Eastern Kentucky University Books

Great book on a little reported subject-POW life during the Korean War. Mr. Zellers does an awesome job conveying the fears and hopes of POWs during that time. You can viscerally feel their fear through his writing. I highly recommend this moving book to anyone with even a passing interest for Korean War history.

Larry Zellers, a newly married Methodist minister serving as a missionary and teacher in a small South Korean town near the 38th parallel, was taken prisoner in the early days of the Korean War. He and his fellow prisoners were American combat soldiers who were the very first to arrive in Korea from bases in Japan. The youngest among them had received only minimal combat training. All of the mean were inadequately trained and furnished with sometimes malfunctioning weapons. After being taken prisoner by the North Koreans, the men suffered incredible hardships of cold, hunger, physical abuse, lack of medical attention, fatigue, fear isolation, and intimidation. In Enemy Hands is Zellers' first-hand story of his captivity from June 25, 1950 to his release in 1953. Throughout his personal account Zellers shows that, despite the opinion that POWs live only for themselves, many in the camps worked to help others and conducted themselves with honor. Zellers became a U.S. Air Force chaplain after his release. In Enemy Hands is a valued, important, biographical contribution to the growing body of Korean War literature and a much appreciated contribution to any academic, public library military history collection.

Between the 1890s and the mid 1920s, a million people moved into the coal fields of Kentucky,Southern West Virginia, and Southwestern Virginia. Between a quarter and a third of these people, including my grandparents who went to the US Coal and Coke (US Steel)company town of Gary West Virginia, were African Americans.

Given that since the end of the coal boom in the 1920s, the depression, mechanization of the mines after WWII in a way that hit Black miners the hardest, most of these Black people and most of the whites have moved away since the 1940s. However, this is an important part of the heritage of both African Americans and working people. This book provides the history of African Americans in Eastern Kentucky in the old cold camps of Benham and Lynch near Cumberland Kentucky and the national organizations they and their descendants formed to keep their heritage alive.

There is a lot of overall discussion of the problems all miners faced finding unity against the companies fighting for a union, as well as the battles Blacks in the coal fields waged against Jim Crow in the mines and in Kentucky in general. The book also talks about the special bonds of pride that Black miners forged and how that heritage remains strong for those who have moved away and their children.

Professor Maga once again proves himself the master of the history of US-Japan relations with this study of the planning (on both sides) of what would have been the climactic battle of World War II. His efforts to discuss both the Japanese and American plans uncovers some interesting variations on some commonly held beliefs about the invasion, such as the American estimate of casulties or the Japanese willingness to fight to the end. I don't think his tale of the explosive-laden little clay pots that Japanese children were supposed to offer to American GIs and then use to kill the soldier and themselves will ever leave me.

A fine effort that deserves a place on the shelves of every student of World War II. It provides answers to some important questions that have gone unanswered for too long.

This is a regional study looking at many aspects of Japan, including its physical setting, history, population, agriculture, politics, urban areas, economics, environment, and future challenges, all liberally laced with illustrative photos (B&W), maps, and diagrams. Before the publication of this book, the only comprehensive work on Japan was done by Glenn Trewartha, last published in 1965, a 1945 update. With the relevance of Japan in today's world, it's surprising that something hasn't been done sooner.

Each chapter has a valuable list of references at the end, with dates from Ellen Churchill Semple's time to modern journal articles published in 2002, which make an interesting work in itself.

99% of the photos were taken by the author, so this is more of a first hand account of what's there than a library study.

This is a good book to find out what's actually occurring in Japan and why.

Thank you Chad. America should know this "awful truth". By the way, we in Appalachia are still holding the same protest signs that these brave people held up in this book 30 years ago.
Help us America.

This remarkable book captures the oral histories of American Army and Navy nurses who served in the Pacific before and during WWII. With excerpts from illicit diaries, hour-by-hour accounts of shellings, and food allotments described in grams, the book brings these women's stories to modern readers.

It is hard to imagine. Many of these women did not know that war was coming to the Pacific when they signed up for their two-year tours of duty in 1941. The Philippines were a fun, exotic duty station, with parties and balls and outdoor activities. War caught most of them by surprise. And there they were, isolated on islands, giving care to their wounded and dying friends as little by little, the Japanese overran the country.

Subject to front-line war conditions -- including shelling -- and treating the wounded of enemy bombs and hand-to-hand combat, these women KNEW the soldiers they were helping. These were their friends cut to pieces, infected with gangrene. And conditions kept worsening, as supply lines were cut and the front lines kept encroaching on military hospitals. Overcrowding, poor sanitation, tropical diseases, dysentary, fleas, rats, lack of medical supplies... these women grimly, bravely, knowingly endured it. Many were offered opportunities to flee the Philippines before their internment as POWs, but refused to leave the wounded they were tending.

After the American surrender, the nurses were interned in POW camps. At first, the Japanese allowed the black market to operate, and people could buy extra food and supplies (soap, razor blades, cigarrettes). But the Japanese were losing the war, and the Philippines had few to no supplies left. The black market ended. Starvation ensued.

The book retells the experience of these nurses: surviving years of war and imprisonment, knowing your fellow prisoners by name, saving their lives, and watching them die of starvation. Reduced to eating garbage, when it was available. Powerless to help, because they were themselves starving, too. Continuing to work despite fainting on the job, hand tremors, and failing eyesight due to malnutrition.

They were liberated hours before they could be killed by their captors as planned.

Returning home, freed at last, they were asked by the army and navy to refrain from mentioning their time as POWs. They were encouraged to become "ladylike" again.

So they did.

Extraordinary.

How fortunate we are to have this book, full of oral histories and eyewitness accounts, written while the memories were still alive.

Human endurance amazes me.

This is a good history of the nurses imprisoned at the start of World War II. I purchased this book and "We Band of Angels" at the same time They are both good books but tell almost the same story.

This is an intensely riveting book. The stories and flow make it seem like you are with the nurses. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in World War II, Nurses' tales or just a really great book to read!

While it is horrible how our nurses were treated as POWs, by this account they lived in relative safety and comfort compared to their male counterparts where many were killed for sport, used for medical experiments, etc. While the facts are shocking, they reinforce the story given me by a Swiss friend who was also interred by the Japanese in the Philippines. I found the book difficult to read not due to content but rather due to writing style.

I ordered this book for the story of the Guam nurses. I found it a very important addition to the history of military women, WWII in the Pacific and POWs. But I also found some basic factual errors in the part of the story I know something about; the invasion of Guam. Read this fascinating book for the personal stories and details of war/POW experiences, but check the military/historical details in other books. The writing is somewhat difficult to wade through and the appendices confused me. The titles of the tables imply that they cover all the women POWs written about, but (except for the listing of Guam nurses) they do not appear to include the Guam POWs. I finally decided that the one listing ages shows their age at release. (Some were surprisingly old - in their 50s, few in their 20s.) In all a very interesting topic that deserves wider recognition.

I am a genealogist that have family that came to central Kentucky from Clay County, Kentucky. I also made sure growing up, that the one article that I did not fail to read in the daily Louisville Courier Journal, was John Ed Pearce's article.
Most only know about the Hatfield-McCoy feud and do not realize that there were larger and more deadlier feuds. John Ed Pearce is the first writer of the feuds that allowed me to grasp the connection between the 100 years war in Clay County, and its negative effect on the social and economic development in this area, and why so many people migrated away from this area for better (and safer) opportunities to raise their families. Contrary to another reviewer, John Ed does an excellant job of weaving his storytelling skills with the research and oral interviews that he conducted for this subject and does not perpetuate but reports the facts of this era, whether you like the facts or not...they existed. When people are afraid to have a light on after dark in town for fear of someone shooting through the window, some sterotypes are reality. The hillbilly stereotypes were developed and perpetuated by the media, and is acknowledged by Mr. Pearce, and credited in photos that were staged of the Hatfield-McCoy feudists that were staged by a magazine photographer of the era. The interviews that he conducted personally would have never come to light if it had not been for Mr. Pearce and some of those he interviewed may have already passed. I am thankful that he had the contacts to find these interesting individuals and put down their story on paper.
I had the pleasure and honor to have a brief e-mail correspondance with Mr. Pearce during his retirement in Florida before he died, about some topics of interest to me in his book. One was about whether he had ran across any of my family line in his research, and the other was about Big Jim Howard. He wrote back: "No, I cant recall any mention of the Reams or Burdettes in my research for the Clay County feud. But I had few records to go on; most of what I used I got from word of mouth, plus a lot of newspaper accounts, especially the Hazel Green Herald, Cincinnati Post, Courier-Journal and files at the Filson Club and Historical Society, plus a few at the University of Kentucky library. Perhaps I encountered someof your people,. but didn't use them in the account and so lost memory of them. I wish I could help." He also responded in another e-mail that unfortunately had not found any other information on Big Jom Howard. He confided that he did not expect that we would ever know the full story of whether or not Big Jim shot the governor or not.
I read of his passing in the Louisville Courier Journal with great sadness. As I read the accolades of those recounting his many accomphishments, I thought to myself that his greatest accomplishment to me was his ablility in his writings to touch the average Kentuckian on their level, and this was no less typified in his taking the time to answer the questions of someone who had read his book and was left wanting to know more. If you are interested in the overall view of the feuds in Kentucky and their impact on the social and economic climate of the time, and how they impacted the migration into other areas of the state, you will want this volume in your collection. I have referred to it many times.

The book arrived, when I was told it would, in perfect condition, and exactly what I'd wanted.

This is a very compelling, honest look at the history of the Feuds that took place in Kentucky.Very well written and should be read by every person interested in State History.The names have not been changed and this book makes the area come alive, for good or bad.

I purchased this book, since it contained information about my Mother's family. It was interesting to read about this part of my family history, since we did not get a lot of information from her mother or grandfather. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the feudal aspects of Eastern Kentucky, and the different dynamics that took place.

Mr. Pearce totally brushes aside recent historical research, sticking with the same stereotypes that he claims to dispel. He does not put the feuds into their historical or social context, and does not seem to do a very good job of analyzing the biases of the sources he found. I wrote a paper on the stereotypes that came out of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, and found this book quite helpful in displaying that the stereotypes still exist.

There are some better books covering this subject, but this book is still a decent read and I recommend it for those interested in this theater of war. Hunt's story of survival from the Bataan death march and his eventual work with a guerilla detachment were very good and include many personal aspects. But if you are looking for a lot of "combat" recollections, those are not here. This is a more general and personal account of survial. In addition, at times, the author's main purpose in writing this book seems to be to respond to and challenge other US-led guerilla leaders who have either written their own accounts or were considered rivals to Hunt and his leaders. This detracted from the overall story in my opinion, but perhaps this is important contribution from a purely historical aspect.

We received the book promptly however preferred hardbound copy, which Amazon may not have had in stock. We are still seeking hardbound copy although this extra paperback will suffice for our research.
This should be required reading re WW2 history in schools and colleges; and should be in all libraries.
jdm

What I wanted out of this book was not really what I got. I wanted a personal memoir filled with interesting anectdotes, recountings of battles the author fought in and guerilla operations, in short: adventure. Perhaps you will think that a little bloodthristy of me, but it is what I bought the book for.

However, I found these things to be few and far between. There are a trifling amount of these kinds of episodes, but mostly Ray Hunt and his ghost writer gloss over these points of interest (for me, anyway) to comment on generalities of guerilla life in the Philippines and "to set the record straight." Though this was the first book I have read on guerilla operations in the Philippines, it quickly became clear that there are several camps with opposing views about what really happened during the war among US/Filipino guerilla forces, and each tries to get its version of events to be taken as history. Mr Hunt makes an effort to give his side of the story throughout the book from mostly personal information, so in this respect I think he did a good job.

He also takes the opportunity to unapologetically wax patriotic. He is unflinching in his thoughts that the US and MacArthur are always doing right, a tone which sometimes was too strong for me to take seriously. At one point he claims that the best thing for the Philippines after the war would have been to make it "the 49th state,"(this was before Hawaii and Alaska were admitted) presumably because America was and is the best thing going anywhere.

In short, this book is not one of men in battle and the hardships they undergo. It is one man's first person view of a seemingly ongoing argument about this particular bit of history, as well as providing a wealth of general background on the subject. I suspect that there are other, better books to buy on all these categories, and would recommend this book only to those who are deeply interested and want to read everything they can find on it.

Ray Hunt has turned out an informative book of his World War II years, first as an American soldier in the Philippines, secondly as a prisoner and escapee from the Japanese, and third as a guerilla fighting the Japanese until the American army finally re-captured the islands.

Personal accounts of guerilla war are likely to be replete with fabrications as the participants build themselves up, tear others down, and exaggerate their exploits. Hunt seems more honest than most. He doesn't sugar-coat his actions, nor portray himself as the second coming of Napoleon. The book alternates between describing his personal experiences and putting them in context with descriptions of the various guerilla movements in the Philippines, including the Communist Huks, local politics, an account of the American invasion, and his own role as a guerilla leader. He strives to be fair and balanced and comes closer to achieving that than does Fox News.

The best part of the book, in my opinion, were the several chapters in which he described his life on the run from the Japanese, the hardships and disease he suffered and overcame, and the assistance he received from Filipinos. My criticism of the book would be that Hunt never really describes in detail the military operations the guerrillas undertook. Thus, it is somewhat difficult to evaluate the contribution guerilla groups made to winning the war.

Hunt's story of his three years as a guerilla in the jungles, mountains, and rice paddies of Luzon is vivid and credible. This is probably one of the better books you can read about the Philippines under Japanese occupation.

Smallchief

This book is one of those excellent works by the University Press of Kentucky. They publish a great number of WW II personal narratives concerning the more obscure activities and less known theatres. I recall one written by a bandsman, the only one such I ever saw.
This review is based on the 1988 Pocket Book newstand edition of the 1986 hardback original.
The book is well written, quite thorough, and extensively sourced and noted, in contrast to many such works in which all that is set down about the author is in the blurb on the cover. There is also a handy map of Central Luzon printed on the inside back cover, a really great idea so that one can easily find it. Why don't other publishers do that? There is also a very useful index which covers not just personal names, as do so many, but has also subject listings to various topics.
As contrasted to the original book published during WW II, with the title "American Guerilla in the Phillipines", this one does not whitewash the dirty and brutal aspects of the war and its aftermath. All in all, a very interesting and well written work which deserves a place on the shelves of Spec Ops, "grunt" history, and personal narrative collections.

Although this book is not of high quality literary-wise, it is very interesting. As a reader you get a realistic glimpse of how life in the Lithuanan Jewish gettho's was during WWII. I was shocked to find out that not only Germans, but Lithuanians and Poles too were involved in mass-killings of innocent people. 'The shadow of death' is a very suitbale titel, because that is exactly how the jewish people must have felt: living in the shadow of death.

While I know that genealogy searching can be difficult, please share this information where it will do the most good: with the author. As a Librarian, I depend on the kind of informative, concise, and relevant reviews that are shared on a regular basis by those kind souls who have actually read the book in question. Not having read the book, my stars are simply there so that I could post the messege. Thank you

I couldn't put this book down and didn't want it to end. Harry could easily write a sequel to this book of how he transitioned into American life. This book is very easy reading and insightful of the atrocities that happened in Lithuania. Harry I admire you.

Hello, Harry! I am your cousin, Leslie Hoffman Levenson (my mom's name was Ina Ginsberg, daughter of my grandfather Jack Ginsberg). I learned about your book on this title a while ago. I'd like to hear from you thru e mail shown at below (LEV10315@aol.com). Our cousin, Esther Ginsberg Cohen (daughter of Alex Ginsberg)also learns about you recently thru our cousin, Shelly and Marlee Ginsberg who went to the Museum of Holocaust in Wash. DC. Esther and I found each other by accident! Long story! We also found out there The Ginsberg brothers (Jack, Alex and Barney) did have sisters back in Lithuania we never knew ever existed). Please contact me and let you know that you have more cousins still living and well! Unfortunately, your book is out of print! Is there any way we can obtain that? Please don't put this on line as we the cousins are trying to locate you! :-) We are surely proud of your accomplishment for writing this book we want to read. We would love to know more about our descendents despite the history that happened. Thank you so much, Harry from your long lost cousin, LESLIE of Granada Hills, CA born in Buffalo, NY in 1948 daughter of Morris and Ina Hoffman (both still living).

This is a wonderful book written by an author who got to know the families and understands their ways. Even though this book does tell the history of how snakehandling came to be included in church services, it also explains the side of the individuals who have a deep desire to serve the Lord entirely and hold back nothing from Him, even their own life if so desired by Him. In an age of lukewarmness, it is encouraging to read of Christians willing to suffer persecution or give their life for their faith. This book includes many photos of the persons written about in the book. I am glad that I bought this book and highly commend the author and the Lord who supplied it.

This is a very thoroughly researched book about snake-handling Pentecostals. I highly recommend it for an unbiased account of the practice. The author focused on one family, and did an incredible job of detailing the history of snake handling through them. The book covers everything from why these believers handle snakes, the very beginnings of the practice, the other "signs" (taking poison, handling fire), the basic doctrine of their church, the legal battles, the migration of the church & the snakes, the miracles, and the deaths. It also offers a wonderful history of the Saylor family, including their religious beliefs. I married into this family not even knowing that snake handling existed outside of old-time circuses and music videos, and after reading this book have a MUCH better grasp of the whole concept. Though all 53 of the photos are black & white, they add quite a bit. Even if you have no interest in purposefully picking up a rattlesnake or drinking strychnine, or don't even know who the Saylors are, this book gives the reader a front row pew on a part of American culture few people will ever experience.

Being a snake handling buff and unable to read David L. Kimbrough's, Taking Up Serpents for years, I finally had the pleasure. Kimbrough's work far surpasses anything else that has been written on the subject. Kimbrough being an Appalachian and Ph.D. sets the standard for doing oral research along with combing the archieves.
Kimbrough's work focuses on the Saylor family in eastern Kentucky and shows how the movement evolved. Kimbrough illustrates how the snake handling movement gained momentum when industrial capitalism surfaced in Kentucky.
The work is simply the best source for scholars and people with a general interest in snake handliing. No other book comes close to this masterpiece.