Six bells off Java: A narrative of one man's private miracle ; By Eastern windows : the story of a battle of souls and minds in the prison camps of Sumatra Hardcover – January 1, 1983

The author was to sequester a diary he kept through his years of being imprisoned by the Japanese in Java (now Indonesia) during WW2. Because he was a journalist, he has probably documented what it was like to be a wartime prisoner in the jungle better than anyone in a fight to somehow survive disease and starvation while those around him are dying. He twice escapes from the Japanese, but that does him little good. He nearly dies several times, but has time to contemplate how men meet their deaths in a chapter called "How Men Die." A chapter like that cannot be found in many books. It classifies all the ways men meet their death. And he has seen more than his share because he works in the makeshift hospital quarters, which sometimes comprises his cell with nothing more than a concrete shelf.The book is a combination of two shorter books, all involving his surviving first the Japanese invasion of China, and then the Japanese invasion of Java. The book gives insight into those imprisoned with him, including Dutch who had ruled Java, some British and Australians, and some islanders who supported the Dutch. For a long time, he is the only American in the prison camps. Women are kept in camps separate from the men. The experience turns him from journalism to the priesthood. While some segments of the text grow a bit lyrical, most just stick to the facts, not overplaying or underplaying, just stating the reality, which makes the reader feel that reality even more. Of the several books I've read of people being held by the Japanese during WW2, this shows best how humans try to survive.

We snapped this book up as it's our family history ... McDougall was a AP war correspondent who was rescued by Anton Colijn, (the hand depicted on the cover and grandfather and great grandfather to my husband and son respectively). His description of that time in history gives anybody an excellent idea of WWII in Indonesia and it serves as a family history book for us. Though Anton Colijn doesn't survive the camps, he does so in rescuing Bill McDougall to tell this story, as well as his grandson, great grandson and great great grandson ... All who bear his name ... Colijn. And honorable and good man... A must read for anyone with interest in WWII!

A great read. The writer covers a little known aspect of the early days of Japanese success in WWII in Sumatra and Java. As an exciting adventure story as one is able to read.