This was an absorbing listen to a World War II war heroine - a Filipino-American, who most people haven’t heard about and neither had I. Born Loring May Ebersole in the Philippines, her mother was Filipino and her father an American serviceman. She had a tough childhood and at the age of seven, her father sent her and her sister away to school, never to return home. A self-made woman, she worked for the U.S. Army for Lieutenant Colonel Engelhart in Manila and married an American sailor just before the Japanese Army invaded and occupied the Philippines during World War II. Soon after her husband was killed in the line of duty and Florence was fighting for survive the Japanese occupation. Hiding the fact that she was half American, she got a job at the Japanese controlled fuel distribution company and began diverting fuel to the resistance and remained undetected for some time. She also regularly sent money to Engelhart who was captured and was a prisoner of war. But she was caught, tortured, and imprisoned and sentenced to hard labor until the Americans returned to free the Philippines from Japanese occupation, ending World War II in that part of the world, months after the war ceased on the European battlefields. The amazing Florence was tight lipped about her courageous work during the war and very few knew about the risks she took to save many lives. Following her war, she immigrated to New York State where her aunt lived and began her new life, including her stint with the U.S. Coast Guard, remarrying, and reconnecting with Engelhart who she stayed in touch with all her life. She received the Medal of Freedom and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon and in 1995, the Coast Guard named a building in Hawaii in her honor. The author did a great job - the book is well written, the pace just right. We get to really know Florence as a young child and follow her into adult life marveling at how grounded and steadfast a person she was, despite her extreme hardships and upbringing or lack thereof. She was an amazing woman - quiet, determined, and courageous. She truly was an unsung heroine and the author did a great job allowing us to see the person she was and what she was up against. Besides, the story of Florence during the Japanese occupation, the story alternates with the plight of Engelhart and his fellow prisoners of war. He most likely survived because of Florence’s underground help. All in all, a book extremely well done on a subject that deserved an author who could do justice to her contributions to the U.S. and humankind. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

Future Medal of Freedom recipient Florence Finch was born Loring May Ebersole in 1915 in Santiago, the Philippines to a Filipino mother and an American father and lived to the age of 101.

Before the Japanese military invaded and occupied the Philippines during WWII, Florence worked at the G-2 (Intelligence) Headquarters of the US Army in Manila, where she met her first husband, Charles “Bing” Smith, a member of the US Navy. He was killed in action in the Philippines in 1942, after only about six months of marriage. And Florence’s former G-2 Headquarters boss Major Carl Engelhart was captured by the Japanese and held as a prisoner of war.

Florence hid her passport and American identity and got a job at the Philippine Liquid Fuel Distributing Union, which was controlled by Japanese forces. From there, she falsified documents and diverted fuel in aid of the Philippine resistance and sent money to help Carl Engelhart and others at the prisoner of war camp, where POWs were horrendously treated and suffered from malnutrition. Florence’s activities were discovered, and she was arrested by the Japanese occupiers, tortured, sexually assaulted and was sentenced to labour and detained until American troops liberated the Philippines in February of 1945.

Mrazek’s crisp account of The Indomitable Florence Finch is heavy on context, with large chunks dedicated to Charles Smith, Carl Engelhart and the strategies of George MacArthur as the commander of United States Army Forces in the Far East during WWII. While WWII history buffs might appreciate all the context, and while it helps explain what might have been motivating Florence’s resistance activities and what was at stake, the focus on the title figure sometimes gets lost. The book would have benefitted from editing to tighten up those sections.

The blurb about the book on the Hachette Books website includes this sentence: “With a wealth of original sources including taped interviews, personal journals, and unpublished memoirs, The Indomitable Florence Finch unfolds against the Bataan Death March, the fall of Corregidor, and the daily struggle to survive a brutal occupying force.” And there are passages in the book that suggest that the author had access to journals kept by Carl Engelhart. I would have liked to know more about Mrazek’s research for the book. Unless I missed it, the advance review copy of the unabridged audiobook from the publisher that I listened to did not include an author’s note to give the reader-listener a better idea of how the book was compiled. I would have appreciated a substantive note on Mrazek’s sources, and a bit on how much of the writing was based on primary sources and to what extent the author took license to fill in the blanks.

I am curious to know if such an author’s note exists in the print version or in the final published version of the audiobook. If you read/listen to them, please let me know!

Dan Woren’s audiobook narration matches the crispness of Mrazek’s account, from which the reader does not emerge feeling like they know Florence Finch particularly well, but will admire her greatly, and agree that each of her awards and honours is soundly deserved.

I recommended this book to readers interested in heroines, war heroes, resistors, POWs or WWII history.

I listened to an advance review copy of the unabridged audiobook courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. My review is unpaid and voluntary, and I believe it is fair.

This book is special to me as a Filipino. Almost 80 years have passed since the war came to the Philippines, when the Japanese bombed military installations in the country after they bombed Pearl Harbor. Our history books only give an outline of events and highlight prominent individuals, and we forget that there are “ordinary” people who struggled and fought and survived the Second World War. I feel that after the war, we as a nation chose to focus on rebuilding and forgot the past, intentionally or not, because of the loss and pain it brought us.

Florence Smith Finch was a Filipino mestiza who worked in US Army Intelligence in Manila before WW2. After her first husband “Bing” Smith was killed in action while saving a fellow navy sailor in Bataan, she started to work with the underground resistance to get supplies to military prisoners in Cabanatuan and to internees in Santo Tomas Internment Camp. Near the end of the war, she was captured by the Kempeitai and tortured and raped. After the liberation of Manila, she moved to New York to live with her aunt, and enlisted in the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve to continue to help with war efforts. She received the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon, the first woman to be so honored, and the Medal of Freedom, and lived to 101 years old.

I think the best heroes are those who let their actions speak for themselves. Florence’s children did not know about their mother’s war work until 50 years later, when they received an invitation from the Coast Guard in 1995 to attend the dedication of a building named after Florence.

I experienced Florence’s story as an audiobook, and it was like hearing old war clips. The narrator’s voice was clear and easy on the ears. Thank you, NetGalley and Hachette Audio!

I always enjoy hearing stories of the unknown war heroes, especially if they’re women. This book did not disappoint and tells the story of surviving Japanese occupation in the Philippines through the story of Florence Finch.

I listened on audiobook and found the narrators voice a little slow. I enjoyed his narration but sped it up a little.

Overall this was a good book. Parts are hard to read because of the situation but it is definitely eye opening.

This biography shines light on a forgotten hero that saved many lives in the Philippines during World War II. I had never heard of Florence Finch, but after listening to this book, I definitely will not forget her, as she truly defined what a hero is.

Amazing story of survival under Japanese occupation in the Philippines. This book reads like a novel and keeps the reader engaged through. The narrator was very good.

They say history is written by the winners, I would add that it was written by the male winners; so many women have been left out of history books. Women who did incredible things have largely been forgotten, if they were ever given credit to begin with. Mrazek’s book remembers one of those women. The stories of Japanese atrocities in the Philippines has been documented many times, but this time, readers are able to learn about Florence Finch, the woman who risked her own life in a feat of bravery and sheer ballsiness that save the lives of hundreds of Americans. This story is true and it’s incredibly brutal, Florence paid dearly for her bravery and her story deserves to be heard. Woren does a find job narrated this harrowing story, but I admit I would have liked a female narrator to tell Florence’s story

A story about the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. This was a hard story to hear because of the brutal way Americans and Philippines were treated. The author doesn’t shy from the hard truths and facts. Which I appreciated. I listened to the audiobook and liked the narrators voice. I choose to speed it up some because he talked a little slow for my liking but I tend to speed up all my books. For history buffs this would be a wonderful read. I do wish it had a bit more of a story flow because sometimes it felt like a textbook. All in all I learned a lot about that time that I never knew. Florence Smith was a hero who risked her life to help save as many as she could. She had a very hard life yet an amazing attitude about survival.
Thanks netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Fast paced story of a true hero. As a history book, the narrator brings the perfect tone and pace for this genre. The author does a great job of writing the story in an easy to absorb fashion.
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advance audiobook.

This is not a pleasant read. This is a brutal wartime story about how the Japanese mistreated the Filipino populace and the Americans during their occupation years. Florence Smith never had an easy life; her father was a scoundrel of a man in his private life and her childhood wasn't pleasant, especially after her parents' separation. From the beginning she showed herself a survivor. She needed every bit of that inner strength as she faced down the pitiless Japanese.

The writing style doesn't shy away from the tough facts, but I appreciated that it didn't delve into gratuitous descriptions. The violence was bad enough even confined to bare facts. I felt the deep desolation of the young girl being beaten for her mother's bad moods, all the way through to the end where she doesn't think much of what she has done and never seeks out honor for her accomplishments. Through it all she is a woman who deeply deserves to be honored.

I listened to an audio version and enjoyed the narrator's skill in telling the story. His voice is pleasant and none of his pronunciations got on my nerves.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

My wife and I listened to this amazing story. and found it mesmerizing. We were both transfixed listening to the dramatic story of a true hero from World War 2. We just could not stop listening to this emotional story of a young woman in the Philippines trying to stay alive while at the same time lead a group to steal thousands of gallons of gasoline which were sold on the black market. The funds were divided a number of ways but it clearly saved hundreds of American lives. Towards the end of the war she was finally captured and tortured.
In are opinion everyone should listen to this story, if nothing else it will help us to keep things in our own lives in perspective. The narration was top notch. We sat on the edge of our seats with each word getting more and more absorbed into the story. Even if you have no interest in war stories this is truly a must listen/read.

I love encountering a new book about a time/place/event I didn't know about. This book was perfect, an amazing mix of personal stories and essential facts about the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and the endurance of people left behind enemy lines. Always thrilling and engrossing, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, even though I knew that Florence survived I couldn't imagine how.
As for the audiobook, the narrator had the perfect blend of gravitas and humor, a perfect storyteller for such an important story

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a fascinating story that started in Florence’s childhood, which set her on the road to being the self-reliant, confidant woman she grew into. Set in the Pacific theater of World War II, we learn the story of Florence Finch, who risks her life and suffers at the hand of the of the Japanese army for American POWs. Along with the stories of individuals involved in the conflict, we also have a front row seat to the larger conflict in the region.

This story very much draws you in right from the start, and is very engaging and accessible. It will be enjoyed by both history buffs and people who enjoy a true story of someone overcoming adversity.

I enjoyed the narrator for this story. He had a nice voice that I thought suited the story well. If I found fault with anything, I thought he read a little slowly for my personal taste, but I was easily able to counter this by speeding up the narration. I found that the book worked very well in audiobook format and enjoyed it immensely.