Book Review: Miracle on the River Kwai

Do you have a deep interest in World War 2? Have you been wanting a historically accurate perspective that tells what really happened? Then you might want to read Ernest Gordon’s book Miracle on the River Kwai. Ernest Gordon was a P.O.W. of the Japanese, and one of the few who survived. Ernest wrote one of the greatest WW2 books we have; though he once said this of Miracle on the River Kwai, “I never seriously considered writing a book about my experience as a prisoner of war of the Japanese until it was suggested…” Being as Gordon wasn’t a writer his book is not filled with dramatic writing or exciting adventure, it is simply an account of what happened. Gordon records what happened from his point of view, with the help of certain accounts from fellow prisoners and others. Gordon does not try to make his book dramatic or even necessarily descriptive, yet the goriness and awfulness of the war come out through the facts he records. The truths of the Japanese prison camps were far from pretty. That’s what Miracle on the River Kwai is: a statement of the bloody truth. Yet Gordon also portrays another face of the camps. A face of hope, unity, and shining beauty in the midst of darkness. He talks of kindness, love, and self-sacrifice coming back to life during a time of great oppression. Ultimately his book speaks of the saving grace of Christ sweeping through the people in those prison camps.
Ernest Gordon starts off his book with an excerpt of his experience in the ‘death house’ of the Chungkai prison camp. Then he goes back to when he first went off to war. Ernest went from Ireland with the 93rd highlanders of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders down to the battlefront in the south Asian countries. The book then proceeds through Gordon’s attempted escape from the war and his capture, all the way to his liberation and return home. Before Gordon was captured by the Japanese he and a crew of about six others, from all branches of the military, joined up and made a plan. They bought a prahu called the ‘Setia Berganti’ from local Malays. On this vessel the group of men managed to sail away from the failing English forces in Malaysia. He and his friends were well supplied, prepared and experienced. The group’s trip seemed to be going well. They were headed for India and freedom, though at one point they considered taking up residency on a little island out in the Indian Ocean. Their voyage ended shortly after their island stop. They were spotted and captured by the Japanese only a couple of weeks after their departure from the war zone. Afterwards the group was transported back to the Singapore coast, and then to the prison camp of Changi. At Changi the signs of humanity and civilization began to die: people began to degrade into selfishness and chaos. From there Gordon was moved to Banpong in Thailand. Conditions in these camps were dirty and degrading. The rations were meager and consisted mainly of nutrient drained rice. The P.O.W.s often had to build their own shelters at these camps. Men descended into madness and every man looked out only for himself. They attacked each other for scraps from the Japanese officer’s tables. They picked valuables off the dead. No one cared for the sick and dying, who were so abundant. Cruelty and selfishness were the order of the day. Japanese guards would beat the prisoners for any infraction. After Banpong Gordon and some of his fellows were moved to Chungkai. At Chungkai the prisoners had to build their own camp again. Conditions didn’t improve after this move, if anything they only got worse. Along with the already degraded state of humanity the P.O.W.s now were being forced to build a six year long building project in 12 months: the bridge and railroad over the River Kwai. Conditions at Chungkai seemed to continually get worse then slowly things seemed to change for the better. Stories of self-sacrifice and the kindness of fellow P.O.W.s spread among the camp. These stories started to inspire kindness among all P.O.W.s and soon conditions began to improve. Not because the rations were bigger. Not because there was less disease and death, but because men were regaining their humanity. Compassion and trust were starting to spread throughout the camp at Chungkai. Because of the kindness of two friends, Dusty and Dinty, Gordon lived through several diseases during this time. Eventually a ministry was started. Those healthy enough to get around smuggled in meat, eggs, and greens from the local villages and gave them to the sick and new arrivals. Artificial legs were invented form the surrounding jungle materials. Those who couldn’t get around made little gifts for others. A general air of hospitality spread throughout the camp. University classes and a church were started. An orchestra came about. Concerts and shows were put on, and out of the darkness came hope. Eventually the war ended, and the P.O.W.s that had lived returned home and struggled to get back to a normal life.
Miracle on the River Kwai is an excellent book that tells of the true nature of the Japanese prison camps. It is a very good read, though the language is a little confusing being as it was written in older Ireland English. Therefore some of the terminology is a bit confusing. Overall the book is very enjoyable, but not suggested for younger readers as it is quiet graphic. Ernest Gordon’s book invokes much thought though, making it a worthwhile read.

News may 15

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8044329.stm
Almost a year after the Sichuan earthquake disaster, China calls for improved response. China is initiating a new policy, which calls for bigger relief stocks, satellite forecasting, and training for thousands of officials. This new policy is being initiated to help out with the recovery from the Sichuan disaster. The Sichuan disaster killed more than 80,000 people, including 5,300 children. But not everybody is happy with the undergoing projects. Many parents of the dead children are afraid that they “will not be allowed to properly commemorate the disaster’s anniversary.” This is because of school rebuilding projects.

Early road aid leaves out neediest, study finds
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30681842/
Obama’s new road and bridge stimulus package is going to the wrong place, according to many people across the nation. The stimulus is meant to make more jobs and improve areas that have a high unemployment rate. But apparently states are planning on using the money in areas that already have low unemployment rates. One example of this is in Elk County, Pa. And Riley County, Kan. Accordingly Elk County with its 13.8 unemployment rate isn’t receiving any road money while Riley County, Kan., with it’s 3.4 unemployment rate is receiving about $56 million. Obama’s new stimulus seems to be drawing quite a bit of controversy.

Official: More than 1M child prostitutes in India
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/11/india.prostitution.children/index.html?eref=rss_world
An alarming statistic has been found in India. According to the country’s federal police “around 1.2 million children are believed to be involved in prostitution in India”, and that is only 40% of the almost three million prostitutes in the country. Also according to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) India is “a source, transit nation and destination of this trade.” India’s home secretary Madhukar Gupta remarked that at least 100 million people were involved in human trafficking in India; though the exact number is difficult to determine due to the secret nature of the crime.

Brazil boosts flood aid for 308K left homeless
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-05-11-brazil-floods_N.htm?csp=34
Hundreds of millions remain homeless in some of the worst flooding Brazil has had in almost two decades. The number of dead is up to 308,000 people now, with more missing. According to Dorothea de Araujo “Food and water are priorities because people are drinking contaminated water.” Volunteers are working with the military to deliver food and water to flood victims.

Restaurant Review: Oliva's Kitchen

Looking for some good authentic Mexican food? Then you might want to try Oliva’s Kitchen: Mexican Restaurant. This authentic Mexican restaurant has some of the best and most filling foods around. But it’s not your typical Mexican restaurant. You’re not going to find your normal amount of rice and beans here. The menu is instead filled with more bready, meat-filled, vegetable dishes. It’s also almost impossible to find something on the menu that won’t fill and average person. The atmosphere was very relaxed and enjoyable. A various mix of Mexican/Spanish and American music filled the background. The relaxed environment encouraged much kicked-back conversation and joking. The service is friendly, halfway bilingual (quite literally, only some of them are bilingual), and very attentive. You almost never haft to worry about waiting to be waited on. The waiters check in enough to keep you happy and not so much that they annoy you. Also, the waiters that are bilingual are very tolerant as they are willing to work with us English speakers while we attempt to practice our Spanish. The staff at Oliva’s also does very well with large groups. Señora Brutlag’s Spanish 2 and 3 classes went together, creating a crowd of around 20. Even with this many people and more ordering in both Spanish and English we didn’t even have one order wrong, from what I heard anyway. Besides the atmosphere and service the food was also exquisite. Most everyone had high complements about the food, which ranged from quesadillas to burritos to carne asado and soup. Many thanks were given to the cooks as we were leaving. While we we’re at Oliva’s a student convinced about a third of the group to order horchadas, or Spanish rice milk. Most of them decided that the drink was pretty good though strange and quite something else at first sip. My opinion was that it was drinkable but slightly upsetting to the stomach and taste buds, and not worth ordering again. Overall Oliva’s Kitchen provided an amazing place to dine. Their service is great, their atmosphere relaxed, and their food exquisite. So whether you want to go chill with friends and good food or need something filling after a days work, Oliva’s Kitchen is the place to go.