Forged In Fire is the true story of a young girl's childhood in pre-war Tokyo; her schoolgirl dreams; the violence, starvation and desperation of war that drove her family out of the city; and the American Occupation that shaped Japan's future. It is the story of my mother, Rita (then named Tomoko), who was ten years old when World War II began and fourteen years old when it ended. For those interested in Japan's impression of United States General Douglas MacArthur and Japan's Emperor Hirohito as well as the experience and aftermath of sustained bombing, this story should not missed. Filled with personal photographs, illustrations and contemporary references, this book provides a rare and refreshing look at World War II history as well as Japanese culture.