Long March Home by Tosca Lee

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.

 

Review:

This book hit all the feels. It made me cry....really cry. Sad tears and happy tears. At first I wasn't wild about how the book moved from past to present at regular intervals. It kept me from really engaging with the story for a few chapters. HOWEVER, by about a quarter the way through I was hooked so thoroughly I spent the entire night reading. Have it noted, I really like my sleep, so staying up all night is a deal. 

 

Long March Home is a war story. It's raw. It's brutal. It hurts to read at a lot of points. It feels way too real. As I said before, it made me cry a few times. At the same time, I grew so attached to the three best friends in this story - the 'brothers'. Their bond, their commitment to each other... it is beautiful. This story draws you in and makes sure that you are utterly and completely invested. 

 

I wouldn't recommend this book to a sensitive or young reader. It's a war story....like, see Saving Private Ryan. The images painted on your mind from the words within this book are probably there to stay. That being said, I really appreciated this book and I was grateful to read it. Thank-you to Revell for the opportunity to be part of the initial review team.