Women Heroes of World War II—the Pacific Theater

What is the true nature of heroism? Atwood (Women Heroes of World War II, 2011, etc.) offers a quote from George F. Kennan in an epigraph to this engrossing history of heroic women: "Heroism is endurance for one moment more." Fifteen biographies of women with roles in the Pacific theater of World War II follow. The women, both white and Asian (non-Japanese), came from a variety of countries and include nurses, spies, missionaries, journalists, and a brutalized sex slave for Japanese soldiers. Many endured inhuman mistreatment at the hands of Japanese military. Although the biographies are brief, they effectively convey the devastating effects of the war and offer graphic information about casualties. An epilogue clearly explains both the international situation in the summer of 1945 and the Japanese military stance that led up to the American decision to use atomic bombs to end the war in the Pacific. Photographs with useful captions and occasional well-placed text boxes offer additional information. Detailed endnotes, a lengthy bibliography, and suggested discussion questions round out the presentation. Only one of the admirable women, Elizabeth MacDonald, who served mostly in Washington, D.C., in the Office of Strategic Services (after beginning the war near Pearl Harbor), seems to fail to fully exemplify Kennan's definition. Japanese women who demonstrated heroism are notably absent from this Allied-leaning overview. A worthy addition to military collections. (index, not seen) (Nonfiction. 12-18) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Atwood continues her examination of women heroes of World War II, this time focusing on events in the Pacific theater. She features American, Australian, British, Dutch, and Filipino women in the Philippines, Singapore, China, Malaysia, and even the United States. This diverse group is comprised of nurses, humanitarians, spies, and war correspondents. Among those highlighted are Gladys Aylward, the British missionary in China who escorted 200 children on a trek to flee the Japanese army; Denny Williams, an American nurse on Corregidor who wound up a prisoner; humanitarian Elizabeth Choy of Borneo, who was tortured for providing food and medical assistance; Maria Rosa Henson, who gave information to guerrillas in the Philippines and endured rape and beatings; and Dickey Chapelle, a U.S. war correspondent who took photos at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Atwood presents their stories with dignity and admiration. She is forthright about her subjects' suffering, and though she spares readers overly graphic descriptions, some may find parts of the content difficult to read. Each chapter ends with a brief look at the heroine's life after the war. Sidebars and black-and-white photographs are included along with a conclusion about the ending of the war with Japan. VERDICT A suitable addition to works on World War II and a fine follow-up to Atwood's Women Heroes of World War II: 26 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Resistance, and Rescue.-Margaret Nunes, Gwinnett County Public Library, GA

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Starred review from September 15, 2016
Grades 7-12 *Starred Review* These brief accounts of women who rose to the challenges posed by Japan's expansionist aggression culminating in WWII abound with facts and dates. Details duly mustered, this follow-up to Atwood's Women Heroes of World War II (2011) is part helpful informational text, part enthralling narrative. Each of these 15 profiles could constitute a cliff-hanger screenplay, and several have indeed generated filmssome disowned by their modest subjects as romanticized. To a woman, these health workers, journalists, and ingenious spies tended to downplay their heroism, exhibiting a phenomenal selflessness. Malayan nurse Sybil Kathigasu, for instance, risked her lifeand that of her familyto tend to wounded guerrillas in secret. Her decision to do so all but ensured prison and torture, but she held fast to a bigger picture: If we die to win the freedom that others may enjoy, there is comfort in that. The fervor of the women whose stories are on display here seems to have arisen not so much from partisanship as from a shared bent: a deep, essential humanitarianism. Here the drama, much of it horrifying, plays out so effectively on the pageit leaps out like vivid 3-Dthat readers of any age will come away both shaken and inspired.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)