The World War II Journals of E. J. Bird

By E.J. Bird

In 1942 at the age of 31, E. J. Bird left his wife and art to join the US Army in the Pacific Theatre of WWII. Through words and artwork, Bird recorded his personal experiences along with his insights... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586850350
• ISBN13: 9781586850357
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.0" x 0.8" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Holds almost thirty color illustrations

World War II Journals Of E. J. Bird holds almost thirty color illustrations to spice the journals of Bird, who participated in the war and who reflected on its meaning and military life in general. Bird's art and stories provide a different view of the war than the official war artist portrays and make a fine supplement to collections on World War II experiences.

Five Stars

There are only three stars shown on the background of the "Stars and Stripes" cover of E. J. Bird's World War II Journal, but I'd rate this a five star book.

A Reluctant Soldier's War

It's hard to put this book down. One section leads so seamlessly into the next that before you realize what's happened, it's two a.m. And there hasn't been one shot fired yet! I cheated. I looked at the author's incredible drawings before I read a word. I knew he saw action in the Pacific, but I found the story of how the army trained one reluctant soldier every bit as interesting as the incidents of combat.

Bird's Book A Winner

I picked up E.J. Bird's "World War II Journals" because I thought it looked like a "fun" coffee table art book. I say "fun" because the cover shows two swing dancers (in the 40s they called it jitterbug) and they both have attitude with a capital A. It was the art that hooked me first. Minimalist line drawings of soldiers working and at leisure, intricate sketches of a city at war, spilling soldiers and sailors and busty women at every corner, and beautiful watercolors (made it turns out with a five color dimestore watercolor set!) of an island at war, its people displaced and suffering. After a very few minutes with the book I discovered that not only can Bird draw, he can write too. This isn't the typical scared-young-kid-thrust-into-a-war-to-become-a-hero type of book. It's the story of a 31 year old draftee who had exactly what he wanted in civilian life and wasn't pleased about the army changing it. Reflections of a man at least ten years older than most of the other authors of such first person accounts makes a readable and sometimes humorous story, and his maturity enables the author to portray the quiet suffering of the native Okinawins. A good read.