This was an inspiring story about a son who goes in search of the story behind his father's years in the service. What he finds is a hero he never knew existed. This was a fantastic retelling of what happened to a soldier who was captured during WWII. While many of the details are similar to other retellings, the way it was presented keeps the reader engaged. You want to keep reading to find out how the main character fairs and how he gets out of the prison.

No Surrender: A Father, a Son, and an Extraordinary Act of Heroism That Continues to Live on Today by Christopher Edmonds and Douglas Century was inspired when Chris Edmonds—a pastor of a Baptist church in Tennessee— looked over the shoulders of his daughter, Lauren, when she was looking at his father’s old World War II diaries. Edmond’s father—Master Sergeant Roderick Waring “Roddie” Edmonds—had never spoken much about his wartime experiences. As the daughter of a WWII veteran myself, I can attest to this fact.

Edmonds goes on to meet and interview comrades of his father—then in their nineties—and to research his father’s wartime experiences and heroism and this book was born. The book is told from a Christian perspective as that was an important part of both the author and his father’s life. In the book, there are overview passages about World War II in general, and a lot of material not just about Edmond’s father’s life, but also the lives of his fellow soldiers. So the book did not focus solely on what the title describes as “an extraordinary act of heroism”. One has to do a lot of reading to get to that point. But when you do, it is a very inspirational story, and I think a blessing that it has been told.

Roddie was captured at the Battle of the Bulge and ended up at Stalag IXA, a Nazi POW camp. In the Battle of the Bulge, Roddie’s division, the 106th Infantry Division, is placed on the front line as replacement troops. They are overrun by one of the last, large Nazi counteroffensives of the war in December 1944. The book describes it as: “hell appeared like a ghost in the forest”.

The book is full of heroism, but Roddie’s leadership at the prisoner-of-war camp shines. He is the ranking non-commissioned officer at the camp and defies the orders of the Stalag administrator many times despite the conditions and brutal acts of the Nazis. Starvation, frostbite, and diseases like dysentery are rife in the camp—so much so that some of the prisoners just fade away and die. But not Roddie...

One act of leadership and heroism really stands out. On the morning of January 27, only Jewish prisoners (only about 200 of 1,292) in the American ranks are ordered to fall out for inspection. But that is not what happens. Roddie, and all of the American prisoners—1,292 of them—stand before the commandant that morning. Despite orders from the commandant, they hold their ground and refuse to return to the barracks when they are ordered to go leaving only their Jewish comrades-at-arms behind. They know full well what will happen to their fellow soldiers. Roddie tells the angry Nazi officer that “’We are all Jews here.’”When the commandant points his Luger at Roddie’s head, he and the rest of the men still don’t back down. The commandant finally stomps away. Roddie and the rest of the non-Jewish American soldiers present have saved the lives of their Jewish comrades.

I will be honest—there was A LOT of background material leading up to the portion about the Battle of The Bulge and Stalag IXA—so much so that I wondered when the World War II portion of the story would be told and was slightly impatient. But, when that portion of the book came—WOW! I am so thankful that this story has been told in this book and commend Edmonds in interviewing his father’s remaining living comrades-at-arms and walking in their footsteps.

Here’s a portion of the beginning of the book when Chris Edmonds speaks of his inspiration while researching and writing the book:

“I ARRIVED IN WASHINGTON, DC, on October 29, 2013, on a fact-finding mission; without ever planning to do so, I was becoming a history detective, spending hours at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, and at the Library of Congress in Washington researching more about the 106th Division and its heroic role in the Battle of the Bulge.

I found page upon page that I couldn’t look away from—it was like some real-life thriller—jigsaw-puzzle pieces from German stalag records and postwar testimony from newly liberated POWs. I’d had no idea, when I first read Dad’s diary, how cruel the Nazi regime had treated US prisoners of war. I guess I’d seen too many sanitized Hollywood movies or naively assumed that the standards of the Geneva Convention had protected guys like my dad—and the tens of thousands of other GIs in Nazi camps—from brutal mistreatment.

It startled me to realize how mistaken I was. Slowly, inexorably, I began to see those stark images in my dad’s diary as part of a broader canvas. As a POW at Ziegenhain, my dad wrote at one point, “I’m just a little guy,” but I could see now that he’d been swept up in an epic and defining moment in the twentieth century. He’d arrived in Europe during the ferocious final months of the war, during an unprecedented genocide against the Jewish people, an era of unspeakable crimes against humanity and a dark time when following one’s moral compass, when choosing right over wrong, could prove lethal. While I had learned about World War II and the Holocaust in school, the ruthless nature of Hitler and his Nazi regime was, piece by piece, becoming more visceral, more frightening, more real.

What had happened in Germany in the 1940s was no longer some remote slice of history; it was personal. What had happened a lifetime ago was my dad’s story—and now it was becoming my story too.”

Thank you to the publisher HarperOne and to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book and for allowing me to review it. (8 October 2019 illustrated hardcover edition)(20 October 2020 paperback edition)

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Chris Edmonds knew that his father, Roddie, had been a soldier in World War II and was held as a prisoner of war, but his dad never said much about his experiences in the war, so Chris never really knew the details. When Chris's daughter wanted to write a school project about her grandpa, he began to research his father's World War II experience and was astonished to learn that other soldiers credited Roddie with saving their lives. Chris spent years interviewing the surviving soldiers who served under his dad's command and put together this book about what his dad and those soldiers went through. This book also talks about the faith that helped Roddie get through the experience.

There are so many remarkable stories of those impacted in World War II, and I am thankful that Chris Edmonds was able to discover his dad's story before those who served with his dad all died. It is a story that deserves to be told, although I think the book could have been more cohesive. Still, I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading true stories from World War II.

This was an amazing story about the resilience of humans in the face of overwhelming adversity. What I struggled with in this book was I was not expecting so much emphasis on God. I understand that the author is a pastor, but this was a turn off for me. While I understand how a belief in God can help someone going through these events, I did not need the commentary on God to go along with the history.

I became quickly ensnared by the premise of No Surrender. A son discovers his father's service in World War 2 and begins to research it. The story is related beautifully, through diaries, personal narratives, historical fact and has the extra added element of grace. I was a little off put at first to discover that a large portion of the book is concerned with Roddie's faith, however the author made it such an integral part of Roddie's person that it became just one more facet I admired. I would sat that No Surrender is a very emotional read, perhaps comparable to Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken. An excellent book discussion selection.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

What a story! A son researches his deceased WWII veteran father’s past and learns that his dad wasn’t just his hero, but a hero to many. He tracks down information over many years and what he gathers is an inspiring war story full of faith, loyalty, bravery, and heart. I really enjoyed learning about Roddie Edmonds and the life he lived and legacy he left. Written with sincerity and informative research, this book gives you a new glimpse into the WWII tapestry.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

I'd consider No Surrender to be a "war story." It's about a father's heroism during the war, and his son's desire/journey to learn all about it. This isn't my typical "genre" of books, but I'm glad I read it.
By the end of the book, I felt just as proud as the father as his son did....w ell almost.

The digital galley I read obviously needs some basic editing for misspellings, missing words, etc. Other than that, it's an excellent read.

But with one caveat: There's too much Jesus. The subject of the wartime biography, Roddie Edmonds, was a committed Christian, so it is quite normal and expected that his faith should be part of the story where it influenced his decisions and actions. However, the author (Roddie's son) is also an evangeliizing Christian, so in a few places we're treated to a bit of sermonizing. How Sgt. Edmonds was a Christian is part of the story. How the author is, should not be. If nothing else, it hints at a possible bias. Also, oddly, it compels the author to have GIs saying "Sheet!" instead of the good ol' Anglo-Saxon "shit". Nowhere do we hear soldiers speaking like we all know they speak, especially in times of stress.

This book is part biography, part detective story, part history, and part a story of heroism and of faith.

I was a kid during the fifties, born six years after the war ended. The economic and cultural aftermath of WW II surrounded me as I was growing up--kids regularly played good guys vs. "Nazis" (not differentiating them from Germans) and "Japs" as parents looked on in approval. And yet those older male relatives who had survived being soldiers or sailors in the war talked little about it, or didn't say anything at all. One friend's father drank himself to death, after being one of the first in at a concentration camp, an experience that shattered him, his family pieced together later. My grandfather, who signed up as a kid in his middle teens, using his older brother's ID so he could get away with it, had a hidden cache of extremely gruesome Kodak black and whites, taken after his naval units retook Iwo Jima and a couple of other blood-drenched islands.

Edmonds' father was another of these, staying silent and stoic through the remainder of his life. According to his son, pretty much all he'd say was that he and his fellow prisoners of war were humiliated.

But after his father's death, Edmonds took a look at what little was left, mainly an extremely cryptic diary, decided for his children's sake to uncover the whole story, and so began the detective work.

The account is colorful and gripping as he tracks down surviving members of his father's fellow prisoners, and men of his unit. Their stories are woven into his father's biography, creating a thought-provoking picture of ordinary American men swept into the meat-grinder of war. Those who survived did not come back the same as they had been.

Edmonds sometimes dips into fictionalizing, putting in dialogue and thoughts behind Nazi leaders, but he's not writing an academic text, so these dramatic additions can be forgiven when set against the fascinating whole. There are plentiful snapshots included, which add to the overall canvas.

Fight, capture, and then the grim reality of POW life in disintegrating Germany as men tried to hang onto their humanity through the few small acts and decisions they were permitted to make. One of the grimmest moments was when the Germans forced the prisoners to out the Jews among them, knowing what was going to happen to them, leading to Edmonds' act of heroism.

After liberation, which was another exercise in agonizing tension, they would discover stockpiled Red Cross packages never given to them--and their letters home never sent. There was no debriefing in those days, or offers of counseling. They were shipped home to pick up their lives again, including those like Edmonds, who had gotten "Dear John" letters before, or during their service. (When the writer found out he had a half-sister by his father's first marriage, he was able to connect with her.)

Edmonds brings everything up to the present, including emotional evolution as well as recovery. It's an absorbing book, depicting both the best and the worst of the human spirit.

A content warning: it's written about a man of deep faith by another equally faithful, so if readers are offended or upset by Bible quotes and Christian thought, they probably should take a pass.

No Surrender by Christopher Edmonds and Douglas Century is a gripping historical memoir like no other I have read before. Books about World War II are available everywhere you turn right now but this is one you should really pick up and read. After his passing, Edmonds goes on a journey to find out all he can about his father, who was a prisoner of war of the Nazis during World War II. This is a look into the experiences of not only Edmond's father but also those who he served with and whose lives he saved. He grants us a look into the life of a remarkable man, a hero, that lived his life not only for himself, but in the service of others without looking for recognition for doing so. I highly recommend this read!

I always love WW11 era stories, both fiction and true life, which is why I asked for an early copy of No Surrender. Inside it’s pages we are introduced to the remarkable accomplishments of Roddie Edmunds, a Methodist country boy from a small Tennessee town. Roddie was a special individual who was born with a moral compass that was unwavering in its ability to point at what is good and right in the world. Christopher Edmunds, Roddie’s son, has compiled a rich history of Roddie’s remarkable achievements in the face of insurmountable odds. From his childhood days as the youngest boy in a family left empty by the death of his mother to his heroic achievements as a POW in Germany facing some of the worst Nazi’s history has ever produced, we get to know this remarkable person. Ever humble, Roddie never revealed much of his life during WW11, and many of the richest descriptions of the hell these POW’s survived is supplied through extensive interviews with those who knew and served with Roddie. Definitely recommend for anybody to read, but will definitely appeal to WW11 history buffs. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

The story of one man uncovering his late father’s wartime experiences through his diaries and interviews with fellow soldiers would be interesting to anyone fascinated by World War II or family history. It is also a story of deep faith, faith that sustained through the worst of times and uplifted and endured long after overcoming adversity. If you were moved by the story of Oskar Schindler, you will find this memoir equally powerful. How one very young, inexperienced sargeant displayed incredible bravery and protected an entire camp of American POWs through the worst conditions of internment in a German prison camp is a remarkable story. Add to that the moral courage he showed in defending the Jewish soldiers in that camp, and you will see how the efforts of one individual can change the course of history. One warning. Your progress in finishing this book will be impeded as you stop frequently to wipe your eyes.

No Surrender is a touching story of a son's posthumous discovery of his father's bravery and captivity by the Natzis during WWII. Chris Edmonds is compelled to know more of his father's war experiences, stories that he shared little of during life, after reading his father's diaries. Traveling throughout the US and across the sea to retrace his father's steps, Chris tries to imagine the trials and trauma that his father, Roddie Edmonds, experienced as he fought alongside his friends during the Battle of the Bulge and spent time as a POW in a Nazi camp. Chris's admiration and respect is a reminder to us all that there are unsung heroes in every war.

Exceptional book relating the father’s service and trials during WWII. Very well written and i could not put it down once I started. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in that period of history. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

No Surrender tells the story of Roddie Edmonds, a World War II soldier who bravely saved the lives of many soldiers in a Nazi POW camp after being captured in the Battle of the Bulge. Roddie was so humble that he chose to not share his bravery with others, even his own family, which is almost unheard of in today’s society. He raised his family and after his death his son read the journals he kept while in the service and was shocked to learn what his father had done. He proceeded to interview his father’s peers who were still living and researched available records. He wrote the book using the information he had gleaned from sources available. It tells a gut wrenching story of life as a POW. While I have read many others who seemed to suffer much more horrifically in POW camps, this showcased the bravery of all who were in this Camp for several months. I found myself wondering how his dad felt about what Christopher had done, seeing as he never felt the need to share it himself. He seemed like a very humble but great leader in the circumstances he found himself.
Many thanks to Christopher Edmonds and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read this ARC of a very soon to be published book.

This is a crucial book for anyone who is interested in the events that occurred during WWII in regards as to how brutal the German enemy was during the war, and how one person can make a difference in spite of that brutality.
Roddie Edmonds enlisted in the U.S. Army 9 months before Pearl Harbor was attacked. He was thoroughly trained by running in combat gear in all weather - cyclones, thunderstorms, extreme heat and any other weather in Ft. Jackson, S.C. He and his friends also climbed high walls, jumped 6 foot ditches, crawled under wires, they even crawled 50 yards while machine guns fired over their heads in order to simulate what it would be like during an attack by the enemy!
Roddie and his friends needed this training - they would be forced to endure freezing marches, starvation, and extreme conditions when they were in Germany.
You will be proud of Roddie and his fellow soldiers’ courage and Roddie’s faith when he and his friends lives were at stake!

This is a non-fiction memoir of a son for his father. Chris Edmonds knew his father was a hero, but until a school project prompted him to look closer, he never understood the full extent of what his dad experienced. These new revelations prompt Chris to look closer and take a journey to find out not just about his father, but about the experiences and events of soldiers in WWII. This book is hard to read in parts, because it is hard to accept how horribly mankind can act, however, the idea of redemption and growth after tragedy runs through the story. I am in a reading slump with WWII-era books, so I think I might have enjoyed this book more at a different time in my life.

Maybe its because I was raised in a military family, but the tales of our forefathers, and their military escapdes are known to us. They may not be everyday conversation (bit too much PTSD there), but we know the stories, and how they affected the men, and swomen (!!) involved. When it came time to discuss WWII and the attrocities of the Holocausst, I was lucky (if such a thing can be said) to turn my daughter to one of her church elders, who had also been there when the camps were liberated. For her to see the horror through his eyes, made it very real indeed for her.

In many ways, that is what this book reminds me of. It takes something known by the family, and blows it open to see just how amazing the :Greatest Generation" truly were. yes we have had heroes in recent conflicts, but the amount of individual bravery on a near constant basis, such as these men like Roddie went through, just boggle's the mind. And they did it as their DUTY, not a job or because it was a good paying opp. this book should be added to any high school history class- it's more than just a memoir- it's how history evovles, one decision at a time, and how one man CAN save so many others, and yet remain humble about it. It's an amazing memoir, and be sure to have kleenex handy while reading it!

No Surrender poignantly and accurately recounts not just one man’s experience in World War 2, but a number of players from which the author was able to interview and gain valuable information. I’ve read many holocaust survivor stories and am fascinated with the human will to survive such horrendous conditions. No Surrender takes the reader into the Battle of the Bulge with clarity that even my right-brained mind could follow the strategies of the enemy and the chilling losses of the Allies. It was a biographical sketch of Roddie Edmonds, but written well as a drama played out.

I received an un-proofed copy of No Surrender from the publisher via NetGalley and as such, there were some editing still needing to be done. I found that the first three-quarters of the book were well written, but the last quarter felt a little clunky as the author told the post war stories of the other survivors of the horrendous Nazi POW camp experience.

All in all, I highly recommend this book, but be aware that there are some hard and violent scenes in battle and the camp as well as a smattering of foul language.

Chris Edmonds has done a remarkable job with this book. He has woven historical fact, personal interviews, journals, and his own life experience together into a book that is interesting and difficult to put down.
Beginning with a desire to simply to gain information about his father’s life as a child and young man, the journey takes him to a greater understanding of how faith helped him face and overcome hardships, Many lessons were learned, of which perhaps the greatest was the realization that “ all of us have the potential to change the world simply by standing up for what’s right ...true heroes make the world a better place, quietly, anonymously- one person at a time, one action at a time.” #netgalley #goodreads