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RESCUE RAIDS OF LUZON!

SAVED 7,700 ALLIED PRISONERS JANUARY 30–FEBRUARY 23, 1945

A gripping remembrance and a testament to a family’s resilience.

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Huber gives a detailed account of his American family’s captivity in the Philippines when he was a boy, from mid-1942 until their rescue in early 1945.

The author’s father managed a Goodyear rubber plantation in the Philippine jungle. The family lived privileged lives that allowed them to employ servants, including amahs for the three kids, and enjoy late-afternoon drinks on the veranda. Then the Japanese military invaded, and the family decided to surrender as internees rather than risk fleeing. They were moved to a series of camps, one of which—the Happy Life Blues camp—was a repurposed roadhouse. They wound up at Santo Tomas, a camp outside Manila. Life for the family during this time was marked by a continual reduction of rations, and they faced the possibility of death by starvation or by execution if they dared try to escape. There were heroes in the camps, however, and the author gratefully praises the courage of Filipino guerillas, who constantly harassed Japanese soldiers and then faded into the jungle. The family’s rescue was a miracle of timing; unbeknownst to the prisoners, their captors had orders to kill them all if they discovered that an attack on the camp seemed imminent. The author describes his joy as he saw an American soldier who “loped down the road, huge and strange…and he had come for us!” There’s a great deal of scaffolding to this book, including a curious apologia for their treatment and a meticulous timeline of their experience. For military buffs, there are detailed descriptions of conflict, such as of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. There are also many illustrations, including family photographs and sketches and maps of various camps.What’s really striking, however, is the book’s account of how Huber’s parents put their children first when starvation loomed and always showed resourcefulness and optimism that kept the family’s hope alive. Surprisingly, after postwar rest and relaxation in Ohio, they returned to the plantation, kids and all. All three Huber kids experienced stunted growth, due to their ordeal, but they were very successful in later life.

A gripping remembrance and a testament to a family’s resilience.

Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-66-551416-3

Page Count: 178

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Review Posted Online: June 14, 2021

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  • New York Times Bestseller

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TANQUERAY

A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.

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A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.

Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.

A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.

Pub Date: July 12, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2

Page Count: 192

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022

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MELANIA

A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.

A carefully curated personal portrait.

First ladies’ roles have evolved significantly in recent decades. Their memoirs typically reflect a spectrum of ambition and interests, offering insights into their values and personal lives. Melania Trump, however, stands out as exceptionally private and elusive. Her ultra-lean account attempts to shed light on her public duties, initiatives, and causes as first lady, and it defends certain actions like her controversial “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” jacket. The statement was directed at the media, not the border situation, she claims. Yet the book provides scant detail about her personal orbit or day-to-day interactions. The memoir opens with her well-known Slovenian origin story, successful modeling career, and whirlwind romance with Donald Trump, culminating in their 2005 marriage, followed by a snapshot of Election Day 2016: “Each time we were together that day, I was impressed by his calm.…This man is remarkably confident under pressure.” Once in the White House, Melania Trump describes her functions and numerous public events at home and abroad, which she asserts were more accomplished than media representations suggested. However, she rarely shares any personal interactions beyond close family ties, notably her affection for her son, Barron, and her sister, Ines. And of course she lavishes praise on her husband. Minimal anecdotes about White House or cabinet staff are included, and she carefully defuses her rumored tensions with Trump’s adult children, blandly stating, “While we may share the same last name, each of us is distinct with our own aspirations and paths to follow.” Although Melania’s desire to support causes related to children’s and women’s welfare feels authentic, the overall tenor of her memoir seems aimed at painting a glimmering portrait of her husband and her role, likely with an eye toward the forthcoming election.

A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.

Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024

ISBN: 9781510782693

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing

Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024

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