Reader Reactions
Linda White Eagle (Johnson Air Base)- “Just received all volumes and WOW…you really put a lot of work and time into this project. They will be a family heirloom.”
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Mickey Schultz (Johnson Air Base)- “What a wonderful set! I can’t thank you enough for all your hard work and diligence. An absolute work of art. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
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Joe Ross (Yokohama-Yokosuka)- “So full of interesting information, great stories, wonderful photos, outstanding memories! Very well researched and put together. Thanks, Michael!”
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Laura Stephens Schisler (Yokohama-Yokosuka)- “I’m loving these wonderful books!! There’s so much history I never knew…thank you, Michael Weddington, for your work and finished product.”
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Marc Curtis (Founder, Military Brats Registry)- “Wow, so far, I’ve read everything up to Chapter 1 and my heart is pounding with excitement. My life story is about to be presented in an in-depth manner that has only been touched upon in the past. I will have more to say after I have the time to read further. Something is stirring inside me that I haven’t felt since I started the Military Brats Registry. Perhaps in the future, I’ll do a podcast with you. I feel certain that these books need to be disseminated widely, and not just in the Military Brat community!”
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Sarah Bird (Author, Yokota Officers Club & Above the North China Sea)- “I received the books! As impressed as I was before, I am now triply so. What a magnificent achievement. I didn’t really appreciate it until now seeing your magnificent books. I salute you my brat brother for this truly important accomplishment.”
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Glynn Black (Itazuke Air Base)- “I have so enjoyed reading your books. My family as well. It brings back so many memories. Plus, sharing my history of the events with my kids. Thanks for doing this and including me.”
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Mike Skidmore (Tachikawa Air Force Base)- “I have been reading your books when I can’t sleep at night. So many great stories.”
Mickey Friedman (Zama Army Base)- “Got my books today. So far, I'm impressed. This collection of books should be required reading for all freshman in college.”
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Ajedevgun Benixo (Online Book Club Review, 5 of 5 stars, 2-18-24)- “Japan Brats: The Youth Who Bridged Opposite Worlds by Michael Weddington is an exploration of the unique experiences of American military dependents in Japan from 1946 to the present. Through the lens of over 100 personal stories, the book delves into the multifaceted impact of growing up in Japan, examining family dynamics and the rich tapestry of cultural exchange. Employing a qualitative oral history approach, the narrative seamlessly integrates historical context on critical aspects such as the U.S. occupation, military bases, and Department of Defense schools. This approach not only provides a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and triumphs faced by these "invisible" military children but also sheds light on the broader socio-political landscape of post-World War 2 Japan.
At its core, the book serves as a vital repository, documenting and preserving the untold stories of American military dependent children. Without this collection, their perspectives could have been lost to the passage of time. The narrative goes beyond individual anecdotes, offering valuable insights into the U.S. occupation of Japan, the nuances of Japanese society during that era, and the formation of unique communities within American bases/posts. This depth of context enhances the reader's appreciation for the intricacies of the lives led by the "Japan brats." By intertwining personal stories and reflections, the book humanizes this historical period, providing readers with a nuanced understanding of the challenges, joys, and complex identities of these third culture kids. The narratives are not just informative but also emotionally resonant, leaving an indelible impression on the reader.
Moreover, the book celebrates the resilience and cultural blending that emerged from these international childhoods. Through the voices of the interviewees, the book highlights how their upbringing cultivated open-mindedness and comfort with diversity, contributing to their unique perspectives on the world. The inclusion of photographs alongside the text serves as a visual anchor, breathing life into the people and time periods discussed. This visual element not only enhances the reader's engagement but also aids in solidifying the narratives in their memory.
Exceptionally well-edited without errors, the book stands as a testament to meticulous craftsmanship. I recommend the book to readers interested in military experiences, awarding it a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. Throughout my reading, I encountered no negative aspects, making it an outstanding contribution to the genre.”
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Shirley Colagrossi (Yokohama-Yokosuka)- “Thank you, Michael! I am so grateful to you for sending the three volumes. I'm like a kid with so many Christmas presents she doesn't know what to open first. You have done it, Michael. All that work - and you have an exquisite product to show for it. I have started with the first volume and am in touch with the history of the Far East I did not know, but that is now meaningful to me because of my part in that history. Bravo! Can't wait to read other Brat entrees. Only wish my classmates from the 1948-50 would emerge. But...actually we are all Brats and though we've never met, we know each other...You've done something good, Michael. Believe it! Bask in the joy. Most sincerely, Shirley.”
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Peggy Kurkowski (Independent Book Review)- A former military brat captures the diverse experiences of overseas dependents in postwar Japan in this collaborative memorial to a shared past. “It was one of the greatest social science experiments in modern times.” In 1946, waves of United States military personnel and their families were sent to live in the defeated nations of Germany and Japan. And thanks to Michael Weddington, the vanishing world of his and other overseas dependents’ military youth in Japan and Okinawa are now forever inscribed in his singular Japan Brats: The Youth Who Bridged Opposite Worlds, Volume I – Beginnings.
In the spring of 2019, Weddington reconnected with his childhood “tribe” from his youth in Japan, which energized him to undertake this massive historical project. In Volume I of Japan Brats, he takes readers on a deeply researched and engaging tour of Japanese and Okinawan history, religion, philosophy, culture, school histories, family formation stories—even including his own fictional short story on how his American father and Japanese mother met—and much more. Weddington is a charming guide who encourages readers to take their time and savor this large volume; indeed, he suggests the multifaceted offerings should be read in any order the reader desires, which makes Japan Brats a handy reference for those searching for specific information. While the book is dedicated to his fellow “U.S. military-affiliated youth who grew up for a time in Japan” [1] and speaks mostly to them, it also appeals to other readers thanks to Weddington’s crisp historical overviews. Of immense interest are the cultural comparisons of Japanese and American societies, including the Okinawan differences with mainland Japan itself. The dynamic challenges of two diametrically different cultures coming together after such a painful history come alive in the dozens of touching stories, meticulously catalogued by the author.
For former military brats, Weddington’s research and diligent curation of mountains of written and photographic material is sure to spark nostalgia. This book is a treasure trove of photographs from WWII-era to present day, including both historical photos of Japanese and American political and military leaders, but more importantly for this book, page after page of personal photos of military base housing, Okinawan neighborhoods and markets, class photos, team sports, and favorite hangouts to name a few. Weddington provides a priceless visual yearbook of memories for those who still carry them in their heart. A laudable element of Japan Brats is Weddington’s self-described commitment to fostering understanding, especially in terms of “making meaning from contrasting influences.”
His section on bridging the cross-cultural gap—not only with the Japanese, but among dependents from all over the U.S. representing different racial, religious, and socioeconomic groups—is a helpful primer for military families anticipating an overseas deployment in Japan or Okinawa (although the main principles of “education, engagement, and practice” are applicable to any foreign culture). Visual aids, charts, and graphs abound as are Weddington’s book recommendations (book covers included) for further reading threaded throughout.
The most moving portions are the detailed, diverse, and touching portraits of family formations in Japan and Okinawa—including the author’s own. With American military men stationed on Okinawa and parts of the mainland, it was inevitable that love would blossom between men and the local women. Weddington includes an illuminating selection of dependents’ stories of their interracial parents and their bi-racial experiences living in Japan and America. The author imagines his own parents’ meeting and marriage toward the conclusion of Volume I with a fictional short story that reads like a romance, which aims to honor the cross-cultural marriages that have endured across time. Underscoring his theme of what draws people together rather than apart, he calls out these marriages for “their love, courage, and sacrifices [that] have forged connections between many nations and people.”
Japan Brats: The Youth Who Bridged Opposite Worlds is a fascinating snapshot in sepia of a time and place of cultural overlap, as told by those who lived and loved it. You don’t need to be a “brat” to appreciate these universal stories of human connection.
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George Moore (Sasebo Naval Base)- “Michael, your book volumes are the most comprehensive compendium of historical, cultural, and personal [Japan Brat] stories ever created. Congratulations on your accomplishment! Well done, my friend.”
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Sam Gentile (Yokohama-Yokosuka)- Mike, great job on the books. They & the layout looks great!”
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Cindy Sue Hughes (Yokohama-Yokosuka)- “Loving reading the digital copy…as I can…the holidays got in the way of any kind of reading…can’t wait for the hard copy! 😊. Thank you for doing this…I LOVE IT!”
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Faith Young (Yokohama-Yokosuka)- “Thank you, Michael, for producing such an excellent study of we Japan Brats. You should be very proud of yourself.”
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Bunny Brown (Johnson Air Base)-“Congratulations on writing THE books that define our Brat world! It means so much to all of us who just didn’t know how to define our unique world!”
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Rick Tavares (Author of It Began in Japan and After Japan: The Pursuit)- “I can’t stop reading Volume I to Michael Weddington’s Japan Brats: The Youth Who Bridged Opposite Worlds. I was enthralled from the start. Full disclosure, I spent my teenage years at Yokota Air Base, Japan (1964-’67) and graduated from Johnson High School (’67) at Johnson Air Base, Japan, so I have an acute interest in Michael’s work. Suffice it to say, Vol. I didn’t disappoint…I’ve learned so much. Can’t wait to finish Vol. I and begin Vol. II and III. Lastly, I enjoy reading books on my iPad or iPhone, so to get me to read a “real” book was, in of itself, a major accomplishment. So, I’ve tabled my next book, Kon'nichiwa Japan: The Evolution of a Military Brat and the Power of Friendship, until I finish Michael Weddington’s three volumes. Aloha.
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John Blom (American Overseas Schools Historical Society)- “Michael, I am so enjoying your book (almost finished with Vol. I). It brings back so many memories. Hope the word continues to get out for Brats, DoDDS/DoDEA personnel and any others that have lived in Japan.”
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Adam Gossman (American Overseas Schools Historical Society)- “As curator at AOSHS, I appreciate the comprehensive and massive endeavor that Michael Weddington took on in producing these three well-written volumes. His blending of historical research with personal history is admirable and something that exemplifies what it was to be in the Department of Defense school system. I look forward to returning to these volumes many more times, both for personal edification and for work-related research.”
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Shirley Kwan (Kubasaki HS, Okinawa)- “Michael, I am awed and honored to be able to imbibe your herculean efforts and considerable analytic and research skills–and drive! –put to the yoke of public service for yourself and for the rest of us [Japan brats]. Your perspicacity, sacrifice, and generosity are emblematic of the best we brats have to offer the world.”
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John Irving (Yamato HS, Tachikawa Air Base)- “I’ve read all three of Michael’s Japan Brat series! Great read!"
Ramona Garrett (Armijo HS, Travis Air Force Base)- "My sister [Ramona] loves your volume 3 book so much she wants to order her own set of volumes including 1 and 2!"
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Reiko Darling (Kubasaki HS, Okinawa)- “I purchased and read all 3 volumes of his book series. Excellent and highly recommended. Brought back so many memories. [They] also made me understand that I was not alone in many of my experiences and feelings.”
Mary Edwards Wertsch (Author of Military Brats: Legacies of Childhood Inside the Fortress)- “Michael, your volumes arrived at my house and they are splendid. Once again, I am struck by the remarkable extent of your work and its huge significance for the many thousands of people, both in the military and outside of it, who were caught up in this chapter of history. Well done! I hope you are pleased with the volumes and gratified that they are now out in the world, doing their work…you set yourself a helluva task, Michael Weddington. and you not only saw it all the way through but did an incredibly thorough job. Congratulations!"
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Renaldo Crooks (Misawa Air Base & Kubasaki HS, Okinawa)- “You did a fantastic job on the books!!!!! I ordered and received 3 sets! I got sets for my sisters and brother as well!”
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Barbara May (Nagoya Air Base & Washington Heights, Tokyo). “I purchased your book series. I greatly appreciate your time and extensive research to put this shared experience into a format that captured during that time period. I have shown your books to my sons, telling them that if they are ever interested, when they read the books, they will gain knowledge of my life experience in Japan, as a child in a land far away (not that long after WWII) and how different it was from life at home. I was not that old, but my memories are fond of an experience that I had as a Japan Brat.”
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Duke Nishimura (Zama Army Base and Yokohama-Yokosuka). “Congratulations, Michael! Reading the Introduction [to your book series], I realize your perspective and international point of view. Thank you for your contributions to Brats everywhere.”
Adrian Esparza (Iwakuni Marine Base). “I still have your books in my bookcase. I noticed them the other day and was wondering how your documentary was going. Honestly, I didn’t think my childhood would be interesting to anyone, but you proved me wrong.”
Lester Sasaki (Chofu JHS & HS). “I commend and thank you for doing what many of us Japan Brats have perhaps thought of doing, but you were able to actually accomplish, which is to write a book about the Japan Brat experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical background along with the big-picture view of Brat life, along with the personal vignettes of how the experience played out for your family. Certainly, each of us has our own story to tell as to how we may have been affected by this time in our lives, but what binds us Brats together is the commonality and shared moments with respect to people, places and time. I did not know the people in your book, the specific places and events described, or the time period involved, but I did know similar people, similar places and events, along with being able to relate to a Japan that existed during that time. So, your book was able to take me back to what were essentially the wonder years of life, growing up in a unique cultural time and place that shaped the person that I am today. For many of us Brats, those years overseas in another country, were the best of times growing up, but we must not also dismiss or forget that for some Brats, those years may have been the worst years of their lives, also due to the culture of military dependent life not often discussed…I just wanted to drop a few words your way and let you know that your books were an insightful and wonderful read that allowed me to relive my Japan Brat experience along with remembrances of the people who shared it with me, some of who I am still in contact with 50 – 60 years hence. I have shared your books with others along with my children who now have a glimpse of what life was like for we Brats growing up. Thank you for your literary gift to us Japan Brats.”
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George Clark (Kubasaki HS, Okinawa). “I enjoyed your three volume Japan Brats book series. My mother is Okinawan and married my military father in the 1950's. My family had 13 military assignments including an opportunity to return to Okinawa in the 1970's where I attended Kubasaki High School. I met my future "military brat" wife (Laurie) who attended Kubasaki HS there as well. In fact, I have a letter from the Ft. Campbell KY base commander in 1957 welcoming me into the world as a ‘military brat’. Many thanks for your work and the fascinating historical research. Best, George Clark”.