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Comfort Woman: A Filipina's Story of Prostitution and Slavery under the Japanese Military
In April 1943, fifteen-year-old Maria Rosa Henson was taken by Japanese soldiers occupying the Philippines and forced into prostitution as a comfort woman.O In this simply told yet powerfully moving autobiography, Rosa recalls her childhood as the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy landowner, her work for Huk guerrillas, her wartime ordeal, and her marriage to a rebel leader who left her to raise their children alone. Her triumph against all odds is embodied by her decision to go public with the secret she had held close for fifty years.
116 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
August 25, 2015
3 stars
The rating was not based on the content of the material but more on the bad translation. It would have been higher if it had been translated better with a glossary. The introduction was great too and I loved her child like illustrations that Maria included in the book. Her beautiful courage was still reflected in book though badly translated.
And so my descent into war torn literature begins.
From Comfort Woman: 'We began the day with breakfast, after which we swept and cleaned our rooms. Then we went to the bathroom downstairs to wash the only dress we had and to bathe. The bathroom did not even have a door, so the soldiers watched us. We were all naked, and they laughed at us, especially me and the other young girl who did not have any pubic hair. At two, the soldiers came. My work began, and I lay down as one by one the soldiers raped me. Everyday, anywhere from twelve to over twenty soldiers assaulted me. There were times when there were as many as thirty; they came to the garrison in truckloads.O OI lay on the bed with my knees up and my feet on the mat, as if I were giving birth. Whenever the soldiers did not feel satisfied, they vented their anger on me. Every day, there were incidents of violence and humiliation. When the soldiers raped me, I felt like a pig. Sometimes they tied up my right leg with a waist band or a belt and hung it on a nail in the wall as they violated me.O OI shook all over. I felt my blood turn white. I heard that there was a group called the Task Force on Filipino Comfort Women looking for women like me. I could not forget the words that blared out of the radio that day: 'Don not be ashamed, being a sex slave is not your fault. It is the responsibility of the Japanese Imperial Army. Stand up and fight for your rights.
This was a simple, simple book meaning in terms of syntax and vocabulary and yet the content made it a harrowing read. Sometimes there were a few missing words. I wished the book had been edited by adding in the missing words. I bought this book on Kindle for 10 bucks and felt it was over priced but yet this material is deemed to be highly valuable as a historical and reliable source of information about war crime against humanity during world war 2.
This book is about a survivor who was a comfort woman during World war 2 for the Japanese and it was written with a child like innocent voice. However, this book is about her whole life story which was rather fascinating. She reported the story at times without judging.
But I really was wishing was that the translation had been better.
The rating was not based on the content of the material but more on the bad translation. It would have been higher if it had been translated better with a glossary. The introduction was great too and I loved her child like illustrations that Maria included in the book. Her beautiful courage was still reflected in book though badly translated.
And so my descent into war torn literature begins.
From Comfort Woman: 'We began the day with breakfast, after which we swept and cleaned our rooms. Then we went to the bathroom downstairs to wash the only dress we had and to bathe. The bathroom did not even have a door, so the soldiers watched us. We were all naked, and they laughed at us, especially me and the other young girl who did not have any pubic hair. At two, the soldiers came. My work began, and I lay down as one by one the soldiers raped me. Everyday, anywhere from twelve to over twenty soldiers assaulted me. There were times when there were as many as thirty; they came to the garrison in truckloads.O OI lay on the bed with my knees up and my feet on the mat, as if I were giving birth. Whenever the soldiers did not feel satisfied, they vented their anger on me. Every day, there were incidents of violence and humiliation. When the soldiers raped me, I felt like a pig. Sometimes they tied up my right leg with a waist band or a belt and hung it on a nail in the wall as they violated me.O OI shook all over. I felt my blood turn white. I heard that there was a group called the Task Force on Filipino Comfort Women looking for women like me. I could not forget the words that blared out of the radio that day: 'Don not be ashamed, being a sex slave is not your fault. It is the responsibility of the Japanese Imperial Army. Stand up and fight for your rights.
This was a simple, simple book meaning in terms of syntax and vocabulary and yet the content made it a harrowing read. Sometimes there were a few missing words. I wished the book had been edited by adding in the missing words. I bought this book on Kindle for 10 bucks and felt it was over priced but yet this material is deemed to be highly valuable as a historical and reliable source of information about war crime against humanity during world war 2.
This book is about a survivor who was a comfort woman during World war 2 for the Japanese and it was written with a child like innocent voice. However, this book is about her whole life story which was rather fascinating. She reported the story at times without judging.
But I really was wishing was that the translation had been better.
June 23, 2010
Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. The part about Maria Rosa's being a comfort woman for the Japanese occupied only one chapter. The chapters before that dealt with the circumstances of her birth and her life up until becoming a comfort woman. Maria was fortunate--if that term can be used--that her ordeal only lasted 9 months, unlike other women, who were forced into prostitution for years and moved around from country to country with the Japanese troops. The chapters after her ordeal recounted how it affected the rest of her life, including her marriage, her relationships with her children, and her outlook on life. In the end, however, a radio program on comfort women encouraged her to go public with her story, in a courageous effort to help other women. In doing this, she was able to heal herself somewhat (one never completely heals from something like this).
It never ceases to amaze me how cruel men can be to women. Both Maria and Maria's mother, Julia, were given no choices as teenagers but to obey. I wonder how different Maria's life might have been had she been allowed to finish school and become the doctor she wanted to be. I feel fortunate that I was able to choose my own destiny! This book was written in 1999, and at that time the former comfort women had not been given any recompense by the Japanese government. I must try to find out if anything has happened since then.
It also bothered me that people like Maria's family and Maria herself could live in such poverty working for rich landlords. The inequality and injustice tees me off. I hope it isn't still that way in the Philippines.
If you don't know anything about the "comfort women" program, this is a good book with which to start. The introductory material provides a historical background, and points out that the purposes behind creating the program did not accomplish their goals. The memoir itself reads quickly--I read it all in one sitting. This would also be a good choice for inclusion in a course on human rights. Highly recommended!
It never ceases to amaze me how cruel men can be to women. Both Maria and Maria's mother, Julia, were given no choices as teenagers but to obey. I wonder how different Maria's life might have been had she been allowed to finish school and become the doctor she wanted to be. I feel fortunate that I was able to choose my own destiny! This book was written in 1999, and at that time the former comfort women had not been given any recompense by the Japanese government. I must try to find out if anything has happened since then.
It also bothered me that people like Maria's family and Maria herself could live in such poverty working for rich landlords. The inequality and injustice tees me off. I hope it isn't still that way in the Philippines.
If you don't know anything about the "comfort women" program, this is a good book with which to start. The introductory material provides a historical background, and points out that the purposes behind creating the program did not accomplish their goals. The memoir itself reads quickly--I read it all in one sitting. This would also be a good choice for inclusion in a course on human rights. Highly recommended!
August 31, 2022
very short and necessary to read. however it feels very weird to rate a book about something so horrid. it is something everyone needs to read.
Read
January 18, 2024This may not be the most perfectly written memoir; the translation seemed to simplify the writing a bit more, but these technicalities do not change the fact that the themes, historical facts, and the overall content of this book are compelling and vital especially that as of today, many people are not familiar with comfort women and the atrocities Japan has committed during their occupation. especially that Japan continues to perpetuate historical revisionism and refuse to take accountability for their wartime actions. In a time where people forget their history, memoirs such as this one by Lola Rosa serve as a reminder to not let history repeat itself. In the Philippines alone, a statue was built to honor comfort women but was then dismantled during Duterte's regime to give way, apparently, to a drainage project. Other reports, however, mentioned that it was removed to avoid antagonising Japan during a summit back in 2018. The last report I have read about the statue is that it has been stolen and is nowhere to be found.
It may have been decades, but my heart goes out to all the victims of this atrocious part of history. As a woman, it's sickening to read these gruesome details, and even moreso as a Filipno woman who is reading the accounts of her kababayan. But as difficult as it may be, it is important. May this serve as a reminder that history must not be erased and that it is through remembering that we can continue to fight for justice that has been long overdue for these women.
It may have been decades, but my heart goes out to all the victims of this atrocious part of history. As a woman, it's sickening to read these gruesome details, and even moreso as a Filipno woman who is reading the accounts of her kababayan. But as difficult as it may be, it is important. May this serve as a reminder that history must not be erased and that it is through remembering that we can continue to fight for justice that has been long overdue for these women.
July 15, 2017
Hensen's autobiography is the unintended story of a natural-born hero. Herself a child born of rape, she is fighting for her dignity from the first to the last page, but, at no point, does her astounding strength truly seem to truly falter, nor does her determination to establish her basic rights crack. To the contrary, for every hurdle she encounters, she comes back fighting. In reaction to childhood gang rape at the hands of the Japanese military, she joins up with the guerrillas trying to bring them down. If not for her year-long dedication to working for her people's freedom, this 15-year-old girl might never have been captured by the Japanese again and forced into horrendous sexual slavery. And even amidst the darkness of thousands of rapes, she still, risking her own life, manages to smuggle out the word of an impending attack and save the lives of countless Filipino civilians. Given her courage, fortitude, and resilience, the reader will wind up in no way surprised that Hensen was the first woman in her country to openly declare herself a "comfort woman" and demand the Japanese government make her amends. And, though she is dead, her curt, crisp wording and crude, but powerful drawings will leave that government in the shadow of an accusing finger until justice is done by their courts.
February 7, 2014
While not the most adroitly written, this compelling story tells of a Filipina woman's experiences during the war, her capture as a comfort woman, and how the spoke out later in life. Considering that Henson only received up to a 7th grade education, she clearly tells her story and leaves out none of the tragic details of her fate. I read this in almost one sitting, and while it was disturbing, I was really moved by her story and the strength she had to tell her story in order to try to gain some apologies and compensation from the Japanese. This book is still relevant today because many Japanese (such as Prime Minister Abe) do not want to acknowledge the realities of war much less apologize.
February 4, 2024
It feels weird rating this book, Maria's testimony to all that she experienced before, during, and after WWII. I can not stop crying and feeling anger. I also do hope that justice for her and other comfort women will happen one day. Imperialism is a disease and I will never forget Japan's heinous war crimes.
February 23, 2016
This was a very simply but powerfully written book about a woman who has faced some of the worst evils humanity has to offer. She survives, although certainly not intact. It is heart wrenching and is a reminder of what war, rape and poverty can do to human beings.
May 1, 2022
rest in peace po lola rosa , may your memory live on
October 8, 2025
I am livid at what Maria Rosa Henson experienced as a "comfort woman" during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Galit ako sa lahat ng lalaking yon. Mga duwag sila. Mga basura sila. Mas masahol pa sla sa basura. Kya kong mag-recycle ng basura. Pero yung mga lalaking yun? Sayang ang buhay nila.
I hate you, Tanaka, and your so-called title of "captain."
CW: rape, child sexual abuse, miscarriage, confinement, violence, war.
"Spoilers":
Maria drew different people in her life, like Don Pepe, herself, and scenes of the Japanese soldiers who raped her. The chapter "Comfort Woman" had scenes of how the Japanese soldiers raped her and that was so heartbreaking. There are also photographs of Maria at different times in her life, as well as her family, and I appreciate that these are in the book.
The foreword: WHY is an academic who is a white woman, Cynthia Enloe, who had admitted her embarrassment of not writing about a "feminist angle" in her six books about ethnical tensions and its role in politics, THE WRITER OF THE FOREWORD OF MARIA ROSA HENSON'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY? (The second edition). Enloe had met a veteran of the Vietnam war and he told her that American soldiers hired Vietnamese women to do their laundry, then Enloe wondered how different the history of the war would look like if it had been told by these women. Thereafter, Enloe focused on feminist international relations.
So why was the writing weak and vague in the foreword? She wrote, “[...] particular wartime systems of prostituting certain women in order to provide certain militarized men with commercialized sexual access to those women" which is vague in my opinion. Using the words "particular" and "certain women" and "certain militarized men" is weak and vague.
Tell it like it is. Militarized colonizers/oppressors force women and girls into sexual slavery. Stop with the "commercialized sexual access," especially in the context of Maria Rosa Henson's autobiography. It wasn't commercialized since Japanese soldiers didn't pay HER or Tanaka or the colonel to rape her--why would they? And the phrase "sexual access" what the heck is that? It was rape and child sexual abuse. Be CLEAR. State that sexual violence is a weapon of war, especially in this foreword.
Yuki Tanaka, a Japanese historian, wrote the Introduction. He goes into the details of the militarized sexual slavery which the Imperial Japanese Army had committed, and how this history has been suppressed by people like Shinzo Abe (to name just one Japanese government official), and how the history of the crimes of the Imperial Japanese Army is documented (or lack thereof) today. I understand he speaks on Japanese war crimes and brings awareness to the fact that the Japanese government has NEVER apologized or provided compensation or provided justice to victims of the Imperial Japanese Army's sexual slavery system, however, I wonder if the Introduction could've been written by someone close to Maria Rosa Henson, or a Filipino historian. I want people to understand that Filipino voices ought to have taken the spot of the Foreword and Introduction in the second edition of Maria's autobiography.
As soon as Don Pepe said that he wanted Julia to work as HIS and HIS WIFE's maid, and only them, I knew he was suspicious. I am so sorry for Julia that he took her from her family because they were poor, living in the feudal system which the Spanish had brought and which is a long-lasting legacy of colonization, and he was the rich landlord whom everyone paid, so Julia wanted to provide for her family. And Don Pepe raped Julia. He is a pedophile, a groomer, and a rapist. I was so sad to see that drawing of him and the caption from Maria that he is her father. (My Mother, Julia)
It broke my heart when Maria asked, "Did I inherit my mother's fate?" (The War Begins)
I am horrified reading what the Japanese soldiers did to Maria in the chapter titled "Comfort Woman." I HATE THEM. These pathetic Japanese soldiers even ejaculated so fast, nakakaawa talaga, and Maria discusses how this is an issue because the soldiers don't like when they ejaculate so fast. The soldiers become angry when they ejaculate so fast and then abuse Maria, and that is so horrifying for her. These insecure, vile soldiers are at fault because they can't control themselves so they abuse her and that's incredibly pathetic.
Maria describes the rooms and building she and the other women and girls were confined in. She describes her miscarriage, malaria fever and painful malaria attacks, and how the soldiers raped her even while she experienced a malaria attack. Tanaka, whose title is "Captain," was the FIRST soldier who raped her when she was fourteen, met her again and felt pity for her, and what appeared to be fondness. Tanaka is a PEDOPHILE and a rapist and child sexual abuser. As Maria describes her confinement and sexual slavery, Tanaka appears often to give her food or close the curtains of her bed space so that the soldiers would not rape her. He acts like a savior, but he is NOT, and he rapes her. I hate this man for most likely thinking he's doing a good deed and taking care of her, but no, this man is as vile as the rest of the Japanese soldiers.
Maria writes about the guerrillas who attacked the garrison she was confined in and how she was rescued, and the aftermath of having been a sex slave during the war. I feel so sorry that Maria was in so much pain, how she felt that it was difficult to communicate because of her speech impairment due to malaria attacks, and people making fun of her for having a speech impairment. The Japanese were still around, and Maria writes about the narrow escapes she and her family faced, and then finally, the Americans came and the Japanese had to leave or be killed. MacArthur has the title, "General," but he is truly a coward. He ran away like a dog with its tail in between its legs when he surrendered the Philippines to the Imperial Japanese Army. What a complete and utter coward MacArthur is.
It took Maria half a century to have the courage to tell her story to the world. She heard about the Task Force on Filipino Comfort Women on the radio and it took a few months before she told her daughter and wrote a letter to share her story.
If Maria didn't tell her story, perhaps the other Filipina "comfort women" wouldn't, either. I am so full of sorrow knowing that she and hundreds of thousands of sex slaves under Japanese occupation kept these experiences to themselves for a long time. I hate that comfort women must have faced victim blaming and shaming, their families turning them away, their spouses turning them away, and people thinking that they're making up stories for money--as is the case for Maria. How dare journalists think Maria speaks about having been a sex slave for money, WHEN SHE HAS NOT RECEIVED PROPER COMPENSATION FROM THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT? She writes about working so hard just to get by, and that she accepted the money from the Asian Women's Fund because she needed it. Btw the Asian Women's Fund is not a proper apology and not proper compensation, not even close to justice for women and girls in the Asia-Pacific having been sex slaves.
Maria wanted justice but never received it. I hate that she and about 400,000 women and girls, did not receive an apology or monetary reparations from the Japanese government. I hate that some Japanese officials suppress the history of comfort women.
The fight for justice goes on. We need to bring awareness to these histories and speak up for military organizations using sexual violence as a weapon of war RIGHT NOW. It's happening in the Congo and we must not look away. We must listen to victims and survivors of sexual violence during war.
We must listen.
I hate you, Tanaka, and your so-called title of "captain."
CW: rape, child sexual abuse, miscarriage, confinement, violence, war.
"Spoilers":
Maria drew different people in her life, like Don Pepe, herself, and scenes of the Japanese soldiers who raped her. The chapter "Comfort Woman" had scenes of how the Japanese soldiers raped her and that was so heartbreaking. There are also photographs of Maria at different times in her life, as well as her family, and I appreciate that these are in the book.
The foreword: WHY is an academic who is a white woman, Cynthia Enloe, who had admitted her embarrassment of not writing about a "feminist angle" in her six books about ethnical tensions and its role in politics, THE WRITER OF THE FOREWORD OF MARIA ROSA HENSON'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY? (The second edition). Enloe had met a veteran of the Vietnam war and he told her that American soldiers hired Vietnamese women to do their laundry, then Enloe wondered how different the history of the war would look like if it had been told by these women. Thereafter, Enloe focused on feminist international relations.
So why was the writing weak and vague in the foreword? She wrote, “[...] particular wartime systems of prostituting certain women in order to provide certain militarized men with commercialized sexual access to those women" which is vague in my opinion. Using the words "particular" and "certain women" and "certain militarized men" is weak and vague.
Tell it like it is. Militarized colonizers/oppressors force women and girls into sexual slavery. Stop with the "commercialized sexual access," especially in the context of Maria Rosa Henson's autobiography. It wasn't commercialized since Japanese soldiers didn't pay HER or Tanaka or the colonel to rape her--why would they? And the phrase "sexual access" what the heck is that? It was rape and child sexual abuse. Be CLEAR. State that sexual violence is a weapon of war, especially in this foreword.
Yuki Tanaka, a Japanese historian, wrote the Introduction. He goes into the details of the militarized sexual slavery which the Imperial Japanese Army had committed, and how this history has been suppressed by people like Shinzo Abe (to name just one Japanese government official), and how the history of the crimes of the Imperial Japanese Army is documented (or lack thereof) today. I understand he speaks on Japanese war crimes and brings awareness to the fact that the Japanese government has NEVER apologized or provided compensation or provided justice to victims of the Imperial Japanese Army's sexual slavery system, however, I wonder if the Introduction could've been written by someone close to Maria Rosa Henson, or a Filipino historian. I want people to understand that Filipino voices ought to have taken the spot of the Foreword and Introduction in the second edition of Maria's autobiography.
As soon as Don Pepe said that he wanted Julia to work as HIS and HIS WIFE's maid, and only them, I knew he was suspicious. I am so sorry for Julia that he took her from her family because they were poor, living in the feudal system which the Spanish had brought and which is a long-lasting legacy of colonization, and he was the rich landlord whom everyone paid, so Julia wanted to provide for her family. And Don Pepe raped Julia. He is a pedophile, a groomer, and a rapist. I was so sad to see that drawing of him and the caption from Maria that he is her father. (My Mother, Julia)
It broke my heart when Maria asked, "Did I inherit my mother's fate?" (The War Begins)
I am horrified reading what the Japanese soldiers did to Maria in the chapter titled "Comfort Woman." I HATE THEM. These pathetic Japanese soldiers even ejaculated so fast, nakakaawa talaga, and Maria discusses how this is an issue because the soldiers don't like when they ejaculate so fast. The soldiers become angry when they ejaculate so fast and then abuse Maria, and that is so horrifying for her. These insecure, vile soldiers are at fault because they can't control themselves so they abuse her and that's incredibly pathetic.
Maria describes the rooms and building she and the other women and girls were confined in. She describes her miscarriage, malaria fever and painful malaria attacks, and how the soldiers raped her even while she experienced a malaria attack. Tanaka, whose title is "Captain," was the FIRST soldier who raped her when she was fourteen, met her again and felt pity for her, and what appeared to be fondness. Tanaka is a PEDOPHILE and a rapist and child sexual abuser. As Maria describes her confinement and sexual slavery, Tanaka appears often to give her food or close the curtains of her bed space so that the soldiers would not rape her. He acts like a savior, but he is NOT, and he rapes her. I hate this man for most likely thinking he's doing a good deed and taking care of her, but no, this man is as vile as the rest of the Japanese soldiers.
Maria writes about the guerrillas who attacked the garrison she was confined in and how she was rescued, and the aftermath of having been a sex slave during the war. I feel so sorry that Maria was in so much pain, how she felt that it was difficult to communicate because of her speech impairment due to malaria attacks, and people making fun of her for having a speech impairment. The Japanese were still around, and Maria writes about the narrow escapes she and her family faced, and then finally, the Americans came and the Japanese had to leave or be killed. MacArthur has the title, "General," but he is truly a coward. He ran away like a dog with its tail in between its legs when he surrendered the Philippines to the Imperial Japanese Army. What a complete and utter coward MacArthur is.
It took Maria half a century to have the courage to tell her story to the world. She heard about the Task Force on Filipino Comfort Women on the radio and it took a few months before she told her daughter and wrote a letter to share her story.
If Maria didn't tell her story, perhaps the other Filipina "comfort women" wouldn't, either. I am so full of sorrow knowing that she and hundreds of thousands of sex slaves under Japanese occupation kept these experiences to themselves for a long time. I hate that comfort women must have faced victim blaming and shaming, their families turning them away, their spouses turning them away, and people thinking that they're making up stories for money--as is the case for Maria. How dare journalists think Maria speaks about having been a sex slave for money, WHEN SHE HAS NOT RECEIVED PROPER COMPENSATION FROM THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT? She writes about working so hard just to get by, and that she accepted the money from the Asian Women's Fund because she needed it. Btw the Asian Women's Fund is not a proper apology and not proper compensation, not even close to justice for women and girls in the Asia-Pacific having been sex slaves.
Maria wanted justice but never received it. I hate that she and about 400,000 women and girls, did not receive an apology or monetary reparations from the Japanese government. I hate that some Japanese officials suppress the history of comfort women.
The fight for justice goes on. We need to bring awareness to these histories and speak up for military organizations using sexual violence as a weapon of war RIGHT NOW. It's happening in the Congo and we must not look away. We must listen to victims and survivors of sexual violence during war.
We must listen.
July 10, 2013
Fantastic illustrations by the author. An autobiography written simply from memory. Not easy to read as the main subject is rape, and the accounts are true. Semi-useful as its only one persons account, but an eye-opener to the horrors of comfort women
She was very brave and bold for write her accounts. Couldn't have been easy
She was very brave and bold for write her accounts. Couldn't have been easy
April 5, 2010
This isn't the most well written memoir I've ever read but it is certainly compelling!
June 22, 2022
cried multiple times and cursed japan for the war crimes. i hope one day japan will face justice.
December 9, 2025
This memoir is one of the most painful and essential books about wartime sexual slavery. Maria Rosa Henson was the first Filipina to publicly come forward and say: “I was a comfort woman. I was raped. I want justice.” Her voice opened the door for thousands of other women to finally speak.
Reading this book was heartbreaking, but also full of strength. It is a story of trauma, shame, poverty, survival and the courage to break silence after decades.
What makes her story different
Comfort women existed in Korea, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, and the Philippines, but Rosa Henson’s experience shows unique features of the Filipina story:
🇵🇭 1. Most Filipina comfort women were civilians caught in war zones. They were abducted from their own homes or while evacuating. (Many Korean and Chinese victims were taken from organised raids or transport routes.) Filipina women were often:
• hiding in the mountains
• fleeing battle zones
• or in towns suddenly occupied
🇵🇭 2. The Japanese occupation in the Philippines was extremely violent. Villages were burned, men were killed, and women were taken. The brutality was personal and close, not always in military brothels, but in churches, barracks, even private homes. Rosa describes:
• mass rapes
• soldiers rotating through women
• being treated not as humans, but as property
🇵🇭 3. Filipina victims received little support for decades. It took until the 1990s before survivors began to speak as a group. While other countries (especially Korea) organised early, Filipinas were:
• ashamed
• silenced by the Church
• told to hide what happened
Rosa Henson was almost 70 years old when she finally told the world. She broke a lifetime of silence.
🇵🇭 4. Catholic shame made the trauma even heavier. The war destroyed not just her body, but her identity. The silence around her was almost worse than the violence.
Rosa writes about the religious guilt:
• blaming herself
• believing she was “dirty”
• thinking she could not marry
🇵🇭 5. Her story is about public courage. What shocked me most was how simple her dream was afterward:
• she wanted a job
• a quiet life
• to be treated like a human being
And yet, society did not give her peace. She was bullied, judged, and ignored for decades. Her testimony helped build the Lolas’ movement in the Philippines, a campaign for justice and apology.
💔 Why this book matters
This memoir shows that comfort women were not numbers. They were names, faces, daughters.
Rosa Henson’s voice reminds the world that:
• rape is a weapon of war
• silence protects the abuser
• speaking is resistance
Her courage changes history.
Final rating
This is not fiction. This is her life.
Other books may be beautifully written or emotional, but this one hits harder because every page is rooted in truth, memory and testimony. You can feel that her words cost her something.
It is more powerful than novels, because Nana Rosa lived through the terror, the shame, the silence, and the long years of being ignored. The courage it took for an elderly Filipina woman to stand up and say publicly is beyond heroic.
Her story is not shaped for entertainment. It is raw, painful, sometimes fragmented, exactly the way trauma is. But that honest voice makes this book unforgettable.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars
Painful to read but more powerful than other books, because it is true.
Reading this book was heartbreaking, but also full of strength. It is a story of trauma, shame, poverty, survival and the courage to break silence after decades.
What makes her story different
Comfort women existed in Korea, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, and the Philippines, but Rosa Henson’s experience shows unique features of the Filipina story:
🇵🇭 1. Most Filipina comfort women were civilians caught in war zones. They were abducted from their own homes or while evacuating. (Many Korean and Chinese victims were taken from organised raids or transport routes.) Filipina women were often:
• hiding in the mountains
• fleeing battle zones
• or in towns suddenly occupied
🇵🇭 2. The Japanese occupation in the Philippines was extremely violent. Villages were burned, men were killed, and women were taken. The brutality was personal and close, not always in military brothels, but in churches, barracks, even private homes. Rosa describes:
• mass rapes
• soldiers rotating through women
• being treated not as humans, but as property
🇵🇭 3. Filipina victims received little support for decades. It took until the 1990s before survivors began to speak as a group. While other countries (especially Korea) organised early, Filipinas were:
• ashamed
• silenced by the Church
• told to hide what happened
Rosa Henson was almost 70 years old when she finally told the world. She broke a lifetime of silence.
🇵🇭 4. Catholic shame made the trauma even heavier. The war destroyed not just her body, but her identity. The silence around her was almost worse than the violence.
Rosa writes about the religious guilt:
• blaming herself
• believing she was “dirty”
• thinking she could not marry
🇵🇭 5. Her story is about public courage. What shocked me most was how simple her dream was afterward:
• she wanted a job
• a quiet life
• to be treated like a human being
And yet, society did not give her peace. She was bullied, judged, and ignored for decades. Her testimony helped build the Lolas’ movement in the Philippines, a campaign for justice and apology.
💔 Why this book matters
This memoir shows that comfort women were not numbers. They were names, faces, daughters.
Rosa Henson’s voice reminds the world that:
• rape is a weapon of war
• silence protects the abuser
• speaking is resistance
Her courage changes history.
Final rating
This is not fiction. This is her life.
Other books may be beautifully written or emotional, but this one hits harder because every page is rooted in truth, memory and testimony. You can feel that her words cost her something.
It is more powerful than novels, because Nana Rosa lived through the terror, the shame, the silence, and the long years of being ignored. The courage it took for an elderly Filipina woman to stand up and say publicly is beyond heroic.
Her story is not shaped for entertainment. It is raw, painful, sometimes fragmented, exactly the way trauma is. But that honest voice makes this book unforgettable.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars
Painful to read but more powerful than other books, because it is true.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2022
There's always a first time for everything. And this was the first biography that I ever read. What a first, eh?
I read this for school. I was reluctant at first to read it because it had little more than a hundred pages. Thankfully, I have a text-to-speech app that could read it to me without me cringing so much at the robotic voice. Frankly, I have built quite a tolerance for robotic voices over the past few years. Not surprisingly, even the robotic voice was sufficient to convey the pain behind Lola Bara's autobiography.
Her recollection was succinct in that I managed to walk through her life with relative ease while I listened to the robotic voice tell me about it in a posh female British accent. Lola Bara pulled but a few punches as she made sure the world knows the extent to which she—representative of other Filipina "comfort women"—was violated by the circumstances of life, most significantly the Japanese military men. I understood that there was no hyperbole in her claims; rather, the unfortunate events in her life and in that of her family were simply evidence of how grim reality could become.
But Lola Bara showed her readers that she, like other Filipina "comfort women", was much more than her "dark past". The autobiography reveals a chapter of her life following the war for which she couldn't have been prepared were it not for her previous, more unforgiving trials.
The writing is nostalgic, graphic, brutal, personal. My only gripe is that it was too short. Rest in peace, Lola Bara. You could have stayed in the dark, but you went out into the light first for your own sake, understandably... but later, triumphantly, for those like you.
I read this for school. I was reluctant at first to read it because it had little more than a hundred pages. Thankfully, I have a text-to-speech app that could read it to me without me cringing so much at the robotic voice. Frankly, I have built quite a tolerance for robotic voices over the past few years. Not surprisingly, even the robotic voice was sufficient to convey the pain behind Lola Bara's autobiography.
Her recollection was succinct in that I managed to walk through her life with relative ease while I listened to the robotic voice tell me about it in a posh female British accent. Lola Bara pulled but a few punches as she made sure the world knows the extent to which she—representative of other Filipina "comfort women"—was violated by the circumstances of life, most significantly the Japanese military men. I understood that there was no hyperbole in her claims; rather, the unfortunate events in her life and in that of her family were simply evidence of how grim reality could become.
But Lola Bara showed her readers that she, like other Filipina "comfort women", was much more than her "dark past". The autobiography reveals a chapter of her life following the war for which she couldn't have been prepared were it not for her previous, more unforgiving trials.
The writing is nostalgic, graphic, brutal, personal. My only gripe is that it was too short. Rest in peace, Lola Bara. You could have stayed in the dark, but you went out into the light first for your own sake, understandably... but later, triumphantly, for those like you.
April 13, 2023
**warning difficult content**
Comfort Woman by Maria Rosa Henson
A Filipina’s Story of Prostitution and Slavery Under the Japanese Military
In history class in the US, you learn very little about the “Pacific Theater.” Pearl Harbor and it’s significance of waking the sleeping giant that is America into joining the second World War is a story we are all familiar with. As a child of 2 nations, the one I was born in (US) and the home country of my heritage (Philippines) I have always been interested in this aspect of the war. I still know very little of my family’s experience in the war. On my mom’s side I know that she lost uncles and the fear of what Japanese soldiers would do to Filipino women was a real threat to my grandmother and her sisters. While I knew women were under threat of kidnapping and rape, I was not aware of the government sanctioned “comfort stations” set up by the Japanese during this time all over the Pacific, trafficking women into brothels for their soldiers. Women from Korea, China and the Philippines were taken and held captive for months if not years forced to “comfort” truckloads of soldiers daily.
Some of them survived and in the early 1990’s started to tell their stories and seek accountability and reparations from the Japanese government. This is just one of those 200,000+ voices.
I don’t wish to give away this short (<100pg) story but know that while a settlement was reached true accountability of events like this was sadly never taken.
Comfort Woman by Maria Rosa Henson
A Filipina’s Story of Prostitution and Slavery Under the Japanese Military
In history class in the US, you learn very little about the “Pacific Theater.” Pearl Harbor and it’s significance of waking the sleeping giant that is America into joining the second World War is a story we are all familiar with. As a child of 2 nations, the one I was born in (US) and the home country of my heritage (Philippines) I have always been interested in this aspect of the war. I still know very little of my family’s experience in the war. On my mom’s side I know that she lost uncles and the fear of what Japanese soldiers would do to Filipino women was a real threat to my grandmother and her sisters. While I knew women were under threat of kidnapping and rape, I was not aware of the government sanctioned “comfort stations” set up by the Japanese during this time all over the Pacific, trafficking women into brothels for their soldiers. Women from Korea, China and the Philippines were taken and held captive for months if not years forced to “comfort” truckloads of soldiers daily.
Some of them survived and in the early 1990’s started to tell their stories and seek accountability and reparations from the Japanese government. This is just one of those 200,000+ voices.
I don’t wish to give away this short (<100pg) story but know that while a settlement was reached true accountability of events like this was sadly never taken.
Read
March 12, 2025Several effects of rape were testified by Maria Rosa Henson—its perhaps being a generational curse, formerly something to be ashamed of because of society’s stigma, and how it haunts her. Despite it only being a glimpse over—it must hurt to go into extreme detail—I felt for her experiences and soft heart. Despite the cruelty, she showed an angle of love and kindness.
She’s a hero not only because she crossed her fears in hope of justice for victims, but also because she did saved many lives of nearly war victims.
How are these stories really supposed to end when life goes on? She ends with resolutions of faith and hope. Religious comfort may not be everyone’s forte, but it entirely makes sense even to me… she forgave those that abused her. It may never feel right, but it’s a choice one might make to move forward. A perspective.
I’ll still be pondering upon this, so more thoughts to come… 💓
She’s a hero not only because she crossed her fears in hope of justice for victims, but also because she did saved many lives of nearly war victims.
How are these stories really supposed to end when life goes on? She ends with resolutions of faith and hope. Religious comfort may not be everyone’s forte, but it entirely makes sense even to me… she forgave those that abused her. It may never feel right, but it’s a choice one might make to move forward. A perspective.
I’ll still be pondering upon this, so more thoughts to come… 💓
December 20, 2018
Too harrowing for words. It is unfortunate that Ms. Henson passed away before any real justice was served. It never ceases to infuriate me how men can be sadistically cruel to women, and in Henson’s case, it’s not just the Japanese soldiers but also her husband. And what’s worse, some women are complicit. Also, I never understood why people think women who come forward with their stories are only doing it to get famous; okay, if that were the case, why on Earth would they pick something as traumatic and unspeakable as rape to do that, especially when women are shamed and threatened for speaking out??!!
But good on Henson for speaking out; it helped others come forward, and this is a story that should never be forgotten.
But good on Henson for speaking out; it helped others come forward, and this is a story that should never be forgotten.
Read
May 5, 2020"𝙼𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚕𝚊𝚢 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎,'' Henson wrote. ''𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝟷𝟸 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟶 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝟹𝟶. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚘𝚊𝚍𝚜."
I find it inappropriate to rate this book. Maria Rosa Henson, or Lola Rosa, is a powerful and courageous woman by being the first comfort woman to go public with her story. Imagine reliving the horrors of abuse she went through but still had the undeniable strength to fight actively until her death for justice and reparations from the Japanese government. This memoir includes life before and after her trauma.
Essential read.
I find it inappropriate to rate this book. Maria Rosa Henson, or Lola Rosa, is a powerful and courageous woman by being the first comfort woman to go public with her story. Imagine reliving the horrors of abuse she went through but still had the undeniable strength to fight actively until her death for justice and reparations from the Japanese government. This memoir includes life before and after her trauma.
Essential read.
June 13, 2020
Unimaginable experiences, I shuddered all throughout the book.
No matter how much I read on the topic, I find it extremely difficult to grasp or even begin to understand the horrendous events that took place in WWII.
Rosa's descriptions had me all choked up and uncomfortable even though I was in the comfort and warmth of my own home.
Testimonial books are a must for all of humanity, we should not forget what we humans are capable of. We can show extreme strength and courage in the face of captivity and abuse, and we can act out unfathomably evil crimes too.
No matter how much I read on the topic, I find it extremely difficult to grasp or even begin to understand the horrendous events that took place in WWII.
Rosa's descriptions had me all choked up and uncomfortable even though I was in the comfort and warmth of my own home.
Testimonial books are a must for all of humanity, we should not forget what we humans are capable of. We can show extreme strength and courage in the face of captivity and abuse, and we can act out unfathomably evil crimes too.
March 6, 2022
I feel odd giving this book a rating because obviously it deals with some tragic and traumatic things. I However I’m giving it a 5 because I want to support this author and I think that it was very informative and straightforward with the experiences she endured. As someone who is half Filipino, it brings me closer to the history of the country, which I know little about. I am definitely interested in learning more on this topic and to dig into the history of the Philippines for my own knowledge about my ethic roots.
March 3, 2024
340 ratings??? Sad that this work is forgotten c'mon Filipinos we should care about this.
Lola Rosa is an insanely brave woman. I believe her 100 percent its just the magnitude of what she's been through kinda detached me from the reality of her many many plights. It's just so intensely traumatic, unlucky and dare I say bordering on the absurd that my mind refuses to digest them as fact.
Her words are simple and direct to the point and she did not fiddle around. Her life was brutal and she did not get the justice she deserved.
Lola Rosa is an insanely brave woman. I believe her 100 percent its just the magnitude of what she's been through kinda detached me from the reality of her many many plights. It's just so intensely traumatic, unlucky and dare I say bordering on the absurd that my mind refuses to digest them as fact.
Her words are simple and direct to the point and she did not fiddle around. Her life was brutal and she did not get the justice she deserved.
December 10, 2020
This was a heart-wrenching memoir that demonstrates how violence against women in times of war can affect a person. Particularly interesting is the history of Japan's reluctance to acknowledge their army's part in this affair. This may be uncomfortable for readers who are sensitive to sexual abuse and abusive relationships, but it is an important story to tell since the comfort women have not had justice after all they suffered.
August 1, 2022
The amount of brutality and inhumane treatment these women endured is tragic and distressing. Not to mention that this abuse has lifelong physical and psychological effects for which most of these women never received proper support or compensation. This compounded with the internalized misogyny and slut-shaming that Maria Rosa describes (feeling like she was not worthy of her family's love due to her "dark past") just makes me so sad.
January 26, 2023
chilling.. devastating. one of the most difficult stories I’ve ever read. but one I think everyone should read. I saw a review that put it well - “testimonies are a must for humanity.” this one in particular is a dark reminder of what humans are capable of. in Lola Rosa’s case, how one can act with such strength and grace after having been violated, humiliated repeatedly. she gives a whole new meaning to resilience
May 6, 2024
For the longest time I was looking for a book that told the story of comfort women from a comfort woman themself, and this book was it. Reliving trauma isn’t an easy task and I am thankful the author decided to tell her story. As an Ilokano, this story is something similar to what my Grandparents experienced during WWII during Japanese occupation of Ilocos. A great read, graphic, moved me to tears, reminded me of how we can still survive beyond our trauma, no matter how hard things get.
April 17, 2025
No woman deserves to be treated like an object they can toy or use anytime, and in any way a man wants to. It's horrid and sickening that there's no even proper justice, and they still had to face the backlash after going public.
I expected it to be this abhorrent, but the horrors are just too much as I read it. When it was first presented to my major class, I thought this was an interesting read, and it would give us more context and awareness about what the comfort women have gone through.
I expected it to be this abhorrent, but the horrors are just too much as I read it. When it was first presented to my major class, I thought this was an interesting read, and it would give us more context and awareness about what the comfort women have gone through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2021
Very powerful and emotional book. We should never erase the sufferings of all the comfort women in the history.
"But I am still hoping to see justice done before I die"
I'm sorry Lola Rosa, but until now justice has yet to be served.
"But I am still hoping to see justice done before I die"
I'm sorry Lola Rosa, but until now justice has yet to be served.
October 29, 2023
I read it in one day because I couldn't put it down despite the heavy content. I agree with the other reviews that in terms of syntax and vocabulary, it is simple, which I like. But what is written inside is very important and should be known by more people
October 30, 2025
A autobiography that deserves more readers. A disturbing and moving account of a Filipina comfort woman plagued by the horrors of prostitution and slavery during the Japanese Occupation. What a brave and beautiful soul Maria Rosa Henson is. May she never be forgotten in the annals of our history.
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