I visited Japan in 1990, 1994, and 1998 for business. Each time I went, I had a greater appreciation and interest in the people and the culture. I suspect this went a long way into my interests in the catastrophe that killed an estimated 20,000 Japanese people on March 11, 2011, when the fourth largest earthquake ever recorded exploded off the coast of northeast Japan in the Tohoku region. Millions felt the quake, but the initial damage and casualties were remarkably light in this coastal area. The tsunami arrived about 45-50 minutes later.

I've seen the videos. Imagine the ocean inexplicably swelling and growing, reaching heights of over 120 feet in some remote coastal villages. Imagine fleeing to the nearby hills, watching your entire town and potentially thousands of people being swallowed up and swept away by an unforgiving, black, incompressible wave of liquid death. This book focuses in on the village of Kamaya, located near the mouth of the Kitakami River where it empties into the Pacific northeast of Ishinomaki.

A group of children and teachers at Okawa Elementary School in Kamaya felt the earthquake that day. Per protocol, the kids and teachers exited the building and dutifully lined up neatly in the school courtyard. They heard the tsunami warnings. What followed was confusion and a lack of urgency and correct decision making that proved lethal. The doomed group left the courtyard for what they thought was "higher ground" somewhat closer to the river. After the tsunami arrived, only 4 kids and 1 adult survived by actually running to a nearby hill.

Richard Lloyd Parry has detailed the actions and decisions of several families involved in this tragedy, from before to during and after the quake and the tsunami. He vividly and accurately describes the horror they experienced and the gut-wrenching aftermath of searching for their lost children, as well as their journey to find the truth of what actually happened that day at Okawa Elementary School. Parry also layers the book, to me at least, with an underlying sense of dread that this is but one of thousands of stories that occurred on that day when the seas swallowed the northeast coast of Japan, but for some reason this story seems to stand out among the tragedies.

In closing, this book is not for everyone...it is dark. But if you really want to get a sense of what some of the people of Japan went through during and after this geological event, I highly recommend this. My only criticism is Parry closed the book with spiritual comments of people being possessed by the "ghosts" of this event. This seemed a bit out of place for this book.

Hey, I'm Ty Laughlin from Riverview Jr./Sr. High School. I am really into fantasy and realistic fiction. I really tend to gravitate to WWII books. Those are my favorites. Although it is nonfiction, one of my favorite books from the WWII topic is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Unbroken is about a former Olympian who is drafted into WWII. He then crashes in the Pacific Ocean and is taken by Japanese soldiers to multiple concentration camps. Louis (the main character) just tells his tough story of the struggle through WWII.

The novel that I am currently reading is I Survived: The Japanese Tsunami. I know, it seems a little bit below my grade level, but it is a good book. I have kind of just started the book, so I cannot really say that, but it is better than I already though it would be. The main character, Ben, is visiting his Japanese Uncle's house in Japan. There is obviously a tsunami coming, but I do not know if Ben will survive. I can still probably predict that Ben will survive because this series does not really seem like the type of novel that would have the main character die. Right now, the author's style has not really been reveals as I am only 17 pages into the book. I can say that the transition from the first chapter into the second stood out to me greatly. In the first chapter, they revealed the climax of the book by talking about the tsunami, and how it "made Ben feel as if he was getting wrestled by the water, and beaten badly." (Tarshis 3). This really stood out to me because I thought that ruined a little bit of the book for me. It took the thrill of the climax away. I hope it does not ruin the whole book though. So far, I think that this book will be okay, except for that little part that I mentioned at the end. I can't wait to finish it!

I love all the covers for this series and Kim Mendoza has done a mighty fine job with Tsunami Crimes by Chrys Fey.

The US has launched secret weapons of mass destruction on other countries. And awaits what might be cataclysmic retaliation…

China is devastated by an 8.0M earthquake that leaves 70,000 people dead with hundreds of thousands injured and untold property destroyed. The Chinese government soon learns that it was no natural disaster, but rather an orchestrated attack by the American government using their High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) weapon. China ceases foreign relations with America and creates their own version of the weapon in retaliation. They plan to attack the US by sending a submarine with mini nuke mines to create a massive rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

But what neither China nor the US knows is that the attack on China was an unauthorized assault perpetrated by a US Navy Vice Admiral. Because of his arrogance and pride, more innocent people may have to pay with their lives.

One of the many coastal towns in peril is Dolphin Beach, Oregon. The new mayor, Willa McBride, tries to protect her townspeople while her sister, the Senator Elizabeth Bechtel, tries to uncover who engineered the attack on China. What is unclear is whether the Senator’s goal is aimed toward the greater good or for her own political gain.

To protect the US coast, the government sends out the submarine USS Massachusetts to locate and destroy the Chinese sub. Now it seems the only protection for the American coast is one US submarine and its heroic crew against a truly catastrophic event

what I thought of it:

this is the first book of his that I've ever read and I loved it, loved every thing about it , loved how it kept me coming back for more of the story, had me on my edge of my chair as well as my bed. can't wait to see what more of his books are like when I can

GENESIS” has gone “DARK” according to a massive plan that took years in the making. Genesis is prepared to watch the world burn. In retaliation, Genesis is taking the fight to the enemy and its allies. The plan is meticulous and they are deep dark.

The Nascence has been deployed with five Leviathan class ships and tankers running offense. This countermeasure insures that the Nascence navigate through the defenses of the world’s navies and deliver her nuclear payload to targeted American cities. (No…it is not New York!)

The Nascence is as deadly as she is beautiful. Fire ship Nascence was born in the best shipyards in the world. Scientists are in awe at her technology and speed. Ship Designers are amazed at her functionality and beauty. But do not let her cargo fool you.

Come aboard for the greatest sea hunt known to humankind!

Experience the excitement, action, intrigue and exhilaration of this patriotic novel.

Available at:

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