Prisoners in Paradise: American Women in the Wartime South Pacific

by Theresa Kaminski

Overview

"Here are the compelling stories of American women caught in Japanese-occupied territory during World War II. Kaminski shows us their courage and, at the same time, demonstrates how contemporary ideas about womanhood and national identity structured their lives and their struggles. A fascinating book."--Beth Bailey, author of Sex in the Heartland

"The reader cannot help but be drawn into these incredibly interesting and moving narratives. Kaminski's inclusion of missionaries, nurses, and women who chose to stay out of the camps and go underground makes this book very valuable. "--Carol Petillo, author of Douglas MacArthur: The Philippine Years

"Eminently readable and engaging. This book helps fill a shocking gap that exists about American female captivity during World War II."--Frances B. Cogan, author of Captured: The Japanese Internment of American Civilians in the Philippines

"The creative efforts of these women to redefine traditional concepts of womanhood and motherhood amidst suffering and deprivation, while hiding from the Japanese or interned in civilian internment camps, is a fascinating and inspiring story. An important contribution to our understanding of the role of American women in wartime."--Barbara Brooks Tomblin, author of G.I. Nightingales

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780700638239
Publisher:	University Press of Kansas
Publication date:	07/26/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	294
File size:	3 MB

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Women’s Duty and the Decision to Stay in the Pacific

2. The Struggle to Organize

3. Work and Womanhood in Internment

4. Romance, Marriage, and Family Life During the War

5. Evading Internment

6. National Identity and Subversion of the Enemy

7. Rescue and Its Aftermath

Conclusion

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

Some of the least known but most interesting World War II narratives involve the experiences of civilian and military American women living in the South Pacific during the Japanese occupation--the subject of the present volumes. All This Hell describes the plight of 84 female nurses stationed in the South Pacific prior to the war whose lives went from idyllic to horrific when they were interned by the Japanese. Based upon both oral histories and published biographical and autobiographical accounts, the book provides a readable and gripping introduction to the topic for all readers. Its authors, veteran military medical personnel, have also written Albanian Escape, which deals with wartime nursing during World War II. Prisoners in Paradise is a broader, more analytic study. Kaminski (history, Univ. of Wisconsin-Stevens Point) explores the wartime activities of the region's thousands of non-native civilian and military women. Going beyond a narrative of their trials, she considers how attitudes toward gender roles shifted and adapted as women struggled to survive and protect their families. Based upon an extensive list of primary and secondary sources, this book is useful not only in its coverage of this neglected period but also as a more general study of gender in wartime. While All This Hell is recommended for all public and larger academic libraries, Prisoners in Paradise is most appropriate for academic and larger public libraries.--Theresa McDevitt, Indiana Univ., PA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Library Journal

Kaminski (history, U. of Wisconsin-Stevens Point) reminds us that prisoners of war have not only been men. With photos of American World War II internees in Japanese POW camps in the Philippines, the author describes in this study of gender in wartime how captive and escapee women of all backgrounds (including spies) managed to survive. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"This is a must-read for World War II and women’s historians."—Journal of American History

"Kaminski’s beautifully written, carefully researched, highly readable account of American women in Japanese internment camps in the South Pacific revises how Americans think about war. Using polished autobiographies and interviews, Kaminski weaves a poignant tale of the harrowing experiences and copy strategies of these thousands of women, who redefined the traditional norms of womanhood."—Choice

"Some of the least known but most interesting World War II narratives involve the experiences of civilian and military American women living in the South Pacific during the Japanese occupation. Kaminski explores the wartime activities of the region’s thousands of non-native civilian and military women. Going beyond a narrative of their trials, she considers how attitudes toward gender roles shifted and adapted as women struggled to survive and protect their families. Based upon an extensive list of primary and secondary sources, this book is useful not only in its coverage of this neglected period but also as a more general study of gender in wartime."—Library Journal

"Here are the compelling stories of American women caught in Japanese-occupied territory during World War II. Kaminski shows us their courage and, at the same time, demonstrates how contemporary ideas about womanhood and national identity structured their lives and their struggles. A fascinating book."—Beth Bailey, author of Sex in the Heartland

"The reader cannot help but be drawn into these incredibly interesting and moving narratives. Kaminski’s inclusion of missionaries, nurses, and women who chose to stay out of the camps and go underground makes this book very valuable. "—Carol Petillo, author of Douglas MacArthur: The Philippine Years

"Eminently readable and engaging. This book helps fill a shocking gap that exists about American female captivity during World War II."—Frances B. Cogan, author of Captured: The Japanese Internment of American Civilians in the Philippines

"The creative efforts of these women to redefine traditional concepts of womanhood and motherhood amidst suffering and deprivation, while hiding from the Japanese or interned in civilian internment camps, is a fascinating and inspiring story. An important contribution to our understanding of the role of American women in wartime."—Barbara Brooks Tomblin, author of G.I. Nightingales

From the Publisher