"This is the vivid account of Richard M. Gordon, who grew up in "Hell's Kitchen" in New York City, and in August 1940 enlisted in the Army and was assigned to duty in the Philippines. He attained the rank of sergeant during combat in Bataan. In April 1942, he was captured by the Japanese and forced to participate in the infamous Bataan Death March, and subsequently held prisoner of war in several camps including O'Donnell, Cabanatuan, and Hiraoka on Mitsushima in Japan.

At O'Donnell and Cabanatuan he was assigned to burial detail until malaria compelled him to join a group of POWs who were shipped to Japan as laborers in November 1942. In shocking detail, he describes life and death in these camps and forces the reader to confront the predatory behavior of many soldiers in such circumstances."--BOOK JACKET.