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The Barbed-Wire University: The Real Lives of Allied Prisoners of War in the Second World War
Drawing on letters home, diaries, and interviews with redoubtable survivors now into their nineties, the amazing untold stories of what Allied prisoners really did in POW camps, and how the experiences changed their lives
Feature films have created the stereotype of the World War II prisoner of war—the stiff-upper-lipped Alec Guinness in The Bridge on the River Kwai , or Steve McQueen's cunning and opportunist in The Great Escape —but this groundbreaking work of social history shows that the true experiences of nearly half a million Allied servicemen held captive were nothing like the Hollywood myth; they were infinitely more extraordinary. Real POWs responded to the tedium of a German stalag or the brutality of a Japanese camp with the most amazing ingenuity and creativity—they staged glittering shows, concerts, and elaborate sporting events; took up crafts and pastimes using materials they found around them; wrote books and published magazines; and even improvised daring surgical techniques to save their fellow men's lives. Men studied, attended lectures, learned languages, and sat for exams on such a scale that one camp was nicknamed The Barbed Wire University. Often the years in captivity proved a turning-point in their lives, as the new interests and skills they took out of the camp enabled them to embark on a post-war career in which they would succeed at the highest level.
Feature films have created the stereotype of the World War II prisoner of war—the stiff-upper-lipped Alec Guinness in The Bridge on the River Kwai , or Steve McQueen's cunning and opportunist in The Great Escape —but this groundbreaking work of social history shows that the true experiences of nearly half a million Allied servicemen held captive were nothing like the Hollywood myth; they were infinitely more extraordinary. Real POWs responded to the tedium of a German stalag or the brutality of a Japanese camp with the most amazing ingenuity and creativity—they staged glittering shows, concerts, and elaborate sporting events; took up crafts and pastimes using materials they found around them; wrote books and published magazines; and even improvised daring surgical techniques to save their fellow men's lives. Men studied, attended lectures, learned languages, and sat for exams on such a scale that one camp was nicknamed The Barbed Wire University. Often the years in captivity proved a turning-point in their lives, as the new interests and skills they took out of the camp enabled them to embark on a post-war career in which they would succeed at the highest level.
468 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 8, 2018
Wow. Just wow. I've read more than 20 POW memoirs, but this one certainly beats them all in its breadth. Many books about WII prisoner of war camps emphasize the tortures, deprivations, and hair-raising escape attempts; Midge Gillies offers a different aspect of POW life by highlighting the daily activities of the captured allies. What did they do when they weren't obsessed with surviving? Well, it turns out, quite a lot.
One Far East POW described their work as "soul-destroying, heart-breaking labor" for which they were paid ten cents a day. Survival was as much about finding mental release as physical endurance. In many detention camps the men turned towards books and classes to relieve their minds of their suffering. By learning new skills and uncovering talents, they stole back some of the months and years that the war had robbed them of. Study kept boredom and depression at bay and it offered a hope that the years in captivity would not be entirely wasted.
POWs from many different backgrounds enriched each others' lives with their treasure troves of knowledge. Terry Frost had enjoyed art as a hobby before becoming a European POW. In camp he was invited to join a group of artists. Frost later described the camp as a 'university' where he found a pleasure in reading and listening to music and poetry. Painting portraits introduced him to men he might not otherwise have spent time with and who assumed that, because he could paint, he would enjoy other art forms. "All around him men were studying and it was impossible not to be sucked into the process. As he lay on his bunk he listened to someone reading Paradise Lost, while he tested a man in the bed behind him on his German verbs. In the background there was a constant sound of men gambling." (p. 245)
It is important to remember the huge difference between the prisoners held by the Germans and those held by the Japanese. European POWs had access to books, letters from home and Red Cross parcels - and a one percent death rate. Some of them studied law, took exams in the mail and became lawyers after the war. Most POWs in the Far East had few books, letters and packages and twenty-five percent died from malnutrition and tropical diseases. It was a good thing that Gillies wrote of the European prisoners in the first section of the book because once she described the deprivations of the FEPOWs, the others' hardships appeared trivial in comparison.
One Far East POW described their work as "soul-destroying, heart-breaking labor" for which they were paid ten cents a day. Survival was as much about finding mental release as physical endurance. In many detention camps the men turned towards books and classes to relieve their minds of their suffering. By learning new skills and uncovering talents, they stole back some of the months and years that the war had robbed them of. Study kept boredom and depression at bay and it offered a hope that the years in captivity would not be entirely wasted.
POWs from many different backgrounds enriched each others' lives with their treasure troves of knowledge. Terry Frost had enjoyed art as a hobby before becoming a European POW. In camp he was invited to join a group of artists. Frost later described the camp as a 'university' where he found a pleasure in reading and listening to music and poetry. Painting portraits introduced him to men he might not otherwise have spent time with and who assumed that, because he could paint, he would enjoy other art forms. "All around him men were studying and it was impossible not to be sucked into the process. As he lay on his bunk he listened to someone reading Paradise Lost, while he tested a man in the bed behind him on his German verbs. In the background there was a constant sound of men gambling." (p. 245)
It is important to remember the huge difference between the prisoners held by the Germans and those held by the Japanese. European POWs had access to books, letters from home and Red Cross parcels - and a one percent death rate. Some of them studied law, took exams in the mail and became lawyers after the war. Most POWs in the Far East had few books, letters and packages and twenty-five percent died from malnutrition and tropical diseases. It was a good thing that Gillies wrote of the European prisoners in the first section of the book because once she described the deprivations of the FEPOWs, the others' hardships appeared trivial in comparison.
September 21, 2016
Most of what I knew about the lives of POWs during the Second World War I have to say, to my shame, I learned from films like The Great Escape or Bridge Over the River Kwai - which is to say therefore that I knew very little at all. Reading this book was a real eye-opener, particularly in the differences of experiences between those Allied soldiers held captive in Germany and Italy and those in the Far East.
Because the war in Europe was much more immediate for Britain, with the Blitz, bombing raids and threat of invasion - the Nazis have always been demonised far more than the Japanese ever were. It is still true to this day that the war in the Far East was something of a 'forgotten war' and what the POWs in Japan, Thailand, Burma and Singapore went through has never received as much attention as those held in Europe. And yet their experiences were far far worse - the suffering and indignity they experienced, the forced labour, the starvation. The Red Cross never had the infrastructure it had in Europe, so the often live-saving Red Cross parcels rarely got through, and there wasn't the same kind of ability to distribute books, musical instruments, sports equipment and small necessities that were such a highlight to the men held in camps in Germany.
What really fascinates in this book is the sheer inventiveness and ingenuity displayed by the POWs. The hospitals established, complicated medical procedures performed with little or no specialist equipment. Orchestras and bands set up, the plays and musical reviews performed, costumes and sets created out of nothing, the football, rugby and cricket teams, the classes taught, courses studied, languages learned - it is truly amazing at how these man managed to create something out of almost literally nothing. Many learned skills which changed their lives, set them on different careers and paths after they have been liberated. Many were exposed to different cultures, classes and races, men they might never otherwise have met.
I couldn't help but finish them with a really deep and abiding admiration for what this generation of men went through. Keeping one's sanity after, for some, four or more years of captivity would have been an achievement on its own, but, as some did, to take the opportunity to improve oneself, to study and educate with an eye to the future is truly remarkable.
Because the war in Europe was much more immediate for Britain, with the Blitz, bombing raids and threat of invasion - the Nazis have always been demonised far more than the Japanese ever were. It is still true to this day that the war in the Far East was something of a 'forgotten war' and what the POWs in Japan, Thailand, Burma and Singapore went through has never received as much attention as those held in Europe. And yet their experiences were far far worse - the suffering and indignity they experienced, the forced labour, the starvation. The Red Cross never had the infrastructure it had in Europe, so the often live-saving Red Cross parcels rarely got through, and there wasn't the same kind of ability to distribute books, musical instruments, sports equipment and small necessities that were such a highlight to the men held in camps in Germany.
What really fascinates in this book is the sheer inventiveness and ingenuity displayed by the POWs. The hospitals established, complicated medical procedures performed with little or no specialist equipment. Orchestras and bands set up, the plays and musical reviews performed, costumes and sets created out of nothing, the football, rugby and cricket teams, the classes taught, courses studied, languages learned - it is truly amazing at how these man managed to create something out of almost literally nothing. Many learned skills which changed their lives, set them on different careers and paths after they have been liberated. Many were exposed to different cultures, classes and races, men they might never otherwise have met.
I couldn't help but finish them with a really deep and abiding admiration for what this generation of men went through. Keeping one's sanity after, for some, four or more years of captivity would have been an achievement on its own, but, as some did, to take the opportunity to improve oneself, to study and educate with an eye to the future is truly remarkable.
December 4, 2013
The amount of research in this book is truly staggering, and I found it both fascinating and horrific. It certainly was better to be a POW in Europe, when there was a chance of escape as well as regular contact with Britain. I was amazed to learn how many books were sent out by our Universities to enable prisoners to study, and some relished the fact that they were in close proximity to other men of much greater education, who they would never otherwise have ever met.
Highly recommended if you're interested in this period in history
Highly recommended if you're interested in this period in history
June 12, 2021
The Barbed Wire University is one of the best books I have read concerning prisoners of war.
It was very well-researched, informative, and intriguing. The language had a distinctly British feel that I greatly enjoyed, and it was nice to read about the lives of POWs who were not involved in escape attempts. The ingenuity and resourcefulness of the men imprisoned in Europe and the Far East was astonishing and inspiring. I highly recommend this book for any WWII history buff.
It was very well-researched, informative, and intriguing. The language had a distinctly British feel that I greatly enjoyed, and it was nice to read about the lives of POWs who were not involved in escape attempts. The ingenuity and resourcefulness of the men imprisoned in Europe and the Far East was astonishing and inspiring. I highly recommend this book for any WWII history buff.
July 24, 2012
The Barbed-Wire University provides an overview of the lives of British prisoners of war in Europe and the Far East. It’s strength is the insights it provides into the everyday lives and experiences of the prisoners, showing how they coped with being in captivity. The book deliberately avoids the dramatic tales of escapers and instead concentrates on the mundane and banal - gardening, entertainment, sport, learning - as well as work details, camp conditions and contact with home. At one level it is fascinating, using individual accounts to provide a rich description. At another, it has a number of shortcomings that prevents the text from rising above an empiricist account.
The principle problem of the book is that it describes the men’s lives largely outside any in-depth contextualisation of how camps were structured and organised both by the prisoners and guards or the inter-relationships between these groups. Indeed, the guards and the structural organisation of camps are curiously absent in the text except for brief mentions. There is very little about the social relations between men, the social structure, how regimes of regulation and punishment operated, the power dynamics operating, or even how the camps and work were temporally and spatially organized. There is very little detail on how the allies organised their connections to prisoners beyond a short discussion of Red Cross parcels and it would have been good to get a better sense of how that was all organised and operated. Instead, we get descriptions of football games or organising concerts or taking education courses which are interesting, but lack a real depth of analysis that frames and explains what was going on a deep social and psychological level.
Second, given that the book covers a wide range of experiences and not just education, I took the main title to be synonymous with the idea of a ‘university of life’. However, the subtitle is a little misleading. The book almost exclusively relates to the lives of British prisoners of war, with the occasional mention of Dutch or Australian. There is either no, or very little, discussion of Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders, Indians, Poles, French, Russian, etc. How nationalities and ranks were treated and their experiences in captivity were very different. Indeed, the book could have been strengthened by much more systematically comparing and contrasting the experiences of Allied prisoners, and with how Allied prisoners were treated vis-a-vis Axis prisoners.
Third, I found the structure of the book a little odd. It’s divided into six parts. Parts 1 and 3 concern Europe, parts 2 and 4 deal the Far East, and parts 5 and 6 relate to the closing of the war and repatriation, and after the war. In the latter two cases, Europe and the Far East are dealt with together, comparing and contrasting the experiences. That probably would have been a more effective way of dealing with the first four parts as well. As it is, themes are repeated across all four parts and it’s left to the reader to do the work of comparison. Moreover, it’s not really clear why there are two parts per continent as there’s no real differentiation in time or the logic of themes between them. It all seems a little haphazard. Rather than organise the book almost exclusively around activities, it would have been profitable to also have mixed in structures, organisation and social relations.
Overall, an interesting account full of description and anecdote, but lacking any real depth of analysis as to how the camps operated as social systems that shaped the life that took place in them.
The principle problem of the book is that it describes the men’s lives largely outside any in-depth contextualisation of how camps were structured and organised both by the prisoners and guards or the inter-relationships between these groups. Indeed, the guards and the structural organisation of camps are curiously absent in the text except for brief mentions. There is very little about the social relations between men, the social structure, how regimes of regulation and punishment operated, the power dynamics operating, or even how the camps and work were temporally and spatially organized. There is very little detail on how the allies organised their connections to prisoners beyond a short discussion of Red Cross parcels and it would have been good to get a better sense of how that was all organised and operated. Instead, we get descriptions of football games or organising concerts or taking education courses which are interesting, but lack a real depth of analysis that frames and explains what was going on a deep social and psychological level.
Second, given that the book covers a wide range of experiences and not just education, I took the main title to be synonymous with the idea of a ‘university of life’. However, the subtitle is a little misleading. The book almost exclusively relates to the lives of British prisoners of war, with the occasional mention of Dutch or Australian. There is either no, or very little, discussion of Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders, Indians, Poles, French, Russian, etc. How nationalities and ranks were treated and their experiences in captivity were very different. Indeed, the book could have been strengthened by much more systematically comparing and contrasting the experiences of Allied prisoners, and with how Allied prisoners were treated vis-a-vis Axis prisoners.
Third, I found the structure of the book a little odd. It’s divided into six parts. Parts 1 and 3 concern Europe, parts 2 and 4 deal the Far East, and parts 5 and 6 relate to the closing of the war and repatriation, and after the war. In the latter two cases, Europe and the Far East are dealt with together, comparing and contrasting the experiences. That probably would have been a more effective way of dealing with the first four parts as well. As it is, themes are repeated across all four parts and it’s left to the reader to do the work of comparison. Moreover, it’s not really clear why there are two parts per continent as there’s no real differentiation in time or the logic of themes between them. It all seems a little haphazard. Rather than organise the book almost exclusively around activities, it would have been profitable to also have mixed in structures, organisation and social relations.
Overall, an interesting account full of description and anecdote, but lacking any real depth of analysis as to how the camps operated as social systems that shaped the life that took place in them.
February 8, 2013
There is a lot of very interesting information in The Barbed-Wire University, and the comparisons between the experiences of POWs in Europe and the Far East was fascinating. I did feel, at times, that the book got slightly list-y. The sheer number of people mentioned meant that by the final chapters, following their return to civilian life, I was slightly lost and had to flick back to the chapter they were first mentioned in.
March 4, 2020
This is a detailed account of what Allied prisoners of war got up to during their captivity in World War II, and the results are amazing. However, the book provides a very clear comparison of how different the experiences were for those captured in Europe and those in the Far East.
In Europe they suffered imprisonment, considered a severe punishment in itself, but they had the support of the Red Cross - who provided a huge amount of material to help them pass the time, from musical instruments to books to help them study and improve their future lives. Their captors could be ir0n-handed, but generally they were treated reasonably, and while they occasionally went hungry, they did not suffer the privations of the lads in the Far East.
Those captured by the Japanese had a much worse experience - the Japanese considered any soldier should not allow himself to be captured and despised the Allies for allowing this to happen. They treated them callously, worked them hard, even the officers, and fed them very little. It is absolutely heartbreaking to read of what they suffered, and how many died so needlessly. Then they hit on the idea of the overland railway from Thailand to Burma, and the horror just multiplied. We really cannot appreciate what they suffered, and how any of the survivors managed to return to anything like a normal life. Such strong characters.
A very interesting book - a bit repetitive in parts but it is a complex area to split into sections to make a coherent read.
In Europe they suffered imprisonment, considered a severe punishment in itself, but they had the support of the Red Cross - who provided a huge amount of material to help them pass the time, from musical instruments to books to help them study and improve their future lives. Their captors could be ir0n-handed, but generally they were treated reasonably, and while they occasionally went hungry, they did not suffer the privations of the lads in the Far East.
Those captured by the Japanese had a much worse experience - the Japanese considered any soldier should not allow himself to be captured and despised the Allies for allowing this to happen. They treated them callously, worked them hard, even the officers, and fed them very little. It is absolutely heartbreaking to read of what they suffered, and how many died so needlessly. Then they hit on the idea of the overland railway from Thailand to Burma, and the horror just multiplied. We really cannot appreciate what they suffered, and how any of the survivors managed to return to anything like a normal life. Such strong characters.
A very interesting book - a bit repetitive in parts but it is a complex area to split into sections to make a coherent read.
July 24, 2023
A gift from a work colleague, i was looking forward to reading about the countless clubs and societies that formed in POW camps during WW2, where captive soldiers undertook diplomas, degrees and educational training in a huge range of subjects ... This turned out to be not quite the case.
The author starts her book with an explanation of her fathers time in captivity, his reticence to discuss this time, and her being offered the chance to write on the subject.
Whilst the story does touch on the amazing story of how a group of english women set up a process from sending exam papers to POW camps, the invigilators process in the camps themselves, and the marking and awarding of certificates, this book is mostly about the experiences of a few POW's, and their travails through the war, relying heavily on the biographies and works of a few key players, such as Laurens van Der Post (author of the Seed and the Sower, that was made into the film Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence), or Eric Lomax's The Railway Man.
As such, the book seems to have got away from the author somewhat IMHO, and whilst the individual stories are fascinating, the rambling nature of the book makes for a somewhat jarring read, facts are repeated, the time line annoyingly skips without reason, and the whole thing felt slightly disjointed, and felt like it needed the hand of a decent editor ... hence the 2 stars ... it was OK, but nothing more ...
The author starts her book with an explanation of her fathers time in captivity, his reticence to discuss this time, and her being offered the chance to write on the subject.
Whilst the story does touch on the amazing story of how a group of english women set up a process from sending exam papers to POW camps, the invigilators process in the camps themselves, and the marking and awarding of certificates, this book is mostly about the experiences of a few POW's, and their travails through the war, relying heavily on the biographies and works of a few key players, such as Laurens van Der Post (author of the Seed and the Sower, that was made into the film Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence), or Eric Lomax's The Railway Man.
As such, the book seems to have got away from the author somewhat IMHO, and whilst the individual stories are fascinating, the rambling nature of the book makes for a somewhat jarring read, facts are repeated, the time line annoyingly skips without reason, and the whole thing felt slightly disjointed, and felt like it needed the hand of a decent editor ... hence the 2 stars ... it was OK, but nothing more ...
September 28, 2017
An exceptional account of the experiences of POW's both in the Far East & Europe. Very well researched and a worthwhile addition to other accounts at that time. Not only does this book demonstrate the incredible ingenuity and resilience of those unfortunate men, (women do not really feature in this book), it also illustrates how incredibly clever so many of them were academically.
These men shared their knowledge by teaching those who were only too willing to absorb what they had to impart. In addition, the lengths some of them went to continue their education that had been interrupted by the war, or indeed embark on new avenues of knowledge, and how the Red Cross; in conjunction with Universities and others, made it possible to receive books and examination papers to demonstrate their new found knowledge, is quite awe inspiring.
This book gave me a great deal to think about and a continuing thirst for finding out more about how those who find themselves in captivity in appalling circumstances seem to overcome some of the privations by learning, theatre and the arts, improvisation medically, and making everything, how ever small, available to them useful. The chapters on Red Cross parcels were fascinating in that respect.
These men shared their knowledge by teaching those who were only too willing to absorb what they had to impart. In addition, the lengths some of them went to continue their education that had been interrupted by the war, or indeed embark on new avenues of knowledge, and how the Red Cross; in conjunction with Universities and others, made it possible to receive books and examination papers to demonstrate their new found knowledge, is quite awe inspiring.
This book gave me a great deal to think about and a continuing thirst for finding out more about how those who find themselves in captivity in appalling circumstances seem to overcome some of the privations by learning, theatre and the arts, improvisation medically, and making everything, how ever small, available to them useful. The chapters on Red Cross parcels were fascinating in that respect.
May 13, 2020
This was a fascinating read, and Gillies' own father was a POW, so she's able to describe his own experiences too. This is a full account of the experiences of POWs, mainly from Germany, Italy and the Far East, and mainly from the officer classes. This was largely because they had more leisure time (aka stretches of boredom, without the resources in some cases to do much to relieve it) and therefore left more in the ways of letters and diaries than those working POWs in the ranks. The horrifying differences between the experiences of those incarcerated in Europe, compared with their fellow combatants in the Far East is fully explored. This is a lively account, relying on the diaries, reminiscences and letters of those who spent their way year largely locked up. The skills the men developed which informed their - often highly successful - later careers are quite astonishing in their breadth and depth.
The book rightly concentrates on the humdrum daily life of the majority. This is not the book in which to find accounts of daring escapes or would-be escapes. I was left impressed by the resilience, ingenuity and dogged persistence of the POWs whose war time years must have been in different ways as difficult as that of many combatants.
The book rightly concentrates on the humdrum daily life of the majority. This is not the book in which to find accounts of daring escapes or would-be escapes. I was left impressed by the resilience, ingenuity and dogged persistence of the POWs whose war time years must have been in different ways as difficult as that of many combatants.
September 19, 2020
This is the story of PoWs who, rather than escaping, made the most of their circumstances: staging plays, studying for exams, organising sports tournaments, doing archaeological digs... Often these activities provided useful cover for those escaping too!
Gillies has given us a great tribute to their ingenuity and resilience, and determination to bring good out of their experience, rather than it being a pointless disruption - although this was much easier in Europe than the Far East. A well-written and thoroughly researched account.
Gillies has given us a great tribute to their ingenuity and resilience, and determination to bring good out of their experience, rather than it being a pointless disruption - although this was much easier in Europe than the Far East. A well-written and thoroughly researched account.
March 3, 2019
Superb book. Informative and educational. The contrast between the treatment of prisoners by the Japanese and the Germans can’t be ignored. Something that seems to be lost on most in contemporary society.
Want to read
December 6, 2021I learned of this book here: https://margaret21.com/2021/12/04/six...
December 24, 2024
It's really well researched but it just seems to drag and it's hard to get invested in any particular man.
March 1, 2025
Simply fascinating.... Couldn't put it down. Emotional too...
November 10, 2022
In Barbed Wire University, Dave Hannigan gives readers a view of life for a group of German Jewish artists and intellectuals who were interned by the British on the Isle of Man during World War II. The British, in a misguided attempt to keep their citizens safe from German aggression, imprisoned innocent men. Trying to make the best of their situation, the men turned Hutchinson Camp into a school, a concert hall, and an artistic community.
The author tried too hard to impart every bit of information on the readers and turned what could have been a compelling read into a dry tome. As a lover of history, I was certainly intrigued by this hidden, dirty secret of the British, but the book just did not keep my interest.
With more and more books being published on parts of World War II history that are not known to the masses, The Barbed-Wire University just does not measure up. For these reasons, I would not recommend the book to other readers.
Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this book of history entirely rests with me.
The author tried too hard to impart every bit of information on the readers and turned what could have been a compelling read into a dry tome. As a lover of history, I was certainly intrigued by this hidden, dirty secret of the British, but the book just did not keep my interest.
With more and more books being published on parts of World War II history that are not known to the masses, The Barbed-Wire University just does not measure up. For these reasons, I would not recommend the book to other readers.
Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this book of history entirely rests with me.
July 8, 2013
I am researching the experiences of my uncle who was a POW in WW2 in a Stalag in Wolfsberg for three long years. He left behind a young wife and a baby son in far away New Zealand.
I found this an excellent resource - full of details on the day to day lives of a prisoner. Such a treasure trove - uses for red cross parcel string and tin! Cigarettes as currency, ways to combat boredom, education behind barbed wire. Well known names such as Clive Dunn (Cpl Jones in Dad's Army) and Denholm Elliot are featured alongside academics and eccentrics in equal meaasure.
I really liked her clear style of writing and the sympathy for those incarcerated. A very useful research tool.
I found this an excellent resource - full of details on the day to day lives of a prisoner. Such a treasure trove - uses for red cross parcel string and tin! Cigarettes as currency, ways to combat boredom, education behind barbed wire. Well known names such as Clive Dunn (Cpl Jones in Dad's Army) and Denholm Elliot are featured alongside academics and eccentrics in equal meaasure.
I really liked her clear style of writing and the sympathy for those incarcerated. A very useful research tool.
June 11, 2014
Really rewarding, and a very successful debunk of the "escape" genre. Communicates very well what it is like to live crowded among exclusively men, undernourished and above all BORED. Also, a disturbing picture of this life in the Far east, making Nazis look like nice (well, OK) guys.
It fails, I think to describe life for other than the talented and imaginative: but then, perhaps they didn't make records to recount.
The blurb on the cover is accurate - "upends cliches", "every age hums with human interest".
It fails, I think to describe life for other than the talented and imaginative: but then, perhaps they didn't make records to recount.
The blurb on the cover is accurate - "upends cliches", "every age hums with human interest".
July 2, 2012
Absolutely fascinating !
January 27, 2014
Fascinating book about the life of POW's in Europe and Asia. A great read.
January 15, 2013
Meh,,,,she isn't as good as i expected
April 7, 2017
It feels wrong to say I 'enjoyed' this book when such a large chunk of it describes the hellish things Allied POWs had to go through, particularly in the Far East, during World War Two. That said, this makes for fascinating reading. I had already read The Railway Man, so I knew some of what happened to those in the Far East (including the Railway in question) and was wondering what life had been like for POWs in the European theatre; this book answered the question for me.
Recommended.
Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews