Customer Reviews

They Can't Take That Away From Me: The Odyssey of an American POW

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They Can't Take That Away From Me truly is an odyssey of one, rather atypical, American POW. However, it is more than just a "Sentimental Journey". This memoir is unlike any other WWII story, in that it reaches beyond the prosaic collage of nostalgic gore and glory and invites the reader to hear the song inside the bruised head of a musician who finds himself without his band, his saxophone and clarinet, without his freedom and even his own sanity, but never without his music. It is a tough tale, but it is softened with a lyrical literary style that makes it flow like the Pacific. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about music, adventure and inimitable tragedy.

This is not a book for just WWII buffs. I guarantee that anyone who appreciates fascinating and well-written non-fiction with an original angle will love They Can't Take That Away From Me. What sold me was the unique and artistic style employed in this POW memoir; it brought a fresh perspective to Ralph Rentz's struggle, triumph and the invincibility of his nightmare.

The book is well-written but the Hollywood screenwriter who helped write it spruced it up with lots of foul language, a "secret mission" to carry gold to Australia, anger and malice toward the commanding officer of the 19th Bomb Group, Col. Eubanks, and tales of the veteran's sexual exploits.
Otherwise the book is in a class by itself. The veteran gives the reader a view into the thoughs of an enlisted airman during the early part of World War Ii and as a prisoner of the Japanese on Java. Few Americans were captured on Java and fewer spent their captivity there for the entire war. Rentz's ordeal is well-presented but (as usual) with little time-line information.
The story is presented with post-war readjustment interspersed with war-time drama. Family life and friends are remembered. His thoughts at liberation and transportation home are especially revealing. What these men went through must never be forgotten.