Jean-Marie Faggiano and her family were living in the Philippines when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. The following month, she and her family, along with over 3,600 other civilians, were forced to surrender to the Imperial Japanese Army and live as civilian prisoners of war at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila for the next thirty-seven months.Through My Mother's Eyes begins with Jean-Marie relating the story of her family's internment to her two eldest sons for the first time, almost twenty years after the liberation of the camp. Michael, her eldest son, now tells that story to you. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Imperial Japanese Army began their occupation of the Philippines, and non-national civilians -- mostly American and British businessmen and their families - were forced into internment camps. For the next three years, Jean-Marie and her family struggled to survive in a world rampant with sickness, starvation, andbrutality. In Through My Mother's Eyes, you'll experience what life was like in the Santo Tomas prison camp, through the eyes of a young girl who strived to make sense of it all. The story is shocking and horrific at times, yet it is also a story of tremendous love, courage, and hope.
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January 13, 2009: A riveting story beyond my wildest imagination. This incredible work, depicting humanity at its best and worst, grabbed my attention and did not let go--I could not set the book down once I started.
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November 04, 2008: Through My Mother?s Eyes is a conversation about the recollected experiences of a young girl trapped in the middle of a war between the Japanese and the rest of the world. The author, Michael McCoy, and his mother, Jean-Marie Heskett, share in vignette-form taking the reader quickly from tragedy to humor to atrocity to compassion. This civilian-child?s look at WWII in the Philippines proves the great resilience of children to overcome, adapt, and survive. For those who enjoy true WWII accounts, this is a must-have for your collection.