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Attu boy: a young Alaskan's WWII memoir

Date

2015

Authors

Golodoff, Nick, author
University of Alaska Press, publisher

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Abstract

In the quiet of morning, exactly six months after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese touched down on American soil. Landing on the remote Alaska island of Attu, they assailed an entire village, holding the Alaskan villagers for two months and eventually corralling all survivors into a freighter bound for Japan. One of those survivors, Nick Golodoff, became a prisoner of war at just six years old. He was among the dozens of Unangan Attu residents swept away to Hokkaido, and one of only twenty-five to survive. Attu Boy tells Golodoff's story of these harrowing years as he found both friendship and cruelty at the hands of the Japanese. It offers a rare look at the lives of civilian prisoners and their captors in WWII-era Japan. It also tells of Golodoff's bittersweet return to a homeland torn apart by occupation and forced internments. Interwoven with other voices from Attu, this richly illustrated memoir is a testament to the struggles, triumphs, and heartbreak of lives disrupted by war.

Description

Includes bibliographical references.

Rights Access

Access is limited to the Adams State University, Colorado State University, Colorado State University Pueblo, Community College of Denver, Fort Lewis College, Metropolitan State University Denver, Regis University, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, University of Denver, University of Northern Colorado, University of Wyoming, Utah State University and Western Colorado University communities only.

Subject

Golodoff, Nick
Attu Island (Alaska) -- Biography
Attu, Battle of, Alaska, 1943 -- Personal narratives, American
Prisoners of war -- United States
Prisoners of war -- Japan -- Shiritsu Otaru Bungakkan
World War, 1939-1945 -- Alaska -- Aleutian Islands
Aleuts -- Biography
Attu Island (Alaska) -- History
Attu Island (Alaska) -- Social life and customs

Citation

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