SUTTER CREEK, Calif. - s4story -- Releasing May 24, Cathy Patrenos' novel, "The Comfort Bearer," is a tale steeped in history that dives into the harsh and undeniable lives of the comfort women of WWII. In order to stay alive, the protagonist must find a way to cope with the horrible abuse she has been subjected to, and as time passes, develops survival skills she never thought possible.

Told in a powerfully emotional first person point of view, "The Comfort Bearer" puts a human face on the injustice faced by thousands of women during WWII. Soon Ja's story exposes the untold history of the human rights violations that took place during the war and reminds us of those that continue to this day in the form of human trafficking. Because of this, "The Comfort Bearer" is perfect for men and women interested in World War II and the human psyche's ability to cope with severe psychological trauma.

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About the Book
On the brink of WWII, sixteen-year-old Soon Ja is ensnared into the largest human trafficking scheme of the 20th century. She is taken to Manchuria by trickery from her home in occupied Korea and forced to become a comfort woman, a sex slave for members of the Imperial Japanese Army.

Taken from comfort station to comfort station, Soon Ja suffers terribly. She desperately tries to deal with the daily physical and mental torment of her unbearable situation. She struggles to survive by any means possible, which includes retaliating against her captors by spying on behalf of anti-Japanese resistance fighters. This gives her a renewed purpose that quickly fades once the resistance is defeated.

As the war progresses and years pass, Soon Ja's will to survive waxes and wanes as she surmounts one intolerable situation after another, bringing her the strength and courage that would shape the rest of her life.

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"Taking this young, innocent woman and putting her through unimaginable situations, forcing her to grow in strength and character in order to survive—I found it to be a grueling yet gratifying story to create," says Patrenos. "It's a story of atrocities, her tale of human trafficking and wartime savagery against women. A story of crimes against humanity that must be acknowledged by the government of Japan and never again repeated."

About the Author
Cathy L. Patrenos is a former registered nurse, litigation attorney, and veteran Air Force Captain who served as a tactical flight nurse during Operation Desert Storm. Being an army brat, she grew up with a fascination for Japan because she was born there after her father fought in the Korean War. She lives with her husband in Sutter Creek, a California Gold Rush town in the foothills of the beautiful Sierra Mountains.