WWII: Bombs over Hong Kong
CMU English professor explores the bombing of Japanese-occupied Hong Kong in his new book
In Hong Kong, stories of construction workers finding unexploded bombs dropped during WWII are not uncommon. However, not much is known about the men who dropped them — that's why Steven Bailey, faculty member in the English department at Central Michigan University, is filling in the gaps with his new book "Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942-1945."
In the book, Bailey explores the American bombings of Japanese-occupied Hong Kong. The book grew from Bailey's fascination with the military history of Hong Kong, and his observation that the American side of the story seemed to be missing.
"I started reading everything I could, and it soon became apparent that this aspect of the story had never been told," said Bailey.
He spent eight years combing through WWII accounts and archives to gather information for the book. It is considered a work of narrative nonfiction and is intended for a nonacademic audience.
"I hope it gives people in Hong Kong a better sense of their own history and how the United States factors into Hong Kong's history," Bailey said.
"Bold Venture: The American bombings of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942-1945" will be released March 1, 2019.