The Diary of Prisoner 17326 : A Boy's Life in a Japanese Labor Camp / John K. Stutterheim ; foreword by Mark Parillo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stutterheim, John K., 1928- author.

Contributor:

Parillo, Mark, writer of foreword.

Series:

World War II--the global, human, and ethical dimension.

World War II: the Global, Human, and Ethical Dimension Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Stutterheim, John K., 1928---Childhood and youth.

Stutterheim, John K.

Stutterheim, John K., 1928---Diaries.

Prisoners of war--Indonesia--Java--Diaries.

Prisoners of war.

Boys--Indonesia--Java--Diaries.

Boys.

Dutch--Indonesia--Java--Diaries.

Dutch.

World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Dutch.

World War, 1939-1945.

World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Indonesian.

World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Indonesia--Java.

World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, Japanese.

Java (Indonesia)--Biography.

Java (Indonesia).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (228 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Fordham University Press, [2010]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In 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, John’s 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 war—struggling 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.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Chapter 1. A Teenaged Prisoner of Japan, No. 17326

Chapter 2. Discovering Java

Chapter 3. Malang

Chapter 4. Merbaboe Park

Chapter 5. War

Chapter 6. Uncertain Times in Malang

Chapter 7. Kesilir

Chapter 8. The Final Days of De Wijk

Chapter 9. The Transport

Chapter 10. Lampersari

Chapter 11. The Benteng

Chapter 12. Camp Bangkong

Chapter 13. Horseplay

Chapter 14. The Diary

Chapter 15. The Disease of Despair

Chapter 16. Bleak Prospects

Chapter 17. Death and Unexpected Freedom

Chapter 18. Hidden Dangers

Chapter 19. The British

Chapter 20. Escape from Hell

Chapter 21. A Family Again

Chapter 22. Time to Fly

Chapter 23. Surabaja Restored

Chapter 24. To Holland on Oranje

Epilogue

Glossary

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780823231515

0823231518

9780823250141

0823250148

9780823247707

0823247708

9780823250745

0823250741

OCLC:

811403341