Buruma examines how Germany and Japan have separately dealt with the guilt they bear for acts committed during WWII. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Buruma, a native of Holland, established his credentials on the subject of Japan in Behind the Mask (1983). In this work, he examines how Japan and Germany have handled their collective memories of World War II. While Gordon Craig (The Germans, LJ 2/1/82) examined the ethnopsychology of the Germans with more scholarship, Buruma provides a timely comparative study of the Axis partners. Given the current fear of a reunified Germany full of skinheads in the streets, Buruma may surprise some with his conclusion that Germany is coming to grips with the past while Japan tries to ignore it. As a journalist, Buruma is prone to journalism's sins: sweeping generalizations and the absence of footnotes. Still, this insightful look at two major nations in the new world order will make a valuable addition to any library. Highly recommended. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/94.]-Randall L. Schroeder, Augustana Coll. Lib., Rock Island, Ill. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.