2 comments about Prisoner of the Turnip Heads: The Fall of Hong Kong and the Imprisionment by the Japanese.

1. The cruelty and depravity demonstrated by the Japanese during their occupation of Hong Kong between 1941 and 1945 is one of the less well-documented chapters of the Second World War. Yet, as George Wright-Nooth demonstrates with such freshness and clarity in this autobiographical account, it is as great a story of heroism, endurance, and poignancy as any other of its time. The image of 33 individuals, British, Chinese and Indian, preparing to be executed by beheading, and being comforted from among their own group by an Sandhurst-trained Indian officer and a Hong Kong Chinese man leading prayers will long remain in the mind. What also brings the book to life are the diary extracts and the author's excellent memory for detail, which superbly capture the sense of a young Englishman caught in the sweep and suffering of a wider tragedy, but somehow retaining his spirit, his inquisitiveness and that uniquely British sense of humour that shines undimmed through fifty years and the terrible things he saw and experienced.



2. This is a very moving and well-written memoire; given the tragic events, it is not possible for such a book to do other than include some very sad & brutal stories. I have visited Hong Kong on numerous occasions and it was interesting to relate the events described in this book to the places I knew.

No comments about Mitsui Madhouse: Memoir of a U.S. Army Air Corps POW in World War II.

2 comments about Good-Bye To Old Peking: The Wartime Letters Of U.S. Marine Captain John Seymour Letcher, 1937-1939.

1. Mr. Letcher's letters were written in a style that gives the reader a "visual" description of pre World War II China. Although some of his opinions may not be politically correct by todays standards, I think he honestly expresses his feelings of the people and surroundings at the time. Some of his predictions regarding the upcoming war are almost right on--however his prediction that California would eventually be captured by the Japanese happily did not come true. Regardless of Mr. Letcher's personal opinions, his letters are well written and gives the reader the feeling of being there. A good story. The editors did a great job of keeping the story on track, and the footnote information was very informative (Their references led me to several other publications which I subsequently read). The copy I read was from the public library. I plan to buy the book for my collection in the near future.



2. Life in Peking (Beijing) China before World War II was the ultimate big frog in a small pond experience for Europeans and Americans. Persons of modest means and position, such as Marine Captain John Letcher, could live like pashas on a modest salary. Moreover, Peking had fabulous art, architecture, food, and a glorious culture to enjoy.
   
   Life was not nearly so good for the Chinese and that was why Letcher was there. He was a member of a US Marine Corps contingent with the mission of protecting foreigners and property. The Chinese had the disconcerting habit of rising up occasionally and killing the Westerners enjoying their bounty. Captain Letcher's tour in Peking was made memorable by the beginning of World War II when Japanese and Chinese troops clashed at Marco Polo Bridge, just outside Peking. What is perhaps most remarkable is how little the war between China and Japan disrupted the good life of the foreigners inside the walls of Peking although there is a sense of gathering doom in Letcher's account.
   
   This book consists of Letcher's letters and diary entries from 1936 to 1939. A lengthy introduction, a few photos and maps, extensive footnotes, and a bibliography supplement the text. Letcher has no startling insights or wisdom to impart, but his stories of daily life conjure up life in Peking pretty well and his eye-witness observations of the war are interesting. "Goodbye Old Peking" is a well done book of interest to scholars and those of us who are fascinated by old time China and the Westerners who lived there.
   
   Smallchief

5 comments about Never Surrender: An American Navy Sailors Struggle For Survival in the Deadly Japanese P.O.W. Camps of WW II.

1. This was an amazing story of one man's need to survive. I liked how it dealt with the history of the time as well as what Earl was going through. Well written.



2. Never Surrender is the most intense WW II book I have ever read. The fact that it was written in the first person by an actual survivor of the battles and the POW camps really brought the story home for me. The main character in the true life adventure is also the book's author. Sometimes he is on the periphery of battles and at other times he is right in the middle of it!
   
   I was very surprised by the humor and wit of the POW survivor, Earl Anderson, who wrote the book. Many times, I found myself laughing at a hilarious anecdote told by the writer a moment before I was holding my breath as the writer's life was in danger. The writer uses the interesting technique of telling the story as if it is happening in the present. This brings an immediacy to the story that is not present in other WW II books. I was shocked and fascinated as the story unfolded. The writer's personal experiences reveal truths about the Philippines battles and the Japanese POW camps that I never knew about before. This book is an entertaining adventure story as well as a harrowing tale of survival. I would recommend this book to anyone and not just to those people interested in WW II.



3. This book blew me away. I literally couldn't put it down. I would give it six stars if I could.



4. This book was excellent. The first-person point-of-view made the action seem like it was happening to me! I have read a lot of WW II books, but I learned a lot from this one.



5. This book is a fascinating insider view of the horrors of a Japanese WWII POW camp. Great for WWII buffs and non-buffs alike.

No comments about Wild Daisies in the Sand: Life in a Canadian Internment Camp.

No comments about Mine Okubo: Following Her Own Road.

5 comments about The Naked Island.

1. it is amazing that with all the hardship that these guys went thru, human nature can still make the best of an awful situation.



2. This is an unforgettable book: informative, educational, poignant and often delightfully humorous. It is a tribute to the British and Australian Forces used as slave labour in the construction of the Burma/Siamese Railway and their ability to live with dignity, compassion and decency under the most deplorable conditions imaginable. This book leaves an indelible impression on the reader and should be required reading for each successive generation.



3. One of my first introductions to Australian and Far East reading of WW11, thoroughly enjoyable, could not put it down until it was finished. Would recommend this book to all generations. Has given me the taste to find out more about the Far East and familiarise myself with further Australian literature. Thought only John Pilger could write riveting literature, I was wrong!



4. The Naked Island

   The autobiography of a young australian soldier who spent long years in captivity as prisoner of war of the Japanese.
   The first part is the description of the military life in Malaya before the attack of the Japanese with many ironical notes on that tedious life from the point of view of a soldier.
   The second part is the description of the useless fight of the Australian and British troops against the overwhelming enemy and then the attempt to escape the capture.
   Then the third, and most interesting part, is the description of the life during three long years of captivity in the different prisons where the writer was imprisoned and in the jungle camps where all prisoners were forced to work without food, facing malaria, beri beri and death for starvation.
   A book I would really recommend.
   Are you looking for another absolutely interesting book about a similar experience?
   Read the famous "Behind bamboo" by Rohan Rivett




5. The author went through some really horrific situations but at the same time can describe the strength of the human spirit. The author also has a great sense of humor. I think books like this are rare these days in our politically correct world. Well worth the read.

1 comments about Japanese Experience Indonesia: Selected Memoirs of 1942-1945 (Ohio RIS Southeast Asia Series).

1. This superb little collection of essays and journal notes sheds light on an obscure, yet important aspect of Asian history. We Westerners tend to give the wartime aims of Japan a uniformly dark aspect, yet there were idealists among the Japanese conquerors who dreamed of an Asia free of Western imperialism. One cannot be naive in dealing with this subject - the brunt of the Japanese occupation machine was geared to subjugation and exploitation. Yet in the East Indies there were many Japanese administrators who prepared the Indonesians for the inevitable battle with the returning Dutch.

2 comments about Surviving the Day: An American Pow in Japan.

1. Frank Grady was a personal friend of my fathers. Maybe because I grew up knowing him, the story made more of an impression on me than it would have normally. But whatever it is, it was a moving story about the resiliency of the human spirit. It is also about the humor, obstinacy and stubbornness; which contributes to that resiliency. Mr. Grady and others like him were true heros. It was an honor to have known him and it is an honor to know more about him through his book.



2. One of the best, ever, of WWII books by U.S. GI's.
   
   Every college history class should have this book!
   
   Highly recommended.

No comments about Different People: Pictures of Some Japanese.