War Trash

Yu Yuan is a bookish clerical officer in the Chinese 'volunteer' army sent to fight in Korea, loyal to the Communists more from pragmatism than conviction. In 1951, after his division is shattered by American forces, he chooses to surrender to the Americans rather than die a martyr. Because he speaks English, he becomes a go-between for the Chinese prisoners and their American guards. Behind the wire he learns that his fellow captives are more dangerous than the guards: pro-Nationalist prisoners led by brutal men and pro-Communists under a cold, scheming commander fight for control, and both want to use him. All the while he dreams of going home to his mother and his fiancée.

AI-generated summary

About the book

Form

Novel

Genres

War, Historical (assigned by AI)

Set in

South Korea, 1950s

First published

2004 by Pantheon Books

Author's age

48 when first published

ISBN

9780375422768 (Pantheon Books, United States)

9781400075799 (Vintage, United States)

9780241143292 (Hamish Hamilton, United Kingdom)

9780141023960 (Penguin Books, United Kingdom)

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Wikidata