Too complicated in structure for the intended young adult audience but still an interesting and well researched book about Japan's attempt to claim by force of arms the Aleutian Islands from Alaska during the early part of WWII. I learned about New Mexican Joseph Martinez who became the first Hispanic American (government classification) to win the Medal of Honor, posthumously. The 10th Mountain Division first saw action here. Many details are given about the horribly run Alaskan Indian Service which seemed as badly run as the continental version. Seiple does not delve into historically revising the atomic bomb attacks on Japan but strangely she does argue that Japanese government hadn't signed the Geneva Convention and therefore was not blameworthy in their slave labor practices of POWs or execution of anyone not Japanese. The fact that the Japanese government didn't adopt the Conventions doesn't negate that Japan was present at their signing. That is a ideological ploy used by revisionists to assuage guilty consciences after the fact. No legitimate government would ever publicly deny that the Conventions apply to all nations whether the country's representatives were present or not, constitutionally ratified or not. There is good and bad in this book, but mostly good. ( )

Very interesting story of a little known event that occurred in American history. ( )

Written for tweens and teens, this book gives basic details on the invasion and occupation of the Aleuts by the Japanese from June 1942 to October 1943. The battles fought there to reclaim the islands have been kept secret until just recently. This is why it is referred to as the "Forgotten War."

In addition to the description of the battles and occupation, there is also the story about how the Aleuts were evacuated from the islands and kept in miserable conditions for their safety. When they were allowed to return they found their homes destroyed and all their belongings ransacked - by the American forces.

Some information about the experiences captured white and Aleut prisoners had in Japan showed that the Aleuts were actually treated better than the whites, in contrast to their treatment in Alaska.

Pictures from both American and Japanese photographers accompany and enhance the text. It would be a quick read for an adult and an interesting one for a tween or teen. ( )

A fascinating, well-researched account of a little-known part of the Pacific theater in World War II. ( )

It turns out Pearl Harbor wasn’t alone. That infamous strike is often treated as the lone instance of an attack on American soil during World War II. However, its partner in United States map sequester, Alaska, had its own role to play on the pacific front. Scratching your head to fill in the historical blanks? Samantha Seipel’s Ghosts in the Fog: The Untold Story of Alaska’s WWII Invasion delves deeply into the personal experiences of some of the principal characters in said invasion and details what, for most, is a forgotten battle.

The cover of Ghosts immediately catches the eye. A Japanese Zero fighter plane is pictured soaring into the red and white rising sun of Japan’s flag. Under the black and white stamped title are pictures of soldiers in various areas of Alaskan terrain. The same set-up is mirrored on the binding of the book. The style chosen definitely catches the eye and could easily stand out on a bookshelf to potential readers. In fact, the rising sun motif was what drew me to pick the book up.

The table of contents is broken down simply onto one page. It details the preface, ten chapters, afterword, acknowledgements, source notes, image credits, and index. The preface serves as a brief, one-page bridge into the meat of the story, while the afterword details the effects the Alaskan invasion had down the line. The source notes here would be particularly helpful in conducting further research on a topic likely to be slightly slimmed down for the intended audience.

Throughout the book, Seipel includes numerous photographs and maps which add greatly to the overall reading experience for those that may be unfamiliar with the setting of the battle front. All pictures and maps are in black and white, but the image quality is quite high given the era and circumstance. When shown, maps are presented with both key and scale, which is especially helpful when discussion of Aleutian island locations occurs.

The clarity with which the information is presented in Ghosts is one of the books strongest aspects. Though the narrative jumps around from character to character, the story never gets confused and the intended path remains clear. The language used is fitting for the intended adolescent audience, yet took nothing away from the book for myself. Some sections that may have been more colorfully worded with an older audience in mind did stick out, but, on the whole, the descriptions of events and terrain were striking enough as is. Very little page space is wasted with ancillary wording and the technical military jargon used is always in clear context.

If I was forced to raise one issue with the novel, there does seem to be a lack of emotion behind the writing. However, in the field of history perhaps that is for the best. I might even go so far as to suggest, given that each chapter uses anecdotes and first person accounts to drive the story, it is not even necessary to adopt anything but a neutral tone in this particular instance. The characters Seipel elected to focus on provide a great overview of many different aspects of the Alaskan invasion. From the Japanese to the native Aleutians to the Americans, no point of view is ignored. Moving through the book, the chapter titles serve to pique the interest of the reader with designations such as, “The Secret in the Dungeon”, “Invasion of the Ghost Warriors”, and “Dead Man Walking”. The end of each chapter also provides the reader a little extra push to keep going by often foreshadowing the next big event to come.

Overall, I found Ghosts in the Fog to be a compelling, adolescent-geared take on a little known portion of the war in the pacific. Seiple guides the tale with a deft hand throughout, taking care to never make a moment bigger than it actually was, but still communicating well why the reader should care about these events and people. Given my personal interest in Alaska, the book was an easy selection, but I would happily recommend it to others based on its own merits. ( )