Tears in the Darkness

The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath

By: Michael Norman, Elizabeth Norman

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, History, 2010

For the first four months of 1942, U.S., Filipino, and Japanese soldiers fought what was America's first major land battle of World War II, the battle for the tiny Philippine peninsula of Bataan. It ended with the surrender of 76,000 Filipinos and Americans, the single largest defeat in American military history. The defeat, though, was only the beginning, as Michael and Elizabeth M. Norman make dramatically clear in this powerfully original book.

From then until the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, the prisoners of war suffered an ordeal of unparalleled cruelty and savagery: 41 months of captivity, starvation rations, dehydration, hard labor, deadly disease, and torture---far from the machinations of General Douglas MacArthur. The Normans bring to the story remarkable feats of reportage and literary empathy.

Their protagonist, Ben Steele, is a figure out of Hemingway: a young cowboy turned sketch artist from Montana who joined the army to see the world. Juxtaposed against Steele's story and the sobering tale of the Death March and its aftermath is the story of a number of Japanese soldiers. The result is an altogether new and original World War II book: it exposes the myths of military heroism as shallow and inadequate; and it makes clear, with great literary and human power, that war causes suffering for people on all sides.

©2009 Michael and Elizabeth Norman (P)2009 Tantor

Surprise by many parts of this history.

This book sheds the ugly light on America’s portion of history. I thought i knew this story. The Normans magnificently tell the facts and leave the reader to form their own opinions.

Fantastic!

This is what every history book should be and must be praised for several reasons. To begin, it brings to light an often neglected horror of WWII: The Death March On Baatan. Like Iris Chang's book, The Rape Of Nanking, the Normans give us the lives and sufferings of people who should never be left in the shadows of historical narrative. Secondly, this is a hugely well-written book! This obviously deeply-researched volume absolutely brings this story to life. I have gone through it like I did James Stewart's MANHUNT: THE TWELVE DAY SEARCH FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER, and for the same reason. Both tell history through the eyes and stories of those who lived it in incredible detail with rich, poetic touches. This is a must read!!!

Left me shaken and very moved

An incredible book which is at the same time upsetting and elevating. Perhaps the book moved me as much as it did because I knew one of the survivors of the Bataan Death March and some of what he experienced. It's one of the books I'll leave on my iPhone for awhile. "Tears in the Darkness" gave me renewed respect for our humanity, our vulnerability, and our strength. The people I met in the book will stay with me for a long time. I am grateful to the Norman's for pulling this material together.

How did I not know this?

I'd heard of the Bataan Death march, but had no clue to the extent of the cruelty, angst and endurance of survivors. Book starts a little slowly, but becomes impossible to put down. Very similar to "Unbroken" in looking at WWII from the Pacific side. It left me pondering life and humanity, much as I did after reading "Night."

A beautiful mix of Storytelling and Research

Any additional comments?

This book is a perfect blend of story telling and research that deals with a very dark and atrocious period of WWII. The authors tell the whole story - not only from the American point of view, but also from the perspective of Japanese soldiers and Generals. It is important to recognize that there were victims on BOTH sides - and such is the tragedy of war. This is one of my favorite books, both in terms of the authors who masterfully told this tragic story, but also due to its narration. Great listen!

Many perspectives on an unforgettable story

The first time I heard of this book, I was in a bookstore browsing and found the hardcover copy of this book on the bargain rack. I couldn't for the life of me figure why it was there, as it sounded extremely intriguing. Unfortunately I was feeling indecisive that day, and I left the book on the shelf. Regretting that I hadn't bought it, I was pleased to find the audio version through Audible.

The authors did a remarkable job of bringing to life people from all groups involved with and affected by the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, the Bataan Death March, and the ultimate Allied victory over Japan. Through various parts of the narrative, we hear the perspectives of enlisted and officers from both sides.

The treatment of the American and Filipino P.O.W.s was appalling, both in the passive forms of neglect and the active forms of torture, abuse and murder. Many of the descriptions will turn your stomach in disgust and anger. Yet the story was much more complex than that. I found it truly awe-inspiring to hear in the same vignette about the abominable actions of Japanese captors, and the selflessness, grace and good will of the Filipino civilians. There is a description that will really take your breath away of children running past armed guards into the columns to hand sugar cookies to the prisoners.

Yet, the authors do not paint the Japanese as evil, heartless monsters, but rather illustrate the conditions that led to such extreme actions. The mythos and history behind Imperial Japan and its push to expand is explained, as well as the brutal military training process. The actions of the captors against their prisoners is shocking, but it becomes much less surprising when you learn how the Japanese military treated its own troops. There are moments of sheer horrifying cruelty and violence, and moments of surprising benevolence, such as Japanese guards silently slipping food and quinine to suffering prisoners. Some of the feelings of the Japanese troops are revealed, as well. The loss of life on their side during the engagements on the Philippines was pretty staggering; to suddenly have the "enemies" responsible for the deaths of many of one's comrades must have been an irresistible opportunity for vengeance for some. At the same time, we hear about the decline of morality among the American prisoners. Under such harsh conditions, some soldiers forgot about looking out for anyone but themselves, resorting to theft, bullying and even physical violence against one another.

I think more than anything this book is a statement about the extremes of human nature revealed by the cruelty of war. Nothing about this book is simple or black-and-white. I believe this is an important piece of history to learn about, and this book presents the story in a very human way that challenges pre-conceived notions.

Tears in the Darkness

Very informative! Now I know why no American POW that was on the Death march ever owned a Japanise car.

Couldn't stop listening!!

I was always more interested in the European theater of WWII, so I had very little knowledge of the Bataan Death March. This book is so incredibly insightful and almost impossible to stop listening to.

The narration seemed a little forced at first, but it got a lot better. This book reads more like a story than a history paper and keeps you riveted.

If you like WWII history, or just a really good story, this is a must listen!

Compelling history book has pull of a novel

Throughout my schooling, the Bataan Death March usually appeared as a small blurb in a history textbook. A family history in the Pacific during WWII lead me to this, and I was not disappointed. Though a little hesitant about a non-fiction history book gripping my interest in the same fashion as a light-hearted novel, I decided to download Tears in the Darkness, and quickly became gripped by the narration. Though at times I wish I had listened with a map of the Philippines in front of me, the authors did a more-than-adequate job of providing a setting for the listener.
The text was enthralling; I often listen while doing housework, and one more than one occasion I found myself seated on the floor, staring at my computer, whilst my cabinets were left neglected and my legs had fallen asleep.
I appreciated that the book followed not only the greater scope of what happened, but that it did so through individuals, making it easier to relate to what was happening, especially through Ben Steele. Of course, it was also incredibly interesting to listen when the book switched to a Japanese perspective, and yielded a more objective perspective of the event.
Though Michael Prichard does not have the most "exciting" voice, he fit the narrative perfectly. To my American ears, Japanese and Filipino pronunciation sounded realistic, without hesitation or inconsistency. He was easy to understand (important in a book like this) and read with great fluidity, even if the narrative slowed.
In all, I am very glad I downloaded this. For anyone with even a slight inclination to history, this is a great listen.

Terrible Narrator

Only 3 stars because of the awful narration. I agree with those who said there was much too much detail.
I don't consider this a man's book because I'm a woman but have always been interested in war history.
It's a good book but really suffers from the narration.