What We Thought: December 6 by Martin Cruz Smith

December 6 by Martin Cruz Smith was the December monthly selection. Book club members were captivated reading from the point of view of Japanese citizens in 1941 about their behavior leading up to the December 7th attack on Pearl Harbor. They were fascinated by how the people adapted to the shortage of oil created by the American embargo and wondered how charcoal-fired cars would be accepted and used in America.

The main character, Harry Niles, grew up in Japan and is the son of American Christian missionaries. He speaks fluent Japanese and moves effectively among the local residents and the westerners who live there. He appears to be most comfortable with the Japanese and their lifestyle even though the Japanese do not accept foreigners (gaijin) among them.

The discussion led members to mention books they have read that resonated with the author’s story. Perhaps the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the history of American-Japanese relations in World War II are difficult subjects to talk about directly and personally.

Books mentioned by members: We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese by  Elizabeth Norman, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, From Here to Eternity by James Jones, Kamikaze Diaries; Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers by Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, Last Train from Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back by Charles Pellegrino, One Second After by William R. Forstchen, Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff, and The Boys in the Boat by Daniel Brown.