Recommendation: Rising Son, Gripping World War II Story

Today I am delighted to present my friend Brett Eshelman whose new World War II era book Rising Son has just been released.

Rising Son is a gripping World War II story with repercussions that continue to this day. From the burning observation tower during a Tokyo air raid, through the account of the Kamikaze pilot who lived; from war-torn Japan to present day America this is a story of renewal and hope. Best of all—it’s all true. The story moves through multiple generations facing the challenges of war and of peace. It shifts between riveting war scenes and moments of intense internal meditation that heighten both sides of the telling. With lots of historic pictures.

Brett Eshelman has literally lived with these stories most of his life since he met his future wife Mimi Yoda when they were in college. He loved to hear her talk of her family—especially the inspiring stories of her father and grandfather. These men were Christian ministers in Japan during a period of extreme danger from the time of the worldwide Great Depression, the 1930s harbingers of war, and World War II itself.  This is a story of faith amid severe threat and outright persecution.

At age 19 Tatsuo “Terry” Yoda sat in the cockpit of his A6M Japanese zero aircraft, staring at the instrument panel.  He had just received his mandate to use his aircraft as a flying bomb to destroy an American ship.

In January of 1945 he and nineteen other under-trained fliers were ceremonially taken to their aircrafts. Each was presented with a beautifully decorated white scarf, handmade and arrayed with one thousand stitches. Each stitch was from a different woman—grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and sisters. Every stitch was a reminder of who they were dying to protect, and a thank you for the willingness to die for them. They were to wear the scarf around their neck. On their heads each pilot wore a hachimaki (Japanese headband), with the word “KAMIKAZE” embroidered in bright red thread.

Now, Tatsuo Yoda, the top of his flying class, was to die for Japan by killing Americans:

“As he cleared the airfield Tatsuo’s prayers became more fervent.  He prayed for his parents, for his grandparents and the Christian people in Japan. He took down the picture of the emperor from above his instrument panel and dropped it to the floor of the cockpit.  He had determined that he would not be responsible for killing anyone, and he trusted that the Lord would not punish him for committing suicide when he dove his plane into the sea rather than into an American ship.”

But Tatuso “Terry” Yoda lived.

Brett Eshelman, Terry’s son-in-law, says, “I have known for a long time that this story must be told.”

Eshelman likes to describe himself as being an Ordained/Drama Teacher.  He served in fulltime Christian ministry for fourteen years, but the majority of his life has been spent in the classroom as an English teacher. As a teacher of the dramatic arts he has been drama coach, director, and writer, producing over 100 full-length plays and musicals.  His students have won national recognition and attended highly recognized institutions of higher learning.

Rising Son is available on Amazon.

As are some of Brett Eshelman’s other books:

Talk Story presents the power of story as Eshelman recounts the miracles he experienced in the classroom when teaching in a middle school in Hawaii.

Parable is a collection of short plays for use in church at Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost.

Free Cheesecake is an anthology of short, humorous plays.

For more stories about Japan read about The Wedding Kimono here.

For information on World War II novelist Nevil Shute see here.