Blackboards and Bomb Shelters: The Perilous Journey of Americans in China During World War II

When three Yale graduates traveled to China in the summer of 1941 to teach English to middle-school students, they routinely taught classes outside a bomb shelter. When air raid sirens wailed, classes continued until the Japanese planes could be heard, then all quickly scrambled inside to safety. The US entry into the war turned their educational mission upside down. One was recruited for a stint driving supplies along the Burma Road. A second Yale teacher took a senior staff position with "Flying Tigers" commander Gen. Claire Lee Chennault. The third man, a conscientious objector, remained at the school to keep it running during the war. This is an engaging story of Americans in China, educating civilians, healing the wounded, and supporting Chinese military resistance against Japanese imperialism. It is the untold story of life on the ground in Free China during the Japanese occupation. AUTHOR: James P. Bevill is an independent historian, an award-winning author, and the son-in-law of Paul Springer, who taught at Yale-in-China from 1941 to 1942. His previous book was The Paper Republic, The Struggle for Money, Credit and Independence in the Republic of Texas. SELLING POINTS: . An action-packed human interest story about four young men and their life-changing experiences in China during World War II . Filled with gripping accounts of the vicious air war over China, as told from pilots in the air and survivors on the ground . Learn about Japanese efforts to spread the bubonic plague in China, American doctors providing emergency shelter for refugees, and Communists courting the US for military aid 80 b/w illustrations