Books:

"The Mushroom Years"
by Pamela Masters ...

The Mushroom Years tells the story of the house arrest and eventual imprisonment of a British family in the Orient through the eyes of a teenager. She and her sisters and her parents are caught with a few thousand innocent Allied Nationals in the harsh reality of War. Now, more than 50 years later, the author's intimate recollections of the horror, the humor, and the humanity that made survival possible for both prisoners and captors alike. allow us to experience in vivid detail a rare and relatively unknown aspect of World War II.

Read what others are saying about
The Mushroom Years...

"Masters. just released memoir; The Mushroom Years, documents her privileged life in China, and details her family's history dating back to 1895, when her grandfather pioneered railroading in that country. The book presents a sharp contrast when Masters, her two sisters and her parents enter Weihsien Prison Camp in March '43. Masters vividly describes the hardships the prison inmates suffered.... and keenly portrays the variety of characters inhabiting the camp. Masters' tale is well paced with incidents of sadness and loss being balanced by moments of humor and hope."
George Lloyd,The Mountain Democrat, Placerville, CA

"The Mushroom Years....is a valuable addition to our collection of material relating to the Far East."
Imperial War Museum, London World War II Archivist

"The Mushroom Years....is an excellent book, well-written, very readable and engrossing. For anyone like myself who lived through the years recalled in the book, /t gives a sense of that era that is real and, at the same time, enjoyable. It seems to me it is a story that has not been told before and should be given serious attention."
Newton Baird, Publisher (ret), Las Vegas, NV

"The Mushroom Years.... tells a fascinating yet relatively unknown story of perseverance and fortitude and is a great addition to my professional library."
General C. C. Krulak, Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps

"A book worth reading.... urge every Chefoo student who lived through the Weihsien Concentration Camp experience to get a copy of Pamela Masters' new book, The Mushroom Years. I couldn't put it down. Major Stanley Staiger, who led the rescue mission that liberated the camp, says he read The Mushroom Years nonstopto-the-end for three days and says it should be on the bestseller list."
Mary Taylor Previte (*), Assemblywoman New Jersey Legislature-6th District

*Assemblywoman Mary Previte, who wrote this book review for Chefoo Magazine (alumni publication of Chefoo School, alma mater to many of our best known statesmen and China scholars), was herself a survivor of Weihsien Prison Camp.

"The Mushroom Years so gripped me that If finished it at one sitting. I especially liked the Amelia Earhart opening. It is certain to capture the attention of a wide range of readers."
Desmond Power, Author, Vancouver, BC

"The meaningful interpretation of events throughout the book stands as one of the important sources on that particular phase of Chinese history."
Robert Greenwood, Publisher (ret), Las Vegas, NV

© ... by courtesy of the author ...
for the Weihsien-Paintings' website: "read the book" [click here]