Read to end all wars a true story about the will to survive and the courage to forgive by ernest gordon available from rakuten kobo. Faced with the appalling conditions of the prisoners camp and the brutality of the captors, he survived to become an inspiring example of the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. The book title was changed to to end all wars to accommodate the 2001 film. The story of ernest gordon shared by sermoncentral. Ernest gordon 31 may 1916 16 january 2002 was the former presbyterian dean of the chapel at princeton university. The autobiography of which the film is based on was originally published under the name through the valley of the kwai and later as miracle on the river kwai and then when this film was made, the same as this films title to end all wars. Princeton news ernest gordon, longtime dean of the. To be free i reckon thats why i joined the second war to end all wars.
Book will be written, printed, or illustrated for everything. To end all wars by ernest gordon, 9780007118489, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. To end all wars is ernest gordon s gripping true story behind both the academy awardwinning film the bridge on the river kwai starring alec guinness and the new film to end all wars directed by david cunningham. It is the true story behind the academy award winning film the bridge over the river kwai starring the late alec guinness. If youve been in combat, suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder ptsd, or know someone who does, ernest gordon s to end all wars is a book i heartily recommend. The book details the experiences, influences, accomplishments and legacies of ernest gordon during his duty in wwii. Salt in your face, the wind at your back, and all the world before you, and youre freer than a bird in the air or a fish in the ocean. Following the war, gordon studied at hartford conn. This book also acted as a basis for david leans the bridge on the river. To end all wars is ernest gordon s gripping true story behind both the academy awardwinning film the bridge on the river kwai starring alec guinness and the new film to end all wars. To end all wars by ernest gordon overdrive rakuten.
He was ordained a minister of the church of scotland at paisley abbey in 1950, serving there for the next three years. Gordons book was finally reissued with the title to end all wars to tie in with the film. In gruesome detail, the author brings us with him into the jungles of thailand and shows how, in a hopeless situation, the soldiers were able to. To end all wars is a 2001 war film starring robert carlyle, kiefer sutherland and sakae kimura.
Gordon was sent to work on the burmasiam railway line that the japanese were constructing through the dense thai jungle for possible use in an invasion of india. To end all wars a true story about the will to survive. Gordon s book was finally reissued with the title to end all wars to tie in with the film. The book inspired a movie, to end all wars, scheduled for release this spring. To end all wars is based on the book by ernest gordon, the reallife soldier who inspired mcmenamins character.
Love, heroism, selfsacrifice, sympathy, mercy, integrity and creative faith, on the other hand, were the essence of life. In conclusion, the description on the back cover of the book states that to end all wars is an example of the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. When a man like ernest gordon who survived the camps and went on. Ultimately they find true freedom by forgiving their enemies.
Based on a true story of captain ernest gordon, a young scottish soldier taken prisoner by the japanese at the height of world war ii. Here is what gene edward veith said of it in world magazine. A true story about four allied pows who endure harsh treatment from their japanese captors during world war ii while being forced to build a railroad through the burmese jungle. And yet, strangely enough, none of them would fully do it justice. The screenplay is based on the autobiography of ernest gordon and recounts the experiences of faith and hope of the interned men. Based on the true story of captain ernest gordon, a young scottish soldier taken prisoner by the japanese at the height of world war ii, to end all wars is a. A true story about the will to survive and the courage to forgive kindle edition by gordon, ernest. To end all wars is a recent republish of the late ernest gordon s story of survival and finding christian faith while enduring the hell of the thai burma railway. Okay, i wrote the screenplay so i might have a tiny conflict of interest here o. A true story about the will to survive and the courage to forgive. Gordon s book was first published in great britain under the title through the valley of the kwai 1963 and subsequently in the u.
This movie which seems to follow a similar plot structure is actually based on a book written by ernest gordon, one of the pows. But if you just cannot find the original book, this is still an excellent story and worth the. Published in 1963 it recounts gordon s three years in a japanese concentration camp in thailand. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. To end all wars by ernest gordon, 9780007118489, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. Gordon s memorial service, we were presented with an unbelievable and sobering gift. To end all wars is ernest gordons gripping true story behind both the. It was based on a book written by a man named ernest gordon, which told about his experience as a prisoner of war for three years during world war ii. Because of gordon s obvious closeness to the event, its not much of a surprise that several sequences in the film are dripping with melodrama. Based on a true story, to end all wars centers around ernest gordon, a young soldier who wants to create a school of higher learning despite the criticism of his superior offier, ian campbell, who insists on excape, and jimreardon, the lone american who. To end all wars ebook by ernest gordon 9780310340645. This book also acted as a basis for david leans the bridge on the river kwai 1957. Love, heroism, selfsacrifice, sympathy, mercy, integrity and creative faith, on the other hand, were the essence of life, turning mere existence into living in its truest sense.
I was drawn into the story by the splendid writing, but kept reading because of the mesmerizing stories of faith being lived out in the harshest of circumstances. Theres a movie that came out a number of years ago called to end all wars. To end all wars is ernest gordons gripping true story behind both the academy awardwinning film the bridge on the river kwai starring alec guinness and. This is the gripping story of triumph and heroism which has inspired countless readers since its first british publication in 1963. To end all wars is a partial autobiography that deals with social science issues, such as human rights, war and history, and cultural and ethnic diversity. The book served as an inspiration to the film to end all wars, where he was portrayed by actor ciaran mcmenamin. Now a major motion picture starring robert carlyle and kiefer sutherlandwaking from a dream, i suddenly realized where i was. Selfishness, hatred, envy, jealousy, greed, selfindulgence, laziness and pride were all antilife. Through the valley of the kwai book by ernest gordon thriftbooks. Alastair gordon, in memory of ernest gordon 19162002, preface of to end all wars. To end all wars is a book that demonstrates the power of god to touch individuals that are confined in the most horrid conditions humanity can devise and transform them into people that willingly love. The book was originally published in 1963 as through the valley of the river kwai and was one of the sources for the movie bridge over the river kwai as well as the more recent movie to end all wars for which this book was renamed. At the age of 24, ernest gordon was captured by the japanese while escaping from sumatra during the second world war. Which turns out to be its great strength, as well as its greatest weakness.
Now a major motion picture starring robert carlyle and kiefer sutherlandwaking from a dream, i. Sign up for librarything to find out whether youll like this book. There is a book and now a movie called to end all wars that tells of the extraordinary life of ernest gordon, a british army officer captured at sea by the japanese at the age of 24. Theological seminary and the university of glasgow. I was a prisoner of war, lying among the dead, waiting for the bodies to be carried away so that i might. Ernest gordon 31 may 1916 16 january 2002 was the former presbyterian dean of the. Starved and abused to the point of death by his japanese captors, captain ernest gordon recounts in to end all wars how he and his fellow prisoners of war found not only a reason to live but a new way to live in the midst of hell on earth. In a widely acclaimed book, through the valley of the kwai, published by harper and row in 1962, gordon provided a firsthand account of the story behind the bridge and of the spiritual resurgence of those in the prison camp along the railroad of death.
Gordon s ordeal and how he forgave his captors is told in the movie to end all wars, to be released this spring. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading to end all wars. To end all wars a true story about the will to survive and the courage to forgive book. Though it makes for some searing reading, it is one of the most uplifting books on the subject that i have read.
A native of greenock, scotland, and the son of james gordon and sarah r macmillan, as an officer in the argyll and sutherland highlanders, gordon spent three years in a japanese prisoner of war pow camp during the second world war. Like selfishness, hatred, envy, jealousy, greed, selfindulgence, laziness and pride were all antilife. Postproduction of the film footage was delayed because of lack of funding, which was eventually provided by gold crest films. It is a pow story after all, and gordon doesnt pull any punches in describing the horrors endured by the inmates of the prison camps. I was so impressed with both the movie and book that i purchased this for a friend. Every one of these words could be used to describe ernest gordon s to end all wars. To end all wars is a 2001 war film starring robert carlyle. He died on january 16, 2002 in princeton, new jersey, usa. To end all wars is ernest gordon s gripping true story behind both the academy awardwinning film the bridge on the river kwai starring alec guinness and the.