The Special Prisoner (2000)

by Jim Lehrer

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157	3	176,016	(3.13)	9
John Quincy Watson was a young bomber pilot flying the new B-29 Superfortress in a mission over Japan when he was shot down and taken prisoner. Designated a "special prisoner," as were all Allied airmen, he, along with his comrades, suffered and almost indescribably brutal POW experience under a vicious camp commandant that Watson, with his friends, dubs the "the Hyena." When a chance encounter years after the war brings Watson, now Bishop Watson, into contact with a man he believes to be the Hyena, the Bishop must struggle with an anger and a desire for vengeance he thought he had long put aside. The Special Prisoner is a taut and dramatic novel.… (more)

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A retired Methodist bishop sees a man in an airport who was responsible for the torture of himself and other pilots in WWII. The bishop follows and kills the man, much to his own shock and regret. A story about hate, forgiveness, passion, faith, and loyalty. (

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phyllis.shepherd | Jan 11, 2015 |

Sadly representative of the realities at the hands of the Japanese. Nanking, China, the documentary, further confirms these atrocities. Unfortunately there are books that will be written about what goes on today. (

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joanarleneross | Dec 15, 2013 |

3327. The Special Prisoner, by Jim Lehrer (read July 8, 2000) The book is fast-moving and tells an intriguing story about a bomber pilot's time in a Japanese prison camp, and events 50 years later.The story catches one up, tho on reflection it seems contrived to excess. Not great writing, but it raises and treats even-handedly the awfulness of bombing civilians which gives rise to the hate the Japanese exhibit to their prisoners. A very easy and interesting read. (

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Schmerguls | Nov 29, 2007 |

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Canonical title

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Original publication date

2000

People/Characters

Bishop John Quincy Watson

Important places

Camp Sengei 4, Japan

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Epigraph

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First words

Bishop John Quincy Watson, a man of God and grace, was yandked back into his ordeal of hate and horror by a pair of eyes.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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John Quincy Watson was a young bomber pilot flying the new B-29 Superfortress in a mission over Japan when he was shot down and taken prisoner. Designated a "special prisoner," as were all Allied airmen, he, along with his comrades, suffered and almost indescribably brutal POW experience under a vicious camp commandant that Watson, with his friends, dubs the "the Hyena." When a chance encounter years after the war brings Watson, now Bishop Watson, into contact with a man he believes to be the Hyena, the Bishop must struggle with an anger and a desire for vengeance he thought he had long put aside. The Special Prisoner is a taut and dramatic novel.

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