The Long March Home by Marcus Brotherton & Tosca Lee Book Review

 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: the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor. Within hours, the teenage friends are plunged into war as Japanese 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.

Inspired by true stories, The Long March Home is a gripping coming-of-age tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the power of unrelenting hope.

My Thoughts:

Growing up Jimmy, Hank, Billy, and Claire were close throughout childhood and grew up together through thick and thin.

Jimmy Propfield decides to enlist and “get a fresh start” in life after a heartbreak from his high school sweetheart Claire. With the pressure from his father wanting him to walk in his footsteps as a preacher and attend seminary. WWII seems far away from their small town. Then news comes across that Pearl Harbor was attacked which makes it seem closer to home. Jimmy isn’t alone as his best friends enlist too.

The three of them are assigned to the Thirty-First Infantry in Manila, Philippines. The three friends feel like they have landed in paradise. They are enamored with paradise. What’s not to like for young men who suddenly are free to do things they wouldn’t have at home with women and alcohol.

The Battle of the Pacific finds them as they are thrown into the heat of the battle. The last stand on the Bataan Peninsula ends with one of the largest surrenders of American troops. They have to endure the Bataan Death March, and they need a lot of courage to survive the horrific prison camps of 10,000 American troops.

 What a powerful and moving historical fiction story. I found myself laughing, cheering, and crying. The last book I read I was sure it was one of my all-time favorite books but, this novel stole my heart. The Long March Hope is a story that will stay with you. I love history and that was a plus.

The characters are well-developed as you read about the kids growing up and becoming men. They tug at your heart and you can’t help but not to get engrossed in this story. Not many people know about the Bataan Peninsula battle, Bataan Death March, and the prison camp and I was glad that the authors wrote about this historical event.

 The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific is a gripping, page-turning novel that was worth all my shed tears.

 I received this complimentary product through Revell in exchange for my honest thoughts.