‘If you read just one book about the history of the Kokoda Track, this should be it…Paul Ham has written a masterpiece of military history, which can at least stand beside Les Carlyon’s Gallipoli in its all-encompassing narrative power…it grips from its first words to its last moments. It is impossible in a brief review to capture the power of this amazing story…This is a book that both enriches and deconstructs the Anzac legend…We should learn from, and should never forget, what happened there.’ Courier-Mail
‘Ham has written a comprehensively researched, moving and at times truly shocking history of an awful chapter in Australia’s evolution—an episode that, like Gallipoli, is a peculiar cocktail of courage, incompetence and unalloyed human suffering. In the process he has demystified the campaign, at least to the extent that he reminds us that, like all wars, it is the story of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, of men at their best and worst.’ Weekend Australian
‘Authoritatively researched, intelligently structured and beautifully written, Kokoda is a substantial book that will appeal to scholars, students, history buffs and readers with an interest in World War II…Ham’s work stands above the rest and will quite possibly become recognised as the book on Kokoda. He has researched this book with fastidiousness and passion, which shows throughout…While other authors have described the harsh and often disturbing aspects of the fighting at Kokoda, none have done it as well as Ham.…in many respects [this is] the most complete history of Kokoda yet…[Kokoda is] an exceptional book.’ The Age
‘So assiduously has Ham plied his way through the terrain of official blunders, ferreting out unpublished documents…that it’s impossible to read Kokoda without feeling both profound sadness and rage. Written in dispassionate, almost pared-down prose, the book conveys the extraordinary heroism of these men without artifice, yet manages to be deeply provocative in a way that many popular accounts have not.’ Canberra Times
‘Ham’s meticulously researched book…brings fresh insight to the story of the campaign which turned the course of the war in the Pacific, with his inclusion of a Japanese perspective.’ Adelaide Advertiser
‘In its scope and range Kokoda brilliantly conveys the full complexity and human cost of war without resorting to cultural stereotypes or reductive narratives of mateship and bravery. That Ham sustains interest throughout such a substantial history is testament to his literary skills: he demonstrates great control over a vast quantity of sources, the pace is unflagging, the detail distinctive and adroitly deployed…Ham’s considerable achievement is to bring greater understanding of the social, religious and cultural differences in attitudes to war and of the immense psychological pressure experienced by soldiers.’ Judges of the 2005 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards
‘A fascinating and compelling read’ Sunday Telegraph
‘a gripping account…[Ham] pulls no punches in his opinions of the incompetence of the high command…He also rescues some great Australians from the anonymity to which lesser men have consigned them.’ Newcastle Herald
‘For those who want a close look at…[the Kokoda] campaign and like their military history straight, this book is worth reading.’ Australian Financial Review