Fires of Survival

By Doreen Gandy Wiley

She is Elena Neville, 16, whose good fortune stems from having a Swiss stepfather. The novel follows her as she becomes involved in the resistance. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0894071149
• ISBN13: 9780894071140
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Strawberry Hill Pr
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.0" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

I couldn't put it down!

This is a gripping, yet heartwarming tale of survival in thestreets of Manila during World War II that unfolds during those tengrim hours between the attack on Pearl Harbor and the initial, devastating Japanese air strike at Clark Field in the Philippines. In a superb opening scene, author Wiley depicts vividly the strained and apprehensive emotions of a stunned and unprepared civilian population. Fires of Survival covers three years in the life of Elena Neville, a teenager during the war. Born of an American father, she and her brothers were allowed to live outside the civilian prison camps with their Swiss step-father, but under strict house arrest. Poignant scenes describe her contacts with fragments from American units just before their capture. These historically accurate touches provide sharp and valuable insight into the confusion that faced American and Filipino defenders on those last days before Manila fell. Other revealing segments describe the gradual emergence of the complex Filipino guerrilla movement and its bold risks. The story ends with graphic detail about the final days of Japanese occupation, much of it punctuated by fact-filled and rewarding quotations from Elena's war diary. Written from the author's first-hand experience and supported by careful research, this unusual book brings us an accurate view of both the Filipino and the European encounter with the Japanese. A passionate historical novel -- short, yet dynamic -- this tale is a must for those concerned with the plight of civilian populations faced with the cruelty and hardship of war.