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Empire of Ashes // James Scott’s Latest
August 6 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Look forward to the return of Pulitzer Prize finalist, New York Times bestseller, and Scholar in Residence at the Citadel, James Scott, for the pub-week launch of his new release, Empire of Ashes, joined on stage by Brian Jones, Dean of the Citadel. As an acclaimed Pacific War Historian for a number of books, including Black Snow, Rampage, and The War Below, as well as Targeted: Beirut, which he co-authored with Jack Carr, his perspective on the harrowing story of America’s bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the struggle to end World War II is highly anticipated.
Please note, we’ve updated our ticketing system—purchases now go through Neon Events for a smoother registration experience. For any issues, please call our Front Desk at 843-723-9912.
If you are unable to attend the event, but would like to purchase one or more signed copies, please visit Buxton Books here.
Prior to the program, we invite our Fellows Members to enjoy Happy Hour from 5:00 – 6:00 pm, downstairs in the Dr. Suzan D. Boyd Fellows Club Lounge.
About the Book
Over three days in August 1945, a nation once morally opposed to the bombing of civilians killed 120,000 men, women, and children; doomed tens of thousands more to agonizing death in the weeks and months ahead; and annihilated two cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Empire of Ashes explores the final brutal months of the war in the Pacific, featuring the voices of never-before-heard victims of the atomic bombs. Through interviews with survivors and accounts gleaned from Japanese sources, New York Times best-selling author James M. Scott combines the attacks’ heart-wrenching details with their causes and consequences, from debates within the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, Oakridge, and Hanford to the fallout that would alter decades of life in Japan. From “an exceptional writer with a keen eye for dazzling detail and gripping, suspenseful storytelling” (Henry Richard Maar III, Journal of Military History), Empire of Ashes illuminates the moral dilemma at the center of America’s decision to inflict total war upon Japan with startling immediacy.
About James M. Scott
A Pulitzer Prize finalist and former Nieman Fellow at Harvard, James M. Scott is the author of Target Tokyo, Black Snow, Rampage, The War Below, and The Attack on the Liberty. In addition, Scott is a sought-after public speaker who leads battlefield tours and lectures at institutions around the world. He lives with his wife and two children in Charleston, South Carolina, where he is the Scholar in Residence at The Citadel. Visit him at JamesMScott.com.
About Brian Jones
Brian Madison Jones serves as the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of History at The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina. Since joining The Citadel in 2020, he has been the driving force behind the School’s strategic vision, overseeing a vibrant community of over 700 undergraduates and 300 graduate students. His journey to the Lowcountry followed a distinguished twelve-year tenure at Johnson C. Smith University, where he served as Dean of the College of Arts and Letters and earned the prestigious title of James B. Duke Distinguished faculty member.
Brian’s expertise in the American presidency and the nuclear age is grounded in a PhD from Kansas State University, an MA from UNC Greensboro, and a cum laude BA from Appalachian State University. He is the author of Abolishing the Taboo: Dwight D. Eisenhower and American Nuclear Doctrine and has contributed to definitive volumes on the Cold War. Beyond the classroom, he has shaped public history as a consultant for A&E’s “Biography” and the documentary “Rescue in the Philippines.” A respected voice in his field, he regularly reviews for The Journal of American History and has earned research grants from the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and the Universities of Michigan and Arizona.
Originally a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Brian now calls Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, home. He enjoys life on the coast with his wife, their two daughters, and an Airedale Terrier of legendary spirit, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (Ellie).