Review: The Price of Freedom

reviewed by   Dr. James Willingham                                                                                                     Vol. XX, No. 2, February 2007

THE PRICE OF FREEDOM: The Story of A Courageous Manila Journalist, Mamerta de los Reyes Block. Three Rivers Publishing, Manasses, Va., 2003.

Reviewing this work stirred my appreciation for people of other lands who sacrificed greatly for American values. The late author tells her story in lean journalistic prose, giving a straightforward account of her life of bold actions, extreme sufferings, and high ideals.

The Japanese captured Mrs. Block who served in the Philippines underground and guerilla army in World War II. They tortured her for three months. She states:

    “My daily schedule never varied. Monday - torture; Tuesday - torture; Wednesday - torture; Thursday - torture; Friday - torture; Saturday - torture; Sunday - torture.”

At the end her captors thought she was dead and tossed her body on a pile of corpses slated for burial. Years later in America, Mrs. Block won the Japanese officer who had tortured her to Christ.

A devout and committed believer, she convinced many in her lifetime. One that should mean much to Southerners was Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone With The Wind.

Mrs. Block spoke in churches, religious gatllerings, and civic organizations, including the Lions Club, Rotary, Kiwannis, and DAR in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, New York, and North Carolina. In the latter state she spoke in Kings Mountain, High Point, Greensboro, Hillsboro,Pittsboro, Sanford, and Rockingham.

Her encounters with nationally and internationally renowned individuals provide stimulating insights. Among those recorded are General Jonathan Wainwright, Senator Millard E. Tydings, Clara Boothe Luce, Corrie Ten Boome, and others.

A member of the National Press Club and the General Federation of Women's Clubs, she was a diligent advocate of American view points. Her death-defying, heart-stopping experiences stirred her listeners, and they will quicken the readers' interest.

Southern Baptists will appreciate this lady's life. She, as well as her father, was the fruit of Southern Baptist Foreign Missions. Like her, he, too, was tortured under another government. They had this in common: They suffered for Christian and American values.

The book can be ordered from any Barnes and Noble Book Store, or from her husband, Dr. Isaac Block, 301 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, Va. 22312-2914. $24.00.