Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber are high school sweethearts. After graduation, Sarah heads off to college to be a mathematics teacher while Sam joins the National Guards to earn money to help support his family who lost their farm because of the depression. War breaks out and both Sam and Sarah's lives move on in many different ways. This is a very well researched and well written story about the horrors of World War II which I enjoyed very much, albeit a tough read at times.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this very interesting book.

This is one of those books that is going to stick with me for a long time and I highly recommend. The events explored in this historical novel were based on true events from World Word II. Specifically, it focuses on the conditions of a POW camp in the Philippines that were so brutal and horrendous that it is unimaginable how human beings could treat other human beings so horribly. The reader also learns about the Bataan Death March and the horrors surrounding the Arsian Maru, a Japanese freighter that is torpedoed by an American submarine. Despite all the bleakness, the book spotlighted how individuals can be so resilient and willing to survive despite the most unimaginable conditions or their willingness to sacrifice their lives for the greater good.

At the core of this novel is a love story between Sam and Sarah. Sam is from a small town in Minnesota, who decides to sign up to be a soldier in WWII and is captured and becomes a POW. Sarah has extreme talents in mathematics and is sought out to be codebreaker and at one-point intercepts a Japanese message that may impact Sam’s life. Throughout the book, there are numerous examples of individuals making sacrifices to benefit others, a willingness to survive and the ability to remain hopeful when everything else tells you to give up.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#Netgalley, #HoldStrong, #RobertDugoni, #JeffLangholz, #ChrisCrabtree

“War is hell.” This quote is credited to General William Sherman, who first said, “War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.” He later shortened it to the famous three-word statement in a speech he gave. Either way, those words perfectly sum up the experiences of Sam Carlson and his comrades in Robert Dugoni’s epic WWII saga, Hold Strong. This non-fiction novel, which was researched and written in collaboration with Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree, is based on true events of POWs in the Pacific Theatre.

We first meet Carlson in his fictional hometown of Eagle Grove, Minnesota, which, ironically, is the name of a city in Iowa. Sam develops feelings for Sarah Hader, a girl with a keen mind for mathematics and the gumption to speak her mind. The pair become better acquainted up in the projection booth of the local movie house, where Sam runs the projector. It’s the only place in town with air conditioning, and they can eat free popcorn and share a Coke. After graduation, Sarah is college bound on a scholarship. Sam’s family is barely scraping by, so he enlists in the National Guard. They see one another on weekends, but that changes when the Guard is federalized. Before he knows it, Sam is on his way to the Philippines. Up until this point, I had difficulty engaging in the story. I felt like a spectator; however, the interpersonal interactions, the conflict, and the emotions intensify tremendously, along with the danger as Sam and his platoon face tougher and tougher odds. This becomes a painful experience, but well worth reading.

His unit consists of some unforgettable characters, especially men like Pete Chavez and chaplain Father Thomas Scecina (whom he often calls “Padre”). His girl, Sarah, is never far from his mind, however. He hopes she’s still waiting for him.

The story flips back and forth between Sam’s war-weary life and Sarah’s new challenges. She’s graduated and returned to Eagle Grove to teach. But Uncle Sam has plans for her. Because of her intellectual skills, she’s come to the attention of military intelligence. It was during this time frame that the WAVES were born. Her training and her assignment are top secret.

Meanwhile, Sam is captured, and his family and Sarah are mostly kept in the dark. The descriptions of the treatment he and the other prisoners endure are simply horrific. Dugoni and his co-writers have meticulously researched and documented conditions in the camps and on the “hell ships” to which American and allied prisoners were subjected, and one can’t help feeling a whole spectrum of emotions reading this, realizing that so many of our troops experienced this horror. Thanks to the many brave men and women who served during this time, who served in intelligence, who bravely fought and were injured, captured, imprisoned, and gave their lives.

I received a digital copy of Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, and Chris Crabtree so that I might share my unbiased review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the authors.

4.5 stars rounded up

Based on true events from WWII, this book portrays some of the horrific events that the prisoners of war were subjected to and their fight to freedom. The main characters, Sam and Sarah, both participate in the war effort, but when Sam is taken prisoner by the Japanese, their future is uncertain. This was so much more than a love story. It is a story of survival, determination, and bravery. This is one of those stories that needs to be told, and the authors did a fabulous job. I highly recommend reading this book to better understand the suffering and hard times of WWII.

I was given an advance reader copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Love this author and the story was very compelling however the execution of the telling of this story fell a little flat for me.

Based on true events this book makes you realise how shocking Japanese POW were treated. Its a harrowing read in parts and perhaps great for my usual relaxing bedtime reading but it is something that people should know about. It truly made me appreciate even more the suffering that millions went through.

At times a hard read but educating and worthwhile.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and authors for allowing me to read an Arc copy.

This book is based on real events during WWII. The book is well researched and the characters are a compilation of multiple individuals experiences. It is not an easy read, it portrays some horrific actions that were taken against captured troops. It is a story of perseverance thru incredible difficulty and the will to survive. I was skeptical about the fact the book is written by 3 authors, but in the end it was well done. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, Christian Crabtree, and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Robert Dugoni collaborates with Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree to bring readers this wartime thriller. The authors deliver a great account of two young people who are barely out of school, but whose determination and passion to help puts them in equally precarious positions. Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber are a young couple who are tested when war sweeps across the world and America is no longer able to stay neutral. While Sarah is sent to work at cracking codes, Sam finds himself in the Pacific Theatre, where countless events shape him in ways no one could predict. A great piece of writing that showcases many of the great skills all three of these authors possess.

Sam Carlson has worked as a movie projectionist to pass the time and save for his future. He hopes to find his future path while watching many a black and white movie late into the night. When his girlfriend and local math genius, Sarah Haber, has plans to go off to college, Sam hopes to find something that will not only pass the time, but provide for her when they marry. This leads him to answer a request to join the military, in hopes of serving his country while Europe is being torn apart. Writing Sarah while training at various locations across the country, Sam soon finds himself in the middle of the action after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor.
Sam is soon sent off to the Philippines, where he and those around him hope to battle the Japanese and help the war effort in the Pacific Theatre. This will not only keep him busy, but leaves Sam vulnerable to the sadistic ways of the Japanese. All the while, Sarah’s math abilities are noticed by some secret groups within the US government and she finds herself trying to crack the various codes used by the Japanese. Cryptologist by day, worried girlfriend by night, Sarah can only hope that Sam will return to her soon and in one piece.
After the Japanese capture Sam and many other Americans, brutalizing them and leaving them for dead, the stage is set for utter despair. As a POW, Sam can barely survive each day, but is determined to make it, if only to ensure he sees Sarah once again. Emaciated and broken, Sam soon finds himself on a boat with 1800 POWs, many of whom will not make it more than a day or two. His only hope is to focus on the future. While Sarah cracks codes and tries to ensure the Japanese will not pull the wool over the eyes of the Americans, she finds herself in the middle of a romantic triangle that could easily destroy the small-town plans that she and Sam made all those years ago. The authors deliver a chilling tale that pulls on real events, sure to impress the attentive reader.
I have long enjoyed the work of Robert Dugoni, both his legal thrillers and those of a more personal nature. This collaborative work alongside Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree adds a deeper connection to the story and impacts the reading experience greatly. The narrative flows well and provides an easy to comprehend story, though there are definite moments of despair and anguish that must be synthesised. The characters provide great flavour to the piece, no matter where they are from and hemp to add a needed depth to provide more impact for the reader. Plot twists are constant, set against the backdrop of historical happenings, which serves to provide the reader with some learning moments and keeps things edgy. Dugoni chose well with his collaborators, as they help develop a strong foundation on which the story can rest!

Kudos, Messrs. Dugoni, Langholz, and Crabtree, for this impactful novel!

After the attack at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese immediately attacked the bases in the Pacific and in the Philippines. The bases were quickly overtaken because the military lacked shells and bullets. The entire contingent of men was forced to march nearly 3,000 miles in extremely hot and humid weather.

This story chronicles the terrible conditions they faced both during the “Battan Death March,” and the trip aboard the Arisan Maru. Eight thousand troops were forced into the ships’ hold with no place to sit or lay down. No fresh air was piped into the hold and many died of starvation or thirst.
This novel highlights the plight of these 8,000 troops and the brutality that was inflicted by their Japanese captors. The average walk per day was around 30 miles.

This novel would be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates historical biographical fiction or biographical fiction of WWII. The descriptions bringing the scene to life are all too real. It’s crushing. Look for the release of this one in late January or pre-order now to enjoy massive savings. 5 stars – CE Williams

What an incredibly detailed and thoroughly researched based and true accounts of the Japanese attack on the Philippines and the capture of U.S. soldiers held as POW’s. The authors created fictional characters to give a more well rounded account of what these people experienced during this war. We hear about the European side of WW2 more than we read about the Japanese invasion and subsequent conflicts. What an eye opening story that I knew nothing about There is almost 75 pages of cited information to verify the aspects of the story based on actual events. This is a must read for anybody interested in history and specifically the survivors of this part of the war.

This differs from Robert Dugoni’s repertoire but equally enjoyable and meaningful.
I gave it the following SCORE:
Setting: World War II, Pacific Theater, and a small town in Minnesota
Characters: Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber, in love and wanting to start a life together, but the impact of World War II forever changes their destiny in completely different ways. The cast of supporting GIs and military officials is broad, varied, and well-developed.
Overview: Sam determines it is his patriotic duty to enlist in the army and joins a tank battalion stationed in the Pacific, but is captured and becomes part of the Bataan Death March, eventually winding up on a POW hell ship. Sarah wants to do her part in the war while she waits and prays for Sam’s return so her excellent mathematical skills take her from being a school teacher to rising through the ranks as a top-rated cryptographer. The intersection of Sarah breaking the Japanese code and the whereabouts and question of Sam’s escape make the story fascinating and suspenseful.
Recommendation: I rate this book 4.5 stars
Extras: The book is an exercise in contrasts, while the love affair part of the story is straightforward and lightweight, the war episodes are definitely heavyweight and not for everyone since the scenes of POW's conditions and torture are difficult. Based primarily on a true set of circumstances, there is a lot to be learned and contemplated.
Thanx to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to provide this candid review.

The reviews were great on this book but it felt too heavy for me. I think others might like this true story.

Wonderful blend of a compelling plot, believable characters, good writing, and well-researched history!
Hold Strong tells the story of Sam Carlson, an ordinary guy who is sent to fight in the Philippines during WWII, captured by the Japanese, and subjected to horrific conditions and personally directed cruelty. Meanwhile, his math-whiz sweetheart, Sarah Haber, is recruited to serve as a codebreaker for the US, and her efforts could have a very personal effect on Sam. The book nicely portrays a real ethical problem Sarah faces while engaged in her cryptanalytic efforts and made me think about what it would be like to be in her situation. Sam and Sarah both definitely had to “hold strong”.
Sam and Sarah are very believable, sympathetic characters, and I found myself very immersed in their experiences. Sam’s treatment as a POW was so harsh that I might not have finished the book if it were not so compelling. Sarah did not suffer the physical distress that Sam did, but her mental anguish as she worked to save both her country and the man she loved was very believable. I could imagine myself being in the shoes of the women cryptanalysts doing their part for the war effort. Other characters are also nicely drawn, such as Father Tom, a cleric who is Sam’s fellow POW and strives to help his compatriots find some serenity despite the conditions of their imprisonment.
The book description says the book is “anchored in an extraordinary true story”, but I did not realize until I read the Afterword and looked through the notes just how thorough the research was and how closely the story follows history. The treatment of the POWs that I found so distressing was not, unfortunately, fiction, such as the telegram from the Japanese Minister of Defense instructing the POW camps to execute all POWS if Allied troops were approaching and might liberate the POWs to rejoin the fighting. I do NOT recommend that you read the Afterword until you finish the story to avoid spoilers. There was little or no mention, though, even in the Notes, of the technical problems Sarah encountered while trying to decrypt the Japanese messages, a mild disappointment to me.
I have enjoyed books by Robert Dugoni in the Tracy Crosswhite and Keera Duggan series, so I thought I would find a good read in Hold Strong, and I did, but this book is rather different from those series, so do not expect a thriller. DO expect an equally engrossing portrayal of the effects of war on ordinary people.
I received and advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

I thought going into this book that I would have a little bit of trouble with it with the content and being written by three different authors, that was not the case at all! This book is based on real life events from World War II
Robert Dugoni is not a new author to me. I happen to have loved his previous two books, I’m still new to him, so I’m getting through all his works, the other two authors were new to me, but this book was about love, and heroism and I truly enjoyed it.

*Hold Strong* is a gripping WWII historical fiction that blends real events with a compelling story. It follows Sam Carlson, a soldier captured in the Philippines, and his fiancée Sarah, who becomes a codebreaker to help with the war effort. The book is well-researched, heart-wrenching, and shows the strength of the human spirit in the face of extreme hardship.

As with other Robert Dugoni books, this one is extraordinary. The collaboration with Langholz and Crabtree has produced an exciting, extremely well- researched historical fiction WWII book. There are lots of wonderful WWII stories but this is a refreshing change with some unique settings and perspectives. It is very much a love story but is also a beautiful tale of perseverance and maintaining focus on what is important in order to survive.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni along with Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree
This is such a good read. I had to slow down so I could devour it better. Sam and Sarah are finished with school and hope to get married in the very near future but WWII comes along and Sam joins the Army and is sent to Japan and while there he is captured by the Japanese. Meanwhile Sarah is home trying to find a good job – she is a math whiz – and decides to join and is accepted in a group who are Codebreakers so she can help the war effort. This is a very thought provoking story. It will keep you in suspense until the very last page. I have read almost of @Robert Dugoni’s books and I look forward to his next one. You might also want to check out a few of his other stand alone books as well. You will want to read all of his other books. Thank you @NetGalley and @Lake Union Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read this great story. I always recommend Mr Dugoni's books.

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and authors Robert Dugoni; Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree, for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Publication date is currently set for January 28, 2025.

Any truly inspiring historical tale always has a kernel of truth, and this story has it in spades.

Familiar with some of this author’s (Dugoni) work through his Tracy Crosswhite and Keera Duggan series of crime novels, I was expecting something similar. So going in blind to Hold Strong I was (pleasantly) surprised to realise that this was a standalone novel – but not crime genre, this was historical fiction.

So the first thing I want to emphasize is – if, as a reader, you’ve never read anything by Dugoni and want to start – this would be a terrific introduction.

The second is, I don’t think I’ve ever read an historical novel that has a more comprehensive Afterword/Bibliography/Notes section than Hold Strong. The list is exhaustive and is a testament to the authors’ meticulous attention to detail and thorough research.

Third – is the setting – the Philippines, 1942 - when the Japanese Imperial Army invades with lightning speed and devastating results. As part of the Clark Field and Pearl Harbour attacks, the Japanese also struck other sites across the Pacific. They immediately followed their Pearl Harbor assault with attacks against US and British bases in the Philippines, Guam, Midway Island, Wake Island, Malaya, and Hong Kong and within days, were the masters of the Pacific.

Hold Strong is a story which is based on real events, and Dugoni and his co-authors: Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree have taken these factual accounts and created a compelling and powerful fictional narrative about the Japanese invasion of the Philippines; the Battle of Bataan; and the POWs who were incarcerated by the Japanese soldiers into places like Camp O’Donnell in Luzon.

[History Lesson On 9 April 1942, in the face of overwhelming disadvantage caused by hunger and disease, Major Gen. Edward P. King, Jr. was forced to surrender the tens of thousands of USAFFE soldiers defending the Bataan Peninsula to the besieging Imperial Japanese Army. The Bataan Death March followed, as most of the Filipino and American prisoners of war were forced to walk under tortuous conditions for about 100 kilometres from Bataan to San Fernando Pampanga, where they then boarded tight box cars towards Capas, Tarlac. Around 10,000 American soldiers and an estimated 50,000 Filipino servicemen ended up in Capas, Tarlac in Central Luzon.]

Camp O’Donnell, originally a Philippine army training camp, was under construction when the war started, it had little shelter and no sanitary facilities, but the Japanese Imperial Army filled the camp with thousands of POWs (about 1,600 Americans and some 26,000 Filipinos). Some of the most horrific war crimes were committed here during this period of time – it’s not something to be proud of. Prisoners of war were forced to march through tropical conditions, enduring heat, humidity and rain without adequate medical care. They suffered from chronic starvation. Their physical surroundings were harsh. Prisoners were beaten, killed, and sometimes beheaded.

The narrative is told through the eyes of Sam Carlson. Sam lives in a small town in Minnesota with his family, and college sweetheart, Sarah Haber. When he finished school, Sam joined the National Guard – remember, this was before the war and he had no idea of what the future held. When war began, and America declared it was joining, the Government declared that members of the National Guard were to be requisitioned into service in the US Army. As a consequence, Sam was sent to the Philippines and was subsequently captured as a POW.

Sam, along with thousands of other enlisted men were sent to POW camps for the duration of the war. Many were transported off the island on what the prisoners called “hell ships” – these ships were requisitioned merchant vessels that the Japanese navy overloaded with POWs who were being relocated to internment on the Japanese Home Islands or elsewhere in the empire. The holds were floating dungeons, where inmates were denied air, space, light, bathroom facilities, and adequate food and water—especially water. Thirst and heat claimed many lives in the end, as did summary executions and beatings, yet the vast majority of deaths came as a result of so-called “friendly fire” from U.S. and Allied naval ships, submarines, and aircraft. As in the case of Sam’s ship, the Arisan Maru, which was torpedoed by a US submarine and sank. Out of the 1,800 POWs crammed into the hold of the ship, there was only one survivor – Sam Carlson.

Despite this book being a collaboration between three authors, the writing is absolutely seamless. I couldn’t put my finger on who wrote what and, despite its many horrendous chapters (and there are a few), I found myself being drawn back into the story as soon as I put it down. And that’s the reason this is going onto my favourites list.

To all those people who are presently serving or have served in the past, I thank you for your service, and it is my fervent hope that history doesn’t repeat.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Lake Union Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This is an amazing story of bravery, hardship, heroism and love. It is based on little-known, true events that transpired during World War II.

Sam Carlson enlists in the military, leaving behind his family and his one true love, Sarah. After Pearl Harbor is attacked, he is sent to the Phillipines and becomes a prisoner of war. He and his comrades are brutalized and starved and eventually hauled onto a cargo ship with another 1800 prisoners. In this below-deck virtual prison, the soldiers are starved and given only a teaspoon of water per day. These cargo ships were eventually called hellships for the conditions these men had to endure.

Sam’s “sweetheart”, Sarah, decides she needs to find ways to help bring him and the others home quicker, so she gets trained as a code breaker and works tirelessly to help end this war.

This book is well researched, very well written and absolutely heart-wrenching. I highly recommend this book and wish I could rate it more than 5 stars. Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC.

Based on real events Robert Dugoni and his co-authors Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree have told the harrowing story, based on real facts of what happened to American POWs who were captured by the Japanese after the fall of the Philippines in 1942. It tells of their capture and the brutal treatment they received by the Japanese guards who refused to recognise the Geneva Convention for the treatment of POWs.

The story is told through the eyes of Sam Carlson from a small town in Minnesota. After school he joined the National Guard with no idea that they would be requisitioned into joining the US Army sent overseas to fight. Sam represents the many young men captured in the Philippines who were brutally treated physically and psychologically in Japanese POW camps.

Starvation, beatings, random killings and absence of medical treatment for the dysentery and other diseases that spread through the camps left them all in poor physical condition. Sam survived the brutal Bataan March where so many American and Filipino prisoners died but worse was to come when he and his fellow POWs were packed like sardines into the hold of what became known as the Japanese “Hellships”.

I had never heard about these ships before, so I was blown away by the authors’ afterword where they tell us that 50,000 POWs were packed into these ships to sail around the empire as part of convoys of battleships. They were not marked as containing POWs and so could be subject to bombing by allied submarines and planes like any other Japanese ship. Over 21,000 POWs died on the hellships making them deadlier than any other WW2 event.

The description of what the POWs went through in the camps and on the ships, the deprivation and brutality the men suffered was hard to read about and initially I found myself needing to take a break from the book now and again. However, around the halfway mark I was totally gripped by Sam’s story and determined to see his journey through to the end.

The novel is lightened by the inclusion of a second thread detailing what Sam’s high school sweetheart Sarah was doing during the war. She initially attended college to train as a maths teacher, but later took on a new role in Washington where she could utilise her math skills in the Pacific war effort. This proved to be something else I didn’t know much about and added another layer to Sam’s ordeal on the hellships.

As I’ve said, I found this a tough book to read and think it must also have been difficult to write about, but I found it well worth the read. Extremely well written with excellent historical detail it tells a heartbreaking account of how inhumane man can be but also how tough the human spirit can be under the very worst conditions. It’s a story that needed to be told and the authors have excelled.