Song of Survival

An unusual source suggested I read the book Song of Survival, Women Interned. A twenty-something single guy I work with watched the movie, Paradise Road on the History Channel. He saw the movie came from a book. He was right, it is a good book. At the onset of World War II a young woman, her sisters, and her father were imprisoned by the Japanese in Southeast Asia. It is a very interesting story. My husband's Aunt was also imprisoned by the Japanese. She was a missionary taken captive the first day she arrived in the Philippines. I read the book about her group that was taken captive. It was a long time ago but I think it was called, Under The Rising Sun. These women were so amazing. This is a great piece of history. While I was reading it, I would forget to be impressed by the strength of these women. The story is so simply told. At one point the young women are digging graves for other women. It was what they needed to do at the time and they just did it. When the author, Helen Collin, find out her father died, she does not grieve. She does not have the strength to spend on grief. She saves her grieving for after the war.
This is a short book. It barely touches upon the atrocities the women lived through. Helen was imprisoned for over three years. It is written like this was our life, this is what we lived through. It can be read in a couple of days. Or you can read a while, put it down, and come back to it.
I think about my husband's Grandmother. She was a widow. Her daughter was a prisoner of war. Three of her sons were serving in the war. Two more would go later. She had to keep the farm going. When the war was over and the Americans went to the Philippines, one of the soldiers that were there for the prisoners was my father in law. His sister was walking down the street and saw her brother. These are the stories that are part of our history. The stories can be found in little books we often over look. These books are not going to be best sellers.
I think about how strong women were. How strong women still are. No we cannot compare what we live through today to what women lived through then. I know when push comes to shove, I want a strong woman by my side. Take time to honor these women by reading their stories.