My favorite books on World War II: civilian prisoners of the Japanese

Why am I passionate about this?

As a professor of Communication, Environmental, and Native American Studies, Bruce E. Johansen taught, researched, and wrote at the University of Nebraska at Omaha from 1982 to 2019, retiring to emeritus status as Frederick W. Kayser research professor. He has published 55 books in several fields: history, anthropology, law, the Earth sciences, and others. Johansen’s writing has been published, debated, and reviewed in many academic venues, among them the William and Mary Quarterly, American Historical Review, Current History, and Nature, as well as in many popular newspapers and magazines. He's married to Patricia E. Keiffer, whose father, mother, and older sister were interned in the camp. Patricia was born there shortly before liberation.


I wrote...

So Far from Home: Manila's Santo Tomas Internment Camp, 1942-1945

By Bruce E. Johansen,

Book cover of So Far from Home: Manila's Santo Tomas Internment Camp, 1942-1945

What is my book about?

This story is a fascinating epic of 4,000 people interned in Manila’s Santo Tomas University during World War II (January, 1942 through February, 1945) and how they survived, from near starvation (1,100 calories a day) in November 1944 when a doctor reported that the average loss of weight among male internees had been 24 kg (53 pounds) during the three years there. People over 60 years of age were the most vulnerable. They comprised 18 percent of the total population but suffered 64% of deaths. Three months later, they were liberated in February 1945, when the internees cheered so loudly that observers compared it to Yankee Stadium after Joe DiMaggio had hit a home run.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Captured: The Japanese Internment of American Civilians in the Philippines, 1941-1945

Bruce E. Johansen Why did I love this book?

This is evidence of the enduring appeal of the Santo Tomas story. More than half a century after the events that it describes, Cogan makes good use of interviews and printed sources. The Japanese Internment of American Civilians in the Philippines is especially valuable for its scholarly tone and comprehensive nature. It described the lives of internees in several camps.

By Frances B. Cogan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Captured as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

More than five thousand American civilian men, women, and children living in the Philippines during World War II were confined to internment camps following Japan's late December 1941 victories in Manila. Captured tells the story of daily life in five different camps-the crowded housing, mounting familial and international tensions, heavy labor, and increasingly severe malnourishment that made the internees' rescue a race with starvation. Frances B. Cogan explores the events behind this nearly four-year captivity, explaining how and why this little-known internment occurred. A thorough historical account, the book addresses several controversial issues about the internment, including Japanese intentions toward…


Book cover of The Santo Tomas Story

Bruce E. Johansen Why did I love this book?

This book is a must-read for any serious student of the Santo Tomas story. It might need to be requested by Interlibrary Loan, but they are worth the wait. I believe that this books put the reader "on the ground" because of the skill of Hartendorp's writing and research, as well as his personal knowledge of the detainees in the camp (and others like it). This book also contains experience that comes with reflection over time, containing interviews with people who survived camp life for several years after their period of captivity that is especially valuable because they were able to place their experience into a later and larger context, such as the resumption of peaceful relations with Japan.

By A. V. H. Hartendorp,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Santo Tomas Story as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Santo Tomas Internment Camp: STIC in Verse and Reverse, STIC-Toons and Stic-tistics 1942-1945

Bruce E. Johansen Why did I love this book?

This book is an on-the scene compilation of statistics and drawings, most of which were gathered at the camp. Some of the statistics seem rather trivial, but taken together they provide a fascinating portrait of life at the camp. The same is true for the simple drawings done with rudimentary tools. This book provides a “picture” of the camp that is not available in other sources.

By James McCall,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Santo Tomas Internment Camp as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

G/-, SOFT COVER, BROWN COVER, 146 PAGES


Book cover of Santo Tomas Internment Camp: 1942-1945

Bruce E. Johansen Why did I love this book?

Santo Tomas Internment Camp is unusual because it was published with money gathered from internees in the camp, and delivered by subscription. It is a favored artifact of internees for its intimate portrayal of them and how they survived three years under Japanese rule. Santo Tomas Internment Camp is usually only available from camp internees and their families.

By Frederic H. Stevens,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Santo Tomas Internment Camp as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Here is the story of one of the camps in the Philippines during World War II. It is not only filled with facts, but with many stories. Fascinating and very informative, it also has the forward by Gen. Douglas MacArthur."


You might also like...

American Flygirl

By Susan Tate Ankeny,

Book cover of American Flygirl

Susan Tate Ankeny Author Of The Girl and the Bombardier: A True Story of Resistance and Rescue in Nazi-Occupied France

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Susan Tate Ankeny left a career in teaching to write the story of her father’s escape from Nazi-occupied France. In 2011, after being led on his path through France by the same Resistance fighters who guided him in 1944, she felt inspired to tell the story of these brave French patriots, especially the 17-year-old- girl who risked her own life to save her father’s. Susan is a member of the 8th Air Force Historical Society, the Air Force Escape and Evasion Society, and the Association des Sauveteurs d’Aviateurs Alliés. 

Susan's book list on women during WW2

What is my book about?

The first and only full-length biography of Hazel Ying Lee, an unrecognized pioneer and unsung World War II hero who fought for a country that actively discriminated against her gender, race, and ambition.

This unique hidden figure defied countless stereotypes to become the first Asian American woman in United States history to earn a pilot's license, and the first female Asian American pilot to fly for the military.

Her achievements, passionate drive, and resistance in the face of oppression as a daughter of Chinese immigrants and a female aviator changed the course of history. Now the remarkable story of a fearless underdog finally surfaces to inspire anyone to reach toward the sky.

American Flygirl

By Susan Tate Ankeny,

What is this book about?

One of WWII’s most uniquely hidden figures, Hazel Ying Lee was the first Asian American woman to earn a pilot’s license, join the WASPs, and fly for the United States military amid widespread anti-Asian sentiment and policies.

Her singular story of patriotism, barrier breaking, and fearless sacrifice is told for the first time in full for readers of The Women with Silver Wings by Katherine Sharp Landdeck, A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell, The Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia, Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown and all Asian American, women’s and WWII history books.…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Japan, the Philippines, and internment?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Japan, the Philippines, and internment.

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