Tropic Born War Torn: Untold Tales of World War II in the Philippines, by Susan Vance, marketing director of DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, has been published by Inkwater Press. The book is available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and also at www.inkwaterbooks.com. The book is 124 pages and costs $15.95. Visit www.tropicbornwartorn.com for more information.

Summary:

Recurring nightmares were Gloria Haube Vance’s only inspiration to talk about WWII in the Philippines during Japanese occupation. Her family was spared internment because they were not Americans, but barely survived on their own. Near war’s end they followed indigenous Igorots into remote mountains to find refuge from American bombs, surviving on sweet potatoes until their harrowing escape from Japanese troops in retreat.

Decades later she told the war stories to her daughter and found the journal her German-born father wrote about managing a gold-mining camp of 15,000 under Japanese commanders, then under the bombardment of American planes that destroyed it all. Their untold tales are woven together in this vivid portrayal of war in a Pacific paradise.

About the Author:
As a journalist, Susan Vance developed an active interest in documenting history. She edited a weekly newspaper; produced news at the NPR affiliate in Tucson; wrote the broadcast series for the University of Arizona’s centennial; edited for Spacemaker Press; and is writing a definitive biography of legendary Arizona artist Ted DeGrazia. She resides in Tucson with her husband, Marco Pennacchini, a director of photography.