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Among The Dead Cities
The History and Moral Legacy of the WWII Bombing of Civilians in Germany and Japan
A. C. Grayling

Reviews of Among The Dead Cities

"A probing, thoughtful meditation...The excellence of Among the Dead Cities, however, rests less on Grayling's deductions than his provision of enough information and argument for readers with alternate premises to draw different conclusions. That richness makes wrestling with his views a demanding intellectual exercise." —Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer

"But the question remains: Was the indiscriminate bombing of civilians -- in Hamburg, in Dresden, in Tokyo, in Hiroshima, in Nagasaki -- justifiable militarily, or was it 'in whole or in part morally wrong'? ... Almost immediately one senses what [Grayling's] answer will be -- an unequivocal "Yes" -- but he must be given full credit for reaching that conclusion only after a careful, nuanced analysis...If there was no military justification for the bombings, then there cannot possibly be a moral one, and Grayling's judgment that they were immoral seems to me exceedingly difficult to refute."—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post

"In an age of political terror, when it is urgent to come up with a persuasive distinction between legitimate and illegitimate violence, it is hard to overstate the importance of the questions Grayling raises." —Fredric Smoler, American Heritage

"In his timely examination of "area bombing," which targeted civilian populations for destruction during World War II, British philosopher A.C. Grayling brings a fresh perspective to some of the great questions of modern history - including, What methods are permitted in fighting a war? - and gives answers that should broaden thinking about how the United States conducts its global war on terrorism and its conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan."—San Francisco Chronicle

"A. C. Grayling attempts to answer the great remaining moral question of World War II. That question - Were the Allies justified in their acts of area bombing of civilians in Germany and Japan? - is ably addressed...This book will certainly not provide the last word on the subject, but it is a landmark effort that cannot be ignored. Read it, and make up your own mind."—Chris Wiegard, Richmond Times Dispatch

"A.C. Grayling brings a fresh perspective to some of the great questions of modern history-and gives answers that should broaden thinking about how the United States conducts its global war on terrorism and its ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan...In reviewing area bombing - one of the most depressing episodes in human history-Grayling reminds us that we have much to learn from our shared past and that even when we fight a war where we hold the morally superior position, we are not justified in doing whatever it takes to win."—G. Pascal Zachary, San Francisco Chronicle

"Was it wrong for the Allies to bomb German and Japanese civilians in World War II? In this book, one of the world's most passionate and articulate humanists attends to one of the twentieth-century's largest unexploded moral conundrums. Although obscured in the immediate postwar period by the greater evil of the Holocaust and the blind eye of victor's justice, the British and American strategy of "area bombing" entire cities and their nonmilitary populations poses difficult questions about the use of overwhelming violence as a strategic tool. Structured as a legal case in the court of public morality, Grayling's book builds careful, generous cases for and against the bombing, admitting as evidence both the experience of the bombed as well as the bombers. Exhibit A is "Operation Gomorrah," a series of missions in 1943 in which the RAF and USAAF dumped more than 9,000 tons of firestorm-causing bombs on the citizens of Hamburg. Perhaps most swayed by the voices of contemporaneous critics, Grayling's verdict is surprising not in ultimately condemning the attacks but in doing so in an elegantly blunt fashion that simultaneously radiates profound compassion for the perpetrators."—Brendan Driscoll, Booklist, Starred Review

"A valuable read for Americans who want help in thinking through the morality of what has been done in their name, during operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom...You may not fully embrace his conclusions (I didn't), but after reading this book you may relook the headlines from Baghdad in their light."—David Hawpe, The Louisville Courier-Journal

"The Allied bombing of Axis cities, which killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and made smoking ruins of Dresden, Tokyo and Hiroshima, remains one of the great controversies of WWII; this probing study does the issue full justice. Philosophy professor Grayling (The Meaning of Things) focuses on Britain's "area bombing" of entire German cities, a strategy adopted initially because bombers couldn't hit smaller sites and then, as attitudes hardened, continued as a deliberate attack on civilian morale. Grayling scrupulously considers the justifications for area bombing-that it would shorten the conflict by destroying Germany's economy and will to resist, that civilian workers were also combatants or that it was simply the rough justice of war-and finds them wanting. British bombing, he contends, did little damage to the German war effort at an unconscionable price in innocent lives, in contrast to American pinpoint bombing of industrial and military targets, which succeeded in paralyzing the German economy with few civilian casualties. (The Americans, he sadly notes, resorted to area bombing in their devastating air campaign against Japan.) Drawing on firsthand accounts by theorists, architects, victims and opponents of area bombing, Grayling situates a lucid analysis of the historical data within a rigorous philosophical framework. (Mar.)"—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Well-argued and persuasive."—Kirkus Reviews

About A. C. Grayling