"The poems, letters and diaries featured in this book give the lie to the notion that Japan was unified behind the war. The voices of the student soldiers speak thoughtfully and eloquently about their dilemma between duty to the nation and wanting to stay alive. . . . A timely and necessary correction of a popular myth, and an important contribution to an understanding of Japan at war."
— Economist
"Ohnuki-Tierney provides a valuable service in delving beyond the stereotype into the minds of these frightened, thoughtful students."
— David Pilling, Financial Times
"With the June publication of [Kamikaze Diaries] . . . and the premiere of Clint Eastwood's film "Letters from Iwo Jima," the image of Japanese soldiers created in the milieu of World War II propaganda will receive a long overdue makeover."
— Alison Brady, Japan Times
"The diaries . . . are gripping in their emotional impact and provide us with extensive insights into the lives of these tragic young men."
— F.G. Notehelfer, International History Review
"Ohnuki-Tierney's work presents a deeper exposition than hitherto available in English of tokkotai pilots' personal backgrounds and humanizes their struggles. The Anglophone reading audience is richer for her contribution. . . . Read in tandem, the first book offers historical analysis, while the second provides a thorough . . . annotated and translateed insight into what the student pilots read."
— Barak Kushner, Monumenta Nipponica
"[The book] is a tremendous contribution to gaining a deeper understanding of the human legacy imbued with the kamikazes. Well-written, the narrative is difficult, for the reader understands that these student soldiers' lives of great promise all ended prematurely."
— Peter Clemens, Journal of Military History
"The diaries are fascinating as the scant, sometimes eloquent, painfully inadequate trail left behind by self-aware young men in the pressurized months before their certain doom. . . . The study has useful things to tell us about our recent history. It brings into tantalizing view some unexdpected questions about the uses and limitations of humane education, and turns a raw light on the sinister powers of militarism that continue to threaten all of us."
— Kirby Farrell, Kritikon Litterarum
"By giving us gimpses of [the pilot's] inner world, Ohnuki-Tierney reminds us of the humanity of all combatants."
— Genzo Yamamoto, Books and Culture