A Tale of Bravery and Survival: The Incredible Escape of American POWs From a Japanese Death Camp

Rick: This was an excellent book, went into great depths about the conditions that the POW's in Japan and the Philippines went through. And to my surprise on page 49 I saw my uncles name

United States on Nov 27, 2023

Steven: Good

United States on Aug 25, 2023

Kindle Customer: Little couple of small errors in the books and I got to think that was because of editing but nothing that a normal person would typically catch. It doesn't matter anyway; the book was excellent and I still cannot fathom how these pows were able to survive the early battle, the abuse, the march to the prison camps, starvation and diseases, and then slave labor. It's a testament to they're human strength that as many survived as they did.

United States on Jun 14, 2023

peter quaye: Ok

United Kingdom on Apr 10, 2023

Martha: The horrors these men had to live through, the pain they endured, the torture they survived just because their will to tell their story.

Canada on Dec 21, 2022

Kindle Customer: I so titled my review, because previously my understanding of the Philippines as a theatre of war was very limited. Also, I had never been aware of the part of the Filipino population and their role. So, the book certainly broadened my understanding! On the other hand, the Japanese are well known for their war crimes, breaking of the Prisoner of War conventions and savagery. What still baffles me, is why they got off so lightly, yet the Germans were made to pay dearly for both individual and group leadership failings. There trials continued for years.
This writer is intent on detail, which sometimes made the story hard-going. If you are interested in weaponry and artillery, almost every last detail is there. I think for the ease of reading, some of that detail could have been in the appendix. Similarly, the individuals details might have been handled. Most, once introduced to us, could have been nick- named eg, Charlie n Bluey and their details printed in full at the end. Again this would have made for faster reading, but also made them more familiar and personable to us.
However, I chalk it up as a worthwhile read, as it's really a part of the war that many of us know...

United States on Jun 21, 2020

Sandra H.: well written, factual and holds a persons interest

Canada on May 05, 2018

Jeffrey T. Munson: "As Good As Dead" tells the harrowing story of 150 American POWs being held by the Japanese on the island of Palawan in the Philippines. These men were survivors of the Bataan death march and the fall of Corregidor.

These men endured over two years of brutality and starvation at the hands of their Japanese captors. Forced to build an airfield using only hand tools, many perished in the heat. Things continued to deteriorate, but by 1944, the Americans had turned the tide and were poised to retake the Philippines. Realizing that the Americans were about to invade, the Japanese issued orders that all POWs were to be killed.

On December 14th, 1944, the Japanese guards at Palawan began a systematic extermination of the American prisoners. Men were burned alive, shot, and beheaded by their captors. Some thirty men managed to survive and leap over the surrounding cliffs to the beach below. By the next day, only eleven remained.

This book tells the story of these eleven men. Most were burned and had suffered gunshots and bayonet stabs. Now, they had to remain one step ahead of the pursuing Japanese. They tried to find food and water while helping each other survive....

United States on Jan 17, 2017

Goodreviewer: Comprehensively researched but moves along at a great pace. The follow ups of the survivors add true poignancy and are a very emotional read.

United Kingdom on Dec 07, 2016