This comparative account of civilian experiences of aerial bombing in World War II Britain and Japan reveals the universality of total war.

Aaron William Moore is the Handa Chair of Japanese-Chinese Relations at the University of Edinburgh. His research has received support from the British Academy, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Leverhulme Trust. In 2014, he was awarded the prestigious Leverhulme Prize for his work in comparative history.

List of figures; Acknowledgements; Note to the reader; Featured diarists; Introduction: attacking the people: democracy, populism, and modern war; 1. Give unto Moloch: family and nation in WWII; 2. The muses of war: terror, anger, and faith; 3. Romancing stone: human sacrifice and system collapse in the city; 4. Defending our way of life: gender, class, age, and other oppressions; Conclusion: victory for the people: pacifism and the ashes of the post-war era; Notes; Bibliography; Index.