Having just come from Tanagawa, one of the most grueling prison camps in Japan, where beatings and death from malnutrition were the rule, the prisoners were practically walking skeletons when they arrived at Umeda. For a while things looked bad. Then, knowing the risk they took if they were caught stealing, they decided that it was better to take that risk and live than not to take it and starve to death. What happened after that is one of the most unique stories to come out of World War II. About the Author Stephen Marek was born in Edwall, Washington. As a child he moved to Idaho, where, with the exception of two years spent in Nebraska, he grew up. He attended public schools in Roberts, Buhl, and Nampa, and graduated from the University of Idaho. After a year at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho, he moved to Hollywood, California, where he worked for the City of Los Angeles for more than sixteen years. During this time he also took postgraduate work at U.C.L.A. Later he did freelance writing for motion pictures, television, and the stage. In 1952-53 he made a several-months tour of South America, studying the scene and collecting material for future writing. At present Mr. Marek lives in Phoenix, Arizona.