The Eternal Zero

 The Eternal Zero is a book set in Japan and a best selling paperback in Japan. Naoki Hyakuti's novel was also made into a film. The story is about a 24 year old man and his slightly older sister. Together they investigate the life of their grandfather. They never met their grandfather because he died in world war two as a Navy pilot. After contacting some veterans groups, they head out to interview six men who knew him. They learn from the interviews that some people liked him and other people disliked him and that their grandfather was an unusual man. He was a talented fighter pilot. He was polite to all which was not typical of all pilots. Through the interviews they learned much about the Japanese fighter planes called the Zero. At the beginning of the war the Zero's were the best fighter plane on the planet. By the end of the war the Americans had faster and safer fighter planes. They also learned that the Japanese military did not value the lives of the military men as much as the American's did. Their grandfather was also unusual because he openly told people that he did not want to die. He had made a promise to return to his wife and daughter. Other pilots thought he was a coward. So how was it that at the very end of the war their grandfather died as a kamikaze pilot? You will have to read the story to find out. I really enjoyed the book even though much of was technical details about airplanes. The book delves into the culture of Japan before and after the war. The role of the media is discussed. The competency of Japan's military leaders is explored. The biggest question of this historical fiction is whether kamikaze pilots had a choice. This was an excellent novel.