This book was a moving account of a part of WWII that I had not heard about before. We have all heard how the Nazis treated people, and how the Americans were treated by the Japanese, but I did not realise how many Americans were put into camps by the Nazis.

Overall this was a very interesting read, and it is one I will remember and think about for a long time to come.

4 stars out of 5 ⭐️

This story about WWII provides a different perspective from other historical fiction books I’ve read. It’s about a young American man who leaves his small hometown, and the girl he loves, to go fight in the war. When his plane is shot down, he’s taken as a prisoner and sent to a Nazi concentration camp. Although he does survive, the atrocities he experiences are hard to imagine. When he finally returns home he’s encouraged, even forced, to forget everything that happened to him. Eventually he realizes that’s not possible…

This was really well done and worked with the World War 2 elements going on. It showed the horror of this and was engaged with what was happening. It had that element that I was looking for from a historical fiction novel. Christopher Bensinger has a strong writing style and am excited for more.

As someone fascinated by WWII history, I was immediately intrigued by this story. It explores the harrowing experiences of Jewish American soldiers at Stalag IX-B, who were wrongly identified and sent to the brutal Berga II labor camp—regardless of their actual faith.

It’s chilling and heartbreaking to learn how these soldiers were later told to keep it all a secret, to "just forget about it." The writing is powerful and immersive, making you feel every emotion Charlie experiences.

While parts of the story were incredibly difficult to read, the beautifully written ending brought everything full circle. Seeing Charlie finally find liberation was both emotional and rewarding.

The Sooner You Forget
By: Christopher Bensinger
Release date : February 4, 2025

I have read over 300 books that have something to do with either the holocaust or World War II. This is the only book that caused me to have nightmares. The authors writing style and prose put me in the book with the soldiers and what they were going through just to survive. A truly magnificent feat for an author to do with his readers.

Told from an American Soldier's point of view and exposing even more of the Nazi's inhumane treatment of their prisoners of war, this book will shock you with how America dealt with its soldiers that suffered such great horrors during the war. You will want to rally with the soldiers and against your own government so be prepared. How such a thing could have happened to American soldiers is beyond me and explains why so many veterans refused to speak of what they went through in the war.

Based on little known and largely swept under the rug historical fact, this book delves into all that went wrong for our soldiers and the total lack of support they received when they returned home. Yet even with all that went wrong there was so much that went right. How soldiers looked out for each other oftentimes doing without their own meager food so a soldier that was sick and suffering could have a little more. These soldiers looked out for each other in a way that not even their own government did.

While I would write rave reviews about this book as the story and the authors writing skills are superb, the subject is dark and forboding and oftentimes so nightmarish you have to put it down to digest what you are actually reading. A sad and poignant retelling of a sad and downtrodden time in our history, this book will really open your mind to how horrific the war really was and the part our government played in making it worst. If you are going to read this book make sure you do it with the lights on. If you can stand it, this book will change your perception in ways you never would have known.

This WWII story offers a deeply emotional journey, following a young American soldier whose life is shattered when he’s captured and sent to a Nazi concentration camp. The book doesn’t shy away from the brutal realities of war, showing both the physical and emotional toll it takes on him.

What struck me the most was how the story didn’t end with his survival but explored the challenges of returning home. The pressure to stay silent about his experiences was heartbreaking, and it made his path to healing feel even more profound.

Living in Austria, a country with its own complicated WWII history, made this story resonate with me even more. It’s a raw, thought-provoking read that stays with you long after the final page. Thats why I‘m giving it 4 ⭐️.

What a powerful story. Thank you for the ARC. This heartbreaking story revealed the American POW experience in Europe. Charlie, a young pilot with US Army Air Corps, is captured after his plane crashes and joins other US POWs. Eventually the prisoner of war camp where he is detained removes the POWs of Jewish faith. Charlie, although not Jewish but in love with his Jewish girlfriend, is transferred to Berga 2. In Berga 2 he witnesses deaths of many friends and almost loses his life. As the war ends, he is injured, loses a leg and agrees to never speak of Berga 2 or his experience. This agreement haunts him and as he fights cancer 50 years later, he feels the need to share his experience and to recover evidence that was lost. With his wife, son, and fellow Army Air Corps POW he travels back to Berga and finds the evidence.

Although this is a book of fiction, there is many Berga, POW camps, extermination camps and other evil crimes that we may never know. The Sooner You Forget draws attention to government secrets. In war, the enemy you fight may not be your only enemy.

Charlton Buckly, a Catholic, joins the Army and gets sent to Europe to fight against the German. Plane shot down and they are taken hostage and put in a POW camp a German stalag. Though him being a catholic American he is picked out as being a Jew as treated as so.

Discovering the Nazi's had POW camps for Americans was intriguing, it was new to me. I knew other countries had them. I've read a lot of true and based on true stories of Nazi camps for jews and betrayers. With the POW camp being new to me, I went to do some research and couldn't find much. Yes' I'm aware it's fairly new in history history compared to concentration camps. I have discovered a couple other books, but was hoping an appendix would have been with it. Hopefully the released copy will have one in it for those interested in digging down the rabbit hole. That and being a slow read is why my rating is 3.5, but rounding up to a 4, sadly I was really debating.

Thank you NetGalley and Subplot for allowing me to read the arc.