I read this book because I saw the movie by the same title with Claudette Coberette (spelling?) from 1950. It was a great movie that made me want to find out more about Agnes N. Keith and her family. Upon researching her, I found out she had written several books before her war experience and several books after the war.

Agnes was on the island of Borneo with her husband, Harry, and toddler, George. Harry Keith was there as part of the English government's efforts. The Keiths knew the war was breaking out, but chose to stay in spite of the dangers. Agnes chose to stay with her husband. In the book she said she never regretted her choice to stay, but did wonder later on if George should have been sent out to stay with relatives.

The Japanese took control of the island when WWII started. All English and Americans were rounded up and placed in prisoner of war camps. The men and the women were separated. Agnes and Harry did occasionally catch glimpses and stolen moments, but for the most part they were kept totally separated during the years.

The book details the daily life of a prisoner. A lot of the book describes the harsh conditions, the lack of food and hygiene. There were a lot of children in the camp. The mothers banded together to take the best care of the children they possibly could. A group of nuns was also in the camp and helped with the children.

What I found most interesting in the book was the amount of underhanded trading, bartering and smuggling which went on in the camp. The prisoners put themselves in great danger to get extra food, clothes, to send mail in and out and to meet with their spouses. They were afraid, but apparently not totally afraid. The book also details their other daily efforts to keep body and soul together. They kept gardens, picked wild berries and weeds, kept chickens under their bunk houses and other very original ways to make things better.

The Japanese took a greater interest in Agnes than in her fellow prisoners because of her fame as a writer. They tried to get her to write progoganda for them. They also were concerned she was doing her own hidden writing. Agnes put herself in great danger to write a continuing journal and keep it hidden. Her effects were searched more often because of her writing.

This book will be of interest to anybody who is a history or biography buff. She tells some details of the war effort. But most of the book is her own personal story.

Some of the other reviews touched on the fact that her attitudes reflect the common attitudes of the 1940s and 1950s. If bigotry and racial prejudice are a big issue with you, you may not like this book at all. For the times, Agnes thinks of herself as very liberal and open minded. In a time when there was a great deal of stereotyping, she is trying to be a great human. However, when cast in our time period, she comes off as having a great deal of prejudice. She talks about race A LOT. And she says things which are very condescending and narrow minded. When she see little Black children who are adopted by White missionaries she says something like, it's clear they and their forefathers are not used to using their mental capacities and it's clear they will never be able to keep up with the other children. At the time, she was probably criticized for having Chinese, Philapino and Black friends. But now it all sounds very antiquated. Which is not bad, it makes us realize how far we have come in our attitudes.

Aside from the racial things, her writing is very descriptive and flowery. She gets deep and philosophical about very odd everyday things and goes on and on like she is writing an essay for junior high. That said, she is an interesting writer able to make what was no doubt a drab ugly existence very interesting.

Agnes Newton Keith also wrote a followup book "The White Man Returns" which details the Keiths life after the war when they returned to the same island. That book doesn't have as much interesting drama, but it is still a good read.

Three Came Home is a well-written, true story of a woman and her son's internment in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Borneo during WWII. Agnes Newton Keith creates a vivid portrait of the conditions under which the prisoners lived and of their day to day lives. She also makes it clear that people are not inherently good or bad; they are often victims of circumstances. Her love for her son and hope that they will be reunited with her husband keep her going and morally-centred. An absolutely excellent book!

As much as "Three Came Home" is a story of war, it is a story of love. Mrs. Keith's love for her husband and son are paralleled with her hatred of internment. She balances the good in people, even the enemy, with the bad. The clear message is that war is what makes people bad. I enjoyed this book. It is beautifully written, with every sentence eliciting some kind of emotion in the reader. Mrs. Keith is an admirable woman for her literary accomplishments and her ability to share her experiences on a very personal level.