Mad Manchurian
Mad Manchurian by Tom Meschery is a memoir published by Epicenter Press on March 11, 2025. This edition, written in English and spanning 418 pages, recounts the author’s early life in Harbin, Manchuria, during the tumultuous years of World War II. Meschery shares his experiences as a child interned in a Japanese camp, detailing the health challenges he faced and his remarkable journey to becoming a professional basketball player in the NBA.
Readers will find a personal narrative that intertwines themes of resilience and identity, as Meschery reflects on his upbringing and the cultural influences that shaped him. The memoir explores his transition from a sickly child to a towering athlete, highlighting his unique position as the first ethnic Russian and immigrant to play in the NBA. With insights into the world of basketball and the immigrant experience, this book offers a rich perspective on community and culture, making it a significant addition to the genres of biographies and memoirs.
Official synopsis Publisher
I was born in Harbin, Manchuria, (later China), in 1938. At the outbreak of the Second World War my mother, sister and I, along with other non-combatants of the Allied countries, were taken by the Japanese to an internment camp in Tokyo where we would remain four year–to the end of the war. My mother’s recollection is that I was a sickly child. By the time I arrived in Japan, according to her, I had survived diphtheria, whooping cough, yellow fever, smallpox and tuberculosis. Such afflictions, to my mother’s astonishment, did not keep me from growing to my adult height of 6’6″ and muscular weight of 220 pounds. Nor did they keep me from being strong enough and skillful enough to become a professional basketball player and play 10 years for the National Basketball Association, as the first ethnic Russian and immigrant to do so, and the first to be named to an All-Star team.
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