Read Online TO END ALL WARS Ernest Gordon 9780007118489 Books
Read Online TO END ALL WARS Ernest Gordon 9780007118489 Books
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Now A Major Motion Picture Starring Robert Carlyle and Kiefer Sutherland‘Waking from a dream, I suddenly realized where I was in the Death House–in a prison camp by the River Kwai. I was a prisoner of war, lying among the dead, waiting for the bodies to be carried away so that I might have more room.’When Ernest Gordon was twenty-four he was captured by the Japanese and forced, with other British prisoners, to build the notorious ‘Railroad of Death’, where nearly 16,000 Prisoners of War gave their life. Faced with the appalling conditions of the prisoners’ camp and the brutality of the captors, he survived to become an inspiring example of the triumph of the human spirit against all odds.To End All Wars is Ernest Gordon’s gripping true story behind both the Academy Award-winning film The Bridge on the River Kwai starring Alec Guinness and the new film To End All Wars directed by David Cunningham.
Read Online TO END ALL WARS Ernest Gordon 9780007118489 Books
""To End all Wars" is a recent republish of the late Ernest Gordon's story of survival and finding Christian faith while enduring the hell of the Thai Burma Railway. Gordon (who later became a college chaplain in the U.S.) starts off describing an unsuccessful ocean escape attempt from the Dutch East Indies which led to his capture by the Japanese in 1942. Then came the forced labor camps in the jungle, brutality, starvation, malaria, etc. From a general bleakness the story eventually transitions into one of forgiveness and the strenght of faith. The book has its share of memorable scenes and lessons to be learned. One memorable scene was the destruction of the Bridge over the Kwai by an allied air raid. Another part that may stick with readers was where Gordon learned the fate of the man who probably more than any of the others led him to a deeper Christian faith (a Japanese officer crucified him on a tree). The descriptions of Gordon's return to England were rather fascinating as they highlighted challenges of returning to civilian life. One of the few drawbacks was that I would have personally been interested to have heard more about the author's combat experiences prior to his captivity and after his release how his POW experiences influenced his chaplain capacity in more detail. Overall though I can't complain. This book was excellent. It was well-written, powerful, and has the potential to inspire. I should warn readers that it is also quite graphic in its depictions of the squallor and mistreatment endured by POWs and other slave laborers. In conclusion, I recommend it."
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Tags : TO END ALL WARS [Ernest Gordon] on . Now A Major Motion Picture Starring Robert Carlyle and Kiefer Sutherland‘Waking from a dream, I suddenly realized where I was in the Death House–in a prison camp by the River Kwai. I was a prisoner of war,Ernest Gordon,TO END ALL WARS,Zondervan,0007118481,Religious,Burma-Siam Railroad - History,Gordon, Ernest,Prisoners of war - Thailand,Prisoners of war - United States,Prisoners of war;Japan.,World War, 1939-1945,World War, 1939-1945 - Prisoners and prisons, Japanese,World War, 1939-1945;Personal narratives, British.,World War, 1939-1945;Prisoners and prisons, Japanese.,BIOGRAPHY AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Military,BIOGRAPHY AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Religious,Biography Autobiography,Biography Autobiography/Personal Memoirs,Biography / Autobiography,Biography/Autobiography,Christian life practice,Japan,Military,Personal Memoirs,Personal narratives, British,Prisoners and prisons, Japanese,Prisoners of war,TOPICAL / Christian Interest,True war combat stories,Burma-Siam Railroad,Prisoners and prisons, Japanes,Fiction,Christian life practice,True war combat stories
TO END ALL WARS Ernest Gordon 9780007118489 Books Reviews :
TO END ALL WARS Ernest Gordon 9780007118489 Books Reviews
- Disappointed. I read the original "Through the Valley of the Kwai" after seeing the movie "To End All Wars." I was so impressed with both the movie and book that I purchased this for a friend. To my surprise and disappointment, parts have been edited out from the original "Through the Valley of the Kwai", most notably the death of Dusty. If you can find it, buy the original and bypass this book. But if you just cannot find the original book, this is still an excellent story and worth the read.
- "To End all Wars" is a recent republish of the late Ernest Gordon's story of survival and finding Christian faith while enduring the hell of the Thai Burma Railway. Gordon (who later became a college chaplain in the U.S.) starts off describing an unsuccessful ocean escape attempt from the Dutch East Indies which led to his capture by the Japanese in 1942. Then came the forced labor camps in the jungle, brutality, starvation, malaria, etc. From a general bleakness the story eventually transitions into one of forgiveness and the strenght of faith. The book has its share of memorable scenes and lessons to be learned. One memorable scene was the destruction of the Bridge over the Kwai by an allied air raid. Another part that may stick with readers was where Gordon learned the fate of the man who probably more than any of the others led him to a deeper Christian faith (a Japanese officer crucified him on a tree). The descriptions of Gordon's return to England were rather fascinating as they highlighted challenges of returning to civilian life. One of the few drawbacks was that I would have personally been interested to have heard more about the author's combat experiences prior to his captivity and after his release how his POW experiences influenced his chaplain capacity in more detail. Overall though I can't complain. This book was excellent. It was well-written, powerful, and has the potential to inspire. I should warn readers that it is also quite graphic in its depictions of the squallor and mistreatment endured by POWs and other slave laborers. In conclusion, I recommend it.
- I had actually feared reading this because of the suffering and death that I knew was so much a part of that war. But thankfully, I did not let that keep me from reading Gordon's book. True, the suffering and death were there, but in the worst of the enemy's wickedness, God met Gordon and so many of his fellow prisoners, and love not only prevailed in their souls, but enabled them in turn to love. Faith won. They laid down their lives to serve others, and in so doing came forth victorious. A very encouraging book!
- My wife and I had watched the movie a couple months ago (be warned it is incredibly brutal) and been moved by the power of the story. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the book and the move are not the same story. In fact, other than the similarity of the major premise (a British officer in a Japanese POW camp during WW2), they had almost nothing in common.
However. . .
That was only disappointing insomuch as I kept waiting for certain events from the movie to show up. The movie had colored my expectations for the book, which meant I couldn't take the book on its own merits. Which is too bad, because, upon completing the book, I would say it is as powerful as the movie, perhaps even more so. But you have to let the book speak for itself. The story is truly miraculous, as this band of prisoners devolve into a wild bunch of animals at the hands of their captors, only to be transformed by the Spirit of Christ into a true Community of compassion and care. Somehow, in the midst of hell, these men found the power to love each other, to care for each other, to even forgive their Japanese tormentors. When people ask "Does Christianity work?", the story of this book says "absolutely!" And in a day and age of spiteful attacks, divisive language, polarized religions and selfish money-grubbing politicians and religious leaders, there is a real lesson here about what being a True Follower of Christ is all about. - This was an inspiring book. Through extreme deprivation and cruelty British Prisoners of war learn how to love one another.
Ernest Gordon was a POW in Thailand during the Pacific struggle against the Japanese in WWII. He recounts the amazing transformation that occurred in three different camps. They went from fighting each other to survive the harsh conditions to sacrificially laying down their lives for one another. The main catalyst of the transformation was Jesus. By reading the gospels many became Christians and imitated Christ's suffering and sacrificial life. Stories of sacrifice abound such as one man's determination to save a friend who was gravely ill. He gave his meager ration of rice to him everyday. Upon his friends recovery he collapsed. The doctors determined he died of starvation.
Highly recommended.
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