The Adventures of Eddie Fung Chinatown Kid, Texas Cowboy, Prisoner of War
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The Adventures of Eddie Fung Chinatown Kid, Texas Cowboy, Prisoner of War By Eddie Fung Edited by Judy Yung 2007, 227 pages, Paperback. Book Description from Back Cover Comments from Back Cover About the Editor ORDER -- Item #3485, Price $22.50 Request More Information Go to Browsing Page Book Description from Back Cover Eddie Fung has the distinction of being the only Chinese American soldier to be captured by the Japanese during World War II. He was then put to work on the Burma-Siam railroad, made famous by the film The Bridge on the River Kwai. In this moving and unforgettable memoir, Eddie recalls how he, a second-generation Chinese American born and raised in San Francisco's Chinatown, reinvented himself as a Texas cowboy before going overseas with the U.S. Army. On the way to the Philippines, his battalion was captured by the Japanese in Java and sent to Burma to undertake the impossible task of building a railroad through 262 miles of tropical jungle. Working under brutal slave labor conditions, the men completed the railroad in fourteen months, at the cost of 12,500 prisoner of war and 70,000 Asian lives. Eddie lived to tell how his background helped him endure forty-two months of humiliation and cruelty and how his experiences as the sole Chinese American member of the most decorated Texan unit of any war shaped his later life. Back to the Top Comments from Back Cover "A vibrant, compelling portrait of a unique individual that deepens our understanding of what it means to be a Chinese American, a survivor, a mensch." -Ruthanne Lum McCunn, author of God of Luck "A remarkable chronicle of a boy from Chinatown who in his journey through life acquires a wealth of insight and wisdom." -Franklin Ng, California State University, Fresno "An unusual and riveting contribution to Asian American history." -Valerie J. Matsumoto, University of California, Los Angeles Back to the Top Background on Judy Yung Judy Yung is professor emerita of American studies at the University of California Santa Cruz. She is co-author of Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940 and the author of Unbound Feet: A. Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco. She and Eddie live in Santa Cruz. Eddie is a Stanford alum. Back to the Top AACP Home Page About | Contact | New | Specials | Browsing | Ordering | Conference | Links | Help Copyright © 2007 by AACP, Inc. Most recent revision December 7, 2007