Race Against Death: The Greatest POW Rescue of World War II

This well-researched work chronicles the experiences of American prisoners of war in the Philippines during WWII, beginning just after the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor and continuing through the 1945 Cabanatuan prison camp raid. Hopkinson (We Must Not Forget) interweaves eyewitness accounts and archived testimonies, maps and b&w photographs, and a lively third-person narrative history across three sections, lending a feeling of immediacy to the work; interstitials (“Before We Head to Bataan: A Bit of Background”) contextualize specific aspects of the conflict. While the title highlights the rescue, the telling surveys the U.S. retreat from the Philippines, the fall of Bataan and the Bataan Death March, and the POW prison camp rescue, incorporating experiences of American and Filipino citizens, nurses, and soldiers, among others. Never shying away from the brutal realities (“In Germany in WWII, POWs died at a rate of 1.2%.... In the Philippines, POWs died at a rate of 40%”), this work of narrative nonfiction directly relates conditions endured—including sickness, starvation, and acts of war and torture—and the risks of the subsequent rescue mission, making for an informative look at this under-reported part of WWII. An author’s note offers context; an epilogue and extensive back matter conclude. Ages 9–12. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Apr.)