convinced by the Maoist overlords that he has a patriotic duty to fight against the Americans in Korea. He and his fellow soldiers are given the impression that the Americans are weak and that victory is all but assured.

Yu Yuan is shocked to find that this is not true and thus begins the tattering of the whole cloth of lies that he is fed by his Communist superiors. He is quickly captured and most of the book concerns his tenure in various POW camps where he is forced to choose between Maoism and the freedom to ally himself with the winners. He keeps choosing Maoism, because if he is still a loyal party supporter he believes he will eventually be repatriated and rejoin his aging mother and hisfiancée. But he will not choose Communism, he resolves, over life, an alternative that looms very real when he witnesses the party faithful murdering and even cannibalizing those who have made the wrong choice.

Having the ability to speak and read English distinguishes Yu Yuan while also making his lot far more difficult as his skills as an interpreter are exploited by both sides. The atmosphere of the camps is vividly described in harrowing detail, including types of torture (the Americans did less but had their methods) and the constant paranoia among men who fear their own leadership as much as the enemy.

The book is a cold, lonely journey. Yu Yuan is a sad man trying to reconcile who he has tried to be with what he fears he