An inspiring and deeply moving historical novel set against the backdrop of World War II. The story follows Sam Carlson, a projectionist from small-town Minnesota, and his college-bound sweetheart, Sarah Haber. When Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Sam is sent to the Philippines, where he is captured and forced to endure the horrors of the Bataan Death March and brutal POW camps. His journey takes him onto a hell ship, the Arisan Maru, with his survival hanging by a thread. Back home, Sarah channels her remarkable math skills into the war effort, eventually being recruited into the covert world of code-breaking in Washington, D.C. When Sarah intercepts a critical message about a Japanese convoy—unbeknownst to her, the one transporting Sam—her work will unknowingly play a pivotal role in his fate.

What I appreciated most about this story was its historical depth. Dugoni captures the raw realities of war, but also highlights the unwavering resilience of the characters. While Sam's story is compelling, it was Sarah’s journey that meant the most to me. Her involvement in the early days of women in Navy cryptology was particularly moving, as I’ve spent 20 years serving in the same field, decades after this story takes place. Seeing women like Sarah pave the way for those of us who followed was deeply meaningful.

The novel is well-researched, thoughtfully written, and manages to balance heavy material with hope and resilience. It’s a powerful tribute to the love and bravery that fueled countless acts of heroism during the war. Dugoni wraps it all up with a satisfying, uplifting conclusion that celebrates the strength of the human spirit even in the face of insurmountable odds.

A must-read for anyone interested in WWII history, especially the untold stories of women who made their mark in fields like cryptology. It’s an unforgettable story of survival, faith, and love that transcends.

Hold Strong
by: Robert Dugoni; Jeff Langholz; Chris Crabtree
Lake Union Publishing
Pub Date: 1/28/25

Dugoni, Langholz, and Crabtree have crafted a powerful novel in the historical fiction genre. Set during World War II, the well-researched narrative is haunting and thought provoking. Fans of this genre should definitely consider adding this book to their shelf.

I received an advance reader's copy from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing. My review is my own.
#NetGalley #HoldStrong

Hold Strong, by Robert Dugoni and others, is an outstanding WWII story, focusing on a midwestern American couple, committed to each other, but not ready to marry. He is sent to the Pacific, and she goes to college where she emerges as a math superstar. Those skills lead to her joining the war effort as a key decoder. Point of view moves seamlessly between the two main characters as the war progresses. Dugoni's mastery of the war spares the reader little in terms of the horror and savagery of the war. Her experiences as a civilian in the military and as a member of one of the first Women's branches is also illuminating. Do not miss the authors' notes and cites following the novel's conclusions. Although the characters are fictional, the events are real and well documented. An exceptional example of historical fiction! Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was a privilege.

In the annals of historical fiction, this book is one of the best. I read historical fiction like most others to get a better view of history. This book, well-researched and well-written is the story of a young man and woman during the time leading up to and during World War II. Like others from the era they have fallen in love but due to economic and other reasons have put off any kind of commitment. The war breaks out and the young man enlists, the young lady continues her education getting a Masters Degree in Mathematics. Unknowingly, their worlds continue to intersect. She ends up in a top-secret decoding group with the Navy and he ends up as a POW becoming one of the storied, "Bloody Bastards of Bataan.
This book is based on factually researched information on the POWs who experienced the horrors of the death camps in the Pacific. It is also the story of the women and men at home in the United States working desperately to break the codes used by the Japanese that were needed for the Allies to gain superiority in the war. The story and characters are engaging, and the history is little told or remembered. I encourage all to read this book about the "Greatest Generation" of men and women who freed the world from tyranny and forged a new generation of free people.
".

First....Robert Dugoni is a skilled writer of so many differing kinds of stories, his books cannot be assigned to any one genre. He writes stories that need to be told. I've read many of his books, whether stand alone or one of his excellent series, fiction or nonfiction, they all share one thing....once you start reading, you'll not stop until the end where you look around and say "I need to share this book now!". When I recommend one of his titles, I'm invaribly asked, who is he like? The answer is no one else writes books like his. And now.....

What starts as a heart warming tale of two people from a small town who have their future laid out in front of them turns into two tense, suspense filled stories on opposite sides of the world on Dec 7, 1941 when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Sam will deploy with his National Guard unit to the Phillipines where history books have detailed the inhuman treatment our POWs suffered at the hands of their Japanese captors. Sarah will utilize her considerable math skills to become a Navy code breaker. Their paths will cross again in a shocking manner, leaving readers dreading the next chapter when we find the outcome. To say more would be to influence other readers before they join Sam and Sarah on this journey. This is a fictional story, yet it's filled with so much documented history, it feels like a nonfiction. These characters represent many people who lived through WWII as they fought to protect and preserve our way of life. Read the book, share the book, talk about the book. The story deserves that.

Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber are high school sweethearts in small town Minnesota before the beginning of WWII. Sam is earning some money as a projectionist in a local movie theater while Sarah aspires to study mathematics at college. When Sam buys a ring for his intended, she is not yet ready to make that commitment. And then Sam, a member of the National Guard, is called into active service after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, with hardly a chance to say good bye.

Sent to the Philippines , Sam and his American and other Allied comrades become POWs after the American generals decide to abandon them there and concentrate their forces on more winnable strategic locations. After being subjected to the unthinkable cruelty of Japanese prison camp guards, Sam barely survives the Bataan Death March only to end up on the Hell Ship Arisan Maru. The provisions of the Geneva convention were not recognized by the Japanese who starved, beat and worked the prisoners to death, and then stuffed them without food or water behind a locked door in the bowels of the ship.

Sarah’s story was told concurrently. After college, Sarah enlisted in the armed forces as a show of support for Sam. Her unique capabilities were recognized at once and Sarah was assigned to an elite group of code breakers charged with in the interception and cracking of codes used by the Japanese. Eventually Sarah’s skill is put to the test as the result of her ability to break the code will directly affect Sam.

This is a story of endurance, friendship, camaraderie and love while facing extreme cruelty Much of what I knew about WWII and SE Asia was learned in school. Some was gleaned from stories my father, who served in China in WWII, told me as a child. Yet this book, which was fastidiously documented in the last hundred pages, had secrets to tell that were shocking to me. Despite my years in college I never understood the depth of cruelty and deliberate slaughter of American POWs callously perpetrated by Japanese captors.

Clearly, this is a masterful work of historical fiction put together so seamlessly that it was impossible to discern which of the three authors wrote which part. Emotional, fraught with tension and passion, Hold Strong is absolutely one of my most memorable reads. Kudos to the authors for their ability to weave a chapter of history into a work of fiction giving recognition to heroes of a bygone era. Five stars ( I’d give more if I could) to a superb piece of historical fiction. My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me a prepublication copy of Hold Strong in exchange for my unbiased review. Released on Jan 28,2025 this book is available now.

When the author of one of my favorite books ever, The World Played Chess, comes out with a novel based closely on actual events in the Pacific during WWII, count me in! Hold Strong is just as incredible as I hoped, and will be on my most recommended list for this year. The story of Sam Carlson and other POWs is emotional and inspiring, highlighting some of the darkest, most horrifying chapters of history and the courage it took to survive.

The love story of Sam and Sarah, and Sarah's involvement in code breaking made this novel one that will appeal to readers of traditional historical fiction as well. The story highlights a less written about side of WWII, the involvement of Americans and Japanese in the Pacific region, and the role of women in breaking the Japanese codes. I found this well-researched and documented novel easy to read and an absolute page-turner.

Robert Dugoni has become a must-read author for me; I enjoy his mysteries, but I especially enjoy his historical fiction. Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the digital ARC of Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree. The opinions in this review are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing Amazon Publishing, for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by one of my all time favorite authors, Robert Dugoni, co-written with Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Sam Carlson works as a projectionist in small-town Minnesota, dreaming of a future with his girlfriend, college-bound Sarah Haber. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Sam is sent to the Philippines, eventually to be captured as a POW. Meanwhile, Sarah is recruited to Washington DC to be a code breaker. She intercepts a message about a Japanese convoy, prompting an unimaginable decision by the government.

This is an amazing book, based on an extraordinary true story, that will have you both questioning humanity and glorifying it. The courage of men in unimaginable situations shows just how strong the human spirit can be. I'm not sure I've ever read a book that so thoroughly documented the facts behind the story, in an almost page-by-page note section at the end. Do not miss the Afterword either, This book is heartbreaking, inspirational, and definitely taught me about yet another war atrocity, the hell ships, and those poor souls who inhabited them. In addition, the role of women in code breaking was fascinating. I am grateful to these authors for shining light into dark spaces of our history in the hopes that it is never repeated. Do not miss this book - very highly recommended!

4.5★s
Hold Strong is a stand-alone novel by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree. In 1938, the depression has hit his farming family hard, so seventeen-year-old Sam Carlson has been doing odd jobs around Eagle Grove to help out, but he can’t afford college, and he knows it’s not enough to support a wife. Still, on bended knee with his grandmother’s ring in hand, he asks. Sarah Haber says “not yet”.

Working as projectionist at Eagle Grove’s Paradise cinema has the added benefit of a private spot where he and Sarah can watch movies, and he could never have predicted how useful it would later be, but he needs to earn enough to help out his family, and for a future with Sarah: he decides to join the National Guard. He and Sarah will be apart, but they write, often.

Sarah, smart enough to win a scholarship, is off to Mankato State Teachers College, where her gift for mathematics, her intelligence and determination are noted: she’s offered a position in Communications Intelligence, with the US Navy, all very hush hush. Teaching in their small Minnesota town doesn’t provide quite the satisfaction she’d hoped for, so she contacts Navy Captain, Bill Russell, and is welcomed into their code-breaking unit with open arms. Turns out she’s good at it!

Sam’s hard work and diligence as a tank driver sees him promoted and he’s optimistic for the future. Then, Pearl Harbour, and suddenly, his National Guard Unit is subsumed by the Army: he’s training in Seattle, put onto a ship and sailing for the Philippines. How those tank units are let down when the Japanese attack Clark Field is utterly tragic. The lack of support, of defences, of means to repel the attacks: they are sitting ducks. They are not rescued, not evacuated: they are told to surrender to the Japanese.

As POWs of the Japanese, who don’t recognise the Geneva Convention, Sam and his unit face not just starvation, disease, torture, beatings and executions by their shockingly brutal captors, but the American-educated man in charge specialises in psychological cruelty and makes Sam his target. Captivity and hardship can bring out the best in people, and Sam has close friends who look out for him as he does for them. But it can also bring out the worst in people, and he finds himself in the sights of a large American bully.

Word from the Pacific Front is sparse, but when Sarah, by now a WAVES Ensign, learns that Sam is a POW, she insists her talent as a cryptanalyst be used in the Pacific, where she might just be able to help Sam, and men like him. She learns Japanese and begins intercepting important messages. When she decodes a message about a certain Japanese freighter that has 1800 American POWs on board, she faces an awful dilemma. Will her actions help Sam survive? That’s only half the story.

The fiction tale takes up not quite eighty per cent of this volume; the remainder is Afterword, which includes information about various aspects of the story , and citations of real examples of what occurs in the plot. These certainly add authenticity and may be of interest to readers. A moving, shocking and informative tale.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.

This book! Just when I thought Robert Dugoni, author of The Incredible Life of Sam Hell, couldn’t impress me more, he surprised me. He wrote this amazing book, Hold Strong, with co-authors Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree. If I could, I would give it 10 out of 5 stars. This historical fiction book took ten years to write, and it shows. I wanted to cancel all of my plans until I could finish the book. It was that good!

My Thoughts On The Book:
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I loved this book. At first, I didn’t want to read ANOTHER book about WWII. When you teach about it, you think that you couldn’t learn much more. I was wrong. I haven’t read much about the American POWs in Japan. I definitely didn’t know much about the women that became code-breakers. The code-breakers were told to keep what they did confidential, so I’m so glad that these authors did their research.

I loved the characters, Sam and Sarah, in Hold Strong. Not only was their love story realistic, but I learned so much from each of their perspectives about the war. When it was Sam’s point of view, it felt intense. As he experienced the atrocities of a POW, it was almost overwhelming. I had to put the book down a couple of time just because it hurt my heart. I was glad when the next chapter would switch to Sarah to hear her story. I love a strong woman character. Sarah transitioned from a small-town girl to making a big difference in the outcome of the war.

I read this on my Kindle, and I didn’t know there were notes at the back of the book. I wish I had known this ahead of time. The authors took the time to write out what historically happened by page number. It would have been fun to read the true events or what they used for research chapter by chapter.

This story is a beautiful tribute to those that gave up their lives in World War II. Some of the supporting characters in the book were based on real people. I have to say that Chavez was my favorite. You always need that one person around who brings light to any dark situation. Do you know a person in your own life like that?

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and authors: Robert Dugoni, Chris Crabtree, and Jeff Langholz for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

I gave this book five out of five stars. The book is fast paced and well-written. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction. I will remember this book for a long time. Does this book sound interesting to you?

Based on a true story, this historical fiction novel is definitely a must read. Harrowing, but inspiring and thought-provoking tale set in the WWII era. The story follows the POVs of high school sweethearts Sam and Sarah. Through these characters we get a glimpse of how some women contributed to the war with their work in code breaking, as well as the horrors our servicemen went through in the Bataan Death March, POW camps and Japanese hellships. Love that the novel was historically well researched, and the notes section at the end of the book add even more insight into the real events and the real people that inspired the characters.

Wow! What a story. I could not out it down. If I were home as opposed to on an overseas volunteer trip, I would have finished it in one sitting.

What the human spirit, mind and body can endure. Based on the true account of the Bataan March in the Philippines, this story follows high school sweethearts. One a math whiz who eventually becomes a code breaker and Sam, her boyfriend, who joins the reserves and then ends up going to the Philippines.

I loved the book but not what actually happened to the groups at the hands of the Japanese.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

This is one of those books that you hate to see end because you want to know that everything works out for the characters you have grown to know so well. The story of Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber is one that I had not heard, but it is also one that we all know so well. High School sweethearts who are affected by the Depression, separated when one goes to college and the other, to help his family, joins the National Guard. Then WWII happens and they are even further kept apart by their separate roles in winning the War.

Sam's family lost their farm in Minnesota when the depression hit and there was no money for him to attend college, so he joined the National Guard, who promised to teach him a skill, feed and clothe him, and pay him a wage that he could use to help his struggling family at home. It was only a three-year commitment, so he gladly signed on. But, with the War fast approaching, even the government that had promised to keep America neutral could see that they would not be able to keep that promise and they nationalized the National Guard. So Sam's commitment was extended and he eventually found himself in the midst of the Pacific War.

Meanwhile, Sarah had been able to get a scholarship to get her degree and be able to return to her home town and teach at the local high school. But she soon found that teaching did no fulfill what she felt was her destiny, so when the opportunity was presented to go to Washington DC and help the war effort, Sarah took it. As a gifted mathematician, she was soon selected to work on decoding Japanese ciphers and found herself in Hawaii, where the most secret work was being done.

The two were apart for three long years and each had experiences that were never to be revealed, so when they finally reunited there was no guarantee that they had not been changed so much that their love for each other could not survive.

Based on a true story, this told a story about WWII that I had never heard. And it is a horrifying story, but one we all should learn about.

Hold Strong is a fitting name because the book had the strongest hold on me until the very last page!

Sam Carlson and his family have been hit hard by the depression. He has been working multiple jobs to help and one of his jobs is running the projector at the small town theater in Minnesota. He likes to meet his sweetheart there for some alone time. Sarah Haber is headed to college to study math that leads her to working as a code breaker for the military when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor and Sam is sent to the Philippines. Sam is captured and ends up as a POW on the Bataan Death March. Sarah moves up the ranks and finds herself as one of the top code breakers; she intercepts a message from Japan about a convoy including the Arisan Maru ship. The Navy believe it is clear they must sink this ship, a ship containing American POW’s, including Sam. Sarah is in the middle of the biggest battle of her life and they world hoping they can have a satisfying outcome.

I used to say that my favorite genre of books was a good suspense thriller, but now I have to admit that my favorite genre is a Robert Dugoni book! It doesn’t matter what he writes it is going to be a phenomenal book. Hold Strong is a fantastic book with characters at the heart of it all and a plotline that will tug at readers heartstrings. The back and forth between Sam and Sarah was fantastic and written so well, as are all the books by Dugoni. Historical fiction is not my usual go to genre, but when it is done well it will end up as one of my favorite reads of the year, just as this one is going to be. This book was so good! Fans of WWII and historical fiction will not want to miss out on this one!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

This is quite a harrowing tale, a WWII very accurate historical fiction. If you liked Unbroken you should read this. The depiction of the Bataan death march, POW camps, and a little known tale of Japanese Hell ships. The last 10% of the book is footnotes detailing actual Survivors memories.
This is also a book about resilience and the incredible desire to just stay alive.
The unremitting misery is broken up by Sam's life at home and the love of his life Sarah. They are from a small town and never imagined leaving.
After Sam is shipped off to the Philippines, Sarah goes to college and plans to return home to teach. She is a math major and is recruited to come to Washington, but returns home to teach.
When Sam is declared missing, she realizes she must do something more, and heads off to DC to become a code breaker. These chapters are very interesting and depict the life of the women at home doing their part, trying to deal with misogyny at every turn.
The book is written by novelist Dugoni with the help of 2 historians. I asked for an ARC because I loved Dugoni's previous book, unaware of how difficult this book would be for me. I was a Japanese major in college and have been to Japan numerous times, so the Japanese in humanity to POWs always strikes me hard.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the the EARC. The opinions are mine alone.

A story not easily forgotten.
Reading this book makes it extremely visual in your mind. Proof how talented Robert Dugoni is.
We have two stories interwoven. Sam ends up captured in the Philippines by the Japanese. This story shows how little importance the Japanese paid to the prisoner of war status. The brutal treatment. One way to hide their prisoners was to keep them in the hold of a cargo ship. After an American submarine torpedoed the cargo ship, Sam ends up in the water, but this is only the beginning of another long and painful journey.
Back home Sarah wants to help the war effort and ends up in Hawaii decoding Japanese messages. There she has trouble deciding between passing the information that could be the death of the prisoners of war or try to save them which would alert the Japanese their code is deciphered. An amazing story with heroism, love but also brutality and selfishness.

Robert Dugoni has earned a spot on my "must-read" authors list. Whether it's his one of his series or a standalone like this one, I find his books hard to put down once I start them.
Hold Strong is historical fiction, aptly described as "epic and inspiring". Sam Carlson's life has been dramatically impacted by the Great Depression: his family lost their farm, and instead of going to college Sam is trying to earn money to help his family survive, which leads him to join the National Guard. His high school sweetheart, Sarah Haber, is heading to college to study math, and plans to return to their small town in Minnesota to teach and, Sam hopes, to marry him. Their lives are turned upside down by WWII, however, with Sam being sent to the Philippines where he ends up a POW under brutal conditions, and Sarah is recruited to a top secret code-breaking team. The story alternates between their stories, and I found it absolutely gripping. Dugoni is a master at writing complex and compelling characters, and mines fact and imagination to bring the men and women of this story to live. He excels in portraying strong women characters and Sarah is no exception. Sam faces unfathomable misery with courage, his love for and determination to return to Sarah driving his survival. Dugoni, Langholz and Crabtree tell a heart-wrenching but inspiring story, all the more powerful because it is based on true events.

Hold Strong is a masterpiece of a book by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langhoz, and Chris Crabtree. Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber are high school sweethearts who have been in love for some time. Sam works at the local movie theatre as a projectionist and his family has been hit hard by the Depression. His Dad recently lost the farm to the bank after selling off his cows one by one to feed the family. It's been very tough times for the Carlson's. Sarah is very smart and is headed to college after graduation. She is getting a degree in math and her dream is to be a teacher in her hometown. Sam and Sarah are from a small town in Minnesota and both dream of getting married in the church and living a happy life there.

Sam signs up for the National Guard as he doesn't have money for college, but wants to go one day. He knows the National Guard pays a salary and provides college after your service is up. Sarah is away at college and they write letters to one another often. Sam is away with his National Guard troop when Pearl Harbor is bombed. He was supposed to get out in 3 months when that happened, but now his troop has been told they're part of the Army and must serve until further notice. His squad is sent to the Philippines and all is good until the Japanese attack. Sam and the rest of his squad are captured as POW's. Meanwhile, Sarah is out of college and has signed a contract to teach at the high school in her hometown. She finished at the top of her class and has a masters degree in mathematics.

Sarah is invited to attend a special meeting in Washington D.C. She doesn't know much about the meeting and is surprised to see only women have been invited. The government is looking for women to help decipher messages that the Japanese are sending to one another. She would be a code breaker if she passes the tests and signs up. Sarah is very interested in doing it, especially since Sam has gone missing as a POW. She wants to help in any way possible. She has already started teaching and is conflicted due to her contract. She decides to go back to the high school as she doesn't want to let her students down. When the school year finishes a few weeks later, Sarah reaches out to the officer who ran the meeting. She tells him she has changed her mind and would like to take the test. She is told to report to Washington immediately. When she arrives no test is necessary as she was the top recruit due to her skills in math.

Sam is going through hell dealing with starvation, dehydration, physical exhaustion from physical labor in crazy heat and humidity, and beatings. His body can't take much more. Sam and his squad are loaded onto a boat named Arisan Manu. He is one of 1800 POW's shoved into a cargo area not meant for a few hundred people, much less 1800! The conditions are unbearable and many of the men get sick and die. Sarah is a genius when it comes to code breaking and has been promoted 3 times. She deciphers a message about a Japanese convoy. The US Navy is sent to sink the Arisan Manu as they sink the ships once they learn of their location. Will Sam be able to survive the horrible conditions and the attack of the Navy?
Will Sarah be able to live with herself if something happens to Sam? Will the dreams that Sam and Sarah had come true?

Hold Strong is based on true stories from that time and is a true masterpiece. I found myself thinking of both Sam and Sarah's predicaments after I had stopped reading for the night. This book is inspirational, heartbreaking, and romantic all at once. You become transported back in time and feel like you're living through the things the characters are and this is due to the exceptional writing! Hold Strong comes out on January 28 and should not be missed! I will remember this book and the characters for the rest of my life. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of Hold Strong in exchange for a fair review. This book is special and the bravery and sacrifice of both Sam and Sarah should be read by all. #HoldStrong

Shredded me, heart and soul, opened my eyes and brought some understanding to what our men (boys) dealt with in WWII. There is light romance that I think was used to ease some of the horrifying events. The romance provides a HEA. I wonder how many really achieved that. Like others I had no clue there were floating ships of POW's and our own government. I highly recommend reading this book and the afterword where there is more knowledge. Thank you for the advanced copy. I freely share my honest thoughts and opinions. #HoldStrong #RobertDugoni #JeffLangholz #ChrisCrabtree #LakeUnionPublishing #NetGalley

It's not often a book leaves me speechless. But what Robert Dugoni, along with Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree, have crafted is a story of a lifetime. A deep dive into a time in history that these wordsmiths admit is not one that is discussed nearly enough. And I'm in full agreement. The World War II Phillippines almost has felt to this reader as a part of the conflict that was settled with various important battles but always assumed that the main focus was on Europe and all the Nazis were destroying. However, as I have now learned, the atrocities cast upon the brave POWs in those South China Sea waters were nothing short of horrific. And that's putting it mildly.

As we follow Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber from their small town in Minnesota to the ravages of war, I fell happily into the beautiful story that was their young love and the decisions they had to make to escape the aftermath of the Great Depression. The book is divided into parts, as we watch Sam enter the military as a way to make money and eventually save the family farm, while the brilliant Sarah goes to college, determined to come back to Eagle Grove and be the teacher she has always dreamed of. But when the US is thrust into WWII after Pearl Harbor, both of their well-thought-out journeys are set on a new course and only time will tell whether or not their ultimate dream of being together forever will come to fruition.

The main focus of the story, however, is what Sam and his fellow POWs suffer through at the hands of the Japanese military. I'm still shaking at the evil that was cast upon these brave men. Dugoni et al. don't hold back as they used real accounts from survivors of that time to describe what these soldiers went through with Sam as our unfortunate guide. These were just babies in my eyes who had to become men overnight and do their best just to make it through another day. Where not only were their bodies ravaged from slave labor, frequent beatings and starvation, but their souls were tortured even more fiercely.

We are privy to the camaraderie for Sam, in particular, of a few truly great men who held him up when he couldn't stand and who helped him keep a modicum of faith even when it was anything but easy to do so. I am still in shock thinking of not only what these young men had to endure but that they did all they could to not only save themselves but their fellow soldiers daily. It was a fight no one could ever be fully prepared for, yet even with thoughts of escape, they pushed on in any way they could just to survive one more day.

The contrasting viewpoint of Sarah's life and her pivot to become crucial to the war effort was awe-inspiring to say the least. I loved that she took the chance and became a WAVE and then a secret codebreaker, doing her part while her guy was fighting for his life. There are moments of true greatness for Sarah, and times of great guilt yet she shined in her new roles and I was thrilled to find out about her and the other women who were tantamount in destroying our enemies. They were truly the miracle we needed.

But for me, despite all the death, destruction and sadness, the love that Sarah and Sam shared for one another was a wonderful way to direct this story. There are plenty of technical passages along with gruesome moments that are forever seared into my brain but these authors created a storyline that kept the humanity alive when all else may have felt lost. With the hope that Sarah and Sam would forever be in love and would find their way back to one another as we witness Sam holding tight onto Sarah's high school ring as the ultimate symbol of faith and determination.

I could write literal pages on how much this book affected me. How my eyes were opened to a big part of the war that is not discussed nearly enough. How a couple of teenagers become wary adults and how their lives no matter how separate they may have seemed, intersected in the most incredible of ways during one of the worst periods in our history. But also how the power of love continued to be the beacon of hope when all else failed. I am honored to have been able to experience this journey with Sam and Sarah and want to thank the authors for telling their story.

I also have to thank the authors for providing a thorough Afterword and Notes. Their attention to detail, making sure what they wrote was beyond accurate, added a special touch after reading such an incredible book. Their notes are rich with new information and offer up more truths to this remarkable storyline.

My last thoughts about Hold Strong are these: GO AND READ THIS BOOK. You'll be swept away by the journeys both Sam and Sarah follow and you'll be forever changed with respect to your knowledge of a time that is never to be forgotten. You will shed many a tear but I'm sure as those last few pages are read, you'll sigh happily with a huge smile on your face. Grateful you took the chance.

5++++++++++ huge stars.