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Women Beyond the Wire
NO highlighting or underlining. Some wear but overall very good condition. Ships directly from amazon!
- GenresNonfictionHistory
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 10, 2013
I was very disappointed with this book. The subject matter is very interesting and the portrayal of the unacceptable aspects of war is one which I am very pleased to see being broadcast in this way. Having said that I found the format highly eccentric, but then maybe I just don't read this type of book very often. It felt to me like a scrap book with a variety of memories and musings from a variety of sources put vaguely into chronological order so that it appears to tell the story of how a group of women were treated during WWII. I was continually unsure about who was telling the story, what were facts and what was opinion or memoir. I got strange 'out-of-time' experiences when information was given that the protagonists were unaware of at the time, or what effect it had on them years later. For example one person is referred to as Harry, because they reminded someone in hindsight of Harry Worth (surely it was the other way round).
It felt to me like it was written for people who had taken part in the action or who were related to them in some way, a way to catch up with bits they might have missed. I personally prefer a novel - in this case Empire of the Sun I enjoyed with its personalised story of a boy going through similar circumstances, where you can understand whose point of view you are getting - or a proper history which could provide more context and balance.
I did think the epilogue showed quite well that this sort of experience is bound to have an everlasting effect on the participants but that effect is not necessarily purely negative. Of course the book did make me shake my head once again at the sight of humans behaving at their worst - how wafer thin is the veneer of civilisation!
It felt to me like it was written for people who had taken part in the action or who were related to them in some way, a way to catch up with bits they might have missed. I personally prefer a novel - in this case Empire of the Sun I enjoyed with its personalised story of a boy going through similar circumstances, where you can understand whose point of view you are getting - or a proper history which could provide more context and balance.
I did think the epilogue showed quite well that this sort of experience is bound to have an everlasting effect on the participants but that effect is not necessarily purely negative. Of course the book did make me shake my head once again at the sight of humans behaving at their worst - how wafer thin is the veneer of civilisation!
April 16, 2018
It seems for a long time the experience of the western women captured by the Japanese after the total defeat and irrevocable fall of the British Empire was not really told. It's kind of understandable of course. To be captured by the Japanese was bad enough, to be a woman captured by an army whose culture mostly considered women perhaps a little bit above farm animals was something else. Still, many survived and true to their Anglo-Saxon roots did not dwell much upon it, at least not in public. This story is of course horrifying and as most that had a sort of a happy end also inspirational. The Australian war nurses. God. I wish I had half their resilience, half their bravery. The prisoners were of varied backgrounds, from comfortable living viola playing school teachers to the aforementioned nurses. Yet when the shit hits the fan and survival is the one and only objective many, even to their own surprise, will find the strength to hold themselves and others up. The writing is good but there's something that holds me back from rating the book 5/5. I'm not sure what that is, I wish I could but I can't. Still, pretty much essential.
July 29, 2023
This book follows a large group of Allied civilian women and gives insight into the combination of mental toughness and flexibility many showed while prisoners of the Japanese during WWII.
Readers also gain insights into the differences between how they may have fared better emotionally than the men imprisoned in nearby camps as it unravels a little of the phycological warfare the Japanese waged on their civilian prisoners.
We also read some lovely poetry, more profound when we know the conditions under which it was written.
Readers also gain insights into the differences between how they may have fared better emotionally than the men imprisoned in nearby camps as it unravels a little of the phycological warfare the Japanese waged on their civilian prisoners.
We also read some lovely poetry, more profound when we know the conditions under which it was written.
May 25, 2024
Although a time in history that brimgs out the atrocities men can make on women it is outstanding in the fight tenacious spirit women will have.
February 28, 2016
The book is about women who ended up in Japanese camps from the Singapore/Malaya area.
Early on it describes the incredible lack-of-reality among the people who lived in Singapore and the Malaya area. They were part of a society dominated by whites, particularly British whites, and who had Chinese and natives as servants. The whites led a very posh existence and were totally contemptuous of the Japanese army that was reported landing.
One can see how the Japanese used the argument that they were “freeing the native peoples from white domination” when you read about how the white society basically lorded it over everyone else and were so sure of themselves and their superiority that they waited until too late to actually get people away from the danger.
Unfortunately, the Japanese were even worse masters than the colonial powers, as the natives of the countries they “liberated” soon found out.
The book tells the story of the various men and women who fled Singapore and other areas but, for one reason or another, failed to escape and became prisoners of the Japanese. There is no doubt whatever, no possibility of question, that the Japanese internment camps were of the nature of atrocities.
The book describes the hardships that the women and the men had to suffer, the book concentrating mainly on female prisoners. Lack of food leading to virtual starvation; filthy living conditions that helped lead to the spread of a variety of diseases; primitive medical care, if even that much, and, all the time, the behavior of the Japanese guards who could, on occasion, show kindness, but who would more often show a bestial side of human behavior.
The book points out that the male prisoners had a 55% death rate, and the female prisoners had a death rate of about 25%, but the figures depended upon nationality somewhat.
The fact that must not be overlooked is that all of these people were innocent civilians, people who had nothing to do with the war being waged. These were all people who should have simply been sent back to their own countries or to a neutral country but who, instead, ended up in disease-ridden, bug-infested filth holes that killed many of them.
This is a well-written book but very, very upsetting.
Early on it describes the incredible lack-of-reality among the people who lived in Singapore and the Malaya area. They were part of a society dominated by whites, particularly British whites, and who had Chinese and natives as servants. The whites led a very posh existence and were totally contemptuous of the Japanese army that was reported landing.
One can see how the Japanese used the argument that they were “freeing the native peoples from white domination” when you read about how the white society basically lorded it over everyone else and were so sure of themselves and their superiority that they waited until too late to actually get people away from the danger.
Unfortunately, the Japanese were even worse masters than the colonial powers, as the natives of the countries they “liberated” soon found out.
The book tells the story of the various men and women who fled Singapore and other areas but, for one reason or another, failed to escape and became prisoners of the Japanese. There is no doubt whatever, no possibility of question, that the Japanese internment camps were of the nature of atrocities.
The book describes the hardships that the women and the men had to suffer, the book concentrating mainly on female prisoners. Lack of food leading to virtual starvation; filthy living conditions that helped lead to the spread of a variety of diseases; primitive medical care, if even that much, and, all the time, the behavior of the Japanese guards who could, on occasion, show kindness, but who would more often show a bestial side of human behavior.
The book points out that the male prisoners had a 55% death rate, and the female prisoners had a death rate of about 25%, but the figures depended upon nationality somewhat.
The fact that must not be overlooked is that all of these people were innocent civilians, people who had nothing to do with the war being waged. These were all people who should have simply been sent back to their own countries or to a neutral country but who, instead, ended up in disease-ridden, bug-infested filth holes that killed many of them.
This is a well-written book but very, very upsetting.
June 9, 2013
I bought this after getting fascinated by the story of these women from watching Tenko and reading the Remembering Tenko book which talked a lot about the lives of the real women prisoners. It is a story that is hard to read. The biggest difference between the real life story and that of the television show was the sheer number of women in the camps at any one time and the much higher death toll.
The book was a detailed account of the lives of some of the women. The only problem was that it was written by a journalist not a historian. Nothing was cited, and even though the author mentioned having interviewed the women, at the end it appeared that many of her direct quotes were in fact from other published books. As it is now over 30 years old in places it comes across as being rather old fashioned, not racist or sexist but there are definitely some viewpoints and terminology that would be questionable now.
That said it is an amazing tale of survival and an important piece of history that is written in an easy and accessible way. There are stories of courage and strength that you wouldn't expect that really put into perspectives problems of every day life.
The book was a detailed account of the lives of some of the women. The only problem was that it was written by a journalist not a historian. Nothing was cited, and even though the author mentioned having interviewed the women, at the end it appeared that many of her direct quotes were in fact from other published books. As it is now over 30 years old in places it comes across as being rather old fashioned, not racist or sexist but there are definitely some viewpoints and terminology that would be questionable now.
That said it is an amazing tale of survival and an important piece of history that is written in an easy and accessible way. There are stories of courage and strength that you wouldn't expect that really put into perspectives problems of every day life.
April 4, 2013
I got interested in the subject of this book after watching a movie on television starring Glenn Close. It's about the women who were prisoners of war during WWII, taken by the Japanese and the horrific conditions they lived in during that time. The book fell a little flat compared to the movie so for that reason I would not recommend it. However, the subject matter is riveting and educational. There are other books out there on the subject that are probably better written and I would highly recommend the movie. I believe it was called "Paradise Lost" but not sure.
July 29, 2011
this was brilliant a true story, women captive by the japs
March 21, 2012
Moving, informative, important, factual without ever being boring or making you suffer from information overload. Everyone should read this book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews