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Belly of the Beast: A POW's Inspiring True Story Faith Courage Survival Aboard The Infamous WWII Japanese Hell Ship Oryoku Maru
On December 13, 1944, POW Estel Myers was herded aboard the Japanese prison ship, the Oryoku Maru, with more than 1,600 other American captives. More than 1,100 of them would be dead by journey’s end...
The son of a Kentucky sharecropper and an enlistee in the Navy’s medical corps, Myers arrived in Manilla shortly before the bombings of Pearl Harbor and the other six targets of the Imperial Japanese military. While he and his fellow corpsmen tended to the bloody tide of soldiers pouring into their once peaceful Naval hospital, the Japanese overwhelmed the Pacific islands, capturing 78,000 POWs by April 1942. Myers was one of the first captured.
After a brutal three-year encampment, Myers and his fellow POWs were forced onto an enemy hell ship bound for Japan. Suffocation, malnutrition, disease, dehydration, infestation, madness, and simple despair claimed the lives of nearly three quarters of those who boarded "the beast".
Myers survived.
A compelling account of a rarely recorded event in military history, this is more than Estel Myers’ true story—this is an homage to the unfailing courage of men at war, an inspiring chronicle of self-sacrifice and endurance, and a tribute to the power of faith, the strength of the soul, and the triumph of the human spirit.
"An inspiring look at one of World War II's darkest hours." —James Bradley, Author of Flags of our Fathers and Flyboys
"A searing chronicle." —Kirkus Reviews
"The Belly of the Beast (is)...a searing tribute...(to) America in its bleakest hour." —Senator John McCain, author New York Times bestseller Faith of My Fathers
The son of a Kentucky sharecropper and an enlistee in the Navy’s medical corps, Myers arrived in Manilla shortly before the bombings of Pearl Harbor and the other six targets of the Imperial Japanese military. While he and his fellow corpsmen tended to the bloody tide of soldiers pouring into their once peaceful Naval hospital, the Japanese overwhelmed the Pacific islands, capturing 78,000 POWs by April 1942. Myers was one of the first captured.
After a brutal three-year encampment, Myers and his fellow POWs were forced onto an enemy hell ship bound for Japan. Suffocation, malnutrition, disease, dehydration, infestation, madness, and simple despair claimed the lives of nearly three quarters of those who boarded "the beast".
Myers survived.
A compelling account of a rarely recorded event in military history, this is more than Estel Myers’ true story—this is an homage to the unfailing courage of men at war, an inspiring chronicle of self-sacrifice and endurance, and a tribute to the power of faith, the strength of the soul, and the triumph of the human spirit.
"An inspiring look at one of World War II's darkest hours." —James Bradley, Author of Flags of our Fathers and Flyboys
"A searing chronicle." —Kirkus Reviews
"The Belly of the Beast (is)...a searing tribute...(to) America in its bleakest hour." —Senator John McCain, author New York Times bestseller Faith of My Fathers
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
61 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Judith L. Pearson
8 books34 followersBest-selling and award winning author Judy Pearson’s career began in a tree: a wonderful old maple in her parents’ backyard, with a perfect branch on which to sit and write. Now hundreds of thousands of words later, this Michigan native’s voice is still inspiring!
Judy is a graduate of Michigan State University and has newspaper, magazine, online articles, and five books to her credit. She is also a much-requested presenter and speaker. But her favorite title is “story teller,” as exemplified by the biographies she writes.
The late Senator John McCain called her BELLY OF THE BEAST “a searing tribute.” It is the story of a naval corpsman who became one of the first POWs of the Imperial Japanese during WWII, endured a “hell ship” journey, and was one of the last to return home.
Her second biography, WOLVES AT THE DOOR: THE TRUE STORY OF AMERICA'S GREATEST FEMALE SPY, is the story of Virginia Hall. She was the architect of the resistance in central France during WWII. Most unbelievable is that Virginia lost her left leg in a pre-war hunting accident. The book is not only a best-seller, but has been purchased for a movie.
Judy’s next book, FROM SHADOWS TO LIFE: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE CANCER SURVIVORSHIP MOVEMENT, is a group biography following five founders and leaders of the movement. These medical heroes brought cancer survivorship to national consciousness. The book won the 2022 Nautilus Gold Award.
CRUSADE TO HEAL AMERICA: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF MARY LASKER - a 2024 Florida Book Award winner - is an absorbing history details the work of fearless and feisty Mary Lasker. Mary led the country’s march to conquer humanity’s most feared maladies, and was responsible for building governmental financial support for medical research. Her coup de grace was the National Cancer Act, born in the midst of political intrigue and fueling billions of dollars into research.
Judy's most recent publication is RADICAL SISTERS, which follows Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner, Evelyn Lauder, a the dawn of the breast cancer movement. These trail-blazing advocates never met, but boldly used their breast cancer diagnoses to radically change the social and medical landscape.
Judy was named one of Chicago’s Most Inspirational Women and a Phoenix Healthcare Hero, and was a finalist for the Arizona Healthcare Leadership Award.
Judy is a graduate of Michigan State University and has newspaper, magazine, online articles, and five books to her credit. She is also a much-requested presenter and speaker. But her favorite title is “story teller,” as exemplified by the biographies she writes.
The late Senator John McCain called her BELLY OF THE BEAST “a searing tribute.” It is the story of a naval corpsman who became one of the first POWs of the Imperial Japanese during WWII, endured a “hell ship” journey, and was one of the last to return home.
Her second biography, WOLVES AT THE DOOR: THE TRUE STORY OF AMERICA'S GREATEST FEMALE SPY, is the story of Virginia Hall. She was the architect of the resistance in central France during WWII. Most unbelievable is that Virginia lost her left leg in a pre-war hunting accident. The book is not only a best-seller, but has been purchased for a movie.
Judy’s next book, FROM SHADOWS TO LIFE: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE CANCER SURVIVORSHIP MOVEMENT, is a group biography following five founders and leaders of the movement. These medical heroes brought cancer survivorship to national consciousness. The book won the 2022 Nautilus Gold Award.
CRUSADE TO HEAL AMERICA: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF MARY LASKER - a 2024 Florida Book Award winner - is an absorbing history details the work of fearless and feisty Mary Lasker. Mary led the country’s march to conquer humanity’s most feared maladies, and was responsible for building governmental financial support for medical research. Her coup de grace was the National Cancer Act, born in the midst of political intrigue and fueling billions of dollars into research.
Judy's most recent publication is RADICAL SISTERS, which follows Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner, Evelyn Lauder, a the dawn of the breast cancer movement. These trail-blazing advocates never met, but boldly used their breast cancer diagnoses to radically change the social and medical landscape.
Judy was named one of Chicago’s Most Inspirational Women and a Phoenix Healthcare Hero, and was a finalist for the Arizona Healthcare Leadership Award.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 12, 2021
Very well-written and researched! It was a good effect for the author to discuss both Estel’s personal experience and the overall happenings in the Pacific theater to give the reader a better picture. Really inspiring to read about what amazing force of will and courage Estel Meyers continually showed under such horrific circumstances!
November 20, 2019
This was a well-written story about the experiences of a single Navy corpsman, Estel Myers. He was captured in the Philipines in the early stages of WWII and spent the duration of the war as a POW. His experiences and the experiences of those around him are heartwrenching. The author mixes in just enough of the bigger pictures of WWII history in the Philipines and the pacific theater to create an excellent context. This book will be enjoyed by far more than history buffs.
March 27, 2024
This is a harrowing read, but an important one. It is important to know exactly the extremes those who fought WW2 endured in order to defeat fascism and radical cultism. For one thing, reading books such as this detailed nightmare, recounted by Pearson, reminds us to be grateful for and respectful of what our parents and grandparents did. It also shows us the real and present danger we see developing now, as Nazis, white supremacists, cultish devotees of America First, etc., are all resurgent. Then, the threat crept in, slowly building strength, until, literally, all hell broke loose. The pattern is happening again; Pearson's work shows us why "never again" should be everyone's mantra.
The story told here is inspiring--but it is also horrific; Pearson does not hold back, in order to make readers understand exactly why her subtitle uses the words "infamous" and "hell ship." What she describes will turn your stomach.
Pearson does not fall into a jingoist trap of portraying the Japanese as some sort of specially deranged villains. Instead, she gives some context of the structure of Japanese society that led to the behavior that, in turn, produced atrocities. Most importantly, she emphasizes that all of that is not somehow unique to Japanese society: it is what all and any humans are capable of. Which is why this book serves as the warning bell to the current US society.....
The story told here is inspiring--but it is also horrific; Pearson does not hold back, in order to make readers understand exactly why her subtitle uses the words "infamous" and "hell ship." What she describes will turn your stomach.
Pearson does not fall into a jingoist trap of portraying the Japanese as some sort of specially deranged villains. Instead, she gives some context of the structure of Japanese society that led to the behavior that, in turn, produced atrocities. Most importantly, she emphasizes that all of that is not somehow unique to Japanese society: it is what all and any humans are capable of. Which is why this book serves as the warning bell to the current US society.....
July 18, 2017
A well written story of almost four years of captivity of a Navy Corpsman by the Japanese. A horrid experience is an understatement.
September 4, 2018
Remarkable Courage
This was a well written book. You can tell the author did a lot of research. This should be a book required to be read in high school.
This was a well written book. You can tell the author did a lot of research. This should be a book required to be read in high school.
November 25, 2023
This book should be studied in schools, a must read
May 7, 2018
What a dreadful experience for all involved. It is hard to believe how anyone could endure the cold, heat, disease, starvation, beatings, etc. that the POWs had to overcome and survive - many did not survive. Engrossing withe the detail that is described.
July 18, 2014
it's the story you never got in your high school history class. the story of the soldiers who suffered greatly at the hands of the Japanese. I learned a lot about ww2. about the fight in the Pacific that I didn't know even happened. I learned about the courage that men can have when put in terrible, horrible situations.
the title is misleading. the story only talked about the oryoku maru for about 20 pages. the man this story is based on died decades before this book was written, so a lot of the conversations have been made up. (you can only assume).
it's an eye opening book and it has some decent depictions of the life estel myers might have led as a pow.
but I can't give it 5 stars. to many subtle historical inaccuracies. the author had the American pows referring to other Americans as "yanks" and I find that oddly disturbing.
the title is misleading. the story only talked about the oryoku maru for about 20 pages. the man this story is based on died decades before this book was written, so a lot of the conversations have been made up. (you can only assume).
it's an eye opening book and it has some decent depictions of the life estel myers might have led as a pow.
but I can't give it 5 stars. to many subtle historical inaccuracies. the author had the American pows referring to other Americans as "yanks" and I find that oddly disturbing.
March 3, 2017
Wow, very intense. In fact, I need a silly romance after this one. I "enjoy" novels based on facts, even if these facts are so difficult to face. I was not around for WWII, which is why I read about it, but I know bravery and depravity when it's "write" before my eyes. I was astonished at the strength of the Japanese forces, but I was also astonished at how quickly our country was able to rise to the occasion and prepare our military after Pearl Harbor. While I know war is hell, no human being should be subject to what the POWs of the Japanese were forced to suffer. My sincerest thanks to ALL veterans and current service men and women. Let's bring them all home.
July 21, 2019
I always wondered why older veterans would either avoid talking about their experiences regarding the way they were treated or why they would refuse to tell me why they hated the Japanese. The book is well written and an eye opener with regards to their behavior towards American prisoner during World War II. I was shocked and saddened regarding what Mr Myers had to endure during his captivity. I encountered veterans of the Pacific theater while serving as a reservist and didn’t understand their predicament.
September 23, 2013
Nicely written history about a not very nice topic. Estel Myers's experience aboard the ship is the hook, but the book is really about the American POW experience in the Philippines during World War 2. The Japanese treated the captures prisoners of war very brutally, just as bad if not worse than Soviet gulag prisoners were treated. It's an important story that shouldn't be forgotten, and the author has done the family of Estel Myers and his memory a great favor in telling it here.
November 19, 2009
Since my father was a prisoner of the Japanese during WWII and survived two hell ship encounters, I was curious to see how this story compared. My father kept a diary and his descriptions of being held captive in the holds of Japanese ships was, in some ways, more descriptive since he wrote it while he was actually experiencing it rather than relying on memory.
June 15, 2012
It is a difficult read because of all the horrible things the POWs had to endure at the hands of the Japanese, but it is a testament to the will of all the survivors and Estel Myer in particular. It gave me a better understanding of the Pacific side of WWII.
September 21, 2018
World War II
Another story about a POW in Asia. Why do I read them? I t seems that I learn something new with each book. I am slowly figuring out why Japanese prison guards acted the way they did.
Another story about a POW in Asia. Why do I read them? I t seems that I learn something new with each book. I am slowly figuring out why Japanese prison guards acted the way they did.
July 15, 2008
Fabulous non-fiction story of an American solider imprisioned in a Japanese concentration camp. Facinating.
February 1, 2009
the editorial says it all.
July 7, 2013
Sad, horrible, fascinating, heart-wrenching. But this is a must-read for anyone to glimpse into the terrible suffering that some men endured during the war.
April 15, 2017
While I have read much on the European theater during WWII, I've not been as interested in events in the Pacific. This book gives a great deal of insight into the experiences of a POW held on one of Japan's hell ships, which were just as horrific as a European concentration comp.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews