Last November, Felix and his son Kevin visited us here in Fair Oaks.
https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2018/11/a-visit-from-former-dorm-mate-and.html
Here are some reviews of his book, The Box of Noli's Bones.
1. I really enjoyed this book. The author takes you through life in the Philippians during WWII. Not only did he obtain material facts about the war, but he also saw it with his own eyes. As a war enthusiast, I did not know much about the war in the Philippians, mostly my interests were in Europe. It was nice to hear about the war from this perspective.
The author is a very good writer. He actually provides such vivid imagery that you feel as if you have been there before. The chapters are well segmented and the flow of the book is easy to follow. I found myself so intrigued that it was hard to put down at times. I really wanted to dive to the end immediately, but resisted. I would recommend this book.
2. This book by a talented retired surgeon is a timely reminder to us and the leaders of the world about the atrocities of war. It is difficult to understand how a civilized country like Japan could change to a barbaric nation.
As a 2 yr old boy during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines (1941-1945) the story is reality instead of fiction. With other children we witnessed scenes like a dead man bayoneted by Japanese soldiers hanging from a tree and adult males in the neighborhood lined up in the middle of the night while a masked prisoner led by Japanese soldiers identify guerillas among them. We children thought they were funny but I am sure to our relatives they were terrifying.
For the record unlike the author I did not swallow the first chewing gum thrown by the GI liberators from their dusty trucks as we yelled “victory Joe” while they were passing by. Instead I reused it and parked it under the table during meals.
This book shows that surgeons with gifted fingers for dissection can also use them for writing excellent stories. I hope he writes other stories about post WWII Philippines.
3. Engrossing family - war related stories..Left me tingles after reading the book!
4. His documentation of the war in the Philippines and the trauma faced by one small village and his family was exquisitely presented. You felt like you were there. He was right....he had to write this book.
5. I enjoyed reading the book. The author made a vivid description of the Philippine customs and sceneries during his and my childhood days. Writing about the unforgettable events during WW II required a vast amount of research work. I am looking forward to reading more of Dr. Felix Llamido’s literary work.
6. The first paragraph pulled me in. "Two Titans clashed in a place named Pearl Harbor. One fell on his back, surprised by the unexpected assault, roiling the waters with a splash that gathered the momentous force of a malevolet tsunami. Out of control, he rolled across the ocean delivering an offspring, War, to distant shores in the Pacific." This analogy led the way to what seemed to me to be a collection of short stories by chapters, connected by the context of the times, some personal, some biographical, and some military history. Much research is evident, and the author connects facts and figures with people and events. Like Germany, the United States fought this war on two fronts, Europe and Asia.
Many books have been written about the Nazis and the war in Europe. This book fills us in on what I would call the Holocaust of the Pacific. It is an important contribution to our knowledge, not only of a lesser-known than the European area of history, but of what people will do to one another under certain conditions. This war and its lasting effects on hundreds of thousands of people in the Philippines should never be forgotten. We should always be very wary of people who regard other people as less than human.
I wouldn't be surprised if a movie contract is offered, the rich images in this book being so powerful and personal. The book is full of action and pathos as well as information about a country and culture that deserves more recognition.
Personal Note: I have always wanted to write a book about my childhood experiences about the Japanese-American War in the Philippines. It has not materialized-but I have two articles published in my personal blog and Hubpages.com account as follows:
https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2012/05/japanese-american-war-in-philippines.html
https://hubpages.com/literature/my-childhood-memories-of-world-war-2
I am proud of Dr Llamido's accomplishments and again thank him in advance for my complimentary and autographed copy.
