Ghost Soldiers
Doubleday, May, 2001.
Hardcover, 342 pages.
ISBN: 0385495641
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Ghost Soldiers is an amazing tale of some very heroic Americans during the unusual and violent times of World War II in the South Pacific. Author Hampton Sides shows remarkable skill in bringing this story to life, making the reader feel a part of these soldiers' lives and reliving the war all over again. The book also gives an interesting account about how the men interacted with their captors, and also looks at the personalities of the Japanese soldiers who were in charge of them. Some were unnecessarily cruel, some were indifferent and a few were even sensitive to the prisoners' needs. Hampton Sides also explains how the opposing armies misunderstood each other. For example, Japanese soldiers would rather die than be taken prisoner, and would often eviscerate themselves rather then be captured. The story of the Rangers coming to rescue them is just as interesting, because if they had been discovered at any time during their covert journey to the prison camp they would have annihilated. Sides also gives the big picture of World War II and the role the Ghost Soldiers story played in the War. Anyone interested in World War II, war stories or history will find Ghost Soldiers fascinating. Highly recommended.
Ghost Soldiers is available for purchase on Amazon.com
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This review was published in the September, 2001 of The Internet Writing Journal.
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