About the Book:
Inspired by true stories, The Long March Home is a gripping coming-of-age tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the power of unrelenting hope.
Jimmy Propfield joined the army for two reasons: to get out of Mobile, Alabama, with his best friends Hank and Billy and to forget his high school sweetheart, Claire.
Life in the Philippines seems like paradise--until the morning of December 8, 1941, when news comes from Manila: Imperial Japan has bombed Pearl Harbor. Within hours, the teenage friends are plunged into war as enemy warplanes attack Luzon, beginning a battle for control of the Pacific theater that will culminate with a last stand on the Bataan Peninsula and end with the largest surrender of American troops in history.
What follows will become known as one of the worst atrocities in modern warfare: the Bataan Death March. With no hope of rescue, the three friends vow to make it back home together. But the ordeal is only the beginning of their nearly four-year fight to survive.
My Thoughts:
"If we have to run - if we have to swim off this island - we're getting through this. The three of us - all home alive. that's our only aim from here on out" (p. 131)
The Philippines is not a typical location that comes to mind when you think of WW II. Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee have made sure I will never forget the price many men paid to defend our country - to bravely defend each other - and fight for years to survive the most horrific circumstances imaginable. Yes, I said years. Prisoners of war were captured and held for years in the Philippines!
The Bataan Death March has been carefully woven throughout the life story of three young me - Jimmy, Hank and Billy - all from Mobile, Alabama. This is a coming of age story like none I've ever read, and, I must be honest, it was a hard read. This story brought to lives of these three young men to vivid reality - their hearts filled with such life despite many personal challenges! They did what so many did during the early 40's and served their country - never imagining what horror war would hold.
Honestly, it was only because the life experiences were interwoven so skillfully between the brutality of war, that I was able to keep reading. This story wrapped my heart around the three main characters and then ripped it out! This is an unforgettable story in every sense of the word! You will laugh, you will cry, and you will leave its pages forever changed! I am happy to recommend this book to everyone who reads!!
About the Authors:
Marcus Brotherton is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author or coauthor of more than 25 books that have been called "fascinating," "brilliantly arranged," "magical," and "refreshingly frank."
Tosca Lee is the New York Times bestselling author of 11 novels, including The Line Between, The Progeny, The Legend of Sheba, and Iscariot. Lee's work has been praised as "deeply human," "powerful," and "mind-bending historical fiction."
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