Rating: 
Summary: Super Readable History -- Bravo!
Review: This is a well chronicled History of the prisoners held captive by the Japanese during WW-II. Segments told through the prisoners own voice and intertwined stories. How does one: Brush their teeth? Bathe? Excrete without the "taken for granted" luxury of paper? Who do you complain to?
This book is an eye opener to the cruelities of war and the nature of taking a prisoner in the first place. Yes, the strong survived. With a lot of luck and a personal desire to live. But, oh...so many died. Brutality, hate, and meanness all surface in these prisoner camps of war. This is a book for everyone who lived the era, and everyone who goes forth to war in the future. For History buffs to GIs in uniform -- a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and Heartbreaking.
Review: To ignore this part of World War II history makes a mockery of our WWII verterans and all they have fought for. It is a complete disgrace that these crimes have not been brought to light until very recently. Gavan Daws is explicit and painstakingly vivid in his discussion of these atrocities. I can't rememer a time when a book actually made me gasp out loud or moved me to tears like this one. As a college graduate with a minor in history, I feel disgusted and outraged that I have never heard of these horrible crimes against the allied soldiers. It is no wonder that so many people of my generation have no appreciation for their country; they have never heard of the hell these men suffered through to keep our nation free. Thank you Gavan Daws for briging these improtant truths to light.
| 
