{"product_id":"the-diary-of-prisoner-17326-a-boys-life-in-a-japanese-labor-camp-world-war-ii-the-global-human-and-ethical-dimension-9780823231508","title":"The Diary of Prisoner 17326: A Boy's Life in a Japanese Labor Camp (World War II: The Global  Human  and Ethical Dimension)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this moving memoir a young man comes of age in an age of violence  brutality  and war. Recounting his experiences during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies  this account brings to life the shocking day-to-day conditions in a Japanese labor camp and provides an intimate look at the collapse of Dutch colonial rule.  As a boy growing up on the island of Java  John Stutterheim spent hours exploring his exotic surroundings  taking walks with his younger brother and dachshund along winding jungle roads. His father  a government accountant  would grumble at the pro-German newspaper and from time to time entertain the family with his singing. It was a fairly typical life for a colonial family in the Dutch East Indies  and a peaceful and happy childhood for young John. But at the age of 14 it would all be irrevocably shattered by the Japanese invasion.  With the surrender of Java in 1942  Johns father was taken prisoner. For over three years the family would not know if he was alive or dead. Soon thereafter  John  his younger brother  and his mother were imprisoned. A year later he and his brother were moved to a forced labor camp for boys  where they toiled under the fierce sun while disease and starvation slowly took their toll  all the while suspecting they would soon be killed.  Throughout all of these travails  John kept a secret diary hidden in his handmade mattress  and his memories now offer a unique perspective on an often overlooked episode of World War II. What emerges is a compelling story of a young man caught up in the machinations of a global warstruggling to survive in the face of horrible brutality  struggling to care for his disease-wracked brother  and struggling to put his family back together. It is a story that must not be forgotten.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45651780501557,"sku":"ByrdShop_082323150X","price":63.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780823231508.jpg?v=1781840651","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-diary-of-prisoner-17326-a-boys-life-in-a-japanese-labor-camp-world-war-ii-the-global-human-and-ethical-dimension-9780823231508","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}