War trash
By: Ha Jin
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton
Published: 2005
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 352
ISBN-13: 9780241143292
Subjects: Korean War, 1950-1953; Fiction; American Prisoners and prisons; Prisoners of war; Psychology
Description: This unforgettable novel tells the story, in memoir form, of Yu Yuan, a young Chinese army officer, one of a corps of 'volunteers' sent by Mao to help shore up the communist side in Korea. When Yu is captured by the Americans, his command of English thrusts him into the role of unofficial interpreter in the psychological warfare that defines the POW camp. Desperate to return to his beloved fiancee and his widowed mother, Yu Yuan is trapped not only by barbed wire, but also by politics...Taking us behind the barbed wire, Ha Jin renders brilliantly the complex world the prisoners inhabit. As Yu and his fellow captives struggle to create some sense of community while remaining watchful of the deceptions inherent in every exchange, only the idea of home can hold out the promise of a return to their former selves.
Table of contents: title: Crossing the Yalu; title: Our collapse south of the thirty-eighth parallel; title: Three months of guerrilla life; title: Dr. Greene; title: Compound 72 on Koje Island; title: Father Woodworth; title: Betrayal; title: A dinner; title: Before the screening; title: The screening; title: Compound 602; title: Staging a play; title: An unusual request; title: A test; title: Meeting with Mr. Park; title: Meeting with General Bell; title: The abduction of General Bell; title: After the victory; title: The apprehension of Commissar Pei; title: Arrival at Cheju Island; title: Communication and study; title: The Pei code; title: The visit of a young woman; title: Raising the national flag; title: Another sacrificed life; title: Kill!; title: A talk with Captain Larsen; title: Entertainment and work; title: A surprise; title: The final order; title: At the reregistration; title: Back to Cheju; title: Confusion; title: A good companion; title: In the demilitarized zone; title: A different fate.