A young American soldier known as 'Swede' is a fictional character whose story is based on real accounts. Captured on his second day in Korea, Swede, along with his companions, suffers horrific treatment by his captors, but he never gives up. This is the story of his determination, against all odds, to survive and enable many of his companions to survive. This story will stay with me for a long time. It is as compelling as it is brutal, difficult to read yet so gripping. The writing is superb and Swede could not be more well drawn. Thank you to John N. Powers, Net Galley and Books Go Social for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Free ARC from NET GALLEY

Fiction that reads like history, lots of great research here.

A good primer on who we face next!

Paul Larson 'Swede' grew up as an honest, hard working farm boy. At age 19 he enlists in the army to gain some life experience and is sent to Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He is captured on his second day there and begins life as a POW in North Korea where the Geneva Conventions regarding the health and welfare of POWs mean nothing. Instead he and his fellow prisoners are force-marched, starved, and not given essential medical treatment. Those unable to keep up are shot on the roadside. The camp they eventually reach is unsanitary and brutal. And this is only the first of several camps that Swede is sent to, varying in degrees of brutality and neglect.

Over the following two years Swede meets and works with a close-knit group of other POWs to bolster morale, throw as many obstacles in the way of their captors as possible, and help other POWs to survive - often risking severe punishment and possible death.

This was not an easy book to read in places. The POWs in this war have not had fair coverage of the hardships they faced, and the author has told their story perfectly. In the end notes the author mentions that most of what happens in the book is based on real accounts from POWs, and their different stories have been coalesced into this book - fiction based heavily on factual accounts.

I feel as though I have been educated by reading Finnegan Found. It's a sad and sobering read and gave me my first real understanding of why so many American POWs in the Vietnam War either didn't come home, or came home psychologically damaged - in some cases irreparably. And also why they didn't receive the same welcome and support on their return as the POWs from previous wars.

A very solid 4.5 stars.

Paul Larson, a young man who grew up on a farm in Minnesota and was soon drafted in to the US army. No real training for what was ahead and going abroad for the first time, he was captured on his second day in Korea!

The story is told from the fictional 'Swede' character but all was true. Swede never gave up-helping other soldiers, and trying to escape. The brutal conditions were well described, and can be confirmed in the many UK books concerning the 'Forgotten Army' in Burmah and Japan. Always worth a read.

A well written view, with no punches pulled. The title was strange though?

Paul Larson, a young man who grew up on a farm in Minnesota. He was captured on his second day in Korea. He never gave up-helping other soldiers, trying to escape. This story tells how POWs were treated in the Camps, the brutal conditions and what they were forced to endure! It was well written yet brutal for me to read!
I gave it 4 1/2 stars and highly recommend this book!
Thank you NetGalley for the privilege of reading this book and giving my review~

I really have no idea why I kept this book in my “to be read” list and then waited so long to read it. I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. It covers a period of time and a subject that we really don’t hear much about. This book was truly an eye opener for me. I’m planning to find more on this subject. Kudos to the author.