In this memoir, Irene Hecht recounts how she faced a drastic change from living comfortably as a young expatriate in American-ruled Manila to a daily battle for survival as a nine-year-old internee on the campus of the University of Santo Tomas (UST). When she saw how Manila was plunged headfirst into World War II, she knew—even at such a young age—that she had to wage a war of her own: a war against hopelessness and surrender. Through a girl’s eyes, Hecht chronicles the changes in adult behaviors after she and the city’s allied civilians were interned at UST. Her narratives provide an insight into how a child reacts to a situation filled with contradictions between greater liberty and imprisonment accompanied by the ultimate challenge of survival.

1. Hecht, Irene 2. World War II, 1939-1945 ? Manila (Philippines) ? Personal narratives, American 3. Santo Tomas Internment Camp (Manila, Philippines)