I don't know a lot about the Berlin Wall or what Germany, and specifically Berlin, looked like in the early '60's. In the Slow March of Light, we are given a glimpse into what it looked like from the perspective of a US soldier as well as some of the citizens of the different zones.

Bob Inama is in the US Army. Drafted to serve, he was sent to West Germany. He meets a young woman, Luisa, at church functions and they form a friendship. When given the opportunity for an undercover mission, Bob accepts and is thrown into academia and espionage. He crosses into East Germany along with a professor and covertly takes pictures of Soviet military sites. Bob's cover is blown and is sent to prison where he comes to know God, himself, and find happiness in the hardest places. Meanwhile, Luisa has been recruited to help the underground, smuggling East Germans across the barrier.

This is based on the real life of Bob Inama and that makes it all the more fascinating to me. The perspective he was able to keep through long months of inhuman treatment is inspiring. I enjoyed getting to know Bob through this story. I kinda wish we learned a little more about his wife and family, but I understand that wasn't the purpose of this story. I ended the story wanting more! The endnotes were helpful and did fill in some blanks, which was nice,

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Slow March of Light - Heather B. Moore
Bob's life is quickly turned upside down when one minute he is planning on attending law school, and the next he is drafted and shipped to Germany after basic training. As he makes himself a good name within the army, focusing on the task at hand, he meets Luisa. He feels an instant connection with Luisa and feels he is able to open up and trust her.
Luisa feels the same rapport with Bob and goes against the rules her father has set for her, to stay away from the Americans. She looks forward to the chance meetings with Bob at socials and Church and enjoys their blossoming friendship.
In 1961, things look very different for Bob and Luisa. Bob has accepted a secret mission to go undercover and become a professors TA in East Germany, while Luisa previously moved to West Berlin with her father and found herself part of a secret network that helps people escape East Germany and into the West. Their paths continue to cross in the midst of the war going on around them. Both are left with questions for each other but are self consumed with their own tasks at hand, that they get left unanswered. Will Bob and Luisa survive the daunting roles they play in this Cold War and find their way back to each other?
This book shocked me in the best kind of way. When I initially started reading this book, I dove in not really have any set expectations. I found it to be a slower read leaving me unsure whether it was going to peak my interest at all. Once the story got going, and Bob and Louisa had begun their friendship, I was hooked. Knowing this story was based on Bob's real life experiences also made it more enticing and because of the relationship Bob and Louisa had, I truly wished their whole story, and hers, had been real. I loved how the author continued her story knowing it was fictional but gave her a whole life that was filled with determination and meaning. In the end, both of their stories, trials and tribulations left me awe. For the lovers of historical fiction, this is one that will quickly gain traction and make its mark.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Thank you Netgalley and Shadow Mountain for the ARC!

This is an excellent read! It's well written and stays with you long after you turn the last page. This book is full of emotions and I loved the interview with Bob Inama at the end of the story. The author did an excellent job of weaving fact with fiction in this story. I received a complimentary copy from Shadow Mountain Publishing via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

In strife, a heart warming story. Based on a real character, this book was well researched and very readable. I enjoyed the historical perspective and learning more about life in both East and West Germany during the Cold War The blending of fictional characters with the life experiences of Bob Inama worked well.

Amazing book. I have no words but I’m going to try anyway.

This book made me cry. It was slow going at first but I was hooked into the story and the real people and the events represented in it. It really is a book you have to finish to the end because everything ties together in such an incredible way.

I love historical fiction novels, but especially ones that are well-written and researched and based on a true story. This book is both. What made my experience even more emotional was learning that the hero of the book, Bob Inama, had passed away recentlyand his funeral was held on the very day that I was reading the book. I felt so connected to the main character by then and it made the book even more meaningful.

Over everything else, this is a book about hope. The resiliency of the human spirit is astounding, and it’s especially in unsettling times like this that we need to be reminded of that.

I was provided with a free copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

You know when you read a book and the story and characters move you and make you want to be a better person? This book, based on the life of Bob Inama, did that for me. Such an incredible story during an incredibly hard moment in history. Hard for those living in the middle of the Soviet controlled portion of East Berlin in Germany.

Heather B. Moore captured the essence of Bob Inama's personality so beautifully. His goodness and gentleness, as well as his outlook of hope. Wow. At the beginning of the book, the author references a quote from Joseph B. Worthlin. "Come what may and love it!" Many years ago, I heard Joseph B. Worthlin say this phrase as he was quoting it from his mother who constantly encouraged him to live his life this way. It must have been a phrase that was said frequently several generations ago. I have loved this quote and thought of it often since initially hearing it. The author referenced this quote in regards to how Bob Inama truly lived his life, especially during this point in time. He was a U.S. soldier serving in Germany during the Cold War and was sent to be a spy in East Berlin, due to his education background and his ability to speak the German language. Bob was captured and imprisoned. He was beaten and lived in deplorable conditions for many, many months. My heart ached as I read about these months. His faith and hope carried him through what many others did not survive.

Along with seeing Bob's treatment in prison, there is another story woven throughout about the underground groups who worked to help those living in East Berlin escape. Oh my heart. While reading I pondered about the struggles and hardships in my life. Compared to what these German's lived through, my frustrations and struggles seem like nothing. Not being able to see your family or friends, being separated from them by the Berlin wall that was up for 28 years. It went up as just barbed wire to begin with on August 13, 1961 and didn't come down until 1989. I remember watching on the news the build up to the wall coming down. Then hearing those powerful words, "Mr. Gorbachav, tear down this wall," in 1987 to when the wall finally came down November 9, 1989. I watched as so many people pulled at that wall and knocked it down. I was young and didn't fully understand everything but I felt that it was an extremely important and poignant moment. As I am older I understand how important it was.

This book is one that I wish I could encourage everyone to read. There are some hard aspects to the book which will make it one that will be too hard for some to read, understandably so. But if you are not one of those people, I highly recommend that you take the time to read this story of one man and his effort to help during this time. And think of the many others who are being thought of and portrayed as putting for many efforts and sacrificing and risking everything for the freedom of others. Amazing story. I hope that I can live my life as Bob Inama did, "Come what may and love it." I'll have struggles but I can look for the good and embrace it.

Bob Inama passed away a week before I wrote this review. I'm grateful for Heather B. Moore for taking the time to get to know Bob and his wife and sharing her talents in writing his story so that many others may read it and learn of the amazing man he is. I hope we can all find ways to be like Bob and allow for "The Slow March of Light" to encircle us, our families and our communities through our actions and sacrifices.

Content: Clean. This book deals with the aftermath of war, soldier, the Cold War, fighting, death, imprisonment and other aspects connected to war. There are some intense moments, but all of it was written in a very sensitive manner. There is talk of faith and religion, though no denomination is given other than Christianity.

I received a copy from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

I'm a fan of historical fiction and had taken a break from them for a bit during quarantine. This book drew me in with its beautiful cover and description and brought me back into the world of historical fiction. The pretense for the book takes us to the Cold War in 1961, when the wall is being put up in Berlin between East and West Germany. I haven't read a ton of books based during this time frame, so I was excited to see how it was depicted.

Moore tells the story of real life American soldier, Bob Inama, and his journey in Germany where he is eventually tasked as a spy. This story is intertwined into the world of Luisa Voigt, who lives in West Berlin. Luisa and Bob form a bond after meeting but are torn apart in the ways people always are during tumultuous war times. Bob is eventually taken as a POW in East Germany and it is a heartwrenching experience to live the horrors of the camp on the page.

I was blown away by the amount of research the author had done for this book surrounding the Cold War. If you look into how she conducted her research for the book and talked with Bob Inama about it, it is utterly fascinating. I can see this book easily made into a movie one day. It carries with it the same hope and faith that you saw in Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken.

The first half of the book is, as another reviewer so accurately put it, a slow march. I enjoyed the final half of the book and found it to go by a lot faster. A lot of other reviewers did not enjoy the in-between material that is between the chapters. I found I quite liked it since I am not as enlightened about events surrounding the Cold War.

Thank you to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of the opinions in the above review are of my own.

Do you know what’s spooky? When you are sitting in your Berlin flat on 13 August 2021 and reading the exact chapter in this book set in Berlin on 13 August 1961. The day the Berlin Wall was erected.

This is a historical fiction based on real events and true experiences of an American soldier. Not a traditional spy story though. The author starts the book with a short introduction to the post-WWII political situation in Germany, and then also adds to each chapter a news clipping, a quote from the Marshall plan, Khrushchev’s speech or some other document of the time. This didn’t work for me at all, I didn’t feel them relevant to the story line, but it would be great for someone who is really into history and politics.

The first half of the book was a bit slow and dry to me but I really enjoyed the second half, especially Bob’s time spent in prison was well-written and gave the book real human touch. I liked the outcome of the romantic subplot too.

I am thankful for NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an Advance Reading Copy.

I wanted to sit with this book for a bit before I wrote down my thoughts. I read a lot of historical fiction, but there is something about the Cold War, about the Berlin Wall, that is so utterly heartbreaking that I am compelled to read about it, even if it requires some breaks while reading.

In a fantastic piece of historical fiction, Moore has given us Bob’s story. The amount of research she put into this book is incredible. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives, from Bob to Luisa. Luisa seemed like such an ordinary character initially, but I was proud to see her step up for what was right. I enjoyed the way their lives intersected. Reading other reviews, I noticed that the news articles and such at the beginning of each chapter put some people off. But it helped to show how much turmoil the world was in at the time. Everyone was on edge, not just Berliners.

Bob’s struggle is memorable, and it hurts because of how much of a struggle it was. He is a man that will stay in my thoughts for a long while. His story is one that everyone should read, even if it takes them a while, as it did for me. Thank you, Shadow Mountain Publishing, for sending this along.

Faith will carry you through

This emotionally charged story, which is based on a true story, will renew your faith in God and in the human spirit. Bob a young U.S. soldier is entrusted will a dangerous mission for his country in East Germany. He never thought he would become a spy when he became a soldier, he only knew he needed to do his patriotic duty for his country. He never realized how his faith would be tested and his life changed in so many ways. This is his story.

A German nurse in West Germany Luisa had no inkling of things to come as she helped an elderly lady deliver a message to her daughter from the hospital bed. She never dreamed she would become part of an organized group helping the east German people escape to the west her grandmother among those saved.

Bob and Luisa meet at a church social and they continue to become good friends. They interact in the story as supporting friends. Two young people caught in a tight situation in the cold war.

The story takes place just as the wall is being erected between East and West Germany in Berlin. The story goes on in telling to describe the differences in the atmosphere and the feel between the two part of Berlin in contrast with each other. It is a riveting story and will keep you holding our breath throughout the book. You won't want to stop reading until you have read the last page.

I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about the story of the Berlin wall, how it came to be and the changes it made in lives of citizens on both sides of the wall. What a tense time in history. I think you will enjoy reading the book as much as I did. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Heather B. Moore, Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy for my honest review.

The Slow March of Light is a compelling book about a fascinating time in history—the Cold War and the construction of the Berlin Wall. Based on the true story of Bob Inama, who was drafted by the Army in 1859, it is an insightful look into turbulent times in a changing world. I visited Berlin in 1982, and it has left a lasting impression on me, decades later. This novel brought many emotions back to me: the fear, the oppression, the desperation, and the inhumanity of a divided city. The author did an excellent job of telling Bob’s story, shedding light on no only what he went through, but also the lives of the ordinary citizens of both East and West Berlin.

This book is so amazing. I love the perspective of someone that actually lived it. Like Paper Daughters of Chinatown, this book is one that needed to be written and it needs to be read. The parallels from this time until now are so clear as I read it. I am one of those that truly believes we need to read and understand history in order to prevent ourselves from repeating it.

Bob Inama and his ability to keep his head in the situations which he faced is an inspiration to me, I doubt I could do the same. While Luisa is a fictional character, I appreciated the point of view of a German citizen who saw this happening in her world, especially as she is based on real accounts as well.

I could not imagine losing so much based on a line drawn in the middle of a city. The people that were willing to put it all on the line to be free. I feel that our freedoms are often taken for granted. I found a new appreciation for my own freedoms: freedoms to go where I want and where I need, freedoms to converse with others and have differing opinions, freedoms that are important to fight for and maintain.

I feel blessed to have been able to access an early copy through NetGalley and to share my honest review of this book.

The Slow March of Light by Heather B Moore has a different spin on a novel with news flashes in between chapters and leading into the next portion of the book. This is the first book I have read by Heather B. Moore. Her writing style is original, and, as the reader, I was drawn in from the very first page to the last This storyline is truly amazing. It was fascinating to read even more about what life was like for the people in Berlin and surrounding areas after the Berlin Wall was placed. The separation of friends, loved ones, and families that ended up on opposite sides of the Wall were so close to one another, but yet worlds apart. Bob is an American that has been enlisted and placed into covert and secret operations within the communist regime...however ends up being caught, imprisoned, and at times tortured. Luisa ends up being separated from her grandmother whom is now on the East side of Berlin. This trauma, and the awareness that there are so many more affected, leads Luisa to join the underground groups that help rescue individuals that want to escape the atrocities of communist East Berlin and make it to West Berlin. I was taken with the willingness of the West people to put forth a risk in order to provide for those in the East to be able to get out and have a chance at a different life. The Slow March of Light is a story of courage, perseverance, and finding faith in seemingly hopeless situations.

Thank you so much to Shadow Mountain Publishing for the ARC of this book

If you have ever felt a pull to learn more about historical events, this book should be calling your name. One of my favorite aspects of Heather B. Moore’s writing is her ability to let the history shine through her words in the most captivating way. I was completely absorbed in the details while reading this book. I felt so much appreciation for these characters that embodied hope and pushed through great fears to make the world a better place, even if only for one person. This book is a difference maker. It will help you find hope, when you only feel dark. It will help you feel like you’re not alone and that hard experiences are worth pushing through.

I highly recommend this book, even if this isn’t your usual genre. It is eye opening, awe-inspiring and all around incredible. Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for the copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

THE SLOW MARCH OF LIGHT by HEATHER B MOORE is the beautifully written and well balanced story of Bob Inama's time as a spy for the US army in East Berlin during the Cold War and after the erection of the Berlin Wall. The author has given a true account of his life, but includes Luisa Voigt, a fictitious character who shows the bravery of those who helped people escape the tyranny of East Berlin. It is a book that will really stay with you as you go on this journey with them. Their sacrificial love and strong faith in God are an inspiration. I particularly like the way the author shows how Bob's terrible hardships lead to great spiritual growth
I highly recommend The Slow March of Light as an excellent read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Shadow Mountain Publishing, The opinions in this review are completely my own.

What a beautiful story! Heather B Moore has taken the true story of Bob Inama's experience in Germany during the Cold War and blended it with the story of fictitious Luisa Voigt to create a story that honors the heroism of so many, many people.

I can't help but wonder when I read these types of stories what kind of person I would have been if I had found myself in this situation. Would I have sat back in silence? Fought back? Been consumed by bitterness and hatred? Bob's story of friendship with "Adolf" was amazing and I wish so very much that he is the kind of person I would have been.

Luisa's story only represents the many people who fought courageously to help free people from East Berlin but it was done very well. I was completely enthralled with her story line.

Bob, I hope you enjoyed seeing your story in print. Thank you for sharing it with the world.

Bright and intelligent lawyer hopeful American Bob Inama's life changed with the receipt of a pivotal letter. In 1959 the US Army drafted him and he was to immediately begin basic training and then sent to West Germany. It was there he met Luisa Voigt, a compassionate nurse who was different than other girls. Bob wasn't the only one who was involved in danger every day. Based on a true story from Bob Inama himself, the author wrote about Bob's life and job as a spy during a time of turmoil. He learned the language which was useful but he could trust no one when betrayal was common. Anyone could be a double agent.

Even before the wall was built in August of 1961 dividing the west from the east there was a great deal of unrest. The wall which literally went up one night had the power to ostracize and destroy. I cannot fathom living in Berlin during this time, instantly separated from family and work. People were desperate to reunite but couldn't or they would be shot on the spot. Before the double wires were strung across the wall some managed to escape but an extra layer of defense was added in the form of spikes. Many were driven to becoming informants. There were prisoner exchanges and torture. I have read many books about Germany during this time and this one adds that personal anecdotal touch.

The quotes at the beginning of each chapter add background information and history. The timeline is helpful as well. What I admire most is Bob's spirit, forgiveness and unshakeable faith. The Adolf story is particularly moving. Another striking thing is Bob's unbiased views. He chose to take the high road. His love for the country to which he felt a certain kinship wasn't marred by hardship.

History and Historical Fiction lovers, do read this powerful book of courage and honour.

My sincere thank you to Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this inspiring book.

1959-1975 Idaho and Germany

Lovely introduction to a new to me author.

The Slow March of Light is based upon the life of Bob Inama that served in the U.S. Army in Germany during the Cold War. He was drafted into the Army just before he was able to begin law school. Clearly, this was a life curve. Bob initially served in a regular military capacity, but then went undercover in East Germany. The strongest part of the novel was Bob's time in prison.

There was a secondary story line of a young nurse with the fictional name of Luisa that befriended Bob while they both lived in Hamburg. There was a lot of suspense that occurred in the pages in relation to Luisa and her efforts to help East Germans.

This novel is faith building and well written. I love when a book title has a focused meaning. When the phrase "slow march of light" was used, this reader smiled and sighed with happiness. The author does a wonderful job of bringing the Cold War to life.

Wow, this is such a powerful book and I enjoyed it so much. Bob Inama is all set to start law school in 1960 when he receives a draft notice. He puts his law career on hold and joins the Army. He is sent to Germany and is settling into Army life when he meets a recent graduate nurse named Luisa Voigt. There is an immediate attraction there but Luisa's father is a policeman and he wants her to have nothing to do with American Army men. Luisa's dad is transferred to West Berlin to work and Luisa moves with him in order to be closer to her oma who lives in East Berlin. Bob is then selected to do a secret spy mission. The story follows a dual timeline with Bob on his spy mission and Luisa joining the underground to help people escape from East Berlin.

I was just starting high school when the Cold War began so I remember it well. I have read a lot of books dealing with WWI and II but never one that dealt with the Cold War so I found this extremely fascinating. The story line about Bob Inama was based on a true story while the story line about Luisa was fiction. I think Heather B. Moore did have fantastic job writing this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain publishing for the ARC of this very interesting book.

Thanks to Netgalley and author for the arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion on the book. Love the book. Would love to read more from the author.