Synopses & Reviews
In 1942 Attu, the westernmost island in the Aleutian chain, was home to two Americans and forty-five Aleut hunters and their families. Located one thousand miles from the Alaska mainland and isolated by year-round damp fogs which manage to survive the constant high winds, Attu was called by an early visitor “the lonesomest spot this side of hell.”
In June 1942 Attu and the nearby island of Kiska were invaded by the Japanese in the hopes of accomplishing several goals: forestalling use of the islands by the Americans, hindering U.S.-Soviet cooperation, and establishing bases for attacks on the American mainland. On 11 May 1943, the U.S. effort to retake Attu began. The struggle was essentially an infantry battle. The ever-present fog, rain, and high wind limited the use of air power, and the craggy terrain made mechanized equipment next to useless. The infantry retook the island foot by foot.
Lieutenant Robert J. Mitchell was one American wounded in the battle. During his convalescence he took down the accounts of the survivors while their memories were fresh. He presents them here in their own immediate, direct, and informal language.
Synopsis
In June 1942 the Japanese army invaded Attu, a remote island at the end of the Aleutian Chain. Soldiers occupied the village for two months before taking its Alaska Native residents to Japan, where they were held until the end of the war. After harassing American and Canadian forces for little over a year, the Japanese forces quietly withdrew. After the war, the Attuans' return to Alaska was not a joyful reunion. When they were released, the Attuans were not allowed to return to their home, but were settled instead in Atka, several hundred miles from Attu.and#160;
and#160;
Attu Boy is Nick Golodoffand#8217;s memoir of his experience as a prisoner of war in Japan during World War II as a young boy. Nick was six years old when Japanese soldiers invaded his remote Aleutian village. Along with theand#160; other Unangan Attu residents, Nick and his family were taken to Hokkaido, Japan. Only 25 of the Attuans survived the war; the others died of hunger, malnutrition, and disease. Nick tells his story from the unique viewpoint of a child who experienced friendly relationships with some of the Japanese captors along with harsh treatment from others. Other voices join Nickand#8217;s to give the book a broad sense of the struggles, triumphs, and heartbreak of lives disrupted by war.and#160; and#160;
Synopsis
In the quiet of morning, exactly six months after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese touched down on American soil. Landing on the remote Alaska island of Attu, they assailed an entire village, holding the Alaskan villagers for two months and eventually corralling all survivors into a freighter bound for Japan.
One of those survivors, Nick Golodoff, became a prisoner of war at just six years old. He was among the dozens of Unangan Attu residents swept away to Hokkaido, and one of only twenty-five to survive. Attu Boy tells Golodoffand#8217;s story of these harrowing years as he found both friendship and cruelty at the hands of the Japanese. It offers a rare look at the lives of civilian prisoners and their captors in WWII-era Japan. It also tells of Golodoffand#8217;s bittersweet return to a homeland torn apart by occupation and forced internments. Interwoven with other voices from Attu, this richly illustrated memoir is a testament to the struggles, triumphs, and heartbreak of lives disrupted by war.
About the Author
Gregory J. W. Urwin is a professor of history at Temple University. Among his books are Facing Fearful Odds: The Siege of Wake Island and Custer Victorious: The Civil War Battles of General George Armstrong Custer, both available from the University of Nebraska Press.
Table of Contents
List of Figures Preface by Brenda Maly
and#160;
Introduction
A Young Boyandrsquo;s Experience during World War II
Attu before the War
Prewar Fears and Clues about Japanese Invasion
The Japanese Invasion, June 7, 1942
Life as a Japanese POW
Return and Resettlement
Nickandrsquo;s Connection to Japan
Reflections on Life in Atka
Growing Up and Going to School
Left Behind by the Military
Working Life
Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife
Atka is Far Away from Anywhere Else
Learning from the Elders
Relatives from Attu
Commentary and First-Person Accounts
Attu before the War
Prewar Fears and Clues about Japanese Invasion
The Japanese Invasion, June 7, 1942
Life as a Japanese POW
Return and Resettlement
Nickandrsquo;s Connection to Japan
Epilogue
and#160;
Appendix: Attu Prehistory and History
Bibliography