I finished Hold Strong earlier this week. Definitely an important book to read and shouldn't be missed. The notes and additional reading material is well done and I'm interested to read more on this topic, prisoners left in the Philippines in WWII.
 
From my calculation, approximately 14% of this book contains notes. I've started reading a couple chapters and then switching and reading the notes, then reading some more. It seems that the main character (Sam) is a composite character ... based on so many accountings and accumulated information from many sources. Some sources I've read before. Tough material. I'm at approximately 59%.

When I’m reading an incredible book, I will post comments as I’m reading. I’m only at 25%. In the middle of the night I had to google to see if Hold Strong was based on actual events. Yes. It is. Classified as Historical Fiction, but the author tried to hold true to as many facts as possible. Definitely 5 star so far. Will continue to update.

Many, many thanks to Robert Dugoni. I try to read all of his books. One of my favorite authors. Written with Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for approving my request to read the advance read copy of Hold Strong in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is Jan 28, 2025. Approx 543 pages. (again, roughly 14% of the book is notes, but don't miss them. I highly recommend reading them as you read the book.)

This book is historical fiction based on facts that occurred during WW2. Unlike many novels this book focused on the US/Japanese actions during the war.

This is a difficult book to read with quite a lot of graphic violence depicted. I knew nothing about many of the events covered in this novel.

In a small town in Minnesota, Sam Carlson is the projectionist at the local cinema. He is in a happy place as he and Sara Haber have been seeing each other. They spend endless hours talking and eating popcorn in the projection room. They even make plans for the future. Theirs is a true love story.

All of this changes when America goes to war and Sam is sent to the Philippines and then captured and detained as a POW. He suffered terrible and brutal conditions, always hopeful for an Allied victory and release from his misery.

Instead he is one of the men who ends up a prisoner in what are described as “hellships” that left the Philippines. The Japanese weren’t willing to leave the Americans behind so instead they were forced into the holds of ships. The men were starved and tortured and many did not survive.

Sara is in college and is a math major, she is recruited as a code breaker and sent to Washington to help decode the Japanese orders.

This novel is incredibly well researched with a lot of information in the Afterword. It’s an absolute must read in order to understand the gravity of these acts. I was left to wonder why this is the first time that I’ve learned of the hellships and how many American POWs died???

*This was a Witches Words buddy read and I’m so fortunate to be able to discuss this historical novel with others. Be sure to read their excellent reviews.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

Heartbreaking, gripping, thought provoking, and tense, Hold Strong is based on real events which occurred during WWII. This book shows not only the horrors of war, but it also shows bravery, courage, and sacrifice. I struggled initially with this book initially but by the 50% mark, I was fully invested, moved, and in awe at the amount of research that went into the writing of Hold Strong. I love books that are about real events and show ordinary people placed in extraordinary situations. I also love books that not only teach me something new but evoke emotion and Hold Strong did that and then some.

Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber were high school sweethearts. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Sam was sent to the Philippines and captured as a POW. While Sarah is recruited to Washington where her math skills will be used in code breaking. Sam is brutalized and beaten yet survives the Bataan Death March and becomes one of the men who became prisoners on the Japanese ship Arisan Maru.

Whew! I found myself thinking about this book long after I finished it. There is so much about WWII that I was not taught in school; the Japanese prisoner hell ships being one of the things about the war I did not know. I learned even more by reading the author's note at the end. DO NOT MISS THIS SECTION - it is a must read!

This book shows the horrors of war, the barbaric treatment of POW's and the triumph of the human spirit. I could not help but feel for the characters, the situations in which they were in, the decisions that they had to make, and the suffering that many endured.

Wonderfully written, heartbreaking, vividly detailed, well thought out, and inspired by true events.

4.5 stars

Coming out in January Robert Dugoni has a new book that is also written by Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree, authors I am unfamiliar with. A departure from his usual courtroom drama books that I have read in the past Hold Strong takes place before, during and after the war.

Beginning in a small town in Minnesota, high school sweethearts, Sam and Sarah's lives changes when Sam enlists and Sarah goes off to college. What follows is a gritty story, especially for Sam as a Japanese POW. I already knew that that is almost a death sentence and for some that survived wish that it had been. It is vivid, descriptive and heartbreaking, to the point that I put the book down for a few days.

For Sarah back home she is getting involved in the war effort herself.

This was a well written story that was rich in history to the point that the author notes were very descriptive in telling where they got their information to make this a story as authentic as possible. Hold Strong is a story of perseverance, survival and heartache. I loved the conclusion, it just felt authentic.

Hold Strong is still a story I think about a month have finishing, it emotional and gripping. You can find it on shelves the end of January.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

Hold Strong, the latest standalone novel from Robert Dugoni with co-authors Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree, brings the reader face to face with the horrors of WWII as lived by two main characters.

The book takes us through the Bataan Death march, endurance of the Japanese POW camps in the Philippines, and the unthinkable brutality that man inflicts upon man. Sam endures all, holding onto the image of a life with his one true love, Sarah. Through Sam’s eyes we witness the bonds of brotherhood, the loss experienced, and what one man holds onto in order to survive the horrors of war.

The other side of the story, the struggle of Sarah. Her drive to do all to see an end to the war and be near to the man she loves. Sarah forges a path unheard of for the time and joins the WAVES. She becomes a code breaker and must come to grips with the reality that her actions may not only have grave implications for the man she loves, but for thousands of POWs.

The novel continues past the end of Sam and Sarah’s story with a chapter titled, Afterword. This chapter provides some of the actual events that Hold Strong is based upon. The circumstances and the actions taken, the information released by and the spin of the American government, calls to mind narratives we see in today’s headlines.

I have read a number of Mr. Dugoni’s standalone novels. Each, I believe are wonderfully written and imaginative. The same holds true here but also brings to mind two questions. At what point does the good of the many outweighs the good of the one, and does our government have an obligation to be transparent and truthful to its citizens?

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of Hold Strong.

Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree

War, bravery, survival and even some romance, this story has it all. A little too sappy for me at the start, it picked up considerably about halfway.

Enlisting in the armed forces was a way for a young man to escape the dust bowl of the 1930s in the US Midwest, get some food and clothing and maybe send some money home to the folks. Our hero Sam Carlson did all that and more. Sweetheart Sarah Haber makes the most of his absence and becomes more than she ever dreamed.

According to the Afterword-which I strongly suggest you read- the characters are composites of the many researched by the authors. This is as historical fiction should be. The book could do with trigger warnings for some of the POW torture that went on at length. Some was very upsetting.

The ending was very good and helped me bump this review to four stars.

A historical piece of fiction that is loosely based on true events, Hold Strong takes place at the beginning of and during World War Two. Unlike a lot of its contemporaries, this doesn’t focus on the war in Europe but the war with Japan.

It’s also a love story, the story of Sarah and Sam, young sweethearts from a small American town who both contribute hugely in their own way to winning the war.

If you like Dugoni as an author( he is one of my favourites) then you will love this. Despite it being a collaboration, it has Dugonis writing style and storytelling fingerprints all over it. There is also a huge amount of historical detail in the book which must have taken huge amounts of research, which I can only guess were the contributions of the two other authors.
When you finish the book, take the time to read the very sizeable notes section at the end. I hope you will be as amazed as I was how many of the events that happen in the book were actually real. It was a real eye opener for me. While I know a huge amount about the war in Europe I knew little beyond the dropping of the atomic bombs, of the war in the far east.

This, like all Dugoni books, is incredibly readable. It’s fantastically structured and plotted with some hugely vivid characters that will stay with me for a long time.

An easy five stars for me. The book is both harrowing and heartwarming. It’s a tour de force.

Many thanks to the author for the ARC through Netgalley.

Thank you for the Advanced Readers Copy of Hold Strong.

I love that this story was based on true life events. It was a fast paced, page turner that I could not put down. I highly recommend if you are a sucker for historical fiction. Truly a fantastic read.

I could not put this book down! I’ve read a few of Dugoni’s books, but this is by far one of his best. I read "Unbroken", which is non-fiction about the Japanese POW camps and this book delves more into to the atrocities American prisoners had to endure - there were many times I forgot I was reading a story & felt a part of it. To make the story even more interesting is having the main character’s girlfriend working as a decoder of Japanese codes for the American government. PHENOMENAL book! Thanks for the advanced copy!

This historical fiction book is awesome! It is based on true events of WWII. From The Nightingale, I learned things about the war in France that no history book ever taught. In this book, I learned a ton about the war in the Philippines and China from this book. So much research was put into this book. It follows the fictional love story of Sarah and Sam while giving us in depth detail of Sam's experience in the war. Sarah also got to contribute her talents to the war effort in a very worthy way. I love Robert Dugoni books. They are so well written and I have learned so much. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Robert Dugoni's latest historic fiction book proves he's a master storyteller! Co-authored by Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree, who have. both researched and had first-hand knowledge of some of the characters, this retelling of the plight of the POWs who were held in Japanese prison camps in the Philippines and on board the Japanese vessel Arisan Maru will keep you reading well into the night!

Dugoni gives life to two young people from a small Minnesota town (named Sam and Sarah for the story) who each fight their own battles during WW2.

I would have liked to have known Sarah better, but Sam's trip through hell is as poignant as it gets!! Reading the end notes as you go validifies the story. It isn't a story -- real people lived this horror!!

Carefully researched, Sam embodies actual WW2 survivors. He doesn't just live facts; we see his tortured mind!!

In some ways the story made me angry, but probably not angry enough! I realized that I have no idea of the horrors others went through to allow me to live in a free America. I don't fully understand the military's no-win decisions or what the men were really like who made those decisions. Did they have any idea about the Sams and Sarahs their decisions would impact??

This story has never been told in its entirety before. Readers will appreciate the story; historians will put a person with the facts and unless you don't have any compassion, you will be thinking about this and its implications for a long time!!

Hold Strong is a well researched compelling read that is a powerful story that everyone should read.

My review can never do this book justice.

It is the story of Sam Carlson who at the beginning of the war is sent to the Philippines and his girlfriend Sarah Haber is recruited to be a code breaker

The Philippines fall to the Japanese and all the military personnel are made Prisoners of War.

Their story is inhumane, they courage is mind boggling and their tenacity is out of this world.

All they can do is Hold Strong.

Sarah is doing her part to shorten the war and knows her task is of the utmost importance that has deadly consequences and yet it is necessary.

Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree have collaborated together to write a book based on history and they have told a story that is an eye opener .

It is a journey that you the reader wont forget nor should we.

Hold Strong will no doubt be several Book Club picks and I can not recommend this book highly enough.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the privilege of reading and reviewing Hold Strong.

This book was "unputdownable". For those who loved "Unbroken", this book will also be cherished. It provides a lesson on events from WWII which aren't often taught in US History. As an added bonus, it has a delightful love story thrown in. I highly recommend this to all students of WWII history.

Hold Strong is an extraordinary novel by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree which is based on true events during WW2.
In short, we follow a young American lad, Sam Carlson’s remarkable journey through the extremely barbaric time as a PoW in the Philippines.
I’ve read and enjoyed many books by Robert and this one, well it’s a ‘stand out’. It’s a remarkable, harrowing story and a testament to the power of hope which being based on factual events (meticulously researched and recorded…listed at the end of book) ratchets up the heinous atrocities during that time as a PoW under the Japanese regime. How they survived is a testament to the human spirit and how much the human body can endure…how the men coped is unbelievable, just so very brave. It’s a gripping and unsettling read but it’s a reminder of the terrible sacrifices made by the men, a story that shouldn’t be forgotten. So, if you think you are having a bad day, just read this book.
Big thanks to Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, Chris Crabtree, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

Wow, a real tour de force by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree. When I first started reading the book I thought it was a real story about real people...and in a way it is, because it's based on real events and compilations of people involved in those events. But this book is one of the best historical fiction books I've read in a long time. Impeccably researched, beautifully written, it stayed with me long after I finished it.
It's the story of Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber, told both in parallel and woven together, Sam and Sarah grew up in a small town in Minnesota, which could be a small town anywhere. They are sweethearts, Sarah bound for college and Sam for the workforce, when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Sam enlists and as a math wiz, Sarah is recruiting into a secret government program that listens in on Japanese radio traffic with the purpose of breaking their codes. Sam is sent to the Philippines, where he eventually survives the Bataan death march and a Japanese POW camp. When the Japanese are losing the war, they load hundreds of American prisoners onto boats to take them to Japan rather than have any witnesses to the brutality they have subjected the men to. Not signatories to the Geneva convention, the Japanese feel free to abuse the men, and ignore the rules of war. Traveling in a convoy of other ships without POWs, the Japanese deliberately fail to fly a flag indicating that their ship has POW's on it. Meanwhile, Sarah has broken a Japanese code that indicates a large convoy of Japanese ships heading from the Philippines to Japan. Becoming aware that there are POW's on at least one of the ships, top brass must decide what to do...decisions that could possibly save their own POW"s lives, but also give away that the Allies have broken Japanese codes. The books is mesmerizing, compelling and so well researched it could be history rather than fiction. Detailed notes at the end of the book tell us what's real and what's fiction (thank you to the authors for that!) and where to find more information. It's both a must read, and a 10 star book!

This heartbreaking, devastating tale of one man's harrowing journey during WWII needs to be read by all!! I'm still at a loss for words after finishing this novel. I am in tears over the suffering and the appalling treatment of human beings that transpired during this war. Most of this story was based on facts and true accounts. Some of the characters were fictional, but all of them were based off of real-life soldiers' experiences or what was surmised from war records. This particular story focuses on the US soldiers that were captured by the Japanese and stuffed into the cargo hold of a hell ship, resulting in the largest US naval "accident" in history. This book was well-written and captivating. It was also interesting to learn about something new that happened during the war. Most WWII novels that I've read typically share the same focus. This book was completely different. It was a truly unforgettable experience, and this book will stay with me for a long time. I feel honored to have been able to read it in remembrance of all those brave men who lost their lives. I highly recommend this book to everyone! It deserves to be read.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for granting me digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

🤍 Book review 🤍

Hold Strong
A Novel
by Robert Dugoni; Jeff Langholz; Chris Crabtree

Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, and Chris Crabtree is an unforgettable historical novel set during WWII, based on true events. The story follows Sam, a POW survivor of the Bataan Death March, and Sarah, a brilliant mathematician turned code breaker. Their lives tragically intersect when Sarah's mission involves Sam’s perilous situation on the Arisan Maru. This gripping novel showcases the resilience, courage, and sacrifices made during one of the darkest periods in history. With well-developed characters and a heart-wrenching yet inspiring plot, it’s a powerful read that brings the heroism of the time to life.

Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own

#HistoricalFiction #WWIINovel #BasedOnTrueEvents #RobertDugoni #BookReview #POWStory #WWIIHistory #WarAndLove #HistoricalReads #CodeBreaking #EpicNovel #PacificTheater #BookRecommendations #HoldStrong #LoveAndWar #BookCommunity #ReadersOfInstagram #BookLovers #Bookstagram

I love historical fiction & this book did not disappoint. Immediately you will fall in love with the characters, and be rooting for them. The look at the Pacific theater is not something I think you read about often. I appreciate the opportunity to learn about what happened and what our soldiers went through. It was devastating to read about & the decisions made by those in power. I would recommend this book & thank NetGalley for the ARC!

I really don't know how to review a book that was as impactful as Hold Strong was. I have always been intrigued by WW2 miniseries, such as The Pacific and Band of Brothers. I've always enjoyed learning about it and seeing it somehow come to life on the screen in front of me. While reading Hold Strong, the same thing happened in my mind. Though it was hard to read at times, due to the graphic details, this is one of the best books I have ever read. It was also my first by the author, and I intend to add Dugoni's books to my TBR. Solid 5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

This is a story about love and war. A story of man’s inhumanity to man in the theater of the 2nd world war in the Pacific.
Sam and Sara come from small town America during the depression and they both have big dreams for their future. Sam enlists in the national guard in order to earn money to eventually marry Sara. Sara is a maths wizard and she can only think of going to university and coming back home to teach.. The world is at war and Sam is sent to the Philippines where their unit is overrun by the Japanese after the Pearl Harbor attack. Sam is taken prisoner and the terrible murderous torture at the hands of their Japanese guards begins .Sam is eventually reported missing and Sara decides to put her mathematic brain to good use and joins the code breaking team in her mind to so to help with Sam’s rescue from the Japanese. This is a riveting story of many heroes and heroines and of terrible decisions decoded by Sara’s team in an effort to end the war and release the prisoners of war from their often terrible fates.
This is a historical novel of epic proportions which affected a generation of young men and women in a war that was supposed to end all wars
5 stars