THE RISING SUN The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945

This Pulitzer Prize-winning title is unique in that it tells the story of WWII in the Pacific from Japan's point of view, and is written by one of the foremost chroniclers of that era. It's an excellent book and deserves a wide audience. Narrator Tom Weiner has a deep, authoritative voice that fits well with the text. He reads in a straightforward manner, eschewing character voices and focusing on the audiobook's information. He does pronounce the Japanese words with respect, but he clearly is not steeped in the language. There are times when Weiner gets caught in long passages and loses some energy, but overall he does a fine job with this impressively detailed history. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2015]