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Books to read if you're planning a vacation in "Pacific", sorted by average review score:
Alaska: A Photographic Journey Through the Last Wilderness
Published in Hardcover by Penguin Studio (November, 1997)
Authors: Leonard Lee, III Rue and John, Jr Pezzenti
Average review score:

Inspiring, captivating, and a precious find.
After 40 some years of living Alaska, I am well aware of the difficulty and seeming impossibility of capturing the great land on film and with words. The true essense and spitituality of this vast offering often eludes our cameras and pens. John has nailed it. His enduring patience and impecable eye for the finest of nature glows from image to image, mushroom ice stands, an otter enjoying a meal, volcanic clouds balloning over stands of towering spruce, an eaglets first moment broken from the shell, in your face bears, all these images and much more inspire me to look harder, go further, and wait longer for more of Alaska than I have ever experienced. The photos are sparkled by John's unique style of writing. After recieving the book as a gift I spent long nights, reading and re-reading his tales of adventure with delight. My work takes me far from home and John's book gives me opportunity to share the true flavors of Alaska with those I meet on the trail. Thank you John for sharing your God given talents, I so look forward to the next book.

Magnificent work of art.
I received a copy of John Pezzenti's book,A Photographic Journey Through The Last Wilderness,as a gift through my work. John Pezzenti's photographes portray such beauty and his words flow with spirituality. John Pezzenti's gift for writing matches his talent for capturing nature at it's finest. From the incredible photo's of the birth of an eagle,to the heart felt story of the Birthday Cake Bear. As I look through this magnificent book I feel his photo's and words drawing me in. It gives me the sense that I too am able to share what John Pezzenti must have felt being there. When I was young I went on a cruise to Alaska. I knew that one day I would move to this great land. John Pezzenti's book reinforce's why I kept this dream so close to my heart for all these years. I will always cherish this gift I received and feel blessed that John Pezzenti chose to share his God given talent with the rest of us. One could keep writing but there are no words that can truely describe this work of art. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has ever dreamt about Alaska. John Pezzenti truely opens his heart to the reader with his photographes and lets us share in the beauty he has captured over the past 25 years. I look forward to being able to share his work with my family and friends,as I also look forward to his next publishing.

Experience the photos and adventures of a real American hero
If you want to experience the true Alaska as few have ever done, no need to make a pilgrimage to the far north. All you need to do is read this book about a photographer's solo odyssey into the wilderness of Alaska in search of getting the great shot. The shot, that transforms photography into emotionally evoking art. The shot , that exudes the magnificence of the photo into telling the full rich story around it. The shot, that envelops the viewer with both the tenderness and majaesty of nature. John Pezzenti's journeys not only allowed him to capture this "Holy Grail' shot but unbelievably a whole book of them. In my estimation his work is unparalleled in his field. John is truely one of the premier wildlife photographers of our time. Equally fascinating to the absolutely stunning photography, is the human story behind it. John chronicles his amazing adventures on his journeys. He details his harrowing survival struggles to awe inspiring revelations with candor and humor. John presents himself to the reader not as some superhero but as an everyday person with all our human fragility. While reading John's book it dawned on me that it is an antithesis to Conrads's "The Heart of Darkness". John and Marlow both, endure the brutalities of our world in their journeys, but while Marlow is left only with "bitterness and darkness", John is left with "wonderment and light". I would like to mention that though nature has thrown John some mighty barriers in his quest, the greatest hurdle lies within himself. John is classified 100% disabled with a rare and agressive form of rheumatoid arthritis, treatable only with a mild chemotherapy so he can walk. Experience this book! The reproduction of John's work is exquisite and the price surprisingly low.

Golden Gate Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Stroll, Bike, Jog, Roll in San Francisco and Marin
Published in Paperback by Diamond Valley Company (10 August, 2001)
Authors: Jerry Sprout, Janine, Janine Sprout, and Jerry
Average review score:

Super Plus
Complete is the best way to describe this guidebook. I wasn't planning on visiting the Marin side but was forced to when the fog in San Francisco made it too cold and wet to enjoy the parks and trails. Marin was in complete sunshine everyday.

This book stands apart from all the rest because it was written by hometown authors who definitely know their turf and didn't mince on destinations, more than any other book on the subject. It mades a good companion with the Lonely Planet San Francisco book. If you like to explore the outdoors on your vacation buy this book. It will keep you entertained as well as busy.

A San Francisco newcomer
We mountain biked in Marin and along the coast line of San Francisco using this book as our guide. We began our morning ride with misty views of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Presidio, then crossed the span and discovered all sorts of cool trails that connected to sunny Mount Tamalpais. This book has very good access information to all the open space area trails and even includes a two page list of places to take my retriever. Packing alot of sports into one volume makes this book very valuable to me.

Eye Pleasing, Entertaining, and Oh So Helpful
I have reviewed lots of travel-related guidebooks over the years, so I can say with some authority that the Golden Gate Trailblazer--the third title in the popular Trailblazer series--is a real find. Although I lived for a number of years in the San Francisco/Marin area, I was simply overwhelmed by the amount of new information I learned about this most wonderful place. The choices of hikes, walks, jogs, and off-road (and sometimes on-road) cycling options are simply overwhelming. The "Best of San Francisco and Marin" section thankfully helps to break down all these choices into dozens of useful categories to help you get to where you want to go faster (for example: Short Walks to High Places; Wildflowers; and Raptors and Woodland Birds; Family Rides; Beach Runs; etc.). The "Free Advise and Opinion" section near the back, while only three pages in length, is nothing short of fabulous in dispensing loads of cryptically written, helpful information and side-splitting humor in equal proportions. And the black-and-white photography throughout the book are stunning in creating a visual sense of place (In my view, the quality of the photos sometimes reaches award-winning status--I would certainly love to see enlargements of some of my favorites!). Including hundreds of trail descriptions, jogging paths, and so forth in a book less than 300 pages long is no mean trick. The Sprouts accomplish this by using a consistent, well-organized, yet compact format, well-selected abbreviations, and carefully crafted yet succinct directions. One important note: This is one book where reading the "How to Use This Book" section will be time well spent. The organization of the book works and works well. But the reader will benefit by taking a moment to orient him or herself. And buying a good street map of the area is another essential, as the authors themselves so indicate. Map drawing, especially in the backcountry of Marin County, is a major challenge and the authors were wise to leave that job to the cartographers. With a copy of the Golden Gate Trailblazer and a good street map in hand you will be ready to explore places you may have never even heard of in a lifetime of living in the Bay Area. And if you are first-time visitors you will be thrilled to have so much well-informed guidance in selecting the activity that is just right for you. And, oh yes, a final tip of the hat to the authors for taking the time to include dozens of good ideas for outdoor exploration for those in wheelchairs and parents who opt to push the little one(s) in a baby stroller.

Clear the Bridge!: The War Patrols of the U.S.S. Tang
Published in Hardcover by Rand McNally & Co (August, 1977)
Author: Richard H. O'Kane
Average review score:

Enthralling;gripping;filled with admiration for O'Kane
As I read this account of the patrols of the U.S.S. Tang, I was there with the gallant skipper and the crew. A powerful story,gripping;filled with the tension that goes with tracking the enemy.You soon realize how courageous the entire crew was and you are also filled with admiration for Commander O'Kane's leadership and seamanship.The ending is so tragic.For several days after finishing the book I was filled with a deep sense of tragedy for its own defective torpedo sank this magnificent sub.A great tale that ends in sorrow.

Gripping account of submarine warfare
"Clear the Bridge" is an outstanding look at WWII submarine warfare conducted by one of the greatest of combat crews. RADM Dick O'Kane constructs a scintillating look at combat thru the eyes of a veteran Navy skipper. The obvious love for Tang and her many fine sailors shines through, as well as the respect of and devotion to his former skipper on Wahoo, "Mush" Morton, and that fine boat. This book is a great read, and is a worthwhile addition to any library.

Outstanding!
After proving his metttle as the Executive Officer on the USS Wahoo, Dick O'Kane revolutionised submarine warfare in his own way on USS Tang. During its limited lifetime, Tang sank more ships than any other US submarines and would have sunk more except for its demise by one of its own torpedos. A great read and a thorough description of life in a US WW2 submarine.

Kauai Trailblazer : Where to Hike, Snorkel, Bike, Paddle, Surf
Published in Paperback by Diamond Valley Company (July, 2003)
Authors: Jerry Sprout, Janine Sprout, and Jerry
Average review score:

THE one to have along
We tested all the features of this book on our vacation last month. This book is definitely our first choice of all the Kauai guides. It proved itself a great alternative to all the package tours that can run up to over $100 per person for one outing. The authors provide easy driving directions, accurate trail descriptions, hike degree of difficulty, potential hazards.

It was a big help knowing where to go the minute we hopped off the plane and was responsible for us having one fantastic time.

First Visit
This book served as our primary field guide for finding hiking routes. We had heard Kauai was known for its uncrowded spaces and this book proved it very true. No other book lists so many trails. It is well written and contains precise directions and maps that made driving to the traiheads easy. During our two week trip there was never any down time which is amazing for a family of five. When the boys wouldn't walk another step, we hauled them to recommended beaches where they could boogie board and build sand castles. We're lending this treasure with all our underlining and notes to the family next door and plan to buy their Maui book for our Christmas vacation next year.

Sweet Aloha
I bought KAUAI TRAILBLAZER for a recent trip to the Garden Isle and found it a friendly companion to have tucked under my arm. It's got explicit directions, so if you get lost, it's because you want to be lost! There is a soft subtlety in the photography--like snapshots in my memory, evocative. Imbued in the text is a sensitivity to the land and peoples of Hawaii. I was struck by a certain reverence that allows witness without disturbance. There is a marked dry wit to Sprout's writing style; he lightly peppers his guide with humor without detracting from the densely packed info he delivers to anyone wishing to visit Kauai--whether they want a useful first-time tour of some well-known sites, or desire to stray off the beaten path. The book definitely helped me and I highly recommend it. Aloha & best wishes, Doreen Sinky, BC, Canada

South Pacific Journal: A Novel
Published in Paperback by Broadman & Holman Publishers (September, 1999)
Authors: David French and Nancy French
Average review score:

compelling, well written page turner!
I don't believe I've read a more compelling book! It was purchased from a bargain table as something to read while recovering from a foot injury. The therapy for my soul and mind was worth far far more than the few dollars I paid.
So many times I've been disappointed in the quality of "Christian Fiction." Not so with "SOUTH PACIFIC JOURNAL." The characters are believable and very interesting. Descriptive passages place the reader on location in the South Pacific. I've never read such compelling "flash-back" passages. Even though the narrative left many unanswered questions about the characters (What happened to the lieutenant? How did Sarah try to contact her family? When and how did she return to Manila?) I feel as if I really know the characters personally. I hope David & Nancy French write a sequel.
My gratitude goes to the authors for such excellent writing and to the publisher for printing this book.

Warm, Intriguing, Inspiring, Heartwrenching, Hopeful !
South Pacific Journal was definitely worth the day I spent reading it. This story is about a brother and sister, Jacob & Sarah Levine. They are separated by unusual circumstances, but Jacob finds out about Sarah through a phone call, a fax and a trip half way around the world where Jacob finds a priceless treasure. The tale is skillfully woven and drew me in on the first page and release came too soon at the final sentence - so sweet was the journey from cover to cover. Rarely would I expect to find such a seamless story line and so strong a purpose in any book, especially by new authors. Believability, passion and God's loving mercies were echoed throughout this gripping tale. As page after page of masterful storytelling unfolded, I cried, I hoped, lost hope and found it again. Finally, if you've ever wanted to introduce someone to your dearest Friend -- let this book help you. They'll be glad that you did... Bernie Siegel said in one of his books, "Tell a story. No one is offended at a story." Thanks Nancy & David French. Your story will find it's way into the hands of some of my loved ones this year so that the Story will never die....

We have victory over death through Jesus
I just finished reading the wonderful story South Pacific Journal by David and Nancy French. I recently started reading Christian fiction as I am so sick of the filth in secular reading. This story made me smile and cry and praise the lord all at the same time. It was beautifully written and the characters all seemed alive to me. If more of our young people would read these kinds of books maybe the world wouldnt be going to hell the way it is!!. I hope these fine new authors will publish another story soon. I will rush to the bookstore to get it!! May God Bless all who reads this wonderful book.

Hawaii the Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook
Published in Paperback by Wizard Pubns (June, 2002)
Authors: Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman
Average review score:

WOW! What a phenomenal guidebook!
I bought this book (and "The Ultimate Kaua`i Guidebook") on the recommendation of several people on a travel message board. This was our forth trip to the Hawaiian Islands and my wife and I were going there to spend a week on The Big Island and a week on Kaua`i. We wanted to see the most we could and we felt these books might help us make better plans to do just that. And did it ever! We ended up finding that one week on each island wasn't enough and we are already planning our next trip.

Their off-the-beaten-path places are just awesome. From exploring a lava tube that empties out 20 feet over the water near Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park to driving (with a 4WD SUV) down into Waipio Valley; from touring the top of Mauna Kea (the highest point in all of Hawai`i) to hiking out to touch the molten lava flowing from Pu`u O`o; from seeing a "lava tree" at Lava Tree State Park to tasting some organically grown fruit at a roadside stand.....you'll find the details in this book. And their accurate maps and directions to the out-of-the-way places will keep even the most wayward soul from getting lost.

My wife and I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like to explore the places you visit, this book is for you. Well worth it's weight in gold....well, almost. :)

downright incredible!
My husband and I used this guide book constantly on our week-long trip to the Big Island, from which we returned just 3 days ago. This books tells about all the little-known and out-of-the-way places that the tour busses don't or won't take you to.

If you're the adventurous type, definitely rent a 4WD as the book suggests. There's a lot of wonderful places on the island that just can't be accessed without one.

We found the book's accuracy to be nearly 100%, even though it's been out nearly 2 years now. It was so exciting to see and experiece all the things in real life that I first learned about through this book. Don't miss the snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay. It's beyond the imagination!

The excellent restaurant reviews were also very helpful to us. 11/24/00

The New Gold Standard in Travel Guides
Witty, thorough, useful, honest, and best of all, accurate to a fault. I took my family to Hawai'i armed with this book and we were not disappointed once. This guide was written by residents of Kailua and their local knowledge shows. In the book's introduction they claim to have spent two years putting this guide together. Every minute of that effort shows in the result.

The best feature of the book is that is is organized as a set of driving tours from the Kailua-Kona and Hilo areas. Almost everyone visiting the Big Island travels by rented car and stays in either of these areas. The struc- ture is perfect for a tourist, right down to listing the mile-marker numbers where unmarked sideroads lead to beaches, volcano view spots, and other points of interest not on the rental car maps. It is loaded with color photographs, maps in many level of details -- including hiking trails -- and easy-to-spot icons of the things to see and do. We visited friends who have lived in Kailua for years who were surprised at how many new things they learned.

I have to stop now before I embarass myself. If you visit the Big Island and don't take this book with you your trip will be that much less fun.

Inside Passage: Living With Killer Whales, Bald Eagles, and Kwakiutl Indians
Published in Hardcover by HarperCollins (May, 1991)
Author: Michael Modzelewski
Average review score:

INVIGORATING AND INSPIRATIONAL!
I'd like to start out with my favorite quote from Michael Modzelewski, "Sometimes you have to lower your standard of living to reach a higher level." I have sailed the inside passage via cruise ship 5 times and every time I read "INSIDE PASSAGE" brings back all the wonderful memories and magical moments I have experienced in this wild and untamed wilderness.
Michael lived with killer and humpback whales, bald eagles, Kwakiutl Indians on the surrounding Islands, Tuffy the cat, Cottonwood the ridgeback dog, and my favorite raven named Blackie! On page 59 is a hilarious story about Blackie!! Michael lived in Will Malloff's 12x34 ft. home with no t.v., indoor plumbing, electricity,no car or grocery store. No traffic jams,pollution or noise of any kind, and all you can eat fish in the sea was the trade off! You will learn what Michael needed to do to survive 18 months on Swanson Island.
This is one of those books you read over and over and underline everything. I'm going to close with another of Michael's quotes,
"I touched the whale; she touched me; and what passed between us changed me forever." Reading this book and meeting Michael changed me forever. This book inspired and motivated me to take some risks in life, to travel, and to dream big because dreams do come true,look at Michael's!

Spiritual Magic from a Magical Man.
Inside Passage is a book for the ages. An awe-inspiring piece of work that has left me both breathless and wanting more. Each image is created with such care and heart, the spirit of a "warrior" and the heart of a "man" shines through in each page. Inside Passage will leave an idelible mark on both the reader and the readers soul. A must read for anybody who has ever had a dream or a person seeking refuge in the majestic landscape of the Alaskan wilds. Modzleweski presents a totally-balanced account. Unlike many authors who've left the city for the wilds he doesn't "deify" Native Americans. He describes each Kwakiutl he meets as an individual with different life-styles, education-levels, and manners of speaking. Inside Passage brings out the raw and harsh natural laws man must live by in the wilderness, but intertwined within that plot is a story of unharnessed adventure and a life worth living. Having visited the Inside Passage the past two summers, I can say that the author brought the area totally alive! In the economical and passionate-style of a poet, Modzelewski goes far-beneath the surface of an awesome place. Most of all, he takes the reader on a spiritual VisionQuest-where as he describes it:"The Inside Passage is real dream country. Even on land you are moved. The tides that carry the great whales move the bulk of your thoughts just as effortlessly. On the islands, the surrounding sea enters your subconcious, creating a rippling mirror that reflects reality from many perspectives. There is no concrete to fix attitudes, harden dreams. The world around you constantly flows in many levels, swirling deep fathoms into you, loosening holdfasts and safeguards, stirring up sediment, provoking protean change." Reading this book changed my life. Now I see the world through un-biased eyes. Life is a challenge and a blessing, I accept it with passion and un-dying gratitude. Mr. Modzelewski has opened my eyes to a world I never knew existed, and for that I am forever en-debted to him. This book will change you; I guarantee it!

To visit Alaska, First read this great book!
After reading Inside Passage,I felt my soul was baptized by the beauty of Alaska and the author Michael Modzelewski was the minister who administered the baptismal ceremony for many poor polluted souls. My outlook of life has been changed since then. Every day and every minute I live is full of beauty and purity like Alaska's blue sky. I would like to live in inside Passage every summer!

Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home
Published in Audio Download by audible.com ()
Average review score:

One of the Best Books Today on Prayer
There are a myriad of books available today on prayer. Many of those books are shallow theologically and draw little if any from the rich heritage of the Church. Foster's volume combines a knowledge of church history's classic devotional writers with a freshness appealing to the 21st century.

Foster describes various forms of prayer, dividing them into three general categories: inward-focused prayer provides us with personal transformation, upward-focused prayer offers us intimacy with God, outward-focused prayer places us in the ministries that God would have us fill.

Don't let the title fool you. This volume is NOT just another book on what some persons may call "prayer lite." Foster presents a solid work that is grounded in the theology as well as the history of the Church. I recommend this book highly to all persons desiring a serious treatment of prayer.

An Excellent Guide to a Life of Prayer
This book is an excellent introduction to, and survey of, the practice and experience of prayer for Christians. Richard Foster draws from many different traditions and experiences and distills them into this very fine and accessible work. It's very practical, unpretentious and inspiring. Foster helps us examine the many facets of prayer grouped according to three intentions on personal transformation, intimacy with God and ministry to others. Among its 21 chapters you may find aspects of prayer that are very familiar to you (maybe you had never thought of them as prayer before) along with encouragement to focus and deepen your efforts in those areas. Other types of prayer may be completely foreign to you but offer an invitation to explore. For those who want to take prayer more seriously this book is a very good place to begin. It is not an introduction in the sense of being superficial or shallow. It treats each aspect of prayer in enough depth to get the willing reader well on his or her way to a more effective and vital life of prayer. But it also shows us prayer as a vast, life long and life changing endeavor and points to the work of others who have explored the various disciplines of prayer more deeply. This books is essential reading.

Deeply challenging and rewarding book on prayer.
There are a myriad of books on the subject of prayer. Many are guides to prayer, also called "how-to" books on prayer. Others are compilations of prayers in scripture (such as the prayers of Jesus or the prayers of David). Many Christian readers may have one or more of these on their bookshelves. However, when one reads PRAYER: FINDING THE HEART'S TRUE HOME, there is an immediately discernable difference present within it's pages. As you move through the book you can sense a depth of wisdom and intimacy with God present in author's life. The book is so profound that is is difficult to read more a few pages in one sitting. This isn't to say that all of the concepts taught within are difficult, although a few are. Rather, it is that the depth and meaningfulness of the pages are so intense that it takes the thoughful reader much time to digest, wrestle with, and assimilate the beautiful wisdom within them.

A highly recommended and deeply challenging help and inspiration.

The Mysterious Island
Published in School & Library Binding by Atheneum (November, 1988)
Authors: Jules Verne and N.C. Wyeth
Average review score:

Remember MacGyver?
How he used to make an engine run with duct tape and a shoe string, or make a bomb from bleach and a rusty nail?

He kept coming to mind as I was reading this incredible book, as the characters, stranded on an island with absolutely nothing, accomplished such amazing feats as draining a lake, making a home, building a ship, making an elevator, and a great many other things. There is excitement, suspense (what IS going on on this mysterious island??), and wonderful, likeable characters. Not a real well-known Verne book, but fortunately still in print, and one of his best and most entertaining.

(Incidentally, if you want a children's version of the same story, try to find "A Long Vacation" by Jules Verne, which is extremely similar in plot, but with younger characters and for a younger audience - very charming!)

By the way, please do read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea first, if you have not already done so. Evidently, Verne assumed that everyone had when he wrote this novel.

Great reading!

Excellent
I think this is the best book Verne has ever written. It has adventure, mystery, suspense, survival, and science fiction all mixed up into one book. It is about Cyrus harding, the engineer, Neb, his loyal servant, Gidion Spilett, the reporter, Jack Pencroft, the spontaneous sailor, Herbert, a 13 year old boy, and the faithful dog Top, who get dropped in a hot air ballon on a remote island. The soon begin forming there own "mini-america" on the island. But strange things start happening - like when top is almost killed my a strange animal, but the animal suddenly dies from a knife wound, and when Pencroft finds a bullet in a wild pig. Who did these things appear on a uninhabited island? Hint- Read 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea first

Adventure Unlimited

Mention Jules Verne, and books that spring to mind are 20,000 Leagues, Around the World in 80 days, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. The Mysterious Island is one of his lesser known works, which is something of a mystery itself.

The book surpasses one's imagination and never fails to surprise. From the initial pages when Capt. Cyrus Harding and his friends decide to escape from a prison camp, the story seizes the complete attention of the reader, and unfolds at a pace and in a direction excelling Jules Verne's characteristic stories. The spirit and ingenuity of man is demonstrated in almost every page, as Cyrus and Co. find themselves marooned on a deserted island, and armed with only their wits, transform their desperate situation into a wonder world of science and technology. The reader is drawn into the adventure and finds himself trying to find solutions to the problems and obstacles that lie in plenty for the castaways, as Cyrus and his indomitable friends surmount myriad problems in their fight for survival. They are aided in their ventures by an uncanny and eerie source that remains a mystery until the very end.

This book cannot fail to fascinate and inspire awe in the mind of any reader. One begins to grasp the marvels and inventive genius behind the simple daily conveniences and devices that are normally taken for granted. The line between reality and fantasy is incredibly thin, and for sheer reading pleasure and boundless adventure, this book will never cease to please.

PS: The book has been adapted into a movie, which is one of the worst adaptations of any novel that I have ever had the misfortune of viewing. It is criminal to even mention the movie and the original work in the same breath.

Prisoners of the Japanese : Pows of World War Ii in the Pacific
Published in Paperback by Quill (January, 1996)
Author: Gavin Daws
Average review score:

horrifying but engrossing account of WWII POW experiences
You have probably never read a book like "Prisoners of the Japanese" because there probably has never BEEN a book like it. It's not a first-hand account, and often it reads like a novel rather than a history because Daws' style is very vivid and he tells his story with a very effective immediacy which makes it seem as if the events were taking place today instead of half a century ago, and it includes many of the personal stories of the POW's, American, British, Australian, and Dutch (from what is now Indonesia), who were held in Japanese prison camps, mostly outside of Japan, from 1941 to 1945. Whatever you may know about World War II and about Japanese atrocities, you still have much to learn if you haven't read "Prisoners." This book will take you month by month and even day by day through the hell of the camps and the appalling lives these poor men led until their liberation after V-J day. Starvation, beatings, terrible jungle diseases for which the Japanese refused to provide medical treatment, bone-wracking fatigue, ghastly tortures, and often outright murder were the daily lot of these men who suffered for Allied military blunders and lack of preparation. Not many of them are alive today, but I think we owe it to ourselves to learn about their terrible experiences and to honor them in at least this way. Shame on the U.S. government and military for keeping these stories hush-hush for over fifty years!

Horrifying, eye-opening
It's stunning what humans can do to each other. The Japanese in World War II took a step back as a civilized nation when they committed atrocities against British, American, Canadian, and Australian POWs, as well as countless Filipino, Chinese, and other civilians and soldiers. On nearly every page of this book you'll read of the horrific treatment the POWs underwent: beheadings, medical experiments, forced labour, disease. Also you'll find out about what man will do to man in the confines of a prison camp: stealing, bribing, gambling with others' lives.

I thought what I'd find most interesting in this book would be what happened to the POWs after the war, when they reintegrated into society, and I did find the info interesting. But what I found most interesting, astounding in fact, was the way the American government treated its own soldiers after they came home. Not only were the Japanese who conducted medical experiments on soldiers not tried as war criminals, they bought their lives, their freedom, by selling the results of their "tests" to the American government. I can understand, in a way, why the government did this, as they were entering the Cold War and the war in Korea (a difficult act of a desperate government) but why didn't they provide the victims with cash or property in exchange for what they suffered? The POWs very nearly paid for their time in the camps with their lives. Surely they deserved more on return than a lack of understanding and one new set of clean clothes.

Thoughtful analysis of Japan's treatment of POW's
The author, Gavan Daws, never served in the Second World War, but obviously took to writing this book as a labor of love and appreciation for what the Allied prisoners of war (American, British and Dutch) went through during nearly four years of captivity. His undertaking is an incredible hair-raising account of what the circumstances were behind the prisoners' incarceration, ill-treatment, and in too few cases, repatriation.

For those whose view of prisoners of Imperial Japan mirrors what they have seen in historically inaccurate movies like "The Bridge on the River Kwai," this book will shock them to the core. In truth, the Japanese camp commanders and guards were brutal and unmerciful. Some Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen were likely to take their own lives, if they had only known what being held captive by the Japanese would mean. The numerous stories of starvation, forced labor, bloody executions and unending barbarity will force sobriety on anyone who thinks that "River Kwai..." is the way it really was.

The book centers on a number of real-life captives who probably only grudingly spilled their guts to Daws, if only to get the truth out. For instance, the odyssey of American serviceman, Frank Fujita, who is partly Japanese in ethnicity, was really intriguing. Daws recounts that when Fujita was brought by barge to Japan after being so long a prisoner in the Phillipine Islands, a guard noticed (at a roll call for forced factory labor) that he had an American captive with a Japanese surname! At this, Mr. Fujita was cajoled by the Japanese military into trying to denounce his country; bravely, Fujita fought off all attempts at this farce.

Daws goes into gross detail, sparing the reader nothing regarding the dispiriting treatment of Allied POW's. He often explains that those who survived did so by using guile and trading food, cigarettes, and other items to help them over the long haul. Sadly, thousands of POW's died under the stress of prison-camp labor, tropical diseases, beatings and starvation. Not highly recommended for the most queasy among us.

The lessons are difficult to swallow, but Daws didn't write this book to gloss over what really happened in the Pacific theater...he wrote it to educate the spoiled brats who don't know what it took preserve this nation's freedom and honor. Indeed, I am sadder, but more importantly wiser, thanks to Daws' excellent work.

Maps of the Pacific theater are available for those topographically challenged, as well as a copious amount of notes in the back of the book. At 441 pages of text and notes, the account is a real page-turner. An excellent book for those interested in World War II-era human interest records.

Related Vacation Book Subjects: Washington
More Pages: Pacific Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100