Phantom Paradise: Escape from Manchuria (Paperback or Softback)

"This is a riveting tale of survival and transcendence. I could not put it down." -- Ken Burns, Filmmaker

2026 Nautilus Silver Award Winner for Heroic Journeys

Autobiography Category Finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards

AFTER THE JAPANESE EMPIRE COLLAPSED OVERNIGHT, CIVILIANS WERE ABANDONED TO FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES

When Soviet forces stormed into Manchuria at the end of World War II, a young mother was left alone with her small children in a world suddenly filled with terror and uncertainty. In her fight for survival in the face of hunger, disease, violence, and bitter cold, she became a strong, independent woman determined to keep her children alive.

Drawing from her mother's haunting notebooks and her own journey from a young secretary in Tokyo to President of Washington's legendary Hay-Adams Hotel, Kay Enokido vividly portrays the relentless dangers civilians endured as Japan’s Manchurian puppet state disappeared overnight. Weaving in the accounts of fellow survivors, she brings depth and perspective to a turbulent chapter of history little known in the West.

Phantom Paradise blends one family’s survival story with the wider sweep of political and historical events. It is both
gripping and deeply personal—a testament to resilience in the face of chaos, and a powerful reminder that the true cost
of war is ultimately borne by ordinary people.

Kay Enokido was born in Manchuria during the final years of the Japanese Empire. After her family's perilous journey following the collapse of the Empire, she grew up in Japan amid the country's postwar reconstruction.
 
Before moving to the United States, Enokido worked as a contributing writer for major Japanese newspapers and magazines, traveling widely and gaining a broad perspective on global affairs. She later built a distinguished professional life in Washington DC, leading the Hay-Adams Hotel Management Company as its president. Though her career unfolded in America, her cultural identity has always remained firmly rooted in Japan.
 
Enokido holds a B.A. in Journalism and East Asian Studies from New York University and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University. She also studied at Indiana University and completed the Advanced Management Program of the Cornell Hotel School. After many years in Washington DC, she and her husband built a house and settled in Walpole, New Hampshire.