I liked it. I wouldn't read it over and over again, and I'm not bringing it home with me to Vancouver, but I liked it.
It's a memoir by Helen Rodriquez, a nurse who came from a background of wealth and a mixed heritage with both parents as prominent doctors. Despite having the money, the means, and numerous chances to flee to safety, she chose to stay behind in Burma to treat the wounded and the sick while the Japanese invaded and ravaged her country during WWII. Helen herself was spared the sick rapes by Japanese soldiers, but still suffered when they accused her of being a British spy and tortured her for information.
When I read the title and the synopsis, I had a very different idea of what the book might be about. I envisioned a female spy who was not only cunning, but whose beauty rivaled that of the insipid Helen of Troy.
Helen Rodriquez wasn't a spy.
She was a nurse and a matriarch, and remained a solid rock of fastidious calm and courage amidst terrifying men and terrified men. She was brusque and clever, and highly practical but emotionally sensitive. Throughout her narration, she repeatedly and steadfastly stated that she was under no illusion of herself being some great beauty. It's spoken with no false humility, only honest conviction.
Helen of Troy may have started a fabled war, but Helen of Burma survived a real one and won a Nobel Peace Prize for her heroic efforts in it too. And being a girl boss is much cooler than being a man's plaything.
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