The Long March Home - by Marcus Brotherton & Tosca Lee

This is such a powerful story, but the subject is one that I knew little about before reading this book. I've long known about Pearl Harbor and America's involvement in WWII, but I was totally ignorant about the largest surrender of American troops in history, on the Bataan Peninsula, and the Bataan Death March that followed. Thankfully, two respected authors decided that a story needed to be told, and the results of their collaboration are pure magic! Authors Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee use a dual timeline plot in The Long March Home. The present-day story revolves around the sacrificial war efforts of three friends from Alabama, and the past story relates the happenings that led them to this service. Three young men with different dreams and a strong female character with ties to them all were forever changed by choices that were made in Mobile, Alabama! The Long March Home is an emotional narrative of friendship, young love, and the discovery that the right choices aren't always obvious. It's also a touching chronicle of the pain and hardships that these soldiers endured during battle, their experiences as prisoners of war, and their valiant efforts to return to the life they'd left behind. Many of the war scenes are painful to read but they're needed to remind all of us about the high cost of freedom. I highly recommend this riveting war story to all who enjoy historical fiction! I received a copy of this book from the publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

This book does have some trigger/content warnings, This book does contain descriptions of torture and violent acts during war. It is very raw and gritty and depicts the atrocities of war in a very real and personal way. This book was fantastic! One of the best historical fictions I've read so far this year! So many of the current WWII fiction books are based on the war in Europe. This book was about The Bataan Death March, POW camps and also gave a glimpse of what it was like to be a US soldier serving in the Philippines during WWII. I love how the authors made the chapters flow from the past to the present timelines without the story being so choppy. They weaved perfectly from life in the past back home in Mobile, Alabama to the present timeline of war in the Philippines. What these three friends went through and experienced during the war was heartbreaking, tragic and unimaginable. I really liked the writing and the characters were well developed, which made me really feel connected to all three of them. This book made me laugh at times and ball my eyes out other times. This book is published by a Christian publishing house and other than some of the characters being Christian and a storyline of a pastor and his family, there was no clear presentation of the Gospel message and because of that I knocked this book down to a four-star. Highly recommend this book if you love historical fiction. **Thank you to Revell Fiction for sending me a copy of this book!*

I wish I could give this book more than five stars! Topic or themes I saw: The strong force of friendship, camaraderie. The horrors of war and the perseverance of the human body and spirit. Read it if you love: ✔️WWII books ✔️Books with combat ✔️POW books ✔️Strong friendships ✔️Tougher reads Story: Inspired by true stories, The Long March Home exposes the heartbreaking reality of the Bataan Death March. This novel placed you directly into the horror of war, pain of loss, fear of what’s to come, and the test to the limits of a human body. This story had me riveted, flipping pages. It’s a gritty and hard read, but those are often my favorite. Just when you think human endurance can’t be pushed any further, it is and the characters keep going. The intense parts were broken up by a duel time-line of the past making for perfect pacing. As I read, I had a strong desire to sweep in and rescue the men myself. Or will time to speed up for them. This book was intense and heartbreaking. There was a point in the book that just shattered my heart and I wasn’t sure I could forgive the authors 😅. They made me cry but they finished it in a beautiful way. If you want a deeply spiritual book, don’t pick this up. But if you want a clean, incredibly beautiful read on the horrors and hero’s of WWII, pick this book up as fast as you can. I closed the last page with an even deeper appreciation for what veterans in the Philippines faced and the sacrifices they and their families made. What an incredible read that shines a light on the Bataan Death March. If you read and loved unbroken, you will want to pick up this novel! Main takeaway: Do your best for as long as you’re given. A few quotes: “They’re skinnier and dirtier than I remember—walking skeletons with skin sagging from their bones. Souls staring out from their human remains, waiting to be released.” “It strikes me funny that at the end of life, it doesn’t matter what uniform we wore.” Thank you Revell for a gifted copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific is a fabulous read. I have not read too many World War II novels that cover the Pacific side of the war. I was fascinated with the story. The historical details were so vivid, I felt like I was right there within the action. I loved Hank, Jimmy, and Bill‘s story. I am giving The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific a very well deserved five plus stars. I believe fans and lovers of historical fiction, particularly those from the second world war, will definitely want to snatch this one up. I received a hard cover copy of The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

“The three of us—all home alive. That’s our only aim from here on out,” Jimmy determinedly tells his two friends in Marcus Brotherton’s and Tosca Lee’s novel, The Long March Home. ~ What ~ This three-hundred-and-ninety-three-page hardbound targets those interested in historical fiction regarding military control in the Pacific theater during wartime involving the Battan Peninsula. Using slang words, topics of torture, murder, and death may not be appropriate for immature readers. While the beginning has two maps, the ending includes the authors’ notes, acknowledgments, the authors’ biographies, and advertisements. Written in first person, this tale inspired by true stories follows young Jimmy Propfield and his two best buddies from Mobile, Alabama, during World War II. While Hank is the outgoing, outspoken, unwavering type and Billy is under the enlistment age limit and helpful, Jimmy makes it his mission to get home alive and clear the air with a girl he loves. As the three become prisoners of war participating in the Bataan Death March, they fight four long years doing everything possible to survive. ~ Why ~ War is horrible, and the atrocities that occurred when the largest number of American troops surrendered to the Japanese are heartbreaking and unfathomable. I appreciated the true-to-life experiences our US soldiers and others had to endure while being prisoners as the writers write realistically and with honesty. The love, respect, and friendship the three have toward one another and Claire is tenderly described and believable. ~ Why Not ~ Those who do not like reads that involve physical and mental abuse, torture, murder, and war may not be interested in reading this book. One can tell that a man wrote the vivid brutal war sections while a woman wrote the background stories of their true friendships. Some may not care for the use of a few slang words. ~ Wish ~ I wish the book gave the eternal plan of salvation. Adding discussion questions at the end would be thoughtful for book clubs. ~ Want ~ If you like a heartfelt read about the horrors of war washed in friendship, love, and redemption, this one will keep your eyes teary until the end. Thanks to Revell for this complimentary book. I am under no obligation to give a positive review.

This is Jimmy Propfield's story, his growing up in Mobile Alabama, and his father being the local Pastor. We meet his friends, and follow him as his life unfolds. Jimmy as he grows up during the time when war has broken out in Europe, and follow him as he and his friends enlist and end up in the Philippines! Hank, Billy and Jimmy are wondering how they got so lucky to be away from the fighting in Europe in such a lovely warm setting, but then Pearl Harbor happens, and soon they are prisoners of war! While a fictional read, the author based this book on fact, so much lack of regard for human life, and we soon wonder if these life long friends will ever see Mobil again? We are coming up on 80 years since the end of this war, and we need to never forget, and hope this never happens again. The authors did a wonderful job of bringing this story alive! I received this book through the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.