New Memoir by David Rutter Tells Story of One Family’s Battle Against the Japanese Imperial Army; Released by Dog Ear Publishing

Evanston, IL, August 06, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Once readers meet Olga, they won’t be able to forget her story of survival during the Japanese occupation of Manila in World War II. She was born to Angel and Maria Zervoulakos in 1928, the only girl amidst eight older brothers. Olga’s true tale begins when she was 13, the day she outran strafing from the Japanese Imperial Air Force’s two-engine assault bombers and their companion Zero fighters.

In Olga’s War, published by Dog Ear Publishing, the author brings to life Olga’s feelings as she hears the air raid siren’s whine and sees the enemy planes. Far too few U.S. pilots were on hand to battle the planes, and “the surprise inflicted on Pearl Harbor was repeated in Manila that day,” the author writes of the terror inspired Dec. 8, 1941, in the Philippines. The lull that follows is almost too much to bear, and their way of life changes, especially after the 14th Japanese Army drives into the city with tanks Jan. 2, 1942, and Manila surrenders. Olga’s own family is driven out of their home by bayonet-wielding soldiers in the middle of the night, leaving with only the clothes they wore to bed. This riveting tale of their efforts to survive the occupation provides a first-hand account of the atrocities of war that killed more than a million Filipinos.

Author David Rutter, who spent four decades as an award-winning reporter, columnist, editor and publisher for six newspapers, lives in Evanston with his wife, Naomi.

For more information, visit www.olgaswar.com.

Olga’s War: The Memoir of Olga Zervoulakos Owens David Rutter
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-160844-510-3 184 pages $14.95 US

Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and fine bookstores everywhere.

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