Michael 'Doc' McCoy
author, screenwriter, radio personality
Through My Mother's Eyes
(2015)
The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, was the beginning of the devastation suffered by many American and British families living in the Philippines. Over 3,600 civilian families were forced to surrender to the Imperial Japanese Army and live as civilian prisoners of war in the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila.
Through My Mother’s Eyes is a shocking and compelling view into the life of a family faced with a tremendous crisis, counteracted by heroism, courage, love, and resilience. It's a story of survival and faith amidst the unspeakable horrors of World War II, as witnessed through the eyes of a child, Michael's mother, Jean-Marie.
Through My Mother’s Eyes is published by Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency.
Order Now
No one, much less a child of six, should have to suffer the inhumanity and deprivation that Jean-Marie Heskett bore at Imperial Japan’s Santa Tomas Internment Camp in Manila through most of World War II. That she survived was her first great triumph. Her second was to avoid becoming hateful, thanks largely to her mother and the few silver linings of imprisonment – a major one was her unlikely friendship with a young Japanese soldier. “Through My Mother’s Eyes” is the insightful and deeply moving book she has created with her son, Michael McCoy. It’s a rich and enriching read.
Chris Smith, Columnist
The Press Democrat
Santa Rosa, CA
Praise & Reviews
In his book “Through My Mother’s Eyes,” Michael McCoy captured every detail of Jean-Marie Heskett’s memories as a prisoner of war in the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in the Philippines during the Second World War. The author described the events so well that I seem to travel back in time. The war was right in front of me. To Michael and Jean-Marie, your book is outstanding. This will be a good movie or theatrical play. If you’re a lover of history, and stories of tragedies and triumphs, this is a must-read book. I highly recommend it. Buy your copy now!
Dr. Gino C. Matibag
Makati City, Philippines
Author, JAPAN Lights and Shadows
Through My Mother’s Eyes is Jean-Marie’s vivid story of courage and cruelty, fear and faith, and love and loss as told to her oldest son, Michael McCoy. This memoir is both educational and emotional as feelings bleed from the pages and the gaps are filled in a history lesson of the struggles of Americans abroad during WWII. The resilience of Jean-Marie and her family will inspire the reader. And though this is a story based on war, genuine humanity shines through from both sides as people do what’s necessary to survive, both physically and emotionally.
Kate Greenwood
TCM Reviews
McCall, Idaho
About Michael McCoy
Michael lives in Santa Rosa, California, in the heart of Sonoma County's Wine Country.