For the first six months after the December 7, 1941, surprise attack, Hawaii rearmed and dug in for the inevitable Japanese invasion until the Battle of Midway halted its eastward advance toward the United States. Amidst accounts of a shocked community living in the aftermath of recovery, preparations and enormous social changes, Carroll Robbins Jones shares her eyewitness remembrances as the daughter of a naval officer and professional photographer mother accredited to the army, navy, and Associated Press who worked relentlessly to document everyday life.

Into a historical synopsis of the war's early months in the Pacific, the Joneses skillfully weave Carroll's vivid childhood memories of wartime Oahu and of a family separated by war headed by an ambitious, hard-working, and high-strung mother, and her mother's incredible photographs. Examined are the fleet operations through Midway (June 1942), the miraculous ship salvage operations, intense civilian defense, senseless rumors, utter isolation, strict martial law, countless restrictions and shortages, the profound impact on schools, business, and social life, the fearful treatment of Hawaiian Japanese, and simply doing without. Meanwhile the islands were being flooded with military personnel training or passing through. As the fleet rebounded, its carrier raids and successes at Coral Sea and Midway, and the effect on morale, are highlighted.

Also featured are some 125 photographs, most by her mother and most previously unpublished, taken around Oahu during the aftermath. Readers may have seen some of the images attributed to AP or as official photographs. Included are three maps of Oahu, charts describing certain Japanese and U.S. naval forces and their decisive events, an index, and a bibliography, and suggested further reading. Soft cover. 136 pages.