Customer Reviews

Prisoners in Paradise: American Women in the Wartime South Pacific

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A good book informs and entertains. A great book informs, entertains and forces us to ask questions. Kaminski's book cannot be read without introspection. As she details a horrifying scenario, military detention of women and children on foreign soil, and delves into how that situation affected women's roles, the reader is compelled to ask, "What if this happened to me?"

Is it better to keep one's head held high or better to feed your child? Is it better to uphold the vestiges of social class and civilization or is it better to put a roof over your children's heads? Over and over, Kaminski forces the reader to wonder, "What would I do in a similar situation?"

Kaminiski's depth of research and understanding of the topic shines on every page. These heroic women, until now so disregarded by history, owe her a great debt.

For any person who marvels at the power of roles to dictate worthiness, this book is a must read. I wish we'd had this book when I attended women's studies classes. Thank you, Dr. Kaminski, for bringing this unknown part of history to light.

...one of hope and survival. The women come to life as their story is told of how they went from a life of leisure with servants to do the work for them to doing everything by themselves with little help from their men. Ms Kaminsky does an excellent job telling these women's story and her book is a great addition to my bookshelves.

What does it take to survive? What does it cost? This brilliant, fearless, absolutely page-turning book examines the plight of American women caught in the camps. The women in this book burst alive on the page with stories you just can't forget. Just beautifully written! Can't wait to read more from the very talented Kaminski.

Fourteen thousand civilian Americans spent the years of World War II as "guests" of their Japanese conquerors. The author tells the story of more than a dozen American women who were interned by the Japanese or took to the hills to escape being captives. Most of the Americans were residents of the Philippines, but one was interned in Borneo, another on Celebes and a third in Hong Kong.

The best known of the internees, Agnes Newton Keith,was a well known author before the war and wrote a chilling account, "Three Came Home," of her three years in captivity. Several of the other women also published their stories or were interviewed by the author.

I can't think of anything more frightening than to be stranded with your children ten thousand miles from home in wartime and being totally at the mercy of a cruel enemy. Fortunately, the Japanese, for all their savagery in China, did not usually physically abuse the Caucasian women. However, hunger, isolation, and the fear of the unknown were potent factors. Perhaps the most amazing part of this story is how well and effectively the women coped with their fate.

There is a bit too much of academia in the narrative. The drama of the lives of the captives -- or those who evaded captivity -- could have been better exploited. The thematic approach taken by the author involved much skipping around from woman to woman and made it difficult to become familiar with them individually. But, the story is good and interesting, the research impeccable, and the book well worth reading by World War II buffs, feminists, and people interested in the impact of extreme stress on human beings.

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