JOHNSON, Forrest Bryant 1935-

(Frosty Johnson)

PERSONAL: Born December 14, 1935, in Louisville, KY; son of William Forrest and Martha (a teacher; maiden name, Shelnutt) Johnson; married second wife, Patricia Enriquez (an accountant), October 3, 1971. Education: University of Louisville, B.A., 1957. Politics: "Right-wing conservative." Religion: Roman Catholic.

ADDRESSES: Home—Las Vegas, NV. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Thousand Autumns Press, 760 Hermosa Pines Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89123.

CAREER: Worked as an assistant chemist in Louisville, KY, 1957–59, industrial paint salesman in Cedar Rapids, IA, 1962–67, and sales manager in Chicago, IL, 1967–81; writer, 1982–. Military service: U.S. Army Reserve, Medical Service Corps, 1960–68; became captain.

WRITINGS:

The Ancient History of the Basenji (nonfiction), Bobbs Merrill (New York, NY), 1967.

Basenji: Dog from the Past (nonfiction), Bobbs Merrill (New York, NY), 1972.

(Under pseudonym Frosty Johnson) The Strange Case of Big Harry (novel), Exposition Press, 1972.

Hour of Redemption, Manor, 1978, reprinted as Hour of Redemption: The Heroic WWII Saga of America's Most Daring POW Rescue, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Raid on Cabanatuan, Thousand Autumns Press (Las Vegas, NV), 1988.

Tektite, Thousand Autumns Press (Las Vegas, NV), 1989.

ADAPTATIONS: Hour of Redemption: The Heroic WWII Saga of America's Most Daring POW Rescue is credited as a source for Ghost Soldiers, by Hampton Sides.

SIDELIGHTS: Forrest Bryant Johnson, a former U.S. Army captain, is also author of Hour of Redemption: The Heroic WWII Saga of America's Most Daring POW Rescue. The book details how an elite army unit, backed by daring Filipino guerrilla fighters, stormed and liberated a camp holding American prisoners of war who had somehow survived the Bataan death march and other atrocities at the hands of the Japanese. A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that, for his first edition of the book, Johnson interviewed "more than 500 participants over a six-year period," from the prisoners themselves to the commanding officers responsible for the raid. Library Journal correspondent Gerald Costa praised the book for its story of "ultimate liberation," adding that Johnson's narrative "accelerates toward a dramatic ending."

Johnson told CA: "I consider myself a 'story-teller' rather than a complex writer using mind-straining words. I attempt to create a fast-paced story with a surface which is easy to understand. But, for those who wish to dig into the characters, I incorporate a more involved meaning, sprinkled with a message. My explorations serve as a catalyst for much of my work. For example, in 1970 I organized and led an expedition into the wilderness of northern Minnesota for the Chicago Tribune in order to prove that reports of 'ape men' in the area were pure fiction. The Tribune's coverage of the story produced such an interest in the subject that I wrote The Strange Case of Big Harry so that people could get a look (and a laugh) at themselves."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, October 1, 2002, Gerald Costa, review of Hour of Redemption: The Heroic WWII Saga of America's Most Daring POW Rescue, p. 113.

Publishers Weekly, August 12, 2002, "Reclaimed War Stories," p. 293.