I got a very generous review in Choice Reviews. Thank you Professor Ericson!
I am extremely honored to find the expressions "groundbreaking" and "superb study" used for my book and get it categorized as "essential" (deep kowtow). Below is the review in Choice vol. 56 no. 12 (Aug 2019):
"Chatani (history, National Univ. of Singapore) has written a groundbreaking study of how and why young men in rural areas of Japan and its then-colonies, Taiwan and Korea, became emotionally invested in the project of Japanese nationalism and militarism. Focusing on youth mobilization across the Japanese empire, the author presents detailed case studies of rural villages in Japan and its colonies to unearth what motivated farm youth to join official “village youth associations” and to actively participate in Japanese imperial and wartime programs, including volunteering as Japanese soldiers. Chatani highlights the social dynamics of the creation and mobilization of rural youth in each locale. At the core of this book is an original revelation about how and why tens of thousands of Taiwanese and Korean rural youth were swept up in “volunteer fever” to become soldiers in the Japanese army. Providing a new perspective on the emotional attraction of the Japanese Empire and the opportunities it provided to the youth in the colonies, this superb study will be required reading for those interested in modern Japanese history, Japanese empire-building, and imperialism and colonialism.
Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.
Reviewer: M. D. Ericson, University of Maryland University College
Recommendation: Essential"