, but the social and political aspects of the war across the whole region – and it takes the story up to the present day: for the current wrangles are part of a conflict that has been ongoing for more than seventy years.
Drawing on newly accessible diplomatic archives and reports from South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Comission, Jager not only analyses top-level military strategy but also depicts on-the-ground atrocities committed by both side that have never been revealed. The most accessible, up-to-date and balanced account yet written, rich with maps and illustrations, Brothers at War is the thrilling and highly original debut of a historian comparable to Max Hastings or Antony Beevor. It will become the definitive chronicle of the struggle’s origins, aftermath, and global impact for years to come.
As North Korea enters the headlines again on the 60th anniversary of the armistice, this book provides a vital and comprehensive account of a war between brothers that shaped the current crisis.
‘I entered the prison and walked around and discovered the corpses; they were black and covered with flies. I couldn’t believe how cruelly these civilians were killed. I thought that it didn’t matter whether this was done by the Communists or by our own troops — it represented the sorrow of a weak people, the tragedy of a civil war.’ Yi Chun-yong, a South Korean prison guard recalls a massacre scene at Taejon prison in 1950
Editorial Reviews
Review
Insightful, in-depth, and much needed, this book is required reading for anyone who hopes to understand the situation in Korea ― Publishers Weekly
Timely…an important contribution to Cold War scholarship — Paul French ―
Literary Review
An ambitious, engrossing, and often disturbing history of the conflict … a superbly researched work that should be an essential tool in understanding the current crisis on the peninsula ―
Booklist
Professor Jager has written a fresh, insightful study of the Korean War that begins in 1945 and follows the war’s impact into the twenty-first century. This book is the best one-volume study of the war in all its cultural, political, and military aspects. — Allan R. Millett, author of They Came From the North: The Korean War, 1950-1951
This is a magnificent book-deeply researched and written with real feeling and insight into the complex internal and external conditions that produced a brutal war and perpetuated Korea’s division to the present day. — William Stueck, author of The Korean War: An International History
Jager . . . skillfully covers international affairs, politics, and society in a first-rate comprehensive presentation of all the big issues facing North and South Korea. — Ezra F Vogel, Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences Emeritus, Harvard University co-editor, Deng and the Transformation of China.
The author’s judicious use of new material in several languages as well as her balanced way of presentation make this book an authoritative and accessible history of the Korean peninsula since the Second World — Akira Iriye, Harvard University
Sheila Miyoshi Jager’s
Brothers at War is a timely reminder of the significance of arguably the most important unfinished business of the Cold War. — Major General Julian Thompson, KCL
A stark reminder that… the Korean War is far
from over… This gripping book at lastgives the big picture and the full story of a tragic and terrible conflict. — Aidan Foster-Carter, Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology & Modern Korea, Leeds University, UK
Written in lucid narrative prose with an eye for the telling detail and compelling human story — Carter J. Eckhart, Yoon Se Young Professor of Korean History Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations Harvard University
Sheila Miyoshi Jager has managed an astounding feat-an extremely readable yet rigorously objective and brilliantly researched history of the Korean War from all sides. — Rana Mitter, professor of the history and politics of modern china, Oxford University, and author of Forgotten Ally: China’s World War Two
Heavyweight history of the best kind: an impressive and comprehensive account not only of the Korean War but also its many and far-reaching consequences. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand our troubled relationship with North Korea today. — Keith Lowe, author of Savage Continent: Europe in the aftermath of World War Two
A wonderful piece of work. A new history of the Korean War, informed by the latest archival materials, and written in an accessible and compelling way. — Victor Cha
Best book on Korean war and aftermath I’ve ever read. — Senator John McCain
Book Description
A major new history told from all sides, to coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of the armistice in the Korean War.
About the Author
Sheila Miyoshi Jager is Luce Associate Professor and Director of East Asian Studies at Oberlin College, Ohio. She has written extensively on modern and contemporary Korean politics and history and is the author and co-editor of two previous books on Korea and East Asia. She lives in Oberlin with her husband and children.
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