All This Hell: U.S. Nurses Imprisoned by the Japanese [Paperback]

Evelyn M. Monahan (Author), Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813190614 | ISBN-13: 978-0813190617 | Publication Date: July 1, 2003 | Edition: 2

""Even though women were not supposed to be on the front lines, on the front lines we were. Women were not supposed to be interned either, but it happened to us. People should know what we endured. People should know what we can endure."" -- Lt. Col. Madeline Ullom More than one hundred U.S. Army and Navy nurses were stationed in Guam and the Philippines at the beginning of World War II. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, five navy nurses on Guam became the first American military women of World War II to be taken prisoner by the Japanese. More than seventy army nurses survived five months of combat conditions in the jungles of Bataan and Corregidor before being captured, only to endure more than three years in prison camps. When freedom came, the U.S. military ordered the nurses to sign agreements with the government not to discuss their horrific experiences. Evelyn Monahan and Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee have conducted numerous interviews with survivors and scoured archives for letters, diaries, and journals to uncover the heroism and sacrifices of these brave women.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Some of the least known but most interesting World War II narratives involve the experiences of civilian and military American women living in the South Pacific during the Japanese occupation--the subject of the present volumes. All This Hell describes the plight of 84 female nurses stationed in the South Pacific prior to the war whose lives went from idyllic to horrific when they were interned by the Japanese. Based upon both oral histories and published biographical and autobiographical accounts, the book provides a readable and gripping introduction to the topic for all readers. Its authors, veteran military medical personnel, have also written Albanian Escape, which deals with wartime nursing during World War II. Prisoners in Paradise is a broader, more analytic study. Kaminski (history, Univ. of Wisconsin-Stevens Point) explores the wartime activities of the region's thousands of non-native civilian and military women. Going beyond a narrative of their trials, she considers how attitudes toward gender roles shifted and adapted as women struggled to survive and protect their families. Based upon an extensive list of primary and secondary sources, this book is useful not only in its coverage of this neglected period but also as a more general study of gender in wartime. While All This Hell is recommended for all public and larger academic libraries, Prisoners in Paradise is most appropriate for academic and larger public libraries.
-Theresa McDevitt, Indiana Univ., PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"A genuine gift to the documentation from which we need to learn, appreciate and take to heart in the future." -- Stars and Stripes

"A readable and gripping introduction to the topic." -- Library Journal

"Should be read by every school child in generations to come." -- Victoria Advocate

"Their stories are worth telling, worth reading and most important, worth remembering." -- St. Petersburg Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky; 2 edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813190614
• ISBN-13: 978-0813190617
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TALE OF TRUE COURAGE, April 6, 2000

By 

Anne Sirman (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All This Hell: U. S. Nurses Imprisoned by the Japanese (Hardcover)

If history was this interesting in high school, there would be a lot more history majors in our colleges! ALL THIS HELL is a riveting account of the courage and humor employed by U.S. Army and Navy nurses to withstand years of imprisonment by the Japanese in World War II. These women are truly heroines and were pioneers in our country's armed forces. I recommend ALL THIS HELL to everyone who appreciates a well written and meticulously documented page turner. The story will change the way you think about freedom, and leave unforgettable images in your heart and mind.

48 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought I knew..., June 9, 2000

By 

Carl H. Fritts - See all my reviews

This review is from: All This Hell: U. S. Nurses Imprisoned by the Japanese (Hardcover)

I thought I knew about Bataan and Corregidor before I read ALL THIS HELL. I thought I knew what it meant to be civilized. I thought I knew the meaning of the words depravity and atrocity. I thought I knew the meaning of the words courage, bravery and heroism. I thought I knew the meaning of the word, Hell. But there is the Hell you see, the Hell you may be able to escape and the Hell that has to be survived. This book should be mandatory reading for all human beings who consider themselves civilized as well all Americans who appreciate our freedom. If you do not appreciate freedom now, you certainly will after reading ALL THIS HELL. After reading this book, when I hear the word, "Veterans", I will always think of women as well as men.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Women POWs of WWII, April 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: All This Hell: U. S. Nurses Imprisoned by the Japanese (Hardcover)

All This Hell is a fascinating book chronicaling the hardships and experiences had by female military nurses held as POWs by the Japanese in the Philippines during WWII. This chapter of American History has been overlooked for too long. All This Hell will open your eyes to this amazing chapter of American History, and to the heroic achievements and dedication of the nurses of WWII.