Here is yet another witness to World War II atrocities committed by Japanese forces. Maria Rosa Henson witnessed a great deal, not only with her eyes but with her whole body. She and the many others will not be silenced. They may be poor and may speak the simple language of the uneducated, but they will keep on giving witness.
The issue of wartime sex slaves has been widely debated, but most accounts are highly politicized. Henson's book is different for two reasons: She experienced the tragedy firsthand and therefore speaks with authority; but she also speaks with the voice of healing, since she has lived with the nightmare for decades and survived, both physically and spiritually.
Thus, there is no hint of vindictiveness in this book. When Henson gives the details of her nine-month ordeal -- how at age 14 she was raped up to 30 times a day, suffered beatings and was denied urgent medical treatment -- she simply relates events in an almost matter-of-fact way.