AT LAST SHE STOOD How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom

Ferdelle Capistrano enlivens this biography about WWII Filipina resistance fighter and Hansen disease survivor Josefina "Joey" Guerrero. Capistrano deftly manages the action of Joey's story, along with the many explanatory passages scaffolding it. She adds a visceral tenderness when Joey describes her reverence for Joan of Arc and the deplorable conditions people with leprosy experienced in the Filipino medical system, especially during the Japanese occupation. Contrasting these moments are instances when Capistrano instills Joey with grit, strength, and determination, adding nuances to her voicings when Joey hides her disease to remain with her family, spies on the Japanese for American Allied Forces, and fights to stay in the U.S. to heal, get an education, find a job, and become a citizen. S.D.B. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2025]