The Long March Home

Jimmy Propfield joined the army for two reasons which is to explore the world outside of Mobile Alabama with his best friends Hank and Billy and to forget his sweetheart Claire. So far life in The Philippines seems like paradise but on December 8^th news came in that the day before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor which now puts the United States at war.  The three of them have to fight not just for their country but for their lives after the American and Philippine army surrender and become prisoners in one of the worst atrocities known to man, The Bataan Death March.

Pros & Cons

I like the main characters that are Jimmy, Hank, and Billy. Jimmy out of all of them was my favorite. I can relate to him in a sense that we want adventure outside of where we live. I like how we see them develop as friends along with Claire and the story shifts from before the war to during. I also liked learning about history that isn’t typically spoken about or learned in school. All I learned in school was Pearl Harbor happened and there was fighting with the Japanese but we mainly focused on the European part of the world and the Holocaust rather than part of the war that happened in the Pacific. I commend Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton for doing their research which is strength and a flaw, as some parts were very dry like a non-fiction or text book, but that was my only gripe with the book.

Overall

Overall it’s an important part of history. Thank you Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton for writing this book, and thank you Tosca for an early copy. I can’t wait to do this Behind The Book with you.