Under Manila Sky: A Memoir on the Art of Survival by Irene W.D. Hecht

In this memoir, Irene Hecht recounts how she faced a drastic change from living comfortably as a young expatriate in American-ruled Manila to a daily battle for survival as a nine-year-old internee on the campus of the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
When she saw how Manila was plunged headfirst into World War II, she knew—even at such a young age—that she had to wage a war of her own: a war against hopelessness and surrender.
Through a girl’s eyes, Hecht chronicles the changes in adult behaviors after she and the city’s allied civilians were interned at UST. Her narratives provide an insight into how a child reacts to a situation filled with contradictions between greater liberty and imprisonment accompanied by the ultimate challenge of survival.
A poignant memoir of an American woman's childhood during World War II in the Philippines that honors communal and individual resilience.
-Catherine Ceniza Choy, author of "Empire of Care: Nursing and Migration in Filipino American History"
Irene Hecht’s "Under Manila Sky: A Memoir on the Art of Survival" is a somber reminder of the most serious casualties of war—the innocent children. The war is seen through the eyes of a child who quickly grows up to learn the great sacrifices that are made by ordinary civilians like her. This is a must-read especially for the young people of today whose lives are untouched by the horrors of war.

ISBN: 9789715068277
Publisher: UST Publishing House
Language: English