just like the attack. very much a catch phrase whenever you want to stir up patriotism. but other times they would say, that is not meant revealing. so it is a tremendously interesting process where there were evaluations and all of that. but none really died for the emperor, neither did they die willingly. ..

who want to volunteer one step ahead and by that time they became comrades on the base of corporal punishment so it was difficult for them to say that i will fit my life. many of them volunteered willingly and if they didn't, all southern fronts where there death was guaranteed anyway. it was the point of no return.

where did you find their diaries? >> they were first published by their father, brother, presently. because they felt their death was meaningless but they did not want them to just be forgotten. so when i started to contact them i was afraid that they may not give me the permission but in fact they are enormously grateful that i am introducing to the international readership. >> what myths do we have about kamikaze pilots that you dispel in your new book? >> i think there is a tremendous smith that on 9/11 they started to say that the kamikaze pilots were the model for this jihads

and was difficult for americans in 1944, they were very scared for people who risked their lives. americans, germans. they all told soldiers to kill the enemies but this particular symbol of cherry blossoms given to the japanese sold is to die. >> explain the cherry blossom connection because you put them on the front of your book. were they given to the pilots? >> no. what happened is a devout

christian worked with madame curie and einstein and all of those for league of nations, road warriorwrote warrior'the wn english and that the soldier's willingness to die, like a cherry blossom. he adopted cherry blossoms symbolism. so all the, gussie planes had one cherry blossom in pink.

every other country in east asia was colonized and that is how the restoration took place when children were sleeping without realizing geopolitics. so before 1889 imperial constitution of japan was drafted and actually they were all written by german scholars, legal scholars. from then on, they started falling cherry peddled as the motto for warriors and soldiers to die for japan. >> are there any surviving? did you talk to any surviving kamikaze trained pilots?

>> yes. there was one. the very well-known historian being trained and on the base. so he was absolutely helpful in telling me what the morale was at the end. if you sing a patriotic song you will be called by your comrades. >> why? >> nobody believed in patriotism or winning the war any more. >> they knew it was over? >> yes. it is very clear in 1942 that there is no chance of winning the war. >> in 1942. >> and they started to give all sorts of rationalization why

they have to die outsiders know that marxism was strong in japan. so many of them say that if i died, advanced capitalism is destroyed by attacking the u.k. and the u.s. as well as japan maybe there's some meaning for my desk. >> how did you find out about these diaries? how did you get interested in this topic? >> i did not know. many japanese did not know. that is why my book was welcomed in japan because people just forgot and this militarization of cherry blossoms to other

meanings of cherry blossoms. so i started out going to be cherry blossom viewing this. but the interesting part of this symbol is one end is the symbol of international friendship. it was started by mrs. taft so last year this very time, i was a distinguished chair of modern culture at the library of congress so i gave a talk when the cherry blossoms were full bloom about this. so mrs. taft inaugurated this custom of japan giving cherry blossoms were sending cherry plants all over the world.

>> that was in 1911? >> yes. >> where were you born? >> japan. >> when did you come to the u.s.? >> in the stone age. >> were you at all alive during world war ii? >> i was little so i don't remember anything except my mother who was always protected and never had to do anything, started to go to black market, good food for us who were just outside the sector. >> do you remember the shelter? >> yes. i was merely shocked and if japan could not afford, that would pronounced an end of the

war. so my elementary school -- [talking over each other] >> we were run home and one time when i was run home and an american plane came and started to shoot me so i went into the ditch. so i went 10 inches. my mother came working for me. >> did you lose your big house after the war? >> 75% of japan had a carpet bombing so many of them were bombed. there were big cities to be carpet bomb. >> what was your father's profession? >> he was a businessman. world war ii was interesting because he was saved by two

americans in 1923 earthquake. so they brought my father in their ship and these two americans were captured as prisoners in guam so my mother started all of that and we helped them not only these two fellows but others. >> you have to do it very quietly? >> trashed by police. we were at the russian easter and we were fascinated by colored eggs and all of that and my father disappeared because the police were following us. >> he was disloyal to the

emperor? >> anything was suspect. >> how did you get to the u.s. and did you ever think you would come here? >> one of these two fellows who was a prisoner of war, his widow has to take care of one of us. but that didn't materialize because business didn't do as well. that prompted the idea. i was raised to be a housewife. i never had any vision to be professional. my parents even switched to french when they talk about money because they're forced to be kept innocent. >> did your parents come over

with you? >> i came alone. none of us had any idea about the u.s.. i always think it was so nice that i was so ignorant. >> why? >> it saves me a lot because you don't anticipate and also it was wonderful not to be raised to have ambitions. because you don't suffer to achieve anything. >> want whatever you get just happens. >> that was happy. i was not interested in anything. >> you said it was published in japan when? and what is the response? >> it was not a translation. it always has to be adjusted for japanese readers. >> what does that mean? >> certain things i have to

explain more for the readers outside but some of the things i don't have to explain to japanese readers. i believe it came fairly eager before. right after this week, i will be going to japan and giving a lecture at the international house of japan. >> kamikaze diaries, reflections of japanese students soldiers published by the university of chicago press. who is this on the cover? >> this is at the university of tokyo. this is days before his death.

his brother was the professor who gave me permission to -- >> still living? >> yes. >> was his kamikaze mission successful? >> none of them are. other than the first -- kamikaze missions were all favors militarily. >> thank you for sharing a few minutes with us. >> this weekend on booktv, rebecca on the best selling immortal life of henry adams whacks. on afterwards president reagan's ambassador to the u.s.s.r. on mchale gorbachev's role in bringing down the soviet empire. his book is superpower illusion. and inventing the idea of a

white race in the history of white people. find the entire weekend schedule at booktv.org and follow us on twitter. >> the national book critics circle authors of books of six categories. fiction and general nonfiction, biography, criticism, winners in each category are presented their awards and joyce carol oates receive the lifetime achievement award and check if joe is given a prize for reviewing. the new school in new york city hosts this event. is about an hour. >> it is my pleasure to welcome you to the awards ceremony at the national book critics circle. we want to welcome everyone who attended the powerful evening of reading by the nominated raiders. you will lead it you experienced something wondrous and where. we want to welcome all the

critics who came from newspapers and magazines all across the country. the graduate writing program is honored to co-sponsor this award ceremony. the national book critics circle awards are the only literary honors bestowed by practicing critics and reviewers. 25 years ago in 1985, william gas wrote critics circle awards in criticism and another way into tonight's program, the ending to his container of consciousness. and when we read with their temper tuned to the text we become hour heads. we become the best book of all where the words are now played and we are the page where they arrest and we are the hall where they are heard and we are by god blake and their mind is moving about and earn or yates stated

gray and desk can't be so wrong to be feared or send away. the loss of love swept over 4 hours tragic act continually regretted not when they prompt such lines or when our rendering of them brings us together in a rare community of joy. please join me in welcoming the president of the national critics circle, distinguished fiction writer and critic. [applause] >> thanks so much to the new school. thanks to everyone for coming to the national book critics circle ceremony for the best books of 2009. this is our 36th annual celebration of literature. i want to give a special thanks to the 24 member board of the national book critics circle.

this year's board includes a rare conjunction of four past presidents and 3 blakey and winners. it is never dull. you can imagine 2 dozen critics, passionate, funny, leaving our way into the yet to be determined next phase of the culture. i wish you could have been a fly on the wall as we sat around all afternoon in the other building discussing, voting, discussing further. sort of like watching two of the best minds working and it is quite exciting. i took a few notes about the language used, lines that were used about the work of the people we are honoring tonight. words like ruthless, finely tuned, referenced to

permeability was important. ferocious. in one case, like eating fudge. think about that. over the past year our focus has shifted toward the next decade in book culture and how we can continue to be a vital organization to our members around the country. we are thinking about such paradoxes as the love of books like one that sold out in $195 edition coexisting with a general excitement about the coming apple i had and how it might transform reading for all of us. books and newspapers and magazines. we have invited our members to speculate about future and tell us about the changes they envision in a series we call the next decade on critical mass. you can read it at www. bookcritics.org. we will run a series of guest talks about adventures in he

reading. we are hearing about all these books and members like roxanne robinson who has a six word blog post you will find provocative. whatever the technology it stays true to the vision of our founders. they sat down 36 years ago at the roundtable to expand that table to a nationwide conversation among critics. today we have members in locations for route the u. s. all are joined together by a passion for books, a commitment to book culture, issue of democracy and promoting quality writing and thinking through literature and beer skidding along the edge of cultural there to all changes. we are expanding the capabilities and doing video tapes. we have a face book page and we

are involved in twitter and we are doing person to person live programs throughout the country from iowa city to san francisco and to the b e a and pan-american center of world voices. but nothing takes away the value placed on our awards each year and on the literary quality of the books we read and champion. we gather tonight to celebrate the best writing published in english in 2009. two awards are named after our founding members. i will turn it over to scott, the chair of our committee who will introduce the winner of our citation for excellence in reviewing. scott is a blakeeven winnian wi

himself. >> this work meets the standards set by our founders and it was the problem with most book reviews, they resemble a press release. except for not being -- and that was 40 years ago in case anyone gets too nostalgia. this year it felt like a golden age. we had twice as many submissions as we did a year ago. 45 members and in their work with a great deal of effort. we were able to come up with

five finalists but that was not easy. i speak for some other people saying that beat dominate the list of finalists. among the finalists signed was michael and william and windy smith and the winner. at joan's request i will forgo the exhausting list of books and awards she has won and simply note the feeling for the arts and literature that brings a great deal to her book criticism and to the stage. [applause]

>> i think the nbc see. book critics are often attacked in my experience on the grounds of who do you think you are? i defend the trade in their reviews encourage reading. but i have to say and it is certainly true of me. i have to say that i really go out and buy more than one of the books that i read reviews of in a given week. usually not even one. i am too busy reading books for money. there must be a second reason for book reviewing. at least one. and i would say reviews simply give us information on the world

of books. if we report on politics and the economy and automobiles and real-estate and style and food, we should report on books because they are part of our life. i would like to stress another aspect of book reviews that is important to me. at best book reviews are essays. commanded find minds since cicero. we got francis bacon, dr. johnson and the kind of aid we call book reviews have fine minds. virginia woolf who wrote who i think every week during a

certain period of her life wrote book reviews and signed. i don't like to do anything unsigned particularly that is not especially well played except when the pay is good. how does and as a differ from a lesser notice of a book? it is very simple it seems to me. it differs in the way art differs from what is not. that is to say it should be shapely. it should be deep as well as personal. the personal is often attached. this is perhaps the noblest function of book reviewing and i think it is what we should aim

for even if we only have 500 words which i have had in my lifetime and i am sure you have. if we achieve it our work will be no more in need of defending than a poem or a novel. if you think your situation is tough, considered dance reviewing which is the other thing that i do. thank you very much. [applause] >> good evening. i have had the pleasure of chairing the lifetime achievement award committee for several years. this evening i am reminded of a conversation with michael curtis a few years back. i asked him what event stood out

in his decades-long career. he said in his gentle way i began taking stories from this wonderful new reuter. i kept getting sick mission and by and never knew if that was a male or female. how quickly we found out. j.c. coats has gone on to a career that speaks eloquently to the spirit of our award. the award named after ivan sandra off c to recognize a sustained and meaningful confirmation to american literary culture. we know much about joyce carol oates. we asked a colleague of hers to synthesize it for us. please welcome edmund wright who was a finalist in