THE AIRMEN AND THE HEADHUNTERS A True Story of Lost Soldiers, Heroic Tribesmen and the Unlikeliest Rescue of World War II

Several American airmen crash into the jungles of Borneo during WWII. The survivors' perils include leeches, starvation, infections, snakes, and the Japanese. Susan Ericksen's monumental task is to pronounce the hundreds of Indonesian names, objects, and places. Although few who hear the narration would ever know whether she's correct, they will notice she is consistent, fluent, and distinct. Having a woman narrate a story all about men puts Ericksen at no disadvantage--as she shows by singing the fliers' bawdy songs with gusto. The natives helped the Americans because their head-hunting had been ended by the Dutch Christian missionaries years before. The servicemen weren't captives of the aboriginals, but rather students of their foreign culture, diet, and language. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 08]