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Met in 1945, married in 1951. Immigrated to America in 1954. Retired from North America Boeing in 1993, Apollo, Space Shuttle program. Now living in Rogue River Oregon among our wonderful family. Married 65 years and counting.
Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite
A beautiful title for a gritty memoir, Somewhere the Sun is Shining: Look for the Silver Lining by Alexis R. Strong is a spellbinding memoir that succinctly captures the events that took place during the Second World War, with most of its setting in the Philippines. Alexis was just eleven when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, provoking the U.S. to enter the war. Pearl Harbor was just the beginning as the Japanese attacked many countries in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. Follow the story of a young boy and his family’s survival of the war and what happened with the advancement of the Americans and subsequent independence.
In this autobiographical narrative, the author leads readers into a historic moment in the Philippines, unveiling the fears and hopes of the common Filipino people, the ravages of the war, and the resilience of the people. The reader is treated to a wonderful historical, physical, and cultural setting, which unveils the “face” of the Philippines and allows the reader to get a feel of what it was like to live in the Philippines during the Second World War. Personally, I enjoyed the references to some of the cities I have visited like Dumaguete City, Bataan, Manila, and Negroes Occidental. The writing is great and the author has an inimitable style and a unique phraseology, which allows the narrative voice to come out clearly.
The narrative starts with a historic, dramatic event: ‘At 8:00 AM, the music stopped playing, and the radio announcer said, “We interrupt this program for a special bulletin. Japanese aircraft has bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor - standby.”’ From this moment on, life will change for most people, including the protagonist. What was it that made these people survive during the darkest moments of their history? This is one of the questions that are answered in this story, but what the reader will enjoy most will be the social and cultural commentaries, the insightful writing, and the psychological conflict taking place within the protagonist. Somewhere the Sun is Shining: Look for the Silver Lining is a memoir with a powerful message of hope, a story that will help readers look past their struggles to see a glimmer of light in the darkness of their hearts.
