Customer Reviews

Never Surrender: An American Navy Sailor’s Struggle For Survival in the Deadly Japanese P.O.W. Camps of WW II

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4 star:		(1)
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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.

I knew I'd like this book from reading Shawn's other works, but it went beyond my expectations. I learned so much more about the Japanese involvement in the Pacific Theatre of WW II. The first-hand horror experienced by Great Uncle Earl and others was mind boggling and brought goose bumps galore with its inside view of the hell of war. I've already recommended this book to others. It's well-written and brings the reality of being a POW to the forefront, never to be forgotten. I'm amazed any of them made it out alive after years of starvation and torture.

Definitely a must read.

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

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.

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

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.