The true story of the twelve US navy nurse POWs in WWII.
In December 1941, nurse Dorothy Still was stationed at a US navy base in the Philippines. Days after the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the military targeted the Philippines. Within weeks, Dorothy and 11 other navy nurses were taken prisoner of war. The women were transferred to a civilian concentration camp. Under the direction of Chief Nurse Laura Cobb, the nurses maintained rank and provided tireless care to thousands of men, women and children. This is the story of 12 unsung heroes who fought for life in a dark time.
"This Is Really War tells the mostly unknown story of the US Navy nurses captured by the Japanese in the Philippines in World War II. The reader will learn how these nurses, who considered themselves average women, rose to the challenge and survived a prison experience that many, many others did not. A thoroughly researched, fascinating book." —Elizabeth Norman, author of We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of the American Women Trapped on Bataan and Women at War: The Story of Fifty Military Nurses Who Served in Vietnam
"With her vivid style coupled with immaculate research, Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi tells an incredible true story that reads like great fiction. This Is Really War is an unflinching portrait of women surviving the unthinkable. This is history both epic and personal, recounted by a gifted writer." —Arnie Bernstein, author of Swastika Nation: Fritz Kuhn and the Rise and Fall of the German-American Bund
"This Is Really War is a testament to both the horrors of Japanese captivity during the Second World War and the resilience of the American nurses forced to endure it. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi's beautifully detailed writing is equal parts captivating and heartbreaking." —Kathryn J. Atwood, author of Women Heroes of World War II.