Beyond Survival: Building on the Hard Times - a POW's Inspiring Story by Captain Gerald Coffee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
One of the longest serving Vietnam POWs wrote one of the most compelling tales of POW survival I have read. It is really quite literary at time and is often refreshing honest. The story of routines and structure and keep sanity and hope are interesting, while the most cruel moment comes not from the torture, but the guards. They are convinced stressed dogs make better eating and cruelly corner and beat to death their canine dinner, puppies that are one of the things to observe through concealed cracks by nearly hopeless men. Surprising, they get to raise a bird "Charlie" and also making a brief appearance is John McCain. The author claims he survived as a "show prisoner" due to his father's Navy position.
It is very interesting to read Coffee's feelings on the growing anti-War movement, Fonda, and Bertrand Russell who he communicates with through a mysterious envoy. Stern stuff from one who felt dignity and betrayal.
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