BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

About the Book

I was born in Paris, France at 3:00 PM on September 6th 1939 to a French father and a Russian mother only six days after Hitler’s Nazis invaded Poland. Within six (6) months my parents travel to Shanghai, China where my mother, believe it or not, has just accepted a position with Macy’s Department Store. This trip to China sets the stage for me, now just one year old, to be taken again by my parents to travel this time to Kobe, Japan in 1940 to be introduced to my new Grandparents. So begins my adventure as my parents spend a month in Kobe, and then return to Shanghai in order to “put their affairs in order” before returning to Japan to Join me, her parents and my grandparents.. Then the Pearl Harbor attack takes place and they’ find themselves stranded in China while I’m stranded in Japan with my grandparents who are in their mid-sixties, now with the responsibility of taking care of their one (1) year old grandson. I can only imagine what their thoughts were as they considered what lay ahead. This book charts my experiences, close calls, and adventures for the next ten (10) years while living in war-torn and post-war Japan. I have also been blessed with a vivid memory making it possible for me to relive many of my early experiences, to the point that the more I wrote the more details I remembered. My research has been limited to checking spelling and certain geographic facts, and I’m writing this book as seen through the eyes of a ten (10) year old, although I’m now in my mid-sixties. Nevertheless, I have tried to be as accurate as possible and stand by this narrative.

About the Author

What you see here is a picture of one person, the author of this book, first as a young lad aged ten with a French name And pictured below is the same person as an adult, this time with an American name. This is a story I’ve wanted to tell for quite a few years, especially as I’m getting older, and being aware that virtually none of my family or friends know any of the details about the first ten (10) years of my life that I spent in Japan during and after The Second World War. I’m also mindful in this day and age of how many Americans take their life here for granted, scanning the hourly electronic headlines without relating to what is really happening worldwide. I’m concerned about the apathy I witness every day, as we see on occasion people in the street being stopped by a reporter and being asked questions about current or recent events. The answers are amazing to behold, as virtually 95% of the people asked these questions have no clue to the answer. As a refugee migrating from Japan in 1950 and seeing first-hand the devastation of the war, and then coming to America and realizing what a miracle nation this is has made me realize how lucky I have been, considering the millions throughout the world who never had the chance to emigrate. There are no simple solutions to what I’ve talked about here, but I have faith in the 300 million plus citizens of this great nation who never make it to the headlines. Our future lies with them, and I am fully confident that our nation is strong and will be able to overcome future challenges and obstacles.