Lost Childhood: My Life in a Japanese Prison Camp During World War II (National Geographic-memoirs) Hardcover – October 14, 2008

While in Japanese internment camps myself, I remember hearing about the terrible conditions at Halmaheira, the camp where Annelex spent most of her internment. Her booklet (just over 100 pages) bears this out quite well. Reading about people's suffering is never enjoyable. That said, her story is exceptionally well written.

Young Dutch children through to non-combatant Dutch adults were forced into POW-like prison camps in Java. The Japanese wanted an Indonesian government answerable to the Japanese; permission for this in early 1942 was obtained from the first post-WW II Indonesian president, Sukarno. The Dutch were to have no part in government.The way the Dutch were treated by the Japanese guards followed very closely on treatment handed out to Allied POWs. There was totally inadequate diet, inappropriate accommodation, almost no medical facilities, punishment for those who did not learn the Japanese language, and totally inadequate latrine facilities.About all the concession given to the Dutch prisoners, compared with Allied POWs, was the Japanese did not require the Dutch to build a railway.But, perhaps worse than the treatment of POWs, the Dutch would have no home to go to after repatriation. After the 1945 armistice, Indonesians opposed any of the Dutch returning to their way of life before the Japanese invasion. The ex-prisoners suffered many of the traumas of ex-POWs.

Ah, so many lost childhoods! Members of my husbands family also lost their childhood in these atrocious WWII Japanese concentration camps so I was already familiar with the topic, but this book added to my understanding of their experience. Very touching and worthwhile book will further your understanding and for some be quite shocking but it is all true.I highly recommend reading this and the numerous other books that have been written on the topic of the Japanese internment of innocent civilians.

I was in West Java during that same time and spent 2 years in a Japanese cconcentration camp in Bandoeng and Jakarta. I had just written my own memories of the experience and was fascinated by both the similarities and the profound differences of the two experiences.I am wondering if there would be interest about my story being published. I would have to flesh it out somewhat because I wrote it in the form of a time line event story without much of the personal aspects/

This is a well written and interesting book about an experience that hopefully few people will experience. This is a good book for families to read and talk about.

The book came undamaged. I needed it as a present for my sister who was 4 years old when she entered a Japanese concentration camp.

as described, very pleased !

Lost Childhood: My Life in a Japanese Prison Camp During World War II was a great read. It kept you interested and kept you turning the pages as you tried to find out what happened to this little girl's family. It was incredibly to read about the life in World War II from the eyes of such a young little girl. The incredible stories of the bravery of the women in the camp during such awful and tough times. It kept you interested from the very beginning. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the history of World War II.

It was very short.Written more for younger children. Not alot of detail, but then again the author was 4 years old when the war began and was being shielded from much of what was going on.