Title: A Child of World War II Writes: Love is Timeless in War and in Peace: A Truth Beyond Compare
Author: Lourdes J. Astraquillo Ongkeko
Publisher: New Leaf Media, LLC
ISBN: 978-1970072471
Pages: 106
Genre: Historical Bibliography
Reviewed by: Ephantus M
Pacific Book Review
The effects of World War II on children are unfathomable and it would be difficult to say anything other than the consequence on their very existence and mental stability was prodigious. As Author Lourdes J. Astraquillo Ongkeko asserts in this deeply stirring text titled A Child of World War II Writes: Love is Timeless in War And in Peace: A Truth Beyond Compare, no child should have had to endure the numerous devastating horrors of war, but unfortunately so many did. This book recounts the landscape of that unforgettable period, and Ongkeko’s priceless experience as a child in 1941, in the Philippines.
Ongkeko begins by narrating how the attack started with her hometown city Baguio experiencing deafening bomb explosions. Readers will find themselves immersed in deep sympathy as she explains what it was like to be caught unaware by a life-threatening attack that shook her off her feet while in school. Sadly, the only thing that she could do was to wail loudly as all hope for survival threatened to slip right through her fingers as a dark and intimidating smoke formed in the atmosphere like a Nimbus cloud ready to precipitate. Momentarily, the blasts would die down but again restart in a show that suggested strongly that death was closer than ever.
Fear, a sense of loss, desperation, and survival are some of the themes that feature in this short but moving read. Readers will find themselves scrutinizing the details of this historical event to understand how much it affected young children and their future. According to the author, World War II introduced new experiences to them such as learning how to wear gas masks and developing crucial survival tactics, in addition to witnessing their parents stripped of their dignity by ruthless soldiers.
Ongkeko’s historical bibliography A Child of World War II Writes: Love is Timeless in War And in Peace: A Truth Beyond Compare emerges as a must-read resource that will inspire its readers to overcome various uncertainties in life without losing themselves in the process. Her encounters will also educate people of all ages on how today’s world was influenced by this historical global conflict. This book is a well-chronicled publication that begs to be re-read due to its rigorous details and facts that bring the war period to life in engaging and memorable ways.
