The Way of a Boy: A Memoir of Java

by Ernest Hillen

Book Overview

Chronicles the years Ernest Hillen spent as a little boy in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp on Java. He and his family lived in Java on a tea plantation before the war and they were interned by the Japanese and transported to a series of camps.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140179755
• ISBN13: 9780140179750
• Release Date: September 1995
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read!

When I was a very little girl, we lived in Indonesia and were in Japanese concentration camps during WWII. I was interested in reading this book, because my brother was taken away at 11 and sent to a men's camp all by himself. I wanted to know what he had gone through. This book will tell you a little of what we all went through in those years. It is written from a young boys view point and that was helpful to keep it less of a heavy read. I think very few people know how many of us suffered hunger and illness in POW camps under the Japanese. It is history and hopefully we won't have to re-live this.

a truly great book

i am 16 years old and read this book for the first time last year. i truly enjoyed reading the book. i am not into books which have a difficult plot or a lot of long words but anyone can undersatnd this book. i cant imagine what the boy would have went through and had to keep on reminding myself that this actually happened. i definitely do not think that this book is given the credit in which it is worth. reading the book makes you realise what a good life you have compared to what the boy went through. so go out and read the book now. p.s. have a box of tissues ready!!!

innocence

The story is beyond an ugliness of human nature.How any one dare to challenge "How about Hiroshima ?" The boy is above all these and almost religius. The Japanese Emperor and the Governmentaologized for the undue cruelities inflickted on the internees, but the most interesting thing is that they did no do so to their own people who were victims themselves under the Japanese Military systems.

an excellent read--I recommend it

A decided to read this book after I heard the news that a movie based on it staring Jane Seymour will be filming next year. I read it only to better understand the movie, and was extremely surprised at what an excellent story I found it to be. It is told from the perspective of a little boy, about his struggles and triumphs, and the little things that help him cope with life in a concentration camp run by Japanese. If you think this is your typical "WW II survivor story", guess again. As I was reading I forgot the book was about a concentration camp. It became the story of a ordinary boy and his mother, and their day-to-day life amidst a horrific background. The harsh reality is it is a true story. I hope the movie does it justice. This book is extremely under-rated. It is up to par with Oprah's book club books. Please read it, and I think you will be surprised. If anyone knows how I can contact the author, please let me know.