Customer Reviews

Under the Rising Sun: Memories of a Japanese Prisoner of War

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Under the Rising Sun is an extraordinary account of Mario Machi's struggle for survival, an account that few people, even his closest friends knew about. When the war ended he was freed from Bilibid Prison in the Philippines and returned to San Francisco, finished his education, and for 22 years taught junior high school in the small town in California. Mario says he did not write Under the Rising Sun with the intent of producing a war story. For fifty years has kept his thoughts hidden, from his many students and from even his closest friends. He kept to himself the memories of prisoners who marched side by side with him, some too weak to continue, who dropped by the roadside, only to be bayoneted for failing to keep up. Somehow Mario managed to survive the brutality, the hunger, the thirst, the disease, and the dreadful feeling that he had been abandoned. Somehow 10,000 others died on that march, some 178 men for every mile they tread, but Mario Machi lived. What makes this book so extraordinary is that it is not simply an account of an ex-soldier recalling dreadful acts that happened long ago. Mario's account of the Bataan Death March was recorded as it was happening, in a diary that he managed to keep on the march. Each day, often under actual heavy gun fire, he recorded what he saw and witnessed, first hand, and most miraculously, this diary--a written confession that would certainly have meant immediate death had it fallen into enemy hands--has survived to this day. This book is for both the generations who remember Bataan and for those who have yet to hear. On his return to the United States in 1945 Mario Machi was awarded the Bronze Star for the work he did in the camps. Now, nearly fifty years later, he has told his story, and we are all made the richer for it. Why he decided to tell his story is explained in the book.

How can one write a review that could compare with the author's real life experiences. I met Mario through my friend Hal Stephens who wrote the introduction .. I then traveled with Hal up and down the West Coast to book dealers and museums .. their reception was highly enthusiastic. The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC reviewed the book for its 50th Anniversary of World War II but it was submitted too late for their collection .. unfortunate for those who would have wished for a daily recording of the misfortunes of those on the Death March and the Death Camps. Recollection of experiences is worthwhile, but the daily recording is more significant. My uncle was a POW in Germany; his reading of the book brought home memories that had long been suppressed. Comparisons with the Halocaust survivors' stories can easily be made. Life and Death are with us always, but how one survives Life is always a compelling story. Mario's life span of misadventure was summarized in the Death March and Death Camps. A truly engrossing real life adventure. Reviewed by Dave Pryor.

How can one write a review that could compare with the author's real life experiences. I met Mario through my friend Hal Stephens who wrote the introduction .. I then traveled with Hal up and down the West Coast to book dealers and museums .. their reception was highly enthusiastic. The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC reviewed the book for its 50th Anniversary of World War II but it was submitted too late for their collection .. unfortunate for those who would have wished for a daily recording of the misfortunes of those on the Death March and the Death Camps. Recollection of experiences is worthwhile, but the daily recording is more significant. My uncle was a POW in Germany; his reading of the book brought home memories that had long been suppressed. Comparisons with the Halocaust survivors' stories can easily be made. Life and Death are with us always, but how one survives Life is always a compelling story. Mario's life span of misadventure was summarized in the Death March and Death Camps. A truly engrossing real life adventure. Reviewed by Dave Pryor.

Once again one of the real heroes of the world has taken the trouble to write down his story of one of the worst stories events in American history. A few years ago I found a couple of these autobiographies and one led to another then another. I now have a library of nearly 60 of the books and continue to look for more. Obviously, if the men haven't already written their stories, or had them written for them, then it probably won't get done because there aren't many of them left. Of the thousands who were captured during the invasion of the Philippines more failed to survive than those who did. Much of it was by shear luck, such as it was with Mario Machi. His buddies were loaded onto one of the notorious hell ships to be transported to mainland Japan but Machi was kept in the Philippines to look after the sick prisoners. The ship (and he doesn't identify which one it was) was sunk by the American navy. He says it was sunk by bombs dropped but it's more likely it was attacked by a submarine as that was the fate of most of them. The U.S. subs had no way of knowing the Japanese transports contained Allied P.O.W.s. Machi kept a diary during the battles but left it behind with a Filipino when they were captured. Years later the diary was mailed to him at his home in the States and became the basis for his book. It's not the best of the P.O.W. books I've read but it is very well written and easy to read.

This is a book telling the story of Mario Machi's time as a prisoner of war in the Philippines. He was not a professional author and tells the story from his heart. I bought this because my family knew Mario Machi and I wanted to learn more about him. I am glad to own the book.

Mario Machi was involved in the famous Battan Death March in the Philippines during World War II. He kept a diary that could have gotten him killed after he was taken prisoner by the Japanese. This story explores the times he spent as a prisoner of war, and his life after the war. It is a fascinating story of compassion and grace.