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A Child of World War II Writes: : LOVE IS TIMELESS IN WAR AND IN PEACE: A Truth Beyond Compare

By New Leaf Media

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A short biography about a 13 year old's experiences in the World War II when the Japanese military occupied an island in the Philippines.

Synopsis

The book recounts World War II when the Japanese military occupied Baguio, Northern Luzon, the Philippines, on December 8, 1941. Carpet bombing joined the populace’s vocabulary; Filipinos were hoping they would be spared. Sentry posts were installed manned by fully-armed soldiers. Each civilian who passed by the sentries was halted to obey the act of bowing: not just a simple nod. Sentries corporally punished those who failed to make the required low, low bow. “My father was a victim. Dressed in his usual coat/tie, he turned to bow which the sentry considered way below par. He beat Papa using a large rod; stripped him of his clothing, threw it into the trash bin. Onlookers were touched. As a child, I was shooed away. In the most pitiful state I had seen Papa, he whispered how I should enroll at the sole Japanese Language School. I did. Sentries confiscate jewelry from passersby and my mother was used to wearing a breast watch on a collar which the sentry grabbed without warning. She sobbed as she recalled how the watch was taken as it was her godmother when she received a diploma that attested to her qualification for a career in teaching.”

A Child of World War II Writes: : LOVE IS TIMELESS IN WAR AND IN PEACE: A Truth Beyond Compare is a non-fiction depicting a brief window of the life of a teenager and her family in the WWII in the Philippines.

Through the book we get to see her traumatic experiences during the war, from bombs falling near her school to witnessing her father being beaten by soldiers, all from her point of view.


I have to say I was very excited to read a book about the WWII set in the Philippines which is unlike most of the WWII non-fictions I have read, but to be honest this book was a little underwhelming.

Maybe I expected too much from such a short book, but I wanted to be transported back in time and feel what she had felt. Instead I only saw what she described to me of what happened to her at the time.


For me the book was a little inconsistent. It was like baking cake without actually mixing the ingredients. During the book we got to see the protagonist as she and the other students fled from bombs exploding near their school. We saw her father beaten by a rope by the enemy soldiers who did not approve of his bow which was absolutely heartbreaking to read. Then we got to see her accomplishments in her new Japanese school.


I appreciated the raw emotions and the realness in her book. To go through a war at such a young age, and to see your father who has been your hero all your life in such a dreadful state is far from easy. It was lovely to read about the love and support of her parents at such crucial times. But I personally feel like the book could have had a stronger impact on the reader had it had a theme. A road for the different experiences to ride on, if you will. I felt more like I was hearing about someone's memories of their childhood rather than reading them in book format.


However, that is not to say that I don't recommend this book. Did I enjoy it? Of course! It was a nice little non-fiction to finish on the bus. Even though this was a book about the hardships of a family in the WWII, it still gave me the feeling that you can do anything no matter what when you have the right people beside you which was truly sweet. And if you like the genre, I'd say go for it. It was just not the book for me.



Reviewed by
Rosaline Ross

I'm a passionate reader and reviewer who is always looking for new books to love. I've been reviewing professionally since 2015, and read a very wide range of books. I've always made it a priority to spotlight indie authors on my blog. And I can often be found spilling tea on my favorite books.

A Child of World War II Writes: : LOVE IS TIMELESS IN WAR AND IN PEACE: A Truth Beyond Compare

Written by New Leaf Media

Buy it nowBuy nowBuy
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Synopsis

The book recounts World War II when the Japanese military occupied Baguio, Northern Luzon, the Philippines, on December 8, 1941. Carpet bombing joined the populace’s vocabulary; Filipinos were hoping they would be spared. Sentry posts were installed manned by fully-armed soldiers. Each civilian who passed by the sentries was halted to obey the act of bowing: not just a simple nod. Sentries corporally punished those who failed to make the required low, low bow. “My father was a victim. Dressed in his usual coat/tie, he turned to bow which the sentry considered way below par. He beat Papa using a large rod; stripped him of his clothing, threw it into the trash bin. Onlookers were touched. As a child, I was shooed away. In the most pitiful state I had seen Papa, he whispered how I should enroll at the sole Japanese Language School. I did. Sentries confiscate jewelry from passersby and my mother was used to wearing a breast watch on a collar which the sentry grabbed without warning. She sobbed as she recalled how the watch was taken as it was her godmother when she received a diploma that attested to her qualification for a career in teaching.”

A 13-year old youngster’s story focuses on the 4-year War in thePacific, a major chapter of World War II that started with the bombingof her hometown, Baguio City, Island of Luzon, Northern Philippines, on December 8, 1941. When the enemy forces arrived that same day, bombs fell close to the public high school where she was enrolled as a sophomore. The story, told by the same child of war, the Philippine Campaign, has kept its place in history: it tells how numbers of the Filipino youth fared during that period described as one of the largest joint campaigns of the Pacific phase of World War II.

A Child of World War II Writes: : LOVE IS TIMELESS IN WAR AND IN PEACE: A Truth Beyond Compare

Written by New Leaf Media

Buy it nowBuy nowBuy
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About the author

I worked for many years as a manager in the local government in Miami, Florida. I’m into physical fitness and music. Nowadays, I’m so proud of being a film content writer which started from being an author, writer, and artist. I am currently involved in many projects and film contracts. view profile

Published on March 01, 2021

Published by New Leaf Media LLC

20000 words

Contains mild explicit content ⚠️

Genre:Biographies & Memoirs

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