Our Family's Story of Survival as POWs in the Philippines A World War II Memoir

"Our Family's Story of Survival as POWs in the Philippines," is a dramatic and engaging story told by three siblings who were prisoners of war in the Philippines as children. The structure gives the book a layer many don't have, and while some would be concerned three points of view might be redundant, the different styles and perceptions actually make the three views more interesting than one view would be. The "lead author," Pamela, does a good job of also mixing in research and detail where needed, since the other authors, particularly Bill, weren't aware that a book was in the future. The back matter – including Claire Wislizenus's account – enhances the story further. Readers will also appreciate the fact the book doesn't end when the family leaves the Philippines, but follows them to their adult lives. Poignant moments in the book aren't only the big ones involving human death and war, but the small ones. What is it about a dog's death that's so heartbreaking? The account of Jerry dying of a broken heart, as Bob put it, and of sitting by the gate waiting for the family to return in Pam's account, is one of the book's more poignant moments. Perhaps because it's an example of how love and loyalty are so tested by war and how it twists normal life. Bob's description of how it feels to be truly starving should be a wakeup call for readers who use the term so lightly, and the fact the lack of food had such extreme effect on the family in later years is telling. The footnotes and backup material give the book credibility, and while not necessary, are a huge help for readers who want to know more about this overlooked piece of history.
"Judge, 25th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards."

Pamela Brink and her two brothers were born on the Island of Cebu in the Philippine Islands from parents who had volunteered to go to the Philippines as teachers for American school children. Her father quit teaching and became the manager of a Lever Brothers subsidiary which provided housing for all its managerial staff on the Island of Opon. Pamela and her family lived there until she was five years old when they moved to Cebu proper. She and her two brothers attended the American School where they were taught by the mothers of the expatriate community using the Calvert teaching system from Baltimore, Maryland.
With the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1942, all expatriates moved into the mountains of Cebu as they were well aware that the Japanese army would soon be attacking the Philippines. And they were right. Cebu City was bombed. Expatriates were rounded up and placed together in the Cebu City jail. She has published a memoir with her two deceased brothers of their experiences of being prisoners of war until 1945 when they were rescued by the American Air Force just minutes away from being machine gunned. Following their rescue, they were taken back to the United States in a troop ship and landed in San Francisco Bay. From San Francisco, they took the train to Los Angeles, where they were met by her mother's mother and sister who gave them all room and board until they could find a home of their own. That same year her father died leaving her mother with no income, with a mortgage and three teenagers.
Pamela attended Junior High School, High School and two years of college in Whittier. She studied for her nursing degree at Mount St Mary's College in Santa Monica, California. Two years later she studied for her masters degree in psychiatric nursing at the Catholic University of America.
She then moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where she studied for her PhD in Anthropology at Boston University.
From Boston she moved back to California where she taught at the UCLA School of Nursing until she was invited to the University of Iowa, College of Nursing, as a visiting professor. From Iowa, she moved to the University of Alberta, Faculty of Nursing where she stayed until her retirement.
Pamela's two brothers, who co-wrote this memoir, are now deceased. Both bothers served in the USAF, earned their master's degrees and taught in elementary schools in California.