Bøger om Stillehavet

Ian Gill's first visit to Hong Kong takes an unexpected turn when he meets his Chinese mother Billie's fellow ex-prisoners of war, revealing a tumultuous past in Shanghai and Hong Kong. He moves to Asia and unravels her intriguing journey: from adoption by an Englishman in Changsha to radio broadcaster in wartime Shanghai, from tragedy in a Japanese internment camp to being decorated by Queen Elizabeth II. And he finally meets his father for the first time.

The “riveting” (John Wukovits, author of Admiral “Bull” Halsey) and all-but-unknown account of ten American prisoners of war who escaped from a Japanese prison during World War II.On April 4, 1943, ten American prisoners of war and two Filipino convicts executed a daring escape from one of Japan’s most notorious prison camps. The prisoners were survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March and the Fall of Corregidor, and the prison from which they escaped was surrounded by an impenetrable swamp and reputedly escape-proof. Theirs was the only successful group escape from a Japanese POW camp during the Pacific war. Escape from Davao is the “remarkable” (Bill Sloan, author of Brotherhood of Heroes) story of one of the most extraordinary incidents in the Second World War and of what happened when the Americans returned home to tell the world what they had witnessed. Davao Penal Colony, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, was a prison plantation where thousands of American POWs toiled alongside Filipino criminals and suffered from tropical diseases and malnutrition, as well as the cruelty of their captors. The American servicemen were rotting in a hellhole from which escape was considered impossible, but ten of them, realizing that inaction meant certain death, planned to escape. Their bold plan succeeded with the help of Filipino allies, both patriots and the guerrillas who fought the Japanese sent to recapture them. Their trek to freedom repeatedly put the Americans in jeopardy, yet they eventually succeeded in returning home to the United States to fulfill their self-appointed mission: to tell Americans about Japanese atrocities and to rally the country to the plight of their comrades still in captivity. But the government and the military had a different timetable for the liberation of the Philippines and ordered the men to remain silent. Their testimony, when it finally emerged, galvanized the nation behind the Pacific war effort and made the men celebrities. Over the decades this remarkable story, called the “greatest story of the war in the Pacific” by the War Department in 1944, has faded away. Because of wartime censorship, the full story has never been told until now. John D. Lukacs spent years researching this heroic event, interviewing survivors, reading their letters, searching archival documents, and traveling to the decaying prison camp and its surroundings. His dramatic, gripping account of the escape brings this remarkable tale back to life, where a new generation can admire the resourcefulness and patriotism of the men who fought the Pacific war.

Los protagonistas de Dos años de vacaciones son quince jóvenes de distintas nacionalidades abandonados en una isla y luchando por sobrevivir.Las diferencias de nacionalidad, de educación, de valores,...generan una serie de reflexiones de orden psicológico que contribuyen tanto a amenizar el relato como a identificar al lector con los protagonistas.Verne plantea una situación conflictiva para un grupo de niños, en la que se prueba que el valor y la inteligencia de éstos los ayudan a triunfar frente a dificultades, peligros y responsabilidades muy superiores a las comunes en su edad.Este audiolibro está narrado en castellano.Julio Verne nació en Nantes el 8 de febrero de 1828. Desde bien pequeño mostró un apetito voraz por la aventura, pues a la temprana edad de once años se escapó de casa para convertirse en grumete; sin embargo sus padres le dieron alcance antes de que pudiera emprender su viaje. Se dice que entonces juró usar su imaginación para poder viajar adonde quisiera, lo cual le llevó a escribir más de ochenta libros que se han convertido en absolutos clásicos de la literatura universal.

Faldir fjársjóðir. Dularfullir atburðir. Myrkir leyndardómar. Anna Brett óttast að þurfa að vera kennslukona á heimili annarra það sem eftir er ævinnar. En þegar hinn glæsilegi skipstjóri Redvers Stretton kemur aftur inn í líf hennar, ferðast hún frá köldu landslagi Englands yfir í dulúð Kyrrahafsins þar sem ekkert er það sem það lítur út fyrir að vera og hún lendir í miðri ráðgátu sem aðeins hún getur leyst. Meðan myndarlegi, ljóshærði og bláeygði skipstjórinn gerir sitt besta til að fá Önnu til að gleyma fortíð sinni áttar hún sig á því að myrk lendarmál liggja undir heillandi yfirborði hans. Morð fær mjög á ungu konuna og í draumum hennar eltir hana leyndardómur um falinn fjársjóð. Það er ekki tilviljun að skip Strettons er kallað „Leynda konan" og á ferð þeirra að Kóraleyju í Kyrrahafinu neyðist Anna til að horfast í augu við manninn sem gæti átt eins mörg leyndarmál og hún. Á frumstæðri eyjunni, þar sem fólk trúir enn á galdra og myrk öfl, kemur sannleikurinn um Redvers Stretton í ljós. Og ráðgátan um leyndu konuna er loksins leyst.Victoria Holt er eitt höfundarnafna Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert. Hún fæddist í Bretlandi árið 1906 og lést 1993 og ritaði um 200 sögulegar skáldsögur um ævina undir hinum og þessum höfundarnöfnum, allt eftir umfjöllunarefni sagnanna. Meðal annarra höfundarnafna hennar eru Jean Plaidy og Philippa Carr. Verk hennar hafa unnið til verðlauna, verið þýdd á fjölda tungumála og hafa selst í yfir 50 milljón eintökum um allan heim.

"Omoo" è il secondo romanzo di Melville; è un libro pieno di umorismo, ma anche una favola allegorica sull’incontro e lo scontro fra la civiltà e il mondo incantato delle isole polinesiane.Racconta di una baleniera sgangherata comandata da un capitano incapace, di una ciurma di personaggi squinternati, di ammutinamenti, incarcerazioni, incontri, amicizie e battibecchi con isolani e missionari di ogni genere. Sullo sfondo, la vita di bianchi e indigeni nei Mari del Sud.Questo audiolibro è stato realizzato in collaborazione con Edizioni Clichy.Herman Melville (1819 – 1891) è stato uno scrittore, poeta e critico letterario statunitense.I primi romanzi, narrazioni di avventure nei Mari del Sud, conobbero un notevole successo, facendolo diventare uno dei più conosciuti e apprezzati autori di storie marinaresche. La sua popolarità declinò dopo la pubblicazione di "Moby Dick" (1851), nonostante fosse stato accolto con favore dai recensori inglesi. Alla sua morte, Melville era quasi completamente dimenticato. "Moby Dick", da molti ritenuto il suo capolavoro, fu riscoperto solo nel 1921 e oggi è considerato una delle opere fondamentali della letteratura mondiale.

"Hideko was ten years old when the atomic bomb devastated her home in Hiroshima. In this eloquent and moving narrative, Hideko recalls her life before the bomb, the explosion itself, and the influence of that trauma upon her subsequent life in Japan and the United States. Her years in America have given her unusual insights into the relationship between Japanese and American cultures and the impact of Hiroshima on our lives. This new edition includes two expanded chapters and revisions throughout. A new epilogue brings the story up to date, covering Hideko's work as an anti-nuclear activist and her visit to the Enola Gay at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. This poignant story of courage and resilience remains deeply relevant today, offering a profoundly personal testament against the ongoing threat of nuclear warfare"--

Mila ankommer i en alder af tre år til Lissabon fra Luanda, hovedstaden i Angola. Hendes far er portugiser, hendes mor angolaner. Alt, hvad hun ved om sin oprindelse, stammer fra hendes bedsteforældre og nogle falmede fotografier. Fra første dag føler hun sig som en fremmed. Det mest tydelige tegn på hendes forskellighed er hendes krøllede hår, som stort set er uregerligt og vil følge hende hele livet. Mila bruger sine minder som en falsk biografi, hvori hun fortæller om familiebegivenheder gennem fire generationer. Hun indleder en søgen efter sin identitet, en søgen, der skal vise sig at blive kompleks og smertefuld, og som krydser tre lande og to kontinenters historie. Gennem hendes utæmmelige krøllede hårs originale linse ser vi hendes forandring og følger hende gennem kvartererne i et Lissabon, der endnu ikke tilhører middelklassen, gennem Luandas gader og blandt billederne i et familiealbum, der giver os et fragmentarisk og vildledende indblik. Ved at blande erindringer og postkolonial roman, virkelighed og fiktion reflekterer Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida over racisme, feminisme, identitet, hukommelsens mekanismer og skriveprocessen og tvinger os til at reflektere over et spørgsmål, der bekymrer flere og flere mennesker i dag: Hvad vil det sige slet ikke at høre til nogen steder og hele tiden leve i spændet mellem forskellige kulturer? ”Mit hår er en aktuel og vigtig bog om familie, som henvender sig til mange nutidige læsere, der kæmper med en blandet identitet, og til enhver, der forsøger at finde meningen med en hårtype, hudfarve og familiebaggrund, der ikke passer ind i det traditionelle mønster.” The New York Times

Tiden ved Stillehavet er en roman skrevet med glæde, som en hyldest til glæden. En stor familie ledsager den gamle 91-årige mor til Colombias Stillehavskyst for at se hvaler. Ignacio, som er læge og fortæller i denne smukke roman, er med på rejsen for at finde meningen med livet. Sammen med ham er hans mor, hans moster Antonia, hans kone, Ester, hans fire søskende, en sygeplejerske og hans nevøer. Nogle er spøgelsesagtige tilstedeværelser i hukommelsen, andre er der for at afsløre den dybere grund til, at de samles på det gådefulde sted, hvor havet, stranden, himlen og regnen går i ét med junglen. Tiden ved Stillehavet er en tumultarisk familieroman, hvori man mærker den store litteraturs mimetiske kraft; den, der gennem sine personer og sit sprog minder os om, at liv og død er to sider af samme sag. Ligesom der ikke kunne være noget hav uden en kyst, kan der heller ikke være nogen begyndelse uden en afslutning. “Tomás González har potentialet til at blive en klassiker i latinamerikansk litteratur. Da jeg læste ham, fik jeg fornemmelsen af, at han var en forfatter med en stor renhed.” Elfriede Jelinek, forfatter, Nobelprisvinder

An analysis of a 1933 Japanese pulp fiction novel and the foretelling of the coming war.

Trupy, wojna, tajemnice, a do tego taki ładunek emocji, że czytelnik dostaje szału.Porywająca, zaskakująca historia, która wspaniale szarga nerwy!Druga wojna światowa. Satoshi Yamane i Akihiko Onizawa dowodzą japońską jednostką badawczą i poszukują na Pacyfiku starożytnej świątyni z artefaktem. Przypadek sprawia, że ta sama wyspa staje się celem dywersji marynarki USA. Amerykanie nie wiedzą o działaniach Japończyków ani o tym, że są tam jeńcy - Zachary Ward i drużyna marines mają zniszczyć stację radiową.Jeden z jeńców, Richard Falls, odkopuje starożytną tablicę-mapę. Marines lądują na wyspie i napotykają na swojej drodze japoński patrol - jeńcy i pozostali Japończycy słyszą strzelaninę. Amerykanie napotykają pierwsze niepokojące oznaki w postaci dziwnych amuletów, rzeźb, posągów oraz ogromnych ilości amunicji i rozkopanych grobów z szkieletami, kontynuują jednak swoją misję. Onizawa odkrywa jaskinię z drugą tablicą.

The monograph is based on the research and training activities in the Western Pacific Ocean Region within the umbrella of UNESCO/IOC-Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific Region. The results of these activities are compared to cases from other tropical and subtropical regions on this planet to make the knowledge applicable to global aspects of sustainability of coral reef ecosystems. In this monograph, we examine the coral reefs from viewpoint of multidisciplinary approaches, including, environmental impacts, coral biology and system ecology, biogeochemical cycles and processes that drive the material and energy flow through the food web, as well as the proxies in geochemistry that have been used to track the responses of coral reefs to the changing climate and human perturbations. Although this study is focused on the Western Pacific Ocean, the Western Pacific Ocean is so large and diverse that most reef environment types on this planet are located within it. Therefore, knowledge gained in this study is relevant to the application of coastal management in practice as well as in the teaching classes on the interactions between coral reef ecosystems with changing environments.

This book focuses on the legal and procedural problems caused by Chinäs default in the South China Sea Arbitration. Many of these problems arose because in several respects, China departed from the conduct of other defaulting States in cases before the International Court of Justice.The book argues that the Tribunal, confronted with the difficulties of maintaining the balance between two parties in a situation of default, drew on the full range of its powers to ensure that neither China nor the Philippines would suffer from Chinäs default. Further, the book describes the shortcomings of the submissions of putative amicus curiae. It refutes Chinäs questioning of the independence and impartiality of the experts and of the judges. In so doing, it explains the expert opinions and the Tribunal ¿s assessments of the latter in the areas of satellite imagery, coral reef ecology, and navigational safety, while rebutting the half- truths and counter-truths disseminated by Chinese scholars about the proceedings. The book compares Chinäs threats to the independence of the Tribunal to its behavior towards Chinese judges. It places Chinäs accusations of bias against the Tribunal in the context of Chinäs domestic situation, and concludes that the Tribunal, acting independently and impartially, was able to perform the judicial function, despite Chinäs default.

Ein historischer Reisebericht über die Seefahrerlegende James CookEigentlich ist es einfachen Matrosen im 18. Jahrhundert untersagt, während einer Schiffsreise ihre Erlebnisse schriftlich festzuhalten. Doch Heinrich Zimmermann widersetzt sich und schmuggelt eine Schiefertafel mit an Bord. Auf dieser hält er die Abenteuer fest, die er mit dem berühmten Kapitän James Cook im Pazifischen Ozean erlebt. Er berichtet von fremdartigen Kulturen, freizügigen Frauenzimmern, angsteinflößenden Menschenfressern und nicht zuletzt von dem heimtückischen Mord an einem der bedeutendsten Entdecker der Welt, Kapitän James Cook.Heinrich Zimmermann (1741-1805) war ein Entdeckungsreisender und nahm an der letzten Reise von James Cook teil. Auf der Suche nach einer Amerika-Asien-Passage bereiste er mehr als vier Jahre lang den Pazifik vom Kap der guten Hoffnung bis beinahe zum Nordpol hinauf.

War and Resistance in the Philippines, 1942-1944 repairs the fragmentary and incomplete history of events in the Philippine Islands between the surrender of Allied forces in May 1942 and MacArthur's return in October 1944. No book has comprehensively examined the Filipino resistance during this crucial period. Here, James Kelly Morningstar provides for the first time a comprehensive history of the protracted fighting by 260,000 guerrillas in 277 units across the archipelago.Beginning with the Japanese occupation, the collapse of the United States Forces, Far East (USAFFE), and the simultaneous rise of the complex, diverse Philippine guerrilla movements, Morningstar exposes the inadequacy of MacArthur's conventional plans while revealing his inchoate preparation for guerrilla resistance. Morningstar then recounts in detail the impromptu resistance led by refugee American and Filipino soldiers, local politicians, and social revolutionaries left to battle the Japanese--and each other--with emphasis on how Japanese, American, and Filipino actions influenced and proscribed each other. From a distance, MacArthur contacted select guerrillas and organized agents to deliver supplies and radios to them by submarine. In this way he empowered some to gain power as part of a united framework under his leadership. This not only kept alive the resistance that denied the Japanese exploitation of the Philippines while setting the conditions for MacArthur's return, it also ensured that no one guerrilla leader could challenge America's supremacy. MacArthur's selective support to guerrilla groups that encouraged continued Filipino dependence on the United States would prove fatal for the incipient Maoist social revolution on Luzon. Even so, the Filipinos' shared sacrifice in their act of resistance fueled a national consciousness that created a sense of deserved nationhood.War and Resistance in the Philippines, 1942-1944 concludes with a brief discussion of legacies of the guerrilla resistance. MacArthur's return reestablished the power of American and Filipino political elites. Guerrillas and other citizens who had experienced exceptional hardship now had to fight for recognition. However, the war had resulted in a more united Philippine national identity along with new political institutions to repair the divisions between the formerly exiled government, the collaborationists, and the members of resistance. These momentous years of struggle in the Philippines changed the tide of history and challenge our understanding of war and resistance.

Valor is the magnificent story of a genuine American hero who survived the fall of the Philippines and brutal captivity under the Japanese, from New York Times bestselling author Dan Hampton.Lieutenant William Frederick "Bill" Harris was 25 years old when captured by Japanese forces during the Battle of Corregidor in May 1942. This son of a decorated Marine general escaped from hell on earth by swimming eight hours through a shark-infested bay; but his harrowing ordeal had just begun.Shipwrecked on the southern coast of the Philippines, he was sheltered by a Filipino aristocrat, engaged in guerilla fighting, and eventually set off through hostile waters to China. After 29 days of misadventures and violent storms, Harris and his crew limped into a friendly fishing village in the southern Philippines. Evading and fighting for months, he embarked on another agonizing voyage to Australia, but was betrayed by treacherous islanders and handed over to the Japanese. Held for two years in the notorious Ofuna prisoner-of-war camp outside Yokohama, Harris was continuously starved, tortured, and beaten, but he never surrendered. Teaching himself Japanese, he eavesdropped on the guards and created secret codes to communicate with fellow prisoners. After liberation on August 30, 1945, Bill represented American Marine POWs during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay before joining his father and flying to a home he had not seen in four years.Valor is a riveting new look at the Pacific War. Through military documents, personal photos, and an unpublished memoir provided by his daughter, Harris' experiences are dramatically revealed through his own words in the expert hands of bestselling author and retired fighter pilot Dan Hampton. This is the stunning and captivating true story of an American hero.

A vivid portrait of the Columbia River Bar that combines maritime history, adventure journalism, and memoir, bringing alive the history—and present—of one of the most notorious stretches of water in the worldOff the coast of Oregon, the Columbia River flows into the Pacific Ocean and forms the Columbia River Bar: a watery collision so turbulent and deadly that it’s nicknamed the Graveyard of the Pacific.Two thousand ships have been wrecked on the bar since the first European ship dared to try to cross it in the late 18thcentury. For decades ships continued to make the bar crossing with great peril, first with native guides and later with opportunistic newcomers, as Europeans settled in Washington and Oregon, displacing the natives and transforming the river into the hub of a booming region. Since then, the commercial importance of the Columbia River has only grown, and despite the construction of jetties on either side, the bar remains treacherous, even today a site of shipwrecks and dramatic rescues as well as power struggles between small fishermen, powerful shipowners, local communities in Washington and Oregon, the Coast Guard, and the Columbia River Bar Pilots – a small group of highly skilled navigators who help guide ships through the mouth of the Columbia.When Randall Sullivan and a friend set out to cross the bar in a two-man kayak, they’re met with skepticism and concern. But on a clear day in July 2021, when the tides and weather seem right, they embark. As they plunge through the currents that have taken so many lives, Randall commemorates the brave sailors that made the crossing before him – including his own abusive father, a sailor himself who also once dared to cross the bar – and reflects on toxic masculinity, fatherhood, and what drives men to extremes.Rich with exhaustive research and propulsive narrative, Graveyard of the Pacific follows historical shipwrecks through the moment-by-moment details that often determined whether sailors would live or die, exposing the ways in which boats, sailors, and navigation have changed over the decades. As he makes his way across the bar, floating above the wrecks and across the same currents that have taken so many lives, Randall Sullivan faces the past, both in his own life and on the Columbia River Bar.

This book initiatively and systematically presents the latest discoveries in the context of shipwreck archaeology in China, telling the exciting story of the wrecks' distribution, connotation and the research advances and empirically reconstructing the development of overseas trade and maritime cultures along the Maritime Silk Road, which flourished for more than 2000 years. The book features numerous high-quality images and comprehensively describes and reviews the development of the methodologies and technologies used in China's underwater archaeology and underwater cultural heritage administration in recent decades.

"While the resounding American victory at Midway in June 1942 blunted Japanese momentum to a great extent, it left the opposing forces precariously balanced, particularly in the South Pacific. In Knife's Edge Robert C. Stern provides an account of the Battles of the Eastern Solomons and the Santa Cruz Islands, the two pivotal carrier air battles that followed the initial engagements at the Coral Sea and Midway between the U.S. Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy. Three U.S. aircraft carriers were sunk or badly damaged over the two months following Midway, including USS Enterprise at the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. Had it not been for the fortuitous arrival of USS Hornet at the end of August, the Americans would have been without an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific until Enterprise returned from repairs on 24 October. At that moment, another major Japanese offensive was afoot, again led by two large carriers, this time supported by another light carrier and a mid-sized merchant-hull conversion. The resulting Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October 1942 was a solid tactical victory for the Japanese, who managed to sink Hornet and once again damage Enterprise. Stern has written a history of the two final early carrier battles fought between the U.S. Navy and Imperial Japan. These pivotal battles, coming after the triumph of the U.S. at Midway, illustrate lessons learned from these earlier battles of the Pacific War. Readers already familiar with the history of World War II at sea should find this account a riveting new look at a chapter of the Pacific War rarely covered until now. "--

"An engaging history covering a century of conflict on the Korean Peninsula Korea at War recounts how two separate nations emerged on the Korean peninsula as the result of devastating conflicts involving provocative personalities and superpower intrigues. The topics covered in this fascinating book include: The brutal years of Japanese colonial rule which began with Japan's annexation of Korea and ended with its defeat in World War II--and which still dominate Japanese-Korean relations today The division of the country into a totalitarian North and a prosperous, democratic South North Korea's invasion of the South, motivated by Stalin, which led to the bloody Korean War--a conflict that is still not settled to this day The irascible General Douglas MacArthur, who was relieved of his command by President Truman when he disobeyed a direct order and attempted to expand the war into China The rise of the Kim regime in North Korea and the continuing threat of nuclear war today Historian Michael J. Seth explores these and other themes including the complete story of North Korea--a nation and a people who for three generations have lived under the world's most repressive regime. He also discusses how South Korea has made the incredible leap from one of the world's poorest nations to one its richest and most dynamic. Korea at War is the story of two nations with a shared past that could hardly be more different today. With over 50 color photographs and maps, this book is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand contemporary Asian politics and current affairs"--

In this journal Boatswain’s Mate James Morrison recounts the Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty’s 1787 voyage and the ensuing mutiny, providing an invaluable resource for naval historians and an enthralling tale for the general reader.

"A gritty, first-person account. ... One can hear Shaw's voice as if he were sitting beside you." ?Wall Street JournalAn unforgettable soldier's-eye view of the Pacific War's bloodiest battle, by the first American officer ashore Okinawa. On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, 1.5 million men gathered aboard 1,500 Allied ships off the coast of the Japanese island of Okinawa. The men were there to launch the largest amphib­ious assault on the Pacific Theater. War planners expected an 80 percent casualty rate.The first American officer ashore was then-Major Art Shaw (1920-2020), a unit commander in the U.S. Army's 361st Field Artillery Battalion of the 96th Infantry Division, nicknamed the Deadeyes. For the next three months, Shaw and his men served near the front lines of the Pacific's costliest battle, their artillery proving decisive against a phantom enemy who had entrenched itself in the rugged, craggy island. Over eighty-two days, the Allies fought the Japanese army in a campaign that would claim more than 150,000 human lives. When the final calculations were made, the Deadeyes were estimated to have killed 37,763 of the enemy. The 361st Field Artillery Battalion had played a crucial role in the victory. The campaign would be the last major battle of World War II and a key pivot point leading to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and to the Japanese surrender in August, two months after the siege's end. Filled with extraordinary details, Shaw's gripping account gives lasting testimony to the courage and bravery displayed by so many on the hills of Okinawa.