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The indomitable Florence Finch : the untold story of a war widow turned resistance fighter and savior of American POWs  Cover Image Book Book

The indomitable Florence Finch : the untold story of a war widow turned resistance fighter and savior of American POWs / Robert J. Mrazek.

Mrazek, Robert J., (author.).

Summary:

"When Florence Finch died at the age of 101, few of her Ithaca, NY neighbors knew that this unassuming Filipina native was a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, whose courage and sacrifice were unsurpassed in the Pacific War against Japan. Long accustomed to keeping her secrets close in service of the Allies, she waited fifty years to reveal the story of those dramatic and harrowing days to her own children.Florence was an unlikely warrior. She relied on her own intelligence and fortitude to survive on her own from the age of seven, facing bigotry as a mixed-race mestiza with the dual heritage of her American serviceman father and Filipina mother. As the war drew ever closer to the Philippines, Florence fell in love with a dashing American naval intelligence agent, Charles "Bing" Smith. In the wake of Bing's sudden death in battle, Florence transformed from a mild-mannered young wife into a fervent resistance fighter. She conceived a bold plan to divert tons of precious fuel from the Japanese army, which was then sold on the black market to provide desperately needed medicine and food for hundreds of American POWs. In constant peril of arrest and execution, Florence fought to save others, even as the Japanese police closed in. With a wealth of original sources including taped interviews, personal journals, and unpublished memoirs, The Indomitable Florence Finch unfolds against the Bataan Death March, the fall of Corregidor, and the daily struggle to survive a brutal occupying force. Award-winning military historian and former Congressman Robert J. Mrazek brings to light this long-hidden American patriot. The Indomitable Florence Finch is the story of the transcendent bravery of a woman who belongs in America's pantheon of war heroes."-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780316422277 (hardcover)
  • Physical Description: xxi, 342 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Hachette Books, 2020.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Subject: Finch, Florence Ebersole Smith, 1915-2017.
United States. Army. Forces, Far East > History.
United States. Coast Guard. Women's Reserve > Biography.
Prisoners of war > Philippines > History > 20th century.
Prisoners of war > United States > History > 20th century.
War widows > Philippines > Manila > Biography.
World War, 1939-1945 > Prisoners and prisons, American.
World War, 1939-1945 > Underground movements > Philippines.
World War, 1939-1945 > Philippines.
Philippines > History > Japanese occupation, 1942-1945.
Genre: Biographies.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Innisfil Public Library System. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Lakeshore Branch.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Lakeshore Branch 940.547252092 Finch-M 31681010222875 NONFIC Available -


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