About the Author

Bonita Gilbert has an MA in history from the University of Oregon and teaches history at North Idaho College. Bonnie and her husband live in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Reviews

"Building for War is meticulously documented in primary sources and archival collections, but never suffers from the pedantic style all-too-commonly found in academic treatises. Indeed, the book is by turns intriguing, informative, gripping, and at times very moving. The defenders, civil and military, who fought on Wake are well-memorialized in this highly recommended and definitive study. "-- "Naval Historical Foundation"

"...is a fine addition to the literature of the pre-war Pacific, giving an insight into the relative late and haphazard preparations by the United States to fortify and upgrade its island possessions. But it adds an important human element - the story of the civilian contractors trapped on an island in a war for which they never signed up."--Robert Hanyok, Pacific War Historian

"As the nephew of one of the civilian contractors taken prisoner, enslaved and eventually murdered on Wake Island during World War II, I read Bonnie Gilbert's Building for War hoping to learn something about the Uncle I never met. This book greatly exceeded my expectations. It is meticulously documented, delightfully well written, and intimately personal ... paints a vivid picture of these events. It rings true, corroborated by impeccable historical research. It should be read by everyone with a personal connection with the war in the Pacific and by anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the life and times of those who lived through it or died in it."--Ronald J. Wilper (nephew of Redmond J. "Jim" Wilper - one of the forgotten 98)