The Railway Man: A Pow's Searing Account of War, Brutality and Forgiveness

Rating:
Summary: The human side of war
Review: In this work of Eric Lomax, one finds direct contrasts betweenbrutality and meekness, revenge and forgiveness. The authorwas a signals officer in the Pacific Theater of the war and was captured after the fall of Singapore. He was then sent to the POW camps involved in the construction of the then Siam- Burma railway (Remember the "Bridge Over the River Kwai"?). There he had first-hand experience of the Japanese's brutal treatment of POWs, himself included. He never forgot the face of the Japanese interpreter accompanying the soldier who beat him to a pulp. He narrates how he had to cope psychologically with normal life after the war, how his wartime experiences kept on haunting him. Coincidentally, he chances upon some information regarding a Japanese trying to make reparations for his wartime brutalities, and indeed confirms that this was his former tormentor. After a lot of soul-searching, he finally meets the Japanese in a war memorial beside the Kwai River bridge, and the process of reconciliation and healing begins. A very touching story of man's capacity to perhaps not to forget, but yes, to forgive.

Rating:
Summary: A Special Book
Review: This is a book that will move you. Eric Lomax is a man of depth, intelligence and keen perception. His writing is vivid, his story one that you can't put down. I strongly urge anyone interested in what the POW experience is like, and anyone interested in a powerful story, to buy and read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Special Book
Review: This is a book that will move you. Eric Lomax is a man of depth, intelligence and keen perception. His writing is vivid, his story one that you can't put down. I strongly urge anyone interested in what the POW experience is like, and anyone interested in a powerful story, to buy and read this book.